by A J Manney
Red Rose
Rising
The True Marks Series
Book 1
A.J. Manney
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incedents and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is fictionalized or coincidental.
Red Rose Rising. A True Marks Series Book 1
Copyright A.J. Manney (2019). All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-706847-70-0
The right of Amanda Manney to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the authors.
Edited: Caryn Pine
Cover Design: Germancreative
Interior Design: Manney Resource Solutions
Printed by Kindle Direct Publishing
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
After
The Prophecy
A Dawn will arise,
When four Marked befit allies.
The Dark will dispel
With the four who will tell
A tale only courage could bring.
The four will restore
The Realm once more
Through gifts uniquely she.
Healer,
Seer,
Telepath,
and Abjurer
They will be.
Chapter 1
Zalia rolled over for what seemed like the millionth time before finally giving up and sitting up in bed. Sighing quietly, she slipped out from under the silk sheets and onto the hardwood floor. Shivering in only her chemise, she walked over to her wardrobe and quickly slipped a dress over her head. She threw her cloak around her shoulders, grabbed her warm leather shoes and slipped those on. In the dark, she felt around for her sketchbook and pencils. She found them and headed for the door. The floor made no sound as she quietly stepped across it. She slowly opened the massive bedroom door and peered out into the hall. The castle guard assigned to her hall remained stationary at the end of the long hallway. Without a sound, she slipped into the darkness, being sure to close the door silently behind her. She crept further into the darkness down the hall, away from the guard on duty.
“I see you, Your Highness,” an amused voice quietly called out.
Zalia stopped and smiled, turning slightly. “You always do, Silas.” Silas had been assigned to protect her hall for as long as she could remember. Silas was older than her father. For as long as she could remember, she had always sneaked out and he had always caught her. Never once had she actually made it without being seen, but she supposed that’s why he made such a good guard. She paused for a moment and called out to him, “I can’t seem to sleep. I’m heading for the tower.”
“All right, my lady. Shall I accompany you?” Silas asked politely, even though he knew what she would say.
Zalia grinned. “Not this time, Silas. Maybe next time.” It was her standard answer. The one she had given for years. Zalia always had trouble sleeping. She had grown accustomed to it. Many a night, she would wake in the early hours before dawn and go to her tower to sketch. Today was no different.
Zalia bid a good night to Silas and headed down the dark hall to the door at the end that would take her to her destination. When she opened the door, she stepped up onto the first step and reaching down, she felt for the lantern she always kept there. With the lantern lit, she was able to start her ascent up the well-worn steps.
At the top, she opened the door and walked into a guest room. A beautiful bed sat in the corner next to an elaborate writing desk, similar to the one in Zalia’s room. This room was always unoccupied; most of the servants and staff believed it was for visiting royalty. Zalia made her way across the large room and walked over to the huge desk. Sliding the chair away, she knelt under the desk and felt under a panel for a small compartment. Upon opening it, she pulled out a large key. She took the key, stood up, and pushed the chair in. Then she walked over to the intricate tapestry adorning one large wall of the bedroom. Pushing aside the tapestry, she slid the key into the hidden door behind it. The door squeaked open, and Zalia slipped inside, pocketing the key and bringing her lantern with her.
Slipping the door closed behind her, she began to ascend the stairs. At the top, she opened yet another door and stepped into the smaller dark room. This was a safe room built into the castle, deeply set inside the castle walls. Few knew of its existence. They had never had to use it, but Zalia knew the door was equipped with all sorts of special security features to keep anything or anybody from coming in, should they ever need to use it. Whenever Zalia came into this room, she shut the door behind her but never engaged the powerful set of locks that would secure it behind her. Once inside, she knew you could hear nothing outside the walls of the room—another security feature. You couldn’t hear anything from outside, and no one could hear anything from inside the room. Zalia wasn’t really sure how it worked, but the royal family knew of its existence and the King and Queen could operate the room and its door in case of attack. Zalia used it instead when she couldn’t sleep at night, which was many a night.
Closing the door behind her, Zalia walked over to a small table and set her sketchbook down. She walked over to the window seat and sat down gazing out the tiny window. The window was hidden in such a way that it was invisible to all those on the ground as it was between two castle towers. The window was small, but if she sat up, Zalia could gaze out and catch a small glimpse of the sea. It was dark, but the moon shone bright. Zalia could see the waves rolling in and out, the foam staying behind on the rocks.
Zalia could sit for hours looking out at the water. It mesmerized her and calmed her spirit. After a few minutes, she walked over and picked up the book containing her drawings. She spent many a night in this room, drawing people and places, most of which she made up in her head.
