One Was Worthy - (New Story!) (Patreon)

A/N: Good evening yall! 

So I'm proud to announce that I have a new story in the works. Was debating whether or not I wanted to make it a patreon story or to try to traditionally publish it, but I've decided that patreon and Amazon have both treated me well so far. I'm quite proud of this idea and have been working very hard to craft an entire outline before actually beginning it. But begin it I have! Below you'll find a story summary and the prologue. I intend this story to be a single stand-alone High Fantasy book. The Prologue and first chapter will be posted for all patrons once the first chapter is finished. Lucavi will begin receiving chapters after that until I begin posting on Royal Road. 

Thanks! and I hope you all enjoy!

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Cursed by powerful illusion magic to look like the queen of a nation under siege, Kaylar Albel has no choice but to learn to govern and to wage war upon the invading hordes of Yeskra, lest everything she has ever known be destroyed. 

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Prologue

Oathbreaker’s Reward

The land rolled for miles and miles in almost any direction. The hills were gentle, sloping and covered with cultured vegetation. The birds above were small but round, grown fat on the lush bounty of the place. Great lazy things, with great lazy wings.

The day was bright, sunny, and warm. No breeze swept across this place. The air here felt still, dormant. Strawberries and beans grew almost as far as the eye could see in any direction. Their smell permeated the entire land. Even the air almost tasted like fruit.

Queen Lilan’Mal of Leld hated it.

"I still don't understand why we even need to go," She told her husband, while idly holding her nose to ward off the sharp citrus smell of all the orchards outside.

The king tried to respond but was suddenly jostled by a divot in the road.

"Damn cobblestone roads, too." Lilan murmured.

The king gave her a mischievous look, eyes filled with mirth. "I remember a time ten years back when you wanted cobblestone streets."

"Ten years back I was an idiot,” she said simply.

The king laughed as the road continued to interrupt their conversation. “Lilan, just because we have no intention of helping in their war does not mean we should scorn all attempts at friendship. Ordom has been a great ally to us for many years, and at least a few of the council members aren’t absolutely horrible."

“I’m sure they would love to hear that glowing endorsement,” she said wryly.

King Eth snorted. “They would probably agree. A very direct people, the Ordomese.”

“Quite. Still, you know what he's going to ask. Don't you think it's unwise for us to be here? They might be resentful. Might even accuse us of breaking the treaty,” Lilan replied with a hint of worry.

"That was a formality and they know it. The pact was for our ships, not our army. Leld men and women will not die on Ordom’s land. Only in its seas." The king said sternly. "Our alliance was one of trade anyway. Not war. I'll have no part in it."

"I still do not understand why we could not have sent a courier. Leld’s Ice, I miss the sea. This place smells far too sweet."

"Oh, it will not be more than a week," the king reached out to pat his wife on her shoulder but the kind gesture was ruined when the carriage jostled them both once again. This time, the tumble was enough for the king to lose his hat.

"Sorry about that, M’lady, M’Lord!" came a bright apology from the driver. "Won't happen again, promise!"

"Are you doing that on purpose, Jeffries? I shall demote you to kitchen staff, I swear!" Queen Lilan shouted up at him.

"You'd regret it!" came Archer Jeffries’ pleasant reply. "Last time I tried to cook I burnt the water, the oil, and the duck all at once!"

The queen chuckled. “Insufferable lout. We really should get rid of him.”

“Burn him at the stake,” the king agreed.

“Hang him,” the queen countered.

“Drawn and quartered!”

“At least dock his pay. Jeffries! How much do we pay you?” the queen shouted over the sound of the horses’ hooves, a laugh on her lips.

Jeffries opened the latch on the front of the carriage, and glared in at the two. “Eighty Squin, four Shill a month!”

The two both stared at him through the small whole for a moment.

“Leld’s Ice, indeed. No wonder he is hitting every hole in the road. Carry on, Jeffries,” the king said with a smile.

The driver nodded, miraculously keeping a straight face. “As my king commands.”

He shut the door and the two monarchs burst into giggles neither would ever dare indulge in at home.

“A saint, that man. Putting up with the two of us,” the queen declared.

“A liar too. I am almost certain he is being paid six shill,” the king said as he pulled his wife over to him. She laughed before leaning into his embrace, resting her head on his shoulder.

“Perhaps I have judged this trip too harshly. We never get to act like this anymore, as we did as children,” Lilan said softly, idly playing with the golden buttons on her husband’s robe.

“It’s hard to remember being children. Rose…” he said before trailing off.

“Rose,” Lilan agreed, solemnly. “All the self entitlement we always hated in the other nobles growing up, with an added superiority complex to boot.”

“I blame Jeffries,” the king said.

“I heard that!” Came the driver’s mock-offended shout! “Oh, look! A crater!”

