Chapter 18
Eighteen
The capital looks as it always does—a small, content city resting under the star-speckled sky.
Tendrils of smoke twirl above as families gather in their warm homes to share their final meal of the day.
The amber glow of lanterns and chirping crickets speaks to its tranquility.
But the truth is easily distorted from this far away.
The Allaji are within the city’s walls, no doubt causing mayhem.
My nerves pique at the thought. The people behind me are half of the combined army.
The king and queen knew they could not defeat the shifters alone.
Yet tonight, our numbers aren’t any larger than they were before the Stigians joined our ranks.
It doesn’t matter that I sent a messenger to Stigian to alert my father and Esmeray.
We don’t have time to wait for them. There’s no telling the damage the Allaji are causing, and I fear for the lives of those who can’t fend for themselves.
Kyron stops our infantry. A crowd of black metal, leather, and Lucent armor pause at the crossroad before the straightaway to the city’s gate.
I find it hard to stay focused on anything but him as he dismounts from Samson and walks toward me and Nortus.
His Stigian battle uniform is menacing, to say the least. Like our armor, it’s form-fitting and black.
Leather straps cross his chest with a silver emblem depicting a crescent moon surrounded by ten stars in the center.
Metal plates curve over his shoulders, giving the appearance that he is broader than he really is.
And several daggers are sheathed in easy to reach places on his body.
He props his arm on my saddle and lowers the black mask covering the bottom half of his face. “Are you sure you can get past the guards at the path to the Omnis?”
I remove the helmet that matches my armor and smooth down the hairs that have broken free of the twist at the back of my head.
“I’ve always been told that to go there you must be invited by Micah, but I clearly found a way around that.
Besides, it’s the safest way to get those in the palace out. I have to try.”
“If it works, get in and get them out. We’re not here to win this.”
“I know,” I say, pulling my lips into a tight smile. I don’t want him to worry, but of course he does. It’s one thing for an attack to happen to Basecamp and another to ride into one in progress with thousands of innocent people.
Kyron reaches up and cups my cheek, guiding me to bend down until we are face to face. “Please be careful.”
“You too.”
I grip the strap on his shoulder, and he presses his lips to mine in a quick, soft kiss. Statera help me, it’s hard to let him go, but I release him, knowing we’ll have time for more kisses once everyone is safe.
Kyron pats Nortus on the back. “Watch out for my girl, old boy.”
His girl. The phrase makes me light-headed.
I have so many reasons to hurry this mission, but to hear Kyron call me his again is at the top of the list. My horse bristles and stomps his hooves, shaking me out of my thoughts.
I’m not sure if he is helping me get my head on straight or telling Kyron that his request is ridiculous.
Of course, Nortus will look out for me. Hasn’t he brought me this far?
Kyron turns to Leif and Terro. “And you two, stay at her side.”
They lift the visors on their helmets and in unison say, “Yes, Your Grace.”
I cock my brows and smirk. “Should I make the same demand of Greer and your commander?”
“No need, Elle,” Greer pipes up from her horse. “You’ll get your pretty prince back.”
“She thinks I’m pretty,” Kyron says with a wink.
Terro laughs. “Don’t we all?”
“Don’t feed his inflated ego. I’d hate for him to spontaneously combust before we achieve what we’re here for,” I say.
Kyron sobers, and his gaze meets mine. “I love you.”
“I love you,” I reply.
I wait for him to mount Samson before I spur Nortus forward. My small unit of a dozen consists of Lucent and Stigian soldiers and includes a horse and carriage. They fall in line behind me as I lead them down the road toward the Omnis.
The night is deceitfully quiet. Not a single cricket chirps in the shrubs that grow around the tall trees on either side of the gravel road.
The orange and red leaves remain still on the crooked branches that reach over our heads.
Even the autumn chill feels vacant. The only sign that the world still turns is the power radiating around us.
The soil is infused with a protection bond a Divine Sibyl put in place.
The invisible shield keeps travelers on the road, forcing them to use the one entrance to the Omnis, with the exception of the underground passage I take to visit the holy site.
