Singer's Sword

by Cassandra Boyson

  She stood and fell back a step. If she wasn’t careful, her knees would give way again. Batting at the men who offered her assistance, she strode back into the castle and to her window. Fredrick was saved. But Kierelia was not. Their enemy’s numbers had scarcely dwindled. Wars were supposed to last days, weeks, years. But the Deep Southerners had not come to start a war. They’d come to overwhelm them in a day. At this rate, Kierelia would have to surrender by sunset. They could not continue to ask Bashtii to sacrifice its troops like this. Her heart broke for those lost on the field—from both Bashtii and Kierelia. These were her friends and neighbors.

  She wasn’t certain if it was the result of pent up emotion over all that had happened in the last weeks, leading to this day. Perhaps it was merely the fact she had never seen battle before. Bloodshed was horrific and wrong. She’d avoided seeing what happened to most of those she tossed about with her voice. Her main goal had been merely to injure them beyond the ability to continue in battle. But she knew some may have died. It was, oh, so much worse than a game of Affrontery.

  In the end, she fell to her knees and sobbed.

  “Oh, Great Entity, what do we do?” she whimpered. “Oh, help us, help us…”

  The floor shook.

  But it was more than the floor. It was the castle itself. She heard yips and squeals throughout as the shaking persisted. It was clear the earth was betraying them. They were enduring a blasted earthquake in the middle of their darkest hour. Did they have to go down like this? Could it be the work of Maera?

  She took hold of the windowsill, hoping the castle would not merely fall to pieces around her. But she fell back as one of the castle towers flew out to crash upon the enemy.

  The singer leaned out her window to find the tower was still attached… and it was rising. In another moment, it came hurtling down again, smashing over the field where the enemy ranks were thickest. The breath was stolen from her as she realized multiple towers were performing the same feat. It was as if… the castle was actually defending itself. Like long arms, the towers extended in length to reach their victims.

  Hazel flew from the castle. Impossible as it was, it was as she’d surmised. Fredrick and his men had ceased fighting and stood back with mouths agape. Even the soldiers of the Deep South seemed only able to stare. That was when King Rakutan reappeared, screaming to his men to not be swayed by a pile of rocks.

  Hazel smirked. This was no pile of rocks. This was a castle proving itself to be ever so slightly alive… and fully capable of defending itself and those within. Even so, their enemy threw themselves into battle with more gusto, determined to win the day… before those towers could take them out.

  While the men around her re-entered the battle, Hazel could only watch the castle’s movements with awe. It was like absolutely nothing she had ever seen, short of the Entity’s throne room. She blinked several times, even pinching herself. It was real… and it was her castle, the one she’d built and brought to life.

  Of a sudden, she began to piece together what had been taking place as she’d laid those precious bricks. With every one of the old stones she’d touched, a spark had entered her. She’d been soaking up the remainder of the old castle’s life. From there, it had entered the lodestone: the coal H.S. had asked her to swallow. Somehow, that coal had transformed into a diamond. When ready, it had birthed itself from her mouth, where she’d then placed it onto its hearthstone, thusly bringing the new castle to life… so that it could do this.

  But the demonstration was not yet over.

  Abruptly, the towers returned to the castle. Then, methodically, they repositioned themselves until there was an arm stationed at every corner. At last, they stretched, first up and then over until each had struck ground with a teeth-chattering blow. That was when Hazel began to fear for those within. With great effort, the tower-arms pressed against the earth, lifting the stronghold until it was free of the foundation. The castle rose to a stand and then… it drew one turret forward, and then another… crawling forward like the live thing it was.

  “Fredrick!” Hazel screamed with what voice she yet possessed. “Tell the men to run!”

  But there was no need. They were already racing from the massive castle-monster that was faithfully pursuing its prey: The Deep South. Namely, Rakutan. Hazel’s brow flew up in amusement as he fell to the ground in terror. The fortress’ shadow rose over him and he would have been smashed beneath one of its tower-legs had not his men thought to drag him away.