Thunk.

Lilan chuckled again, deciding perhaps this trip might actually be therapeutic. Ordom still smelled awful though. It was as if the air itself had been steeped in citrus.

Hours later, the cobblestones gave way to paved roads. Lilan couldn’t help but compare the stark city to the lustrous towers of Imboden, her home. Ordom, while not the mecca of arts and beauty that Leld had become, had a certain form of military sharpness. Unlike in Leld, there were no musicians plying their strings on street corners. Conversely, no beggars wandered the streets either.

Business was conducted indoors in Ordom. The markets, with their stark gray buildings and quiet sidewalks, filled with people utterly uninterested in anything but their destinations seemed sad to Lilan. In Leld, business was a loud thing, a celebration, a boisterous war of words! How could a merchant expect to sell anything without inviting their customers in?

It was summer, but Ordom still seemed as cold as winter to her.

Even Imboden’s queen herself could not say that her own city was superior in sheer stature. Buildings were larger, lacquered with fine metals and stained glass that bespoke the city’s age. Roads were wider, yet strangely empty with the war diverting so many able bodies away from it. The city itself just had an age to it that made it feel grand.

Every bit of prestige the city itself had was tripled for the castle. Ordom’s High Conclave was as much a sign of power as it was a monument to the expertise and craftsmanship of the engineers the country had produced. The High Conclave had stood for longer than Leld’s entire history, and the Queen felt a touch intimidated as the gates of the outer walls closed behind them.

Knights flanked the sides of the roads holding honorary banners with the Royal Sigel of Leld there to welcome them and alert all that the King and Queen of Leld were in attendance at Ordom.

“A little much, don’t you think? The last time we visited there was barely a welcome, let alone… this,” Lilan commented. “Wasn’t it four days before we could get an audience with even one of the councilmen?”

Her husband was barred from answering as the carriage came to a halt and the door opened from the outside to reveal a blonde mustache with a stick thin man attached to it. The man wore a military uniform that was as pristinely starched as the man himself.

“King Eth. Queen Lilan. Ordom is honored by your presence,” he said with a bow and a flourish, his hard eyes never leaving the pair of them.

The Queen shuddered, unnerved by the coldness behind the formal greeting. Her husband either didn’t notice the intensity of the man’s stare, or simply did not care.

“You have us at a disadvantage, good sir,” King Eth said with a radiant smile as he stood, offering his hand to the Queen to allow her to exit first. “Usually it is Lieutenant Comiron who greets us! Or has he been promoted to Captain already?”

“Major Comiron died last month, Liege,” the escort said stoically.

“Oh. I… Oh I see,” Eth said, suddenly much less enthusiastically. “My condolences. Major… He became a Major?”

“Promotions are… somewhat easier to come by these days, Liege,” the escort said as they both exited the carriage. “Please, follow me if you will. Councilman Kelester asked that you be brought to him as soon as you had gotten settled in.”

“So soon?” Lilan asked.

“Very well,” King Eth replied, but did not follow. Instead he stepped towards the front of the carriage. The horses, great plodding beasts used to long journeys, did not show much signs of tiredness from the leisurely days of travel. He placed a hand on one of the horse’s sides, murmuring a word. Light burst from his fingers, thin streams of golden color springing forth from his open palm to seep into the two horses. The light faded as quickly as it came, neither horse reacting to the magic.

“Jeffries,” the King said, nodding up to the driver.

Jeffries nodded at the unspoken directive. He would be taking care of the stallions before retiring himself. Long years of service to the King and Queen had accustomed him to their needs. A nonsense sound echoed from his mouth and the horses continued on, hauling the carriage with them to be removed.

The king turned back to the Lieutenant and nodded to him as well. “Shall we go?”

The thin soldier merely turned and began walking down the path of stone pillars that lead from the stables to the barracks.

“Cheerful sort,” Eth said softly, watching as his own guardsmen followed behind Jeffries in the direction of the stables to see to their own horses.

“Lieutenant Comiron…”  Lilan whispered. “Dead?”

“A sad part of war. It doesn’t matter, my love,” he said soothingly, placing his arm gently on her shoulder.

She growled and jerked away from his touch. “How can you say that!? We’ve known Orad Comiron for years!”

His eyes hardened a tad. “And I will mourn him in private, but I am not here as a friend. I am here as a King and the King of Leld cannot be affected by something as insignificant as the death of any one man.”

The Queen’s scowled. “Very well. If that is how it must be.”

“It is, my dear. I wish it were not so,” he said as he placed his arm around his wife’s shoulder. She nodded, eyes glistening.

They were led into the barracks, King and Queen both left to their grim thoughts as they followed the dour Lieutenant.