Her parents told her she had been born weak and sickly. Because of that, they protected her, keeping her sheltered and safe from the outside world. Her father, King Warren, ruled over Arrosa, Kingdom of the Red Rose. Arrosa was mostly closed off from other kingdoms and her father seemed to prefer it that way. He had no patience for Zalia’s requests for independence. Her mother, Queen Evelyn, was more sympathetic to her frustrations but still didn’t allow Zalia any freedom. “Someday, you will understand, my sweet Zalia,” she often said.
Now at seventeen, nothing had really changed. Zalia sighed. She was still protected and shelte
red. Zalia pleaded with her parents on many occasions to be able to leave the castle grounds, to visit other kingdoms, to experience life outside the castle walls, but they never allowed her to. Her older brother, Kael, lived a normal life. He was allowed to come and go as he pleased. She knew her parents meant well, but it was a suffocating life.
They always insisted it was for her protection. She begged to train like Kael did. As the first-born prince, he was trained in all the arts of war—sword fighting, knife throwing, hand to hand combat, fighting with a dagger, and archery. He was strong and fit, and Zalia longed to strengthen her body. But her parents’ answer was always the same—no. They couldn’t risk her health, she was too weak, she wasn’t strong enough, and so on. Zalia sighed. She loved her parents, but some days they made her feel worthless.
Not Kael, though. He understood her better than her parents. He often would sit with her and tell her stories of his travels to the other kingdoms within the realm. He was so good to her. He was the only person who seemed to understand the need within her to get out and experience life. He often snuck her outside for training. Kael was an amazing archer, and he taught Zalia everything he knew. Over the years, Zalia had developed quite the skill of shooting a bow and arrow.
Sighing deeply, Zalia opened her book and began to draw. She often soothed herself by drawing. Tonight, she drew her mother’s face. Her mother may not have understood her, but Zalia knew her mother loved her. Zalia spent the next few hours lost in her artwork. Finally taking a break, she looked up and saw the sun was just starting to rise over the sea. Zalia loved sunrise. It brought with it the hope of a new day. She closed her book and stared out at the water, lost in thought.
Sometime later, Zalia woke up and sat up. She hadn’t even realized she had fallen asleep. Looking out at the water, she realized she had slept several hours. The sun was directly over the water now. It was probably after lunchtime. On cue, her stomach let out a rumble. She stood up and stretched, her neck kinked from sleeping funny in the window seat. Gathering her drawing book and pencils, she looked out one last time at the water and walked over to the door.
Grateful for a few hours of sleep, she smiled and opened the door to begin the descent down the stairs. Soon she was in the guest room again. After closing the door behind her and making sure the tapestry was in place, she walked over to the desk and replaced the key. She looked around the room one last time, making sure everything was back to normal.
Zalia straightened and pulled her cloak tightly around her. She walked slowly to the door of the guest room, opened the door, and began descending the second set of stairs. At the bottom of the steps, she turned down the lantern and took a deep breath. She was not looking forward to the next few minutes. She was certain she would receive condemnation from her father for not showing up to breakfast and her studies, and her mother would just look at her helplessly as she always did. She didn’t know what to do to help Zalia.
“Well, time to face the music,” Zalia muttered to herself as she took a deep breath and stepped out of the stairway and into the hall, the hallway that led to her room.
The moment Zalia stepped out into the hallway, she knew something was wrong. Something was amiss. She stood still for a moment to listen. Nothing. That was the problem. All she heard was silence. It was the middle of the day; there shouldn’t have been silence. Where was everybody? Where were the servants? She looked up and froze. Where was the guard? There was always a guard posted in this hall every moment of every day and night. This hallway led to the safe room, and it was never left unguarded.
Zalia started breathing faster, and she could feel her heart banging in her chest as she walked quietly down the long hall. As she came to the end of the hall and rounded a corner, she stopped breathing. Throwing a hand over her mouth to stifle a scream, Zalia stared at the scene in horror. Her castle and home had come under attack while Zalia had been in the castle tower.
Unable to breathe, Zalia pinched her eyes shut and leaned against the wall. Her mind refused to take in what she was had seen. Guards lay unmoving on the ground. Blood everywhere. With her heart pounding, Zalia knew she had to keep moving. She had to get to her father and mother’s chambers, but her feet seemed unable to move. Her breath was coming fast and uneven.
As she started moving again, she heard voices and footsteps. Not knowing who it was and without time to hide, Zalia pushed herself up against the wall and into the shadows, hoping they would hide her. As the sounds got closer, Zalia took in what she saw. Soldiers dressed in all black wearing the crest of a crescent moon.
She stifled a gasp. They were soldiers from Astra, Kingdom of the Dark Moon. The dreaded King Mylan had sent his army to attack! Zalia had grown up hearing the stories of the deranged king who cared nothing for his people and only sought his own pleasure. His wife apparently died years ago, and it had pushed him over the edge.
