Princess Erena of Atopia

There is an odd atmosphere in the room, a tenseness that I’m not accustomed to from any of the people in this room. I walk over to mother, the queen in elegant silver, green and black gown that has a long train preventing any from walking directly behind her. Her gloves are a shimmering white going to her elbows, the Circlet of Tharz acts as the crown on her head today, a talisman blessed for protection and clarity of thought.

Spotting me she scowls but continues to speak with a scare riddled man that looks at her directly, not many look at the queen like that. He bows respectfully, leaving hurriedly without a word for anyone else.

‘’Erena, what are you still doing here? Didn’t your mother tell you to head to the rendezvous with Robert and your brothers?’’ Dad asks in a harsh tone as he grabs my elbow almost roughly. I’m startled at his vehemence and so is he apparently and even more so as Dam places a gentle threatening hand on his shoulder.

Letting go of me like the touch scorched him he takes a step back looking at my personal guard a moment then back at me as he comes back to himself. ‘’Sorry, it’s just... you should be with your brothers,’’ he says tiredly.

‘’What’s going on?’’ I ask in as queenly a voice as I can muster with the worry bubbling within me as I noticed the unusual number of messengers coming and going, the conspicuous absence of several important people that are usually here when big decisions are made and the terse atmosphere of everyone here. The mere fact that we are in the War Meeting Room is worrying and everything else, from the abrupt instructions to head to the cabin has my nerves frayed.

Suddenly there a commotion, a clang of metal on metal, the tearing of flesh, grunting and blood everywhere as one of the people in the room is reduced to paste in an instant by one of the guards.

‘’Huh?’’ is all I manage to say completely confused and wondering when Damond unsheathed his sword and gotten between me and the apparent commotion. Looking around him I see what’s left of Councillor Plouff’s torso almost completely crushed and leaking blood onto the expensive carpet. A clear orb about the size of my fist with a dark cloud whirling within rolls from his dead fingers grabbing everyone’s attention.

It’s Nilsa who acts first, diving in a roll grabbing it and hurling it as hard as she can towards one of the small windows close to the ceiling of the Meeting Chamber. It doesn’t get there but instead cracks loudly while in the air then I know nothing but pain as I seem to be sucked bodily into a vortex of some sort. I scream or at least I think I’m screaming as something malevolent and twisted seems to be trying to pull me from my body.

My protection amulet shatters on my wrist but suddenly the pull and the pain are gone and my vision starts clearing as I pant trying to catch my fleeing breath. It’s hot, my clothes are suddenly coarse on my skin, chaffing. Light starts making sense again as colour separates itself into objects fragments again, the brown of the chair, the silver of armour, the red carpet. I start scrambling to my feet as I notice the dead guard in silver armour not far from where I found myself lying. His eyes burnt out and a twisted look of agony on his now pale face.

The door burst open and more guards rush in with spears held at the ready as they survey the room for threats. I notice only one other person with the twisted open mouth death scream on his face and charred holes where eyes used to be, I don’t recognise him but I don’t look too closely.

‘’Secure the palace, no one in or out,’’ mother says already on her feet as though she never even fell, and maybe she didn’t. The guard Commander signals with his hand and half the guards rush to obey.

It’s a bustle of activity from there as more and more reports of explosions, suicide attacks and deaths within the palace and amongst the noble houses are reported. Mother sends out fast messengers, messenger birds and familiars out to all our allies within the kingdom as it’s become obvious that the church is attempting a coup d’état. Reports of rioters breaking into the houses and shops of known crown loyalists within the city abound.

As the hours fly by mother makes a political move that we’ve been discussing for years as a last resort if things got out of hand, she sends for the army to mobilise, secure the city and isolate the temples. No response is heard from the generals, all the emergency channels are ignored, guards sent out to the barracks closest to the city will take a minimum twenty hours to get back but we send them anyways.

Noises and sounds of a struggle are heard within the palace itself as magic and other arms are flung around from somewhere within the grounds.

‘’What’s happening?’’ I ask no one in particular, panic starting to strain my voice.

‘’Some of the guards have turned on us,’’

‘’What!?’’ I exclaim bug eyed before stealing myself again at mother’s disapproving look. Even in the mists of a coup attempt she worries about decorum, insufferable woman.

‘’Why?’’ I ask in a more steely voice having gotten a hold of myself some again.

‘’Clerics and paladins are storming the palace and some of the guard find it unseemly to raise arms against a cleric.’’ Damond, my personal guard says and I shake my head realising the depth the church indoctrination has permeated the kingdom.

I suddenly accept it all, losing control of the church, losing control of the kingdom, losing the love of the people. The church has been patient for centuries bidding its time and winning over the people, healing the sick and blessing the cursed while we taxed them year after year.

‘’It was inevitable mother,’’ I say as a cool I didn’t realise I had comes over me. For years we’ve been trying to prevent this very thing from occurring, first trying to stifle its growth, then wrestle control of our kingdom from then church and then later trying to negotiate a shared rule that isn’t primary a theocracy.