The two monarchs saw to the housing and rooms of their guards before retiring to their own quarters, as had always been their custom. The rooms in the barracks had been filled with joviality and men excited to see a foreign king or queen on prior visits. Now they were almost empty. Cobwebs lined halls that hadn’t seen the tread of feet or the hand of a duster in months.

“My lord. Is this the same place we visited two years ago?” Guard Captain Perith commented idly as he walked behind his king. “It feels more like a sepulcher than a barracks.”

“I’m inclined to agree. The knights welcoming us must’ve been the entire local retinue! Ordom’s situation appears to be more dire than our spies led us to believe.” he replied, musing idly as his soldiers filtered into rooms.  “I know the war has gone poorly for them, but this is…”

He trailed off, unable to find the words. An empty barracks? In the capital?

Captain Perith, Sergeant Hoska, and two younger enlisted followed Lilan and Eth as they were escorted from the barracks. Four guards would always accompany them during their stay in Ordom – two for himself, and two for the queen – but the others would rest until their rotation called them to duty.

The Conclave was opulent as ever. A grand staircase rose up from the entry hall, and led onward into the council chamber. The grand hall, below it, held many fond memories for both Lilan and Eth. For now though, the Lieutenant led them off the main hall towards the guest embassies in the right wing of the grand building.

Ordomese Guards saluted them as they passed, each posted in front of rooms, or running errands. Save for the empty barracks, the center of government for Ordom seemed to be working as normal.

Lilan beamed as the doors to the guest rooms opened, revealing the fine bed and luxurious velvet furniture she remembered from their last visit. As soon as the doors closed behind her, she puddled onto the sofa in a very un-queenly manner.

She glared at her husband’s quiet chuckles as he opened the luggage cases that had been brought up for them.

She was only just making to rise and dress for the inevitable banquet when a knock came at their door.

Lilan quirked an eyebrow. “We are called so soon?”

Without waiting for either monarch to answer, the door opened, revealing the unnamed Lieutenant from before.

“Liege Eth’mal, Liege Lilan’mal? The High Council requests your presence in the grand hall,” said the man before Lilan could even begin to voice her outrage. “I would be happy to escort you, but I beg that you make all possible haste.”

“Es–Escort us!? Have the Ordomese forgotten all sense of decorum since our last visit? Is the situation so dire that even the most base of courtesies are now thrown to the wayside?” she clipped with annoyance. “We Leld are not the economic power that Ordom is, but we have always at least been willing to wait for your Councilmen to answer the door before barging in! What if I had been undressing!?!”

The man bowed, the picture of a subservient diplomat. Something about his unnatural thinness and emotionless eyes continued to unnerve her.

“Apologies, liege. My orders are to convey you to the Council as soon as possible at the personal request of Councilman Kelester,” he said.

The queen’s eyes narrowed further. “What is your name, soldier?”

“Lieutenant Borinos, liege,” he said, crossing his hand over his heart in the traditional Ordomese greeting.

“May I remind you, Lieutenant Borinos, that we are not citizens of Ordom and we do not jump at the command of any of your Council.”

“Liege, I meant no offense,” the soldier said. Though his words were apologetic, his flat tone held no hint of contrition.

Still, Lilan let out a sigh.

‘I think of myself as such a progressive noble, and here I am snapping at the bellboy,’ she thought, annoyed with herself. Still, he could have at least waited for either of them to answer the door.

“Perhaps I am being obstinate. The road has made me more irritable than I thought and I’d been looking forward to a bath and a meal. Do forgive me, Lieutenant. We will be along, as you said, with all possible haste,” she said with what she hoped was a conciliatory smile.

“I await you,” he said, leaving off the implied ‘you stuck-up bitch,’ that his glare managed to convey.

“Cheerful, you called him, yes?” the queen asked Eth with a laugh once the door was closed behind Borinos.

“He does seem to have a spear jammed up his ass, doesn’t he?” Eth said.

“That foul tongue is going to get you killed someday, my king,” Lilan replied with a smirk as she looked herself over in the mirror.

The travel dress she had on was not her finest, and did not convey the authority a queen should. But Kelester was a friend of sorts.

‘As much a friend as an Ordomese snake could be anyway,’ she thought with a fond laugh.

A short while later, the queen was making her displeasure not-so-subtly known as they followed behind the regretful lieutenant.

“–really, barging in on a queen! Do they think I am a simple handmaiden? No! Even a handmaiden would be offered the courtesy of a knock on the door!” the queen ranted as they walked.

Lieutenant Borinos’ head sunk lower and lower with each word as he guided the two monarchs.

The King smirked, betting the man wished he’d acted with a little more decorum. His queen was a creative one, and rather than directly condemn the man, she began complaining about the man as though he weren’t there. Loudly.

