Queen of Empire: A fantasy romance (The Relic Trilogy Book 1)

by HR Moore

  'Morning,' came Cleo's singsong voice as he entered the breakfast room, another room basked in light through enormous sash windows.

  'Morning,' grunted Alexander.

  Anita looked up from her breakfast, concern all over her face. He pulled himself out of his mood for long enough to send her a reassuring smile. She went back to her bacon and brioche.

  'Everything alright?' asked Cleo, somehow sensing gossip.

  'Couldn't be better thanks,' he said with a disarming smile. He helped himself to a lavish portion of smoked salmon and poached eggs on lightly toasted walnut and raisin bread, covered in hollandaise sauce. He joined the others at the table, and after a couple of generous mouthfuls, his mood began to lift.

  'I thought we could head straight to the Relic after breakfast, if everyone's happy with that?' said Alexander. 'We can send a message ahead to Anderson and Bella and ask them to meet us there.'

  'Sounds great,' said Bass, excitedly. 'I've been wide awake since six o'clock.

  * * * * *

  Bass' excitement was radiating off him by the time they bundled into Alexander's car.

  Alexander and Anita sat next to each other, with Bass opposite Alexander and Cleo next to Anita. They were giving Mrs. Hudson and one of the chefs a ride as well, so the chef was in the front with the driver and Mrs. Hudson sat next to Bass. Anita and Alexander's legs were touching, shivers passing distractingly between them.

  She pulled away, certain someone would notice their soaring energy, but the sensation continued. Anita wasn't sure if it was a repeat of what had happened last night, or a phantom.

  Alexander sent a nudge to the edge of her energy; did this count as flirting? A pang of guilt stabbed in her gut. Last night she'd been full of alcohol, caught up in the moment, but in the cold light of day, she knew what they'd done was wrong. She had feelings for Marcus too.

  She promised herself that nothing more could happen with Alexander, in their minds or anywhere else, until she'd had a chance to figure out what she wanted. That would mean at least until she saw Marcus again…

  Her energy dropped as she shut herself off to Alexander's charms. He turned to look at her, trying to hide his concern as he felt the change.

  They arrived up at the Temple of the Spirit and once Bass, Cleo, Anita and Alexander had got out, the driver pulled away to take the chef and Mrs. Hudson to the market. They made their way into the temple, which, although broadly similar to the temple in Empire, was on a much grander and more impressive scale.

  The star-clad ceiling seemed to reach up into the sky, the pillars' stonework exquisitely intricate. The space was light and airy. Walking through it was like balancing on the crest of an elegant wave as it curled its way towards the beach. Just like a wave crashing into the sand, their way was halted by the walls of the closed off center. Inside were Alexander's chambers, and only he, or those he chose to invite, were allowed inside.

  They circumnavigated his domain, all politely ignoring that they were dying to see inside. They took the walkway that led to the home of the Relic; a courtyard at the joined center of the three temples.

  The Relic was an odd-looking piece of rock, not any particular shape and not at all pleasing to look at. It was a disappointing shade of greyish brown, with ugly ridges and edges that jutted out rudely from its core. It was a little bigger than a human head, but gave the impression that it was much heavier, like the modern metal structure that had been erected to support its weight might collapse at any moment. The Relic sat under a twisted old olive tree that added to its mystery, shielding it from the world above.

  The courtyard was a series of contradictions, its boundaries forming a circle that joined the points of each temple. It was open to the elements above and around the edges, devoid of walls, yet sheltered by the bulk of the temples themselves. It was accessible from every angle, yet intimidating, the olive tree hovering threateningly, protectively over its charge.

  It was awe inspiring to see the Relic, but the space was strangely off kilter. Anita felt uneasy, on edge, and out of place.

  'Hi,' said Bella when she saw them, bounding over to greet them. 'Thank you so much for such a wonderful evening last night,' she gushed, clearly not immune to Alexander's electric blue eyes and rugged charm. Anita had a pang of, what? Jealousy? Which she quickly suppressed.

