She reached up and touched the amulet. “I do.”
“How did you gain such a rank?” Dothlore asked.
Nelia raised her chin. “It was given to me by King Porlin in my youth, as a promise of marriage to his son. Although King Porlin never had an heir, I have retained the Steward’s Crest.”
Whether true or not, the fact that she possessed the Talinorian crest was significant, and Fire again wondered if Jeric had given his to her. But Rynda continued to regard the two young women with her arms folded.
“Rynda,” Water said, his tone urgent. “You must—”
“I don’t need your help to be queen,” Rynda snapped.
Water fell silent, and Rynda stepped toward the young women. Those nearest sucked in their breath as the towering rock troll advanced on the two young queens. To their credit, they stood their ground, but their horses fidgeted, and Fire noticed Annah had sweat trickling down her forehead. Nelia swallowed in fear and her hand tightened on the pommel of her saddle.
Rynda came to a halt close enough to strike, and then spoke in an undertone. Her words were not audible to Fire from where he stood, and he looked to Lira, but the woman just shook her head.
“If she wanted you to hear her words, she would have spoken louder.”
“You heard them,” he accused.
Lira smiled faintly. “Just because I can enhance my hearing doesn’t mean I have to share what I hear.”
Rynda stepped back, and then offered her metal hand to Queen Annah. The woman reached out and accepted the offering, her tiny hand resting in the metal grip of the rock troll. Rynda then offered her hand to the second queen. Nelia nodded in gratitude, and if Fire was not mistaken, a measure of relief.
Annah turned and looked to Melora, who gave a solemn nod. “Not that the opinion of a dark elf matters much to the surface races, but I too will support your appointment.”
“You have our gratitude,” Annah said.
Nelia nodded to Annah and then touched the Steward’s pendant. Orange light sparked from the amulet and arced to Annah and Nelia, swirling about their throats and mouths, sinking into their flesh. Annah thanked her with a nod of gratitude and turned her horse to face the forces that had gathered. When she spoke, her voice stretched across the field and extended even into the walls of Terros, not a voice of thunder, but a rolling echo that reached every ear.
“People of Terros and Griffin,” she called. “I am Queen Annah, appointed by the council of Dukes at the urging of Queen Alosia. I speak to you from the edge of the alliance camp, where Queen Rynda and Erisay have just supported my right to rule.”
“And I am Queen Nelia of Erathan,” her companion called, her voice equally amplified. “I too, have had my ascension ratified, and speak with Queen Annah in full accord. I also carry the amulet of a Talinorian Steward, granting me all the rights and privileges of the Talinorian throne.”
Annah smiled to her sister queen and then stepped forward. “At this time of conflict, we lead all three human kingdoms, but against foes like Draeken and Serak, the boundaries of our kingdoms must be set aside.”
The words drew people out of the city. Men and women lined the battlements and poured from the gates. Soldiers of every race stood in silence, watching as the two queens spoke from the hilltop outside of Outer Terros.
“Until the threat is extinguished,” Queen Annah said. “We must stand together. We have faced the most difficult of decisions. With the agreement of our neighboring kingdoms, we have decided to gather in Ilumidora for a final stand.”
The proclamation sent a murmur through the gathered forces, who likely had assumed the gathering place would be Terros. Queen Annah raised her voice, the amulet’s magic allowing her to speak over the doubt.
“Griffin is in no shape to defend against Draeken’s army,” she called. “And after speaking with my advisors, we have reached a decision. The kingdom of Griffin will evacuate to Talinor, where the people will be housed until we are able to return to our lands.”
Fire looked to his brother, surprised by the bold plan. To abandon the entire kingdom to Draeken would allow his forces to invade. It also suggested they would be relying on more than just military might to stop Draeken. What did they know?
Queen Annah swept her hand to the gathered forces. “I now address you, my brothers and sisters of Lumineia. Whatever grievances you have had against neighbors, bury them. Whatever doubts or ambitions, forget them. There is only one aspiration that matters, and that is victory over Draeken and Serak. They think we will surrender,” her voice hardened with anger, “but we will not relinquish our freedom. By blade and blood we stand together, an alliance of Lumineia.”
Her words echoed into silence, and then a rising cheer swept the soldiers. It spread into the city and through the camps, expanding to engulf the entire alliance. The people shouted, roaring their approval, and Fire smiled.
“Draeken wanted a fight?” he murmured. “A fight he will have.”
Chapter 23: The Warview
Mind prowled the spacious receiving room of their quarters in the Warview, struggling to keep his anger in check. Three weeks he’d been trapped in his quarters, his anger gradually building to a breaking point. What was happening on Lumineia? How long would they wait for the Bonebreaker to appear?
The quarters were unbelievably lavish. As large as a king’s great hall, the room boasted a spiral staircase to a second floor where a trio of bedchambers overlooked the ridiculously expansive receiving space. Couches and desks were placed about the room, all positioned to view the enormous wall that depicted battles in the Bone Crucible.
The krey called it the vid, short for a name in krey that Mind did not understand. The screen never stopped, and showed battle after battle, rotating through individual duels and larger conflicts, a ceaseless array of blood and battle across the planet. If Mind had not hated the Empire before, he would have gained such hatred after watching the vid.
The Warview was an inn, but that was like calling a king’s castle a hovel. Comprised of three towering buildings that stretched into the sky, the structure extended even higher than the clouds, taller than entire mountains on Lumineia. Gardens connected the three towers at various points in its height. Glowing green water gurgled down beautiful creeks and waterfalls, passing in and around a host of paths and ponds. The gardens attached to each of the three towers at thousands of intervals, a veritable labyrinth of light and greenery. Places to dine were abundant in the gardens, with krey and dakorians partaking of the small, open-roofed taverns that dotted the central structure. More vid screens were visible at the eateries, so the patrons would be able to wager on the never ending conflicts.
On the outside of the tower, a nearly invisible shield kept the volcanic air from reaching the gardens or the private quarters, the shield shimmering when dust or debris scattered across it. Mind had marveled at the sheer engineering of the structure, but knew the cost. How many lives had been paid to purchase such a building?
On the outside of the quarters, a second balcony overlooked the largest of the battlefields, the unforgiving region known as the Red Vent. Like a jagged scar, a breach in the surface allowed plumes of ash and smoke to rise skyward, the vent forming the center of the line between the two armies. Thousands fought for dominance with personal weapons, vehicles, and even larger war machines.
The only place to escape the scenes of battle was in his personal quarters, where Mind spent much of his time. At first he’d relished the opportunity to learn about the Empire, and once Ero had shown him how to operate the vid, he’d searched other channels. Of the millions available, he learned of worlds and history, ships and mighty krey houses. But throughout all the torrent of information, one thing was constant, a near reverence of the Empirical house, and the supreme power of the Krey Empire.
The days had turned into weeks, and despite countless offers to either buy Mind, or to entice him into more duels, the Bonebreaker did not appear. And it became increasingly clear that the woman might never arrive.
“Patience,” Tardoq said.
“I’m always patient,” Mind snapped. “But this is foolish. We cannot sit here while Lumineia falls to Serak and Draeken.”
The dakorian leaned against one of the pillars in the room, munching on Jolisin, a type of food he’d retrieved from the kitchens. Mind glared at the dakorian, but the soldier continued to eat. Just as Mind was about to shout, Tardoq spoke in a voice of ice.