Eth, for his part, was happy that the man did appear to have some emotions left within his skinny frame. His nervousness and irritation were heavily masked, but still noticeable to a trained monarch.

They arrived in the grand council chamber in the late afternoon. Ornate golden doors opened into a large room, lit by massive windows that filled the room with waning sunlight.

A high dias stood behind the table with the ceremonial throne that made the rest of the gaudy room seem quaint by comparison. The Seat of the Absent King, empty as they would forever remain since Ordom declared itself an oligarchy.

‘It still makes my hackles rise,’ King Eth thought as he stared at that empty throne.

After the goosebumps that had risen on his skin faded he lowered his eyes to the center of the chamber, which was dominated by a large oval table. As he had every time he’d seen the monstrosity, King Eth wondered how people on opposite sides of the thing could even hear each other.

Then again, perhaps that wasn’t the point. Just as the empty throne signaled a break from their monarchical roots, so did the table symbolize their new way of life. He’d never actually seen the table used to capacity, and that trend did not break as they entered. Of the forty seats comfortably spaced around the table, only the furthest four were occupied.

“Men of the Consulate, I present King Eth’Mal of Leld and Queen Lilan’Mal of Leld.” Lieutenant  Borinos’ voice echoed across the large room, drawing the attention of the four seated individuals before he abruptly turned and left the room, sparing a short moment to glare at the queen as he left.

Eth scowled, missing Lieutenant Comiron all the more.

‘Major Comiron,'' he thought firmly, committing the change in rank to memory. ‘The late Major Comiron. May Ordom’s Shade guide him to the light.’

“King Eth! Queen Leld! My old friends!” came Councilman Kelester’s boisterous voice as soon as the door had closed. He almost had to shout to be heard across the long room, but he beckoned them forward as he strode to meet them.

A sort of awkward pause occurred where both parties were too far for casual conversation or greetings and the King walked a tad faster to meet the rotund man, Lilan trailing behind him.

When he finally grew near enough that he wouldn’t have to shout, he said, “Counsilman. We must admit, we were conveyed to you with more of a rush than we are accustomed. As always though, it is a pleasure to see you.”

“And you, King Eth,” he said with a small bow, deep enough to be polite without showing a hint of deference. “My dear Queen Lilan, as radiant as ever you are!”

He took the queen's hand and kissed the large sapphire that adorned it. Eth couldn’t help but wonder for a moment if the man was more awed by the gemstone or by the woman on whose hand it sat.

“I do apologize for the rush. Grave times, these are. Grave times, indeed. Come. Let us sit. I know you must be weary from the long journey. Dine with us as we speak, won’t you?” Kelester said.

The counsilman was balding, having nearly fully transformed into the sphere he’d been aiming to become as long as the king had known him. Tufts of black hair above his ears were finally turning to gray. He wore long robes of gray and gold, and an intricate embroidered patch upon his chest and back signaled his position as the Executor for War.

They followed him to the head of the long table where two delicious looking meals had been placed in seats opposite the three other counselors. No one occupied the head seat of the table — no one ever did; some sort of Ordomesse symbolic nonsense — but Kellester sat to the right, just a seat away from it, while the other three sat on the left.

Valvingot, Executor for Agriculture, Strugaard, Executor for Finance, and Derem, Executor of the Shade, along with Kelester were as close to the ruling class of Ordom as anyone could get.

‘A fat man runs their wars and a thin man produces their food. Is it any wonder they are besieged?’ he thought.

That was unfair. Eth knew he was biased though. His opinion of Kelester couldn’t be higher. The man was more shrewd than his three companions combined. Charismatic, affable, smart, and capable, it nagged at the king that such a competent man was content to merely run a single section of the government when he had the capacity to be a ruler. Alas, Ordom had cast off their monarchy in the name of ‘progress.’

The notion of a government run by a council of department heads was… quaint, but clearly it had failed, since Yeskra was knocking at their doors, and they seemed to be struggling to stop the hordes.

“I would be grateful for refreshment and I know my darling wife would agree,” King Eth said as he sat in front of the plate he deemed larger.

Lilan promptly grabbed the King’s plate and switched it for her own as she sat. Eth grinned, amused, but said nothing.

“Again, we ask your forgiveness for the rush. We… are in trouble. We would not discuss such harsh matters before you’ve had time to dine though. Please, partake. Let us make merry for a short time, yes?” Strugaard said, his voice filled with barely feigned patience.

Kelester eyed the man with barely veiled contempt, but schooled his features quickly.

“My esteemed colleague is correct in one sense. We would not discuss matters of state on an empty stomach,” he said sharply.

“That is well, for the road has given me quite an appetite, and I have not had a proper Ordomese strawberry in what feels like eons,” Eth said appeasingly.