Zalia waited until the soldiers passed her before trying to move. Desperation flowed through her. She had to find her parents and brother. She quietly crept towards the stairs, seeing downed servants and guards on the way.
Hearing voices and more soldiers, Zalia ran quickly back to her hall. She heard voices coming closer and then moving away again. She waited until the last of the footsteps faded away. Trying to be patient, she counted to ten before she started moving again. She took a few steps, rounded the corner, and slammed into a hard chest.
On instinct, Zalia turned to run, but she was snagged from behind. A hand slapped across her mouth, and an arm grabbed her hard around the waist, yanking her back into a rock-hard chest. Panicking now, Zalia fought her assailant. She tried to break free from the hold on her. The arm only tightened around her waist feeling like iron, and a low deep voice rumbled in her ear.
“Don’t make a sound or you’re dead.” Zalia froze for a moment before her panic pushed her into action again. She struggled against the hold he had on her. “Stop fighting me,” he said in a low growl as he shook her. “If you want to live, you do exactly what I say. Do you understand?” Zalia was frozen in shock and terror. He turned her around to face him and shook her hard. “Do you understand?” Zalia stared up at him silently. He was tall, taller than anyone she had ever seen before. She noticed his black clothing with the crescent of the moon on his tunic. But it wasn’t his clothing that caught her attention. No, it was his eyes. They were a stormy gray, making him appear angry. Instinctively, she took a step back. He tightened his hold on her. She opened her mouth, but before she was able to get out her protest, he slapped his hand over her mouth again and dragged her into the shadows. He pulled her up against his hard chest and kept his hand over her mouth. A second later, she heard soldiers coming their way. “Not a sound,” he growled in her ear. Zalia held herself absolutely still, afraid to even breathe as the soldiers came closer.
They were talking but stopped as another soldier approached them. She could tell by his tone and demeanor that he was a commanding officer. “Report,” the man barked at them.
“We have successfully taken over control of the kingdom. The servants have been captured and told of their new leadership. All is set for the King to come and take over,” one of the soldiers answered.
“What of the royal family?” the officer asked. Zalia felt her blood turn to ice in her veins as she waited for the answer.
“All dead, Captain,” the soldier reported.
“Are you sure?” the Captain asked.
“Yes. King Warrick, Queen Evelyn, and Prince Kael are all dead. I checked them myself,” the soldier answered confidently.
Zalia’s knees gave out on her, and she would have fallen if not for the strong arms holding her up. Her heart slammed in her chest and she wanted to cry out in grief and anger. As if sensing that, the hand over her mouth tightened painfully. Zalia felt her tears begin to fall and couldn’t catch her breath at the overwhelming sorrow plaguing her soul.
She froze at the soldier’s next words. “What about the rumors of a princess?”
<
br /> The hold on her tightened, and she strained to hear the next few words. “There wasn’t a princess with the royal family, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t here. King Mylan seems pretty confident she exists.”
The other voice said, “Tear apart this castle and find her or at least find evidence of her existence. Did you check the bedchambers?”
“Not yet. We’re headed there next.”
She didn’t hear the rest of the exchange over the beating of her heart. What was going on? They didn’t know she existed? She didn’t realize the soldiers had moved on until the hand loosened around her mouth. She heard the quiet words low in her ear.
“We have to keep moving. Follow my lead. Don’t make a sound.” Before Zalia could respond, she was lifted off the ground into strong arms. She lifted startled eyes to the soldier. He looked down at her for only a moment and said quietly, “Appear to be dead.” He pulled the hood of her cloak up and over her hair and pulled it as low as it would go over her face. That was the only warning she got before he took off right into the opening where anyone could see them.
Chapter 2
Everything in Zalia screamed at her to fight the soldier carrying her and run, but she knew her only choice was to stay with him and see how this played out. She remained deathly still and felt the rhythm of him carrying her. She also tried to listen to what else was going on around her. Soldiers were barking out commands. From the shouting she heard, it sounded as if they had brought servants with them.
Cool air began to seep into Zalia’s body. Instinctively, she knew they had left the castle and gone outside. She knew when they began to descend the stairs. She tried to take everything in to determine where he was taking her. It seemed like they walked for ages; in reality, it was probably only a few minutes. The sounds of soldiers and servants working got louder before they started to recede. As the sounds started to fade, she began to wonder where this stranger was taking her. She finally dared to open her eyes, just a crack to look up at her captor. Just then he looked down, and she caught her breath as stormy eyes glared down at her. She shut her eyes quickly. Just when she was going to open her eyes a little more, she heard a voice call out.