"The church has the hearts and minds of the peoples, but they should not have our lives or our persons to make a spectacle. We should flee and ensure our lineage survives, there is always another day to fight if we survive the day.’’

‘’She’s right your majesty, we cannot hope to hold the Paladins back so close from their most sacred temple nor can we match the clerics in faith magic. Which is sadly all the magic Lloyd and I are proficient at using.’’ Sir Thonar says solemnly while Sir Lloyd nods unhappily.

‘’Are the boys safe?’’ Mother asks as she visibly ages before my eyes.

‘’They went ahead to the cabin by the coast with twenty of my best men on Persian stallions, they are as safe as we could have made them in such short notice.’’ Commander Rexlin says with confidence.

Mother sighs heavily and falls onto a chair, father steps forward and places a placing hand on her shoulder. The fear oozing off him in waves but still, he is strong enough to do this much for the woman he loves, suddenly I respect him. I’ve never respected my father the Royal Consort before, always thought him a weak man with borrowed authority. But now I realise how unfair I have been to him, he has clearly done the best he could do in trying to raise us but was sometimes overruled by his wife. He has never been a fighter but as a child I used to love his singing and poetry and thought him very clever, by it’s been many years since I’ve seen him through the eyes of a child. I wonder how Robert sees me, I wonder how he would react if he knew that his father wasn’t a noble warrior prince from a distant land but a prostitute mother paid to seduce me at a brothel.

Well, the Brothel but that’s just me trying to justify keeping him despite political pressure to terminate the pregnancy.

‘’Alright, let’s go,’’ I say and head for the door without seeing if anyone is following. The doors t the war room are opened for me by the guards on either side who signal to the guards on the other side and before I know it there is a small retinue of us fleeing the palace through the basements. I didn’t even know there was a secret exit besides the one leaving from the royal suite of rooms but thankfully Lore-Master Swiss is with us and leads the way with nothing but a faint candle to light his way path.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Leaving the palace turns out to be the easy part, but master Swiss’ exit puts us in a manor a block outside the palace and far from the city gates. As conspicuous as our party is we have very little chance of leaving the city silently and we don’t go two blocks before a group of rioters in the traditional white colours of the church spot us and rush yelling and pointing to our position.

‘’The royal family must die!’’

‘’Pagan whore, there she is!’’ One says seemingly pointing his cudgel directly at me. Me? I ask myself silently even as we don’t slow our run down the side street.

‘’They’re here, they’re here!’’ they give chase but don’t seem to want to catch us until several dozen of them have banded together and are on our tail.

Having gathered enough courage they attack and the royal guard turns almost as one to block the first strikes on their manicure forearm shields attached to their bracers before cutting into the crowds as though swatting flies. The roaring of a crashing wave smashing against a cliff face is all I hear before my abused ears ring and pop, blood and gore fly in every direction as in a single motion body parts go flying about through the streets.

‘’Let’s move,’’ Commander Rexlin says to the royal guard but likely for our benefit as all the guards can communicate by magic. We are again running down the street with all we have, the Queen of Atopia, her Consort, a handful of retainers and the guards. I didn’t even know mother could run but here she is beside me keeping pace in a dress that is very impractical for running yet making it work. Mother is amazing.

We pass by looters that scatter at the red cloaks and silver armour of the royal guards leading us ahead at a brisk jog between side streets. We pass by dead and dying people at some of the streets in unseemly ways, some with their privates openly displayed. Arnella vomits heavily at her feet then scurries along quickly, I nearly join her at the savage indecency practised by our own people to each other.

We turn a corner and I bump into Damond’s back, taking a step I notice the two men in white and silver armour blocking the street ahead. There is silence as the guards face off against the two men, unable to circle them in numbers in the side street but it's wide enough for two guards to face each man as they step forward slowly with their swords held high.

‘’What are you waiting for, there are twenty of you and two of them.’’ Mother hisses in a loud whisper, her nerves are frayed and she has lost a lot today.

‘’Those are paladins of the 5th Dan, proficient in faith magic, body arts and swordsmanship. Their rank is depicted on their auras give them away, we will have to go around them not through.’’ Lore-Master Swiss says already stepping back and eying the commander.

Commander Rexlin nods and indicates for another man to step forward behind the four already facing the two paladins. The white cloaks of the two warriors of the church bellow noticeably to an invisible wind. My stomach is queasy with nervousness as even Dam seems alert and wary of the two men. As a Personal Royal Guard his ability and training is a notch above the normal royal guardians and I trust him implicitly with my safety.

We turn the corner leaving the five men to slow our foes and we haven’t gone far before the distinctive ring of steel on steel can be heard from behind. It’s as though the sounds are chasing us as we run faster, mother’s personal servant crying silently as she keeps close to her queen. We’ve lost everything really, at least everything material as the caches secured at the beach cabin contain only the bare essentials.

Fleeing our capital city like criminals, scurrying in alleys like rats, chased out of a kingdom established by my foremothers over 500 years ago, stolen slowly but surely by the White Church of Purity and Innocence, the fucken’ irony.