Lilan struggled to avoid rolling her eyes at the obvious flattery.

“Please, eat,” he insisted, grabbing a fork and spearing a soft piece of carrot.

Eth almost assumed the other three would watch them until they finished their meals, eagerly anticipating that last bite so they could pounce with their pleas and offers. Only Kelester’s decorum seemed genuine.

Were the situation less serious, Lilan would’ve been tempted to slow her bites and stretch their patience to its limit. The desperation in the men’s eyes sobered any thoughts of such foolishness.

They ate in relative silence, the occasional exclamation of how good this or that dish was. The longer the meal last, the more uncomfortable Lilan began to feel. As servants came to take the last of the plates away, Lilan was as anxious to begin the discussions as Valvingot, Strugaard and Derem were. She marveled at the almost patronizing calm her husband and Kelester both held as they dabbed at their faces with napkins and washed down their meals with water or wine.

“Well, now that tradition has been upheld, I suppose we should get right to it,” Eth said, facing Kelester directly. “Leld will not be joining your war.”

Lilan blinked. Eth was usually so much more… tactful.

Strugaard reared back as if he’d been slapped. The Valvingot bit his tongue. Derem and Kelester both bore the news with frowns, but neither sounded surprised.

“You have not even heard our proposal yet!” Valvingot shouted.

“Nevertheless, our treaty does not require us to come to your aid,” Eth replied coolly. “We are of the sea, we Leld and I will not send my people to die on land far from home.”

“The treaty demands your aid. It is a defensive pact,” Derem commented much more sedately than the two beside him. “You do not consider it a dishonor to renege on the agreement?”

“The treaty demands our aid against an invasion from the sea. Yeskra, as far as I know, doesn’t have so much as a dingy,” Eth replied smoothly.

“Semantics,” Kelester interjected. “Yes, the defensive pact was made with the intention of combating the Skay, but should it not hold just as true for any invasion force?”

“Leld commands a navy with the strength to cow the very oceans themselves. You mistakenly assume converting it into a land-based army to be the matter of an afternoon. I assure you, it is not,” Eth said. “Our land based battalions are miniscule. A token force honestly meant more to defend against Ordom should you prove untrustworthy. I am somewhat ashamed to admit that even that has grown fat and dull as you have continued to prove the depth of that friendship.”

“And yet, in our hour of need, you would spit on that friendship! Eighty five years!” Valvingot snapped.

Lilan frowned. Eth was too trusting. It was a weakness of his and occasionally a great boon. But admitting weakness to the leaders of another nation, not matter how friendly, felt like he was inviting them to invade..

Eth’s eyes narrowed. “I spit on nothing.”

“Gentlemen, gentlemen,” Kelester said soothingly and something about his voice made all eyes snap to him. “King Eth has long been a friend of Ordom. Perhaps instead of making demands we should make the good king aware of the situation.”

“I am well aware of the situation,” the king replied, letting his own ire dissipate. “Yeskra found a Godwisp.”

For the first time, Kelester frowned.

“You know about the Shade?” he asked. “With your isolation I would not have thought…”

“We Leld are, indeed, isolated, but it is never wise to assume we are uninformed,” Lilan said.

“This… disturbs me,” Kelester said. The other counselors remained silent, taking their lead from Kelester and doing their best to project a calm disappointment.

“How so?” Eth asked.

“Before I could believe you simply ignorant of the threat. Now… you’re simply a fool,” Kelester said softly. There was no heat behind it. He wasn’t trying to insult, just stating a fact.

Eth fumed. “You dare!”

“I do,”  Kelester said softly. “This is a Godwisp. It isn’t as if they simply discovered how to make crossbows! The barbarians are wielding lightning!”

“I fail to see the problem,” Eth replied, folding his arms across his chest. “You are Ordom! The Yeskra found their Shade within the year! That means they have, what? Ten, maybe eleven touched at most? Assassinate them. Wrest the Godwisp’s location from them and be done with it!”

“We’ve already tried. We lost ninety touched in the attempt.”

Eth and Lilan both paled. “N-Ninety!? A trap?”

“It is worse still,” Eth said, ignoring Lilan’s question. “Yeskra has sent assassins of their own after our touched with uncanny accuracy. We have a mole.”

“Damnation!” Eth exclaimed. “How could you let things crumble so!? They are mindless barbarians!”

“Barbarians they may be but their leader is not. Eth, listen to me, my old friend. It won’t be today. It might not even be for years, but if we do not receive aid, I believe Yeskra and their new Godwisp will overrun us. I implore you. Aid us now while there is yet time, lest Yeskra knock on your own door. Your mountains will not protect you, and your navy will not avail you when they strike at your heart.”

Kelester’s words struck a chord in Lilan. She wavered. Perhaps it would be wise to join Ordom in their endeavor. She was about to request a private conversation with Eth when he overroad her.