  'It's so great of you to show us around,' said Anita.

  'It was the least we could do to say thank you,' she replied, although Anderson didn't seem to share Bella's sentiment. He'd barely looked up from the Relic to acknowledge their presence, evidently not as keen on this private lecture as Bella.

  Bass, realizing this was his opportunity to corner Anderson, took care of him, and Bella talked the rest of them through the history of the Relic.

  'Of course, the Relic hasn't been here forever,' said Bella, reveling in the attention her audience were paying her. 'That is to say, it's been in the world since the beginning, but we've only known of its existence for around three hundred and fifty years, since the year 1000. But I mustn't get ahead of myself; I'll start from the beginning.

  'As you know, in the beginning, the three Gods created three worlds, and in our world, they created people with skills that resembled their own. At the same time, the Gods put the Relic in the world, but hid it deep within a cave system, far out in the Wild Lands.

  'Along with the Relic, they hid drawings and inscriptions, and if you ask me, that is the most exciting bit. People come from all over the world to see the Relic and many leave again without realizing the significance of the inscriptions on the walls surrounding it.' Bella made a sweeping gesture with her hand around the courtyard.

  'Here,' she continued, pointing to one of the images, 'you can see three people around the Relic. Our best guess is that each represents a Descendant, as you can see, there are two males and one female.'

  Anita wasn't sure she subscribed to this; to her they looked a lot like three smudged stick people with no clear gender…maybe she lacked an expert's eye.

  'Over here, we have the same three people pointing to the sky and the Relic seems to be floating towards the heavens. They're returning it to the waiting arms of the Gods, depicted here by these three symbols,' said Bella, pointing to three shapes above where a blob of color (the Relic apparently) was stuck in the sky.

  'But what are most illuminating, I think, are the inscriptions,' said Bella. 'There are three inscriptions, and again, our best guess would suggest that they each relate to one of the God's lines. The first, we think, relates to the Spirit discipline and says, 'Look to the light', the second, we think has its origins in the Mind tradition, and says, 'Knowledge is power', and the third, from the Body, we are almost certain, due to the gender reference, says, 'She who dares will surely triumph'.

  'We're not without doubts as to their exact meaning. However, academics are broadly agreed that they're likely to be words of encouragement to Descendants to fulfil their quest to return the Relic. There's complete agreement that they're motivational in some sense or another.

  'Anyway, as you know, the Descendants were put in the world by the Gods around the year seven hundred and seventy, about six hundred years ago, but the Relic was only discovered in the year 1000. It was at this point that the true purpose of the Descendants became clear and these great temples in Kingdom were erected in spectacular celebration.

  'Of course, a place for the Relic was designed as the center piece, and the Crowning ceremonies were modified to include the oath that Descendants would devote their lives to freeing the world. That was the time when Kingdom really took over as the premier city from Empire. Aside from the splendor of the new temples, it made sense for the main city to be by the sea; more accessible that way.'

  Bella finally stopped talking as she approached the piece de la resistance, the Relic itself. She stopped several feet away, paused, and was just about to launch into another monologue, when Cleo said, 'Who discovered the Relic, and who decided to move it here along with the in
scriptions?'

  Bella gave Cleo a piercing look.

  'A group of academics discovered the Relic out in the Wild Lands,' said Anderson, 'while on a research trip. They brought it back with them, but didn't think anyone would believe them without seeing the inscriptions as well, so they extracted sections of the cave walls.'

  'Who were the academics and how did the Descendants take it?' Cleo asked, her instinct for gossip piqued.

  'They were relative unknowns,' said Anderson, 'their names escape me now. Nothing was documented in terms of the Descendants' reaction, so we really don't know.'

  'Nothing at all?' said Cleo, surprised.

  'No,' said Anderson, in a final tone.

  Cleo knew when to drop a topic, so she nodded in defeat, but resolved to investigate the matter further when she got back to Empire.

