Chapter 1
one
. . .
The moment the black-winged demons descended from the skies, I knew we were done for, and I should have stayed home.
I had been out. The Altean Council had just signed off on my retirement, and I was busy packing my things, excited to return to my village and settle down.
The life of an Altean army officer was particularly harsh on the body.
As one of the few non-fairy-enhanced officers, I had to work twice as hard as a lot of my equals.
I knew it wasn't under their control, but it felt unfair that they had those advantages over the rest of us with common blood.
Most of the Zanarian realms worshipped what they called the fairy-blessed, but not Altea.
Thankfully, Altea was more neutral on magic.
Most didn't mind it, but we certainly didn't rely on it. We were the only realm in the Six Realms of Zanaria that wasn't completely magic-dependent. Now that we didn’t have access to it, it was a blessing we’d been prepared.
When Bancroft brought war to us, many believed the only thing that saved us was the barrier the alchemists constructed that neutralized magic. The Murderous King of Bancroft hadn't been able to march his armies in to sack our cities because of that barrier.
Of course, stuck as he was in Sherbrooke, he wasn't much of a threat to anyone.
Our realm had been using the time to prepare. We knew that whenever he was freed, which he would inevitably be, he would come for us.
What no one understood was why he had been so focused on attacking us specifically.
As the Northernmost Kingdom in the Six Realms, with more mountains than usable land, it made sense Bancroft would want to expand.
I would have understood him attacking the Queendom of Sherbrooke or the Kingdom of Miravale.
They were both directly south of Bancroft.
Miravale was a largely forested realm, though, so had I been him, I would have gone for Sherbrooke.
Sherbrooke had a more temperate climate and rolling fields as far as the eye could see in every direction.
The Murderous King of Bancroft had passed right by both Sherbrooke and Miravale to attack my home, the Republic of Altea. Of course, I suppose after a while, he did turn his sights on Sherbrooke, too. It just hadn't worked out for him as well as he had planned.
It wasn't known if he placed the curse on the castle himself, but it seemed unlikely since he was trapped there, too.
It was a powerful curse. When anyone tried to approach the castle, they’d cross some kind of invisible barrier and fall asleep.
Others tried to drag the rescuers out, but they weren't able to pull them past the barrier.
After the first couple of days, the townsfolk laid out a small stone wall, marking where they believed the barrier was, and continued on with their lives.
Asleep or not, Altea hadn't forgotten the threat the King of Bancroft posed. We all knew the day was coming that the Murderous King would wake, and I, for one, was thrilled to let someone else take the lead on defending Altea. I had one last bag to pack when a loud knock sounded at my door.
I had already said my goodbyes to my friends, so I wondered who it could be as I straightened up and crossed my sparse room to the door.
With almost all my personal effects packed, the room was little more than a bed and a couple of dressers now.
I was almost done packing and hoped whoever it was would be quick.
I wanted to leave before nightfall. My village wasn't far from the capital, but I didn't relish travelling in the dark.
I opened the door quickly and was shocked to see the familiar face of Inez Cyneward, Captain of the Royal Guard of Sherbrooke.
I linked my hand with hers and pulled her into me, patting her on the back twice with my other hand.
It was almost a hug, but more of a sign of camaraderie among officers, a sign of respect.
She thumped my back simultaneously before we pulled apart.
I took in her grim expression and the disheveled nature of her clothing with some worry.
Sherbrooke and Altea were closely aligned, so although Inez headed Sherbrooke’s royal guard, she was here frequently.
She had become a fast friend of mine, and I knew from experience how meticulous she was about her clothing.
She took pride in appearing put together and professional, so if she looked disheveled, something was seriously wrong.
“Inez, what are you doing here?” I asked, concerned.
She looked up and down the hallway before asking, “Can we come in?”
We? I hadn't noticed anyone with her. I nodded and moved back.
She pushed into the room, and then I saw her companions.
Behind her was a tall, tanned, blonde woman and a shorter one with curly brown hair whom I immediately recognized as Princess Serena, the elder princess of Sherbrooke. I quickly dropped into a bow.
“There's no time for that, Ci,” Inez cut in.
“And it's not necessary,” Princess Serena added. She was wrong, of course, but I straightened up anyway.
Inez quickly gestured to me and said, “This is Cierra. Cierra, you know Princess Serena, and this is Tris.” Turning to Tris, Inez added, “Cierra’s the best of the best.” I was going to wave off the compliment, but Inez kept going, “and Ci, Tris is-”
Inez paused, looking at the blonde woman, who asked softly, “We trust her?”
I wondered what I was getting pulled into and what I wanted Inez's answer to be. Of course, I wanted to be trustworthy, but with a backward glance at my belongings, all mostly packed on the bed, I wasn't sure if I wanted to be involved.
But Inez nodded.
The blonde woman stepped forward and said, “I'm Prince Tristan of Somerset.”
I took a step back, and the back of my legs collided with my bed, and suddenly I was sitting. The bag of weaponry on my bed clanked with my movement, but thankfully, nothing fell.
“But you're—” I started and then stopped. I hadn't seen much of the Somerset royals, but I knew enough of their ways to know they didn't refer to their women as princes.
The blonde person nodded. “I know. It's a long story we don't have enough time for, but I can shift. Not very well, mind you. It's by far the least useful or impressive magic in my family.”
Serena cut in, “Hey, be nicer to yourself. I happen to value you and am certainly not complaining about your abilities.”