“We need time. I must consult my own advisors with this new information. I can return to Leld tomorrow to discuss–!”

“You are the monarchs are you not?” Valvingot said snidely, their old arguments coming to light once more. “You say jump and your people leap! I thought that was the main benefit to having a kingdom over a Consolate! Your decisiveness! The Leld, of all peoples, should be able to see a situation and react immediately at the will of their chosen leader!”

Lilan frowned. Why was Kelester patronizing them? Did he truly think to goad them into joining the war on their pride?

She turned to look at Kelester and found him scowling at Valvingot.

“Eth, my friend. Queen Lilan. Please forgive my fellow councilman. He seems to have forgotten we are speaking with allies.” Kelester said darkly.

Valvingot flinched, realizing suddenly that he was half out of his chair. He sat back down, contritely. Lilan noted that he did not apologize.

“We need not discuss this all now, when tempers are hot and ill tidings sour the meal. Please, stay the week. See our people,” Kelester said. The words seemed innocuous, but Lilan noted that he seemed to think merely seeing the state of the commonfolk would be more of an argument than all their words had been.

Eth was taken aback by the abrupt dismissal. He nodded however and rose. Lilan joined him, and respectfully, the counselors all did the same. Lieutenant Borinos greeted them and guided them back to the door.

“Until tomorrow then. For my part, I thank you for your hospitality,” King Eth said, turning back from the door.

“I as well, thank you,” Lilan added with a nod.

The four men bowed from their spots on the sides of the long table.

“Harden your hearts, old friend,” Kelester said. “Ordom suffers…”

Eth, unsure what to say to such a cryptic comment, nodded.

By the next day, he understood. The empty roads of Ordom’s capital should have been a sign. Hospitals were full to the brim with burned soldiers. Families wept in the streets and private homes were used to house the wounded. Those left behind from the war were, one and all, conscripted into the hospitals to aid with the binding of open wounds.

Lilan saw a boy as young as nine expertly remove a battlefield suture and replace it with a far more professional one, ignoring the woman’s screams of protest, as he did before moving on to the next.

Lilan was convinced then and there. They should join the war effort.

Eth though, apparently took Kelester’s advice to heart. He did not wish to see Leld become like this. He did not wish to see Imboden’s capital become a massive holding ground for the dead and the “about to die.”

In this, they could not agree.

Five days later, Jeffries led a much more subdued entourage back towards Leld. The steady clinks of soldiers’ armor somehow weighed more heavily on them all during the slow path back across the countryside. Even Jeffries himself struggled to remain cheerful.

The devastation wrought by Yeskra was sobering and all consuming, and the indecision of the King and Queen seemed to dampen the honor guard’s mood even further.

“We cannot aid them! Leaving aside the fact that our pact never foresaw a land-invasion, we are not equipped to handle Yeskra!” Eth argued.

“Equipped or not, Yeskra is coming to us!” Lilan insisteted.

“It is not as dire as that. They seek to secure us as allies. They showed us the worst, and the ugliest parts of their war to shock us. It is a manipulation, my wife, not a true representation of how their war fares. Ordom is mighty and they have not yet fully called upon their true power. Their coin. When I see them begin to empty their coffers, then perhaps I will begin to worry.”

“So we are to be mercenaries then!? We will fight so long as coin flows to us?” Lilan sneered.

“Not us! Did you notice that we saw only Ordom wounded? No. Ordom is not yet taking the Yeskra threat seriously, and until they do I will not commit to a foreign war, no matter how closely we are allied. They can hire mercenary companies. The Fanged Army. Shades and wisps, perhaps even the Skay would be interested should the incentive prove high enough.” Eth insisted.

“Those traitors? You would have our allies depend on the Skay before us!?” Lilan was shouting now, and the soldiers outside the carriage could make out her words clearly.

“I would have the advice of our own council. I know you feel strongly about this, but–!”

A scream erupted from outside the carriage, setting both monarchs on alert.

“Jeffries?” the King asked. “What was tha–!”

Again his words were interrupted, this time by a sharp clang.

“We are under attack! We are under–!” The voice of captain El’thoth, abruptly silenced.

‘Wh-what is happening, Eth?” Lilan asked fearfully.

“I don’t know! Ready your gift, and your blade my wife. I fear treachery,” he spoke even as he reached down into the carriage.

King Eth was confident man, with a regal bearing, and his gift reflected that. He knelt down to touch the bottom of the carriage, removing a tiny seed from the a pouch he kept on his person at all times. He placed the seed in a crack in the wood and held his hand over it, until it glowed green.