  “Look at that!” Guardsman Gunther shouted with glee, throwing his helmet into the air.

  Hazel did look. She watched as the army of the Deep South, the ones who’d thought to take the stronghold in a day, fled in sheer horror from the sight of it. Over the hill, they went and back into the mountain pass.

  “Come on, men!” Fredrick shouted. “Let’s get after them! Make them think twice before they ever march upon Kierelia again!”

  It was clear the battlefield was what Fredrick was made for. He reveled in it—easy to believe in a moment like this. With a roar, he flew forward, sword raised to the sky. The men of the allied kingdoms raced after him.

  Hazel stayed behind until she was quite alone, surveying her dear castle chase their enemy into the mountains. At the mouth of the pass, it froze. She wondered if it would drop then and there and the location of Castlehaven would be altered forevermore. But then it turned and, for a moment, she felt certain it looked to her. Repositioning itself, it came scampering back until it had re-planted itself atop the original foundation.

  Hazel’s hands rested proudly on her hips as she gazed up at Castlehaven. True, it had destroyed the gates and released every one of its prisoners from those dungeons… but it had triumphed. With a sigh, she sauntered up and placed a hand to its wall.

  “You did very well this day,” she said in a whisper. “…I really hate to leave you.”

  She was knocked back as the castle shuddered. Perhaps it was only settling into place, but she could not help smiling up at it.

  “Don’t worry,” she soothed, once again standing to place a hand to it. “I will see you find a queen capable of caring for you as you deserve. And there will be a new ruler every lifetime, you know. You must promise you will care for each of them as you have cared… for me.”

  She recalled how it had gifted her that beloved tower and then had saved it for her. Somehow—though it was but stone—it had understood what a lost, forlorn, needy girl she was… and it had cared. It was ridiculous to think and she would never confess it to a living soul. Even so, she mourned that she must abandon it as she had been abandoned. But there was no taking it with her… not that she couldn’t. She laughed aloud at the notion.

  32

  Hazel had just finished dressing when a knock sounded upon her door. She raced to it, hoping to find… well, she wouldn’t admit who.

  “Dorian!” she said happily. Not the one for whom she’d hoped but equally as welcome.

  He hugged her. “You were incredible yesterday. Looked like an avenging angel out there, throwing your lightning about.”

  “But where were you? Did Armond make you remain with him to concoct a ‘broader plan.’”

  He nodded. “Until it was clear it was not but a losing fight. Every time we checked on the progress, hopelessness grew. At last, I could take no more of it and raced out to join you all. That was when I saw you.”

  “So… you were not inside the castle when it, er, took its stroll through the sunset evening?”

  He grinned largely. “I was not, but what a sight! What a fortress!”

  “But you have to tell me...” She pulled him through her suite to sit on the balcony. “Was anyone injured in all that movement?”

  He nodded. “Numerous bumps and bruises, but only one broken bone, so I’d say it was worth the cost.”

  She nodded. “It was either that or become Deep Southerners.”

  “Exactly. But, my, how I wish I could’ve seen the faces of those inside
when it waltzed off like that.”

  “Oh, me too,” she replied laughingly. But then a new thought sobered. “Dorian…”

  “You’re wondering what the people thought of your gift.”

  Nodding meekly, she knew she should not care, and didn’t really. She was only curious…

  “I’d say they’re pretty divided. Seeing as how you did not act as an enemy of the kingdom after all, but rather in its defense, some think you’re rather magnificent. Others… wanted Armond to burn you at the stake.”

  “And?”

  “Hm?”

  “What will Armond do?”

  He rolled his eyes, releasing a sigh. “I don’t think he knows what to do, so he does nothing.”

  “I see…”

  “Hazel, I cannot believe he banished you. I was just going to visit you on the very day you arrived here. I would’ve gone sooner, but… I don’t know. I just had the feeling you’d want me to make certain Armond wasn’t in over his head before going.”