A blush spread over the Prince's cheeks, but before I could wonder too much about what sort of relationship they had, and how those abilities might play into it, Inez butted in.
“There's no time for any of that, but obviously Tris's power of being gods-damned lucky is far more useful than their ability to shift.”
I was just barely keeping up with the conversation, but I remembered to rise and bow to the prince.
Inez huffed out a sigh, and the prince waved to me, “Don't worry about it. A friend of Inez's is a friend of mine. Please, call me Tris.”
Inez cut in again, “But when they turn back into their Princely form, you will need to call him Prince Tristan in public.”
I nodded, slowly wrapping my head around it before asking the important question, “Does the Council know?”
Serena and Inez exchanged a look before Inez shook her head.
“I wanted to tell them,” Serena said, “I really did, but it was too big a risk.”
“We don't want anyone to know about Somerset's involvement in the mission,” Inez said.
Before I had a moment to ask what the mission was, Serena said, “And I didn't want to risk more people knowing about Tris. The more people who know, the more at-risk Tris is. Right now, only a trusted few know about them, and we’d like to keep it that way for as long as possible.”
Inez nodded. “Having Tris as a secret spy is useful.” Inez turned to Tris, adding, “Besides, better to keep it a secret, since one of these days, your luck is bound to run out.”
They grinned. “It hasn't failed me yet.”
Inez groaned, “Because Serena and I have been cleaning up your messes.”
Tris chuckled, and Serena giggled, ruffling Tris’s hair affectionately.
“Well then, they’re lucky to have us,” Serena said. “That’s still luck.”
Inez groaned, “Fine, fine. They’re lucky. Now, can I get to the important part?”
Serena and Tris both looked chastened and nodded in response.
Inez turned back to me, “I just met with the Council to request their best companies for as long as they could spare them. We're taking the fight to Bancroft.”
I gasped. “The King's awake?”
“No, he's not,” Tris said quickly.
“Yet,” Inez added with a look at Serena.
“But he will awaken soon,” Serena finished, “and we want to improve our odds for when he does.”
Inez continued, “According to our intel, his armies have been inactive in Bancroft while waiting for his return.
We're hoping that if we strike his armies hard and fast now while he's still in the cursed sleep, they'll be too disorganized to form much of a resistance and we'll be able to defeat and disband his armies before he returns.”
It made strategic sense to neutralize the armies while their leader was off the board, so to speak, but I wasn't sure what that had to do with me.
“That's brilliant, truly, and I wish you the best of luck, but I'm retired,” I said, waving to my packed bags behind me.
“The papers have been signed already and everything. I'm leaving before nightfall.”
Inez's face softened into a mix between pleading and understanding. “The Council told me. That’s why I'm here.”
“To congratulate me?” I quipped, but I already knew what she wanted.
“To ask you, no—to beg you to do one last mission.”
The room fell silent as the weight of her words hit me. Inez Cyneward didn't beg anyone for anything.
“If I were a better friend, I wouldn't be asking, but the Realms need your help. When he wakes, if he has his army at his disposal, Sherbrooke could fall. I know Altea’s been holding out, but how much longer do you think that'll last?
After Sherbrooke, he'll likely turn his sights to Miravale. I know the Republic is fairly self-sustaining, but even it has its limits. How long do you think it would hold out with Sherbrooke and Miravale both compromised?”
I hated the picture she was painting. I wanted to go back to my village and take some time to focus on myself.
I had been dreaming of opening a cross between a bookshop and a tavern.
I planned to call it The Soul's Cure since I strongly believe that the cure to most soul ailments can be found within a good drink and a good story.
Looking into Inez's eyes, I could see that future receding from me. One last mission was never really one last mission. Serena and Tris, who were holding hands now, looked just as hopeless as Inez did.
Damn the gods.
“One last mission?” I asked.
Inez nodded grimly as Serena brightened a little and said, “Sherbrooke would be in your debt.”
“And so would Somerset,” Tris added.
“And the Council,” Inez said. “They’re only willing to spare a single company.
They're worried about a retaliatory attack after we launch ours.” She huffed out a frustrated breath.
“Of course, that wouldn't happen if they would spare enough companies to ensure we defeated them, but they wouldn't be reasoned with.”
“They didn't want to risk their people here,” Tris added diplomatically.
“But if they don't, more will die,” Serena added.
Inez turned back to me. “If you agree, you'll split the heading of a company of whoever agrees to take on the mission with one other officer. We refused to take anyone unwillingly, though, so rest assured, the hundred in your new company are prepared and willing.”
That was refreshing, at least. The Council didn't typically offer us a choice in what we did.
I wondered if the same courtesy would have been extended to me if I were still the Council's to command.
I wasn't sure if they would have ordered me, but looking around the room, I knew without a doubt that Inez and the others wouldn't have forced me.
I knew how much they cared about freedom of choice, which is why I knew I had to do it.
“Fine, I'm in.” I looked behind me and added, “I'm already packed, anyway.”
I opened my bag of weapons and took out my belt, fastening my sheaths to it.
I sheathed two short swords and two daggers to it before straightening back up.
I was already dressed for travel, so I grabbed three of my bags: one with my remaining weaponry, another with clothing, and the last with the rest of the gear I would need.
I secured the gear bag to my back and tossed the weapons bag over one shoulder, the clothing bag over the other before nodding to Inez and saying, “Alright. Let's go see what we're working with.”