The carriage suddenly burst apart as a ring of vines cleared ripped forth from the wooden fixtures encircling them. Luggage and dresses and coats flew everywhere as the carriage top was ripped off by a particularly large vine and hurled away, clearing the two monarch’s line of sight.

Lilan was ready and lunged, snatching Jeffries out of the debris before the collapsing carriage might have killed him. She yanked him into the protective barrier of vines her husband was growing, just before one of them might’ve cut him to ribbons.

With the carriage top gone, they could clearly see what they faced through the holes in King Eth’s defense.

A horde of men in tattered frocks that seemed more mud than cloth were pouring out of the citrus fields on all sides. Even as terror gripped her, Lilan had to admire the tactical prowess of the ambushers. No wonder they’d been taken by surprise.

At least three soldiers, including Captain El’thoth were already dead, arrows buried in their fallen corpses. Lilan sneered, righteous fury boiling in her blood. They’d been caught unaware but the Leld were not nearly as soft as her husband had claimed.

“M-my queen? What is happening?” Jeffries panicked when he realized that not only was he not about to die, he’d been saved by his queen personally.

“We are under attack. Stay down, but see if you can find the crossbow in the front of the carriage,” Lilan said. Never in her life had she expected to truly face such an assault, but her family had spent years warning her of the possibility, and in Leld none granted the privilege of touching the Godwisp went without training. Not even the king and queen.

The men of the honor guard were rallying to King Eth’s defense. His wooden vine barrier was potent, but their attackers seemed to be equipped with fire tipped arrows and were shooting them with wild abandon.

Lilan watched with tense silence as Private Coertes blocked incoming arrows and even crossbow bolts with his gift. Lightning quick reflexes and a gift that even she envied at times, had earned the boy his position among their guard. While most of their retenue were still gathering their wits, he was already defending them with his glowing shield.

The others all had gifts of their own, but only the Captain’s had been particularly useful in repelling attacks.

No matter. Lilan aimed her hand towards a row of oncoming enemies and released her gift. A beam of power rocketed forth through he gap in the King’s vines and speared through two advancing men just as they were about to loose more arrows at her unprepared guards.

The two barbarians slumped to the ground as blood quickly filled the space their lungs once vacated. A third man behind the pair lost an arm to the devastating blast of power, and he screamed in agony.

Her other guards were finally coming out of their stupor and making their way towards the safety Eth’s gift provided. Lilan fired another lance of light into the attackers, and another mud covered wraith, a woman this time, screamed before her throat clogged with her lifeblood.

Eth was not idle either. While Lilan fired from within the protective vine cocoon, that same barrier occasionally lashed out to slice at the stomachs and legs of unsuspecting enemies.

Even with all their efforts, two more of the guards were slain by arrows in the back. One cleanly severed the man’s spine. Jori Cotton, a miller’s boy whose skill with the blade had earned him a spot in the honor guard, and even his own gift. Cut down in a moment. The next, Erin Albel was hit in the shoulder, which lit up like a bonfire.

Lilan flinched as the girl’s scream pierced the air, and missed her next shot.

There had to be at least a hundred men. So far none of them had displayed a gift but for such a strong company there had to be–!

Arrows slammed against the barrier of vines and they suddenly moved to intercept them, momentarily blocking Lilan’s view. When they moved, a sharp twang beside her signified that Jeffries had found the crossbow. She grinned a savage smile as she watched his bolt fly true.

“Who are you!” She screamed. “How dare you attack the Royal Family of Leld!”

“I spit on Leld’s Royal Family! You’ll burn on Yeskra’s fires the same as any other!” came an unexpected response.

Yeskra? Didn’t Yeskra’s people speak old Yesuan? For some reason, her mind had never believed that Yeskra would actually attack them. Had they been mistaken for an Ordomese caravan?

She cast the thought to the back of her mind as a ball of flames suddenly formed above a small crowd of men. She aimed there and fired a beam. If the man was going to be stupid enough to paint a target upon himself then she would be happy to gut him before his clumsy gift could hurt anyone but his own!

Unfortunately, while the men beneath the fireball died, the ball itself did not fade or flicker. Instead, it hurled towards the pair, even as the last of the guard converged around Eth’s vines, entering through sudden gaps in the roil.

Lilan screamed in horror, knowing that Eth’s defenses could not hold against gift-powered fire. Just as she was sure the flame would consume them, Coertes lifted his hands, the glowing blue shield rising into the air to intercept the fireball. On the other side of the field, notably far away from where the fireball had originally appeared, a circle of attackers burst into flames, as Coertes’s shield reflected even the flames!

“Hah!” the boy exclaimed in joy. Lilan, temporarily blinded by the burning flame of the fireball, recovered her sight just in time to see at least three men targeting the boy.