  She smiled warmly. “You know me well.”

  “I had the pleasure of meeting your friend, King Fredrick, last night.”

  “Oh?”

  “He is a likable fellow. Raves about you.”

  She groaned. “I know.”

  “That a problem?”

  “No,” she said sheepishly.

  “As I conjectured,” he said with a grin.

  Another knock sounded at the door.

  “Who is it?” Hazel called.

  “It is me, my lady,” called her former lady’s maid.

  “Oh, come in, Anna!” Hazel cried, leaping to her feet to meet the woman at the door. But seeing the maid’s face, she fell back a step. Perhaps Anna was among those who feared her. “What can I help you with?”

  Anna entered and closed the door, turning to her with, “My lady, perhaps it isn’t my place, but I thought you might like to be made aware of the latest event.”

  “Event?”

  “Bashtii is under attack. I just overheard that courageous King Fredrick demand you not be told before he left. But I always thought you seemed the sort who wouldn’t like such things kept from her.”

  “Bashtii under attack?” Hazel gasped. “From who?”

  “The Deep South. I heard the messenger claim Bashtii must have been in their plans all along. Supposed to be why they didn’t attack Kierelia when we were at our weakest. They required militia enough to take both kingdoms at once. As Bashtii would come to our defense, they knew it would be vulnerable.”

  Hazel’s mind raced. It all made sense now. She had been concerned she’d not seen the dragons appear the day before. They weren’t meant for Kierelia. They were intended for Bashtii. Her parents had managed to keep something from her after all. She spared a moment to wonder if the Bashtiian guards had located them, but it mattered little. Bashtii—her Bashtii—was under siege and almost utterly undefended.

  It was very likely that that kingdom was the real pursuit. It was a far greater prize than Kierelia. And it would do them credit to attain both. Even so, in the end and after all this time, Kierelia was only the bate to divide Bashtii’s troops… And, oh, how they had been divided. Fredrick had spared almost nothing to aid her.

  “But I thought we chased their army into the mountains,” Dorian said as he came up beside her. “How can they have got to Bashtii so quickly?”

  “Seems they possessed another army,” the maid explained. “It’s said to be fiercer even than the one we faced and Bashtii only has what is left of their royal guard and the people themselves to defend against it.”

  “What does Fredrick mean to do?” Hazel questioned hurriedly, already strapping on her blade.

  “He and as many men as a ship can carry are now headed for the harbor. The rest of King Fredrick’s troops are to race across the peninsula in hopes of arriving to aid them before all is lost.”

  “Is Kierelian guard to go along with them?” Dorian asked.

  Anna shook her head. “King Armond says he cannot spare what little is left of his own militia in case the army of yesterday should decide to return.”

  “But he’s got this whole castle for defense!” Hazel shouted angrily, throwing her cloak over her shoulders. It was imperative she make it onto Fredrick’s ship. He was not going to defend Bashtii without her. After all, she was the one who possessed the Bashtiian bond, the one who could call upon the Entity for favor. Could she do so when she was not on its soil? Wishing she knew how it worked, she tried it anyway, closing her eyes and silently sending up a supplication that Bashtii would not be taken before they arrived.

  “I’m sorry, my lady, but I must go,” Anna said. “I am Lady Rebecca’s maid now and she will be expecting me.”

  “Yes, go, Anna. And… thank you ever so much for informing me of this. I will never forget your service and friendship. You have taken such good care of me.”

  The woman swept into a low curtsy. “I will never forget you, my Lady Fortune.”

  Upon the maid’s exit, Dorian gripped Hazel’s arm. “I’m coming with you.”

  “You cannot! You are part of Armond’s personal guard and council. He needs you.”

  He shook his head. “My loyalty lies with you.”

  “That means… so much to me. But without your council to Armond, I firmly believe Kierelia will be no more.”

  “I understand your love for this land, even your peculiar loyalty to Armond… but my devotion to you runs much deeper.”