  Bella seized the opportunity to retake control, turning back to the Relic with a flourish. 'And this is the much-discussed Relic itself,' she said. 'But Anderson is the one who should tell you about it; he knows the subject backwards and will do it far better than I.'

  Bella smiled warmly at Anderson, who looked as though he'd rather not, but knew the path of least resistance was to do as he was told.

  'As you can see,' started Anderson, in a surprisingly commanding voice, 'the Relic is a totally irregular shape. It has no particularly unique markings and looks very much like any other piece of rock you might find in a cave. Except, that is, for the fact the Relic is made of an element we have not been able to find anywhere else on the planet, including in the Wild Lands around where it was found.

  'Other than what the inscriptions tell us, we know nothing about the Relic, which is why it's been a source of fascination and wonder since it was discovered. Well, that, and the promise it brought with it of course.

  'Many academics have devoted their lives to the Relic, but no one has managed to make any headway with how to send it back. The Descendants, uncomfortable with the prospect of losing their power, haven't historically shown much support for the cause.

  'We try to keep a low profile,' said Anderson. 'Attention is not good in our line of work.' With that, he turned away from the group and got back to it; it was clear they'd outstayed their welcome.

  'Well, it's been a fascinating morning,' said Cleo. 'Thank you so much for the guided tour, we really appreciate it. I promised my father that I would meet him for lunch, so I'd better get going,' she said to Alexander and Anita, heading back into the Mind Temple. 'See you back at the house later.'

  'And we should head off too,' said Alexander. 'I promised Anita I would show her around Kingdom. Anderson, thank you so much for taking the time to show us the Relic,' he said, shaking Anderson's hand. 'Bella, a pleasure as always,' he said, kissing Bella briskly on both cheeks.

  'Bass, are you coming?' asked Anita, as Bass sat down next to Anderson, making himself comfortable.

  'Uh…no…I don't think so. I'll catch up with you two later. I'm going to stay and help Anderson for a bit.'

  As Anderson seemed to perk up at the prospect, Anita just nodded and threw Bass a smile. 'See you later then,' she said, thanking Anderson and Bella, then following Alexander into the Temple of the Body.

  'I've never seen him take to anyone like that before,' said Alexander, when they were out of earshot.

  'I guess he and Bass have a lot in common, and Bass might even be able to help him. Sounds like Anderson's spent a lot of time out in the Wild Lands recently, so he probably isn't up to date with all the energy developments. Anderson's probably as excited to have Bass around as Bass is to learn about the Relic. I know Bass doesn't always come across as an authority, but after Elistair, nobody knows more about the energy than him.'

  Alexander nodded. 'I suppose that makes sense.'

  Anita and Alexander walked past Peter's chambers, emerging in the main section of the temple, and it was breath-taking. Not nearly as open as the Spirit Temple, but equally pleasing.

  Where the Spirit Temple was one vast chamber with pillars stretching to the ceiling, the Body Temple was segmented into sections, the lines of the arches tight and pleasing. They invoked images of a ballet dancer bending elegantly backwards, supported by a strong, muscular partner.

  The sections reminded Anita of secret gardens, the kind of place she would like to have a romantic picnic, secluded but open, welcoming and cozy. The whole place was stuffed full of wonderful, dusky pink flowers, the pillars wrapped in flowing fabric. She longed to explore, but Alexander was already striding towards the entrance, so she reluctantly followed.

  They emerged into the crisp sunlight and meandered towards the center of Kingdom, their conversation wandering. The tension between them was a tangible thing, Anita entirely absorbed by his proximity, the gap between them agonizing. They'd been walking for a while when they rounded a corner into a secluded area with an enormous pair of bolted gates. Alexander stopped sharply, as though he were surprised to find himself here, then noticeably bristled.

  'Austin's house,' he said, through gritted teeth, nodding his head in the direction of the gates.