*

Israel

The dark mist clouds undulate in waves, spirals and seemingly random patterns occasionally puffing upward like in a geyser releasing pure oestha gas that the glynders swoop down to inhale. I watch the smooth-skinned wingless birds glimmer reflecting the light of Rigel in captivating silver shimmers, the school of them float in the air occasionally swooping down to inhale another puff of the precious gases in acrobatic displays that look particularly impressive because I can’t figure out how they do it. The air here is close together, to-

‘’They look like dolphins,’’ Saea says in a low voice holding tightly to the railing of the balcony looking longingly at the creatures in play.

‘’Yes,’’ I say seeing the resemblance though these creatures don’t have fins, a proper face and seem only to eat air. I watch my sister a moment and then look away, troubled by the apathy she’s displayed more and more as the years went by living her life in the gilded cages that are the Conclave Compounds.

I look out at the horizon where the beautiful lights of the City of Clouds stands floating above the dark clouds defiantly, but somehow also blending beautifully in the whirling mist-clouds. The city is a jewel of crystalline stone that defies the light pull downward that the people of this world call gravity. Barely enough to keep me grounded at less than half the pulling force experienced on Gaia, my home world... I sigh with difficulty, tired, admiring the city.

The City of Clouds is a sprawling network of interconnected buildings, walkways, shimmering metal nets and always seems to be sitting on clouds. All the children here learn to air-walk before they can even run, the clouds so thick and so packed together that I found myself nearly drowned after taking a breath with my face in one. The air so close together that my every breath is a swallow and those don’t seem to come as often as they should. Needing to breath less may seem like a boon at first but my body is not used to any of the elements natural to this world. Everything is too loud or too soft or too light or just too strange.

Dextrus comes stumbling against the air through the sliiding door, the old man is back from his meeting with these strange people then. I turn, also still awkward in the viscous air to look through the glass screen to the old man speaking gently with one of his children/guards. The old man doesn’t really need any form of guarding, especially by people whose majority are only in the first tier of Awakening. But he doesn’t tell them that of course, letting them slow him down or tax his strength as he takes so many when travelling.

‘’We are done here, I can’t wait to be rid of this stupid planet.’’ Dex says struggling through the gentle but strong winds to stand besides Saea and gaze out at the city as she does. He says something that’s supposed to be funny, I grin at how stupid it is before struggling away to give them some privacy.

We’ve been travelling all over as we follow the old man across the worlds, Ciel, the sky world being only one of dozens of trips to such exotic and strange places. Here we are being hosted by the Sky-Mother, Kalypsó, a title given to the protector and ruler of this region of the skies in all but name.

The people here are humanoid but definitely not human nor elven but as a half breed of both but neither I myself have never been one to look too closely at species. I flare my aura around me a bit in order to move more freely, the doors hissing as I walk into the simple yet ornate room where my grandfather sits talking with another of his children quietly. There are so many of us by this man, so many he had to find from across three worlds before he was satisfied all those years ago.

Many of the old man’s children are powers unto themselves already, but some of us he saved from lonely depressing lives or worse, lives of slavery. Osu, my quietly intense step brother looks up from his conversation with the old man, then his eyes trail behind me to where Saea and Dextrus stand on the balcony. I don’t like how so many look at my sister, I don’t like the longing and hungry looks but from speaking with the old man I know Dextrus is madly in love with her and Osu just protective.

‘’How is she?’’ he sends whilst hanging on every word the old man speaks.

‘’She seems to be enjoying the view, I haven’t seen her this animated since Quail was sent flying through the skies by an errant gust,’’ I send back. I’m not sure when we all got close but somehow by some unknowable magic all my step siblings get along with each other. There are hundreds of us, most of the ones found now scattered in the various Enclaves across Gaia, others having Ascended in numbers in recent years.

Osu nods to our grandfather and walks out the sliding doors out to the balcony to comfort this sister and brother he didn’t even know he had less than two decades ago.

‘’It is time for the gathering, the pathfinders tell me most of the chosen have already been gathered at the Peaks.’’ The Ancient says with a tired smile, I wish the old man would stop putting all this weight on himself, but I also suspect it would crush anyone else.

‘’So we leave for Gaia?’’ I ask hopefully.

He nods, slightly amused before turning to speak with his granddaughter Serena, giving her his undivided attention as she asks advice on something. Her red and white fluffy tail seeming to float in the air behind her, held up by the thick atmosphere I assume.

I look back at my twin sister with the two men trying to bring her out of her shell at the edge of the balcony. By insisting she tag along in this trip I had hope the new scenery would take her out of her current malaise but nothing seems to interest her these days. The early days of finding mother and her were amazing, getting to know each other again, learning from each other’s life experiences. Hungrily taking up the chance to be together and even going to most of the same training.

But as soon as she was proficient with a dagger, passable with a sword and admirable with potions and archery her interest waned, her ambitions evaporating like mist before the gaze of a harsh sun. Grandfather has spoken to her apparently but neither will share what that conversation entailed, at least we are heading home soon. I’ll visit my isle if I can just to recharge and busk in my bond to the land.