“Move you fool!” She screamed, even as she took aim and fired another lance of light. She missed, but the ray was enough of a distraction to miraculously throw off the aim of all three archers. Two missed out right and the third screamed as Coertes returned his shield to its protective place in front of him.

The attackers were dying in droves and even their gifted had proven no match for Leld’s guards. Lilan began to relax as she methodically began to slice into the attackers with her gift, protected by both Eth and Coertes. The other soldiers were not nearly as effective but they too held crossbows and used them with reckless abandon.

“Coertes! Well done! Block what arrows you can, but save that shield for the gifts! I will handle the chaff!” Eth said, his voice filled with authority and might, even as his vines reached out to snare and entangle more and more of the approaching enemy.

Another ball of fire was forming, though smaller in size than the one from before and Lilan scoffed as it became clear that this particular assassination attempt was going to fail. They could not break both Eth and Coertes’ defensive gifts.

Without warning, the vines fell inert.

Under Eth’s control they continuously grew and grew undulating and writhing as they did. Eth could actually use his gift on any plant, but he had discovered long ago that vines were versatile and unerringly strong.

In all their years together, Lilan had never seen them stop moving while under his control.

She turned to him, fearing she might see an arrow blooming from his chest. Instead she found his wide eyes filled with confusion.

“My gift… it’s…!? Kelester?” he whispered..

She turned and held forth her hand, but for the first time in as long as she could remember, she could not call forth the light. Had the dead gods chosen to truly abandon them at last?

The smaller, but no less deadly fireball suddenly rocketed forward.

“My shield! My power is gone!” Lilan heard Coertes cry out, even as she realized the truth.

“Scatter!” She screamed, and she dove for the vines, uncaring as the thorns ripped her dress. Pain wracked her body as she dove through the prison he husband had crafted for them, ripping and tearing at the suddenly treacherous vines.

Suddenly a large portion of them gave and she broke through the foliage, Jeffries right on her heals wielding a small shortsword, dulled from hacking at the plants. Sudden, burning heat scalded her back and she dove as the fireball incinerated the roil of vines.

Jeffries lay beside her, quietly whimpering and folded in upon himself. His back looked to be flash charred, but Lilan spared no worry for pain. She stood and turned, to view devastation.

“B-by the Shades of God…” she breathed.

Of her husband’s vines, no sign remained. Charred corpses lay strewn about by the fireballs detonation, unrecognizable in slagged armor and molten skin.

“Eth… E-Eth my love?” she asked, uncomprehending. Five… six… seven bodies. Had there only been nine within Eth’s roil? O-Or could there have been more? There must have been more!

“Kill her,” commanded a dead voice.

It happened quickly. Lilan barely even felt the arrow as it slid through her chest. All she could think as she slumped to the ground, was that it was so strange that she couldn’t move. She had to get up. She had to discover what had become of the King.

Rose…? Her daughter. Would her daughter be alright?

Her thoughts faded. Men surrounded her and spoke menacing words that she could no longer understand. Something was on her chest. She pulled at it feebly and winced as pain surged through the fog clouding her mind.

Men were all around her, and she felt faint. Why weren’t they helping her? She tried to ask them to help her but no words came. They continued to speak, and she realized drearily that they weren’t talking to her but someone else. Someone beside her.

She tried again to rise and her body screamed in protest, mind almost blanking.

“Good. There’s a survivor. He’s a bit charred but he’ll do. You, what is your name?” a sharp but familiar voice said nearby.

The man beside her shook violently. “My name!? Who the hell are you!? Why… j-just… why!? The King and Queen were peaceful! They were good people! Good rulers! Why the hell should I tell you anythin’!”

Jeffries. Her servant and friend. Faithful Jeffries. He sounded distraught. She wanted to move to help him. She would’ve if only the pain in her chest would go away. She grabbed at it and was confused to find something solid and wooden there.

“The King and Queen are dead, and they have only one daughter, yes? Long Live the Queen. Go with your life, little man. Return to your mountains by the sea, and tell the new Queen that Yeskra sends its regards.”

“Yeskra…” Jeffries sneered. “Yeskra will regret this. I’ll live to see it. I swear I will.”

The man grinned amused. “I hope you do.”

The crowd surrounding them moved away, but Lilan could only see their shadows as they fled. The sun was hot and bright. It was such a nice day. Her fingers were wet as she kept tugging at the wooden shaft in her chest.

Dimly, she became aware that she was dying.

“Yeskra…” she heard Jeffries mutter.

“No…” she breathed.

Jeffries jerked, then winced in pain from his burns. “My queen. My queen! You live?”

“Not… not Yeskra,” she breathed as a last burst of clarity came to her mind and the gift that had affected them clicked into memory. “Ordom. Ordom has betrayed us. T-tell Rose. Ordom has…”

She breathed her last, as her servant cried.

END CHAPTER