  'Really?' said Anita, looking in wonder at the pretty-yet-imposing house that stood the other side. It was hard to work out where the buildings around it ended and it began, despite being surrounded by its own protective wall. The red brick construction had a secretive look about it, as though it were guarding a large number of highly incriminating secrets.

  'It's not what I imagined,' she said, unable to tear her eyes from the building, 'not that I'm sure what I imagined really.'

  'Why?' asked Alexander, doing his best to sound conversational.

  'Because it's so different to the castle in Empire. Everything about it is different; the stone, the size, the style, the proximity to the center of the town. This seems like a wonderful home right in the thick of things, whereas the castle is a statement of power sitting above Empire.'

  'Yes, I suppose so,' said Alexander, offhandedly. 'Anyway, there's something else I'd like to show you,' he said, purposely moving the conversation away from Austin and, by default, from Marcus.

  'Over here,' he said, taking her hand, pulling her around the side of Austin's house. A jolt pulsed through her as their skin made contact, shooting to her core.

  'Where are we going?' asked Anita, confused and disorientated, as they approached what seemed to be a solid brick wall.

  'Through here,' he said, leading them around what was, in fact, an overlap in the wall, concealing a small gap through to the other side. They appeared in a space that was half-room, half-tent, with stone walls and a canvas roof. The space was full of beautiful swathes of fine silk, in a vast array of deep, rich colors.

  'Wow,' said Anita, stunned, as they emerged from the fabric into a bustling street jammed full of similar stalls. 'I wasn't expecting that.'

  'Welcome to the market,' said Alexander, excitedly, not letting go of her hand. 'This is where the traders come with goods from the farms, sea, and Wild Lands. You can buy almost anything here; silks,' he said, running his hand over a bright pink one, 'all manner of foods, clothes, cosmetics, precious metals and stones, brass cylinders, energy mechanisms, herbs and spices.'

  He gently tugged her past a stall with piles of brightly colored powders on display, Anita's mouth wide open in wonder.

  They passed a shop with early energy mechanisms chugging away in the window, brass cogs whirring, but as Anita tried to enter, Alexander pulled her back. 'We can't linger. Most people recognize me and kindly leave me alone, but if we go into that old junk shop, we'll cause a scene.'

  'It doesn't look like a junk shop to me,' said Anita, indignantly. 'There could be untold treasures hidden in there, just waiting to be found.'

  'Unlikely, given the number of traders around…come on, we haven't got time to hang around.'

  Alexander finally let go of Anita's hand as they approached the city's wall, his recklessness abating with every person they passed. They ducked through an opening in the wall and followed a peri
lous, winding stone staircase down to the sandy beach below.

  'This place is a rabbit warren,' said Anita. 'I had no idea we were so close to the beach.'

  'That's why the Descendants like it so much. It's easy to disappear with all the passages and hidden passes. If things turn bad, we can easily slip away.

  'And Kingdom's close to the action; if someone finds something interesting in the Wild Lands, the market is the place to find out about it.'

  'It'll be a wonder if we ever get Cleo back to Empire then,' said Anita, laughing.

  They walked in silence for a few beats, listening to the calming rush of the waves. 'Why are you so comfortable with Anderson's work with the Relic?' said Anita.

  'Why do you ask?' he replied.

  'The Descendants' interests run contrary to everything Anderson's trying to achieve. He even said as much. If he finds a way to send back the Relic, you lose your authority, and the people get to decide who they want to rule.'

  'Why do you think I want to rule?'

  'Well you are, aren't you? So you can't be dead set against the idea.'

  'I rule because it's my duty to do so until we can find a way to return the Relic. I swore an oath to try and do that.'

  'But the other Descendants aren't helping, quite the opposite in fact. They're doing everything they can to try to stop the world from being freed, even if that means destroying it.'

  'You think I'm like the other Descendants?'

  'Not exactly, but that's why I asked the question. Why are you so comfortable with his work, given your position in this world?' Anita was getting frustrated…he was being obtuse.