Two palace guards stand at attention on either side of the road, with their iron breastplates reflecting the moon’s rays. As we draw closer, they reach for their swords.
“Turn around. None are permitted beyond this point without the king’s invitation,” says a brawny guard with tight black curls and pale skin.
I ride forward, squaring my shoulders and projecting my voice. “By order of your future queen, I demand you stand down and let us through.”
The guards share a whispered exchange, debating whether or not it’s me. They keep a watchful eye on us, glancing at the Stigian warriors in my company.
“Must I repeat myself?” I ask.
“It is her,” says the small, red-headed guard. He takes a knee and places his fist over his heart. “Your Grace, I don’t think the king would approve.”
“Kick the tiny weasel out of our way,” says a Stigian. He is a monster of a man with a bald head and narrow brown eyes.
I hold up my hand to calm everyone. Without the guards stepping down, the shield will not let us through, so harming them will do us no good.
“You have my word. We will not step foot inside the pavilion. But you must let us pass. The city is under attack as we speak and there is a passage that will get the king out safely.”
“I don’t know if—”
“I am your future queen.” I don’t have time to go back and forth with these men. People could be dying as we speak. “Do not disobey me or I promise, there will be hell to pay. If not by me, then by my godfather.”
“Yes, Your Grace,” the men say together, staggering to step aside.
Terro rides beside me and lowers his voice. “You’re kind of terrifying when you get all queenly.”
“You didn’t know? I’m not a woman to be crossed.” I smirk at him and ride ahead, holding my head high in a mock arrogance.
The Omnis pavilion is an ivory dome, sitting on the edge of a cliff.
Its architecture is simple, as it wasn’t meant to outshine the view.
In this holy place, the elements gifted to our people by the Statera are seen all at once.
Fire burns in the center of the gathering place, and plants wind around the columns like smitten lovers.
Water falls into an endless chasm, and snow capped mountains stand tall in the distance.
In the east, the sun always shines and to the west, lightning adorns the endless night sky.
This is the embodiment of our life force.
When the road ends, everyone falls silent. I’ve visited the Omnis several times, and its magnificence is still awe-inspiring. This is one of the most beautiful places in all the five kingdoms. And to think, it used to be my secret hideaway.
We dismount to leave our horses and the carriage for Micah behind. The path to the tunnel is narrow and rocky, and we must hike through it.
I approach a petite Stigian warrior assigned to my group and ask, “May I borrow your gift?”
“Yes,” she says, holding out a freckled hand.
I call forth her flames and cup the ball of fire in my palm.
She does the same with her power, and together we light the way for the others.
I take the lead, guiding the soldiers along the trail until the pavilion disappears.
We reach a vine covered hill, and I sweep the leaves aside to reveal a small wooden door.
“I can’t believe you never told me about this,” Leif says.
I yank the door, and it groans on its rusty hinges. “It wouldn’t have been my secret hiding place if I did.”
He follows me inside. “Point taken.”
As we move through the dark, humid tunnel, everyone falls silent.
I concentrate on our crunching footsteps, wishing this mission were a means to an end.
It’s hard not to daydream about defeating the Allaji in the quiet, but it’s nothing more than wishful thinking.
How can we even know what a win looks like when we understand so little about our adversary?
The shifter kingdom has mostly kept to themselves since they prefer their animal forms. The only Allaji I’ve come across that were not trying to kill me were at the Sibyls’ temple.
They were nice enough, but I didn’t gain any true insight into their people.
Other than that they enjoyed fornicating in public places, and that knowledge is useless.
What I need to know is why our kingdom, and is there anything we can do to stop this before more of our people are killed?
The door at the end of the tunnel appears, and I snuff out the fire in my hand. Turning to the small but efficient group of a dozen Lucent and Stigian soldiers, I say, “Remember that no one is to go back through this tunnel until the king and king regent are here. Is that understood?”
Everyone responds with a resounding “Yes, Your Grace.”