  She froze. Was she about to have yet another man profess love for her?

  “I love you, my little Hazel.”

  “Oh, Dorian,” she gasped. “You cannot!”

  “I do… but not in the way that sounded. My love for you stems from the ties of blood.”

  “Wh-at are you talking about?”

  “It is brotherly affection.”

  “Well, yes, I love you with the affection of a sister, but—”

  “Hazel.” He shook his head. “I’m trying to tell you I’m your brother.”

  “D-Dorian, I don’t have a brother.”

  “You do, but none knew it. I was concealed.”

  She stepped back. “You were… hidden?” Her mind was spinning. For that matter, so was her vision. “Why?”

  “They did not wish me to have emotional ties with any but them.”

  “Who? My… parents, you mean? Dorian, this is utterly mad.” So mad, it frightened her. If it was so, he’d been lying to her all along and in so many ways. She had no idea who this was standing before her, but he was no friend.

  “Well, it was rather mad,” he replied. “They raised me to be little more than a weapon. It’s why I am so gifted in combat. It’s all I ever learned. I was originally meant to replace King Zephuel when I grew older. But they rushed the assassination attempt upon hearing of his ties to Maera. They were afraid she could actually help him.”

  The wheels of her mind whizzed. He’d already known more about Maera than she had before going to visit her. And hadn’t the sorceress promised she would make him king as he was always meant...

  “But what right would you have to the throne?” she questioned.

  “Our line runs closer to the crown than most understand. Other than that, very little.”

  “But then our parents failed… and were banished.”

  “Yes, they took me with them, forsaking you.”

  “Because I was not of enough use to them. I was a bother?”

  “Not necessarily. You were of the most use to them here.”

  “So, they took you and left me… And they didn’t let you form connections.” It was utterly, ridiculously awful.

  “It wasn’t until some years ago that they let slip I had a sister in Kierelia. I confess it was the reason I volunteered to aid the Kierelian underground in their rebellion. That was another, former plan to crumble the Kierelian empire. But destroying Kierelia meant nothing to me. I came to find you.”

  She was breathless, numb. But under it all, she wa
s experiencing pain as she’d never felt it before. “So, when we met in the woods…”

  “It wasn’t because I was looking for someone to use as a mole. I was looking for my sister… I wanted to meet you, to see what you were like. It wasn’t until the underground discovered I was friends with you that they convinced me to… use you. That… is my greatest transgression. I came here to meet you, remained to be a friend to you. Then, I wounded you far more than our parents.”

  “Dorian, why didn’t you tell me all this long ago?!”

  “If I’d told you when we scarcely knew one another, you’d have never believed me.”

  “Yes, I would have. Even if only out of desperation to feel I had someone, I would have embraced you.”

  “I know that now… but I didn’t then. And then, when I decided to take the information you inadvertently gave me to the rebellion, I was too ashamed. I tried to keep my distance, to not get attached. But… you are a very precious lady. It was impossible. By the time I was imprisoned, and then everything was destroyed by the dragons, I was too terrified of losing you to confess all.”

  “And now?”

  “Now, our parents have contacted you… and I felt I couldn’t keep it from you any longer.”

  “You’ve not only shared the information I gave you to the underground. You sent it back to them, didn’t you?!”

  “No! Well, only in the very beginning. I stopped after a few years and then I dropped them entirely when the dragons attacked. In fact, I believe it is why they wished you to be queen of the new Kierelia. You were to replace me in their plans. Especially as they’d heard tales of how much influence you had with the people. I think you turned out to possess more potential as a weapon than I did in the end. They probably dearly regret abandoning you.”

  She laughed almost frantically. “Serves them right for dumping me because I served no better purpose for their senseless schemes… and for raising you as a mere weapon. We were but tools to them. And now they seek to destroy both the kingdoms I love.”

  “I am not certain even they understood Bashtii was Rakutan’s true target. At least, they never informed me of it. But now you must see that all this is why I must go with you. They must be stopped.”