The skittish page entered again sometime later and gave her a quick bow.
“Her Highness is ready to see you now. I will be your guide through the palace.”
Elurra followed the page into the hall where four guards were waiting. She’d expected the two guarding the door, but the other pair wore fancier uniforms and appeared to be a higher class of soldier. They silently fell in step with her. She was still weak, and she stumbled occasionally as they traversed the castle.
They were in one of the innermost levels of the palace, so the layout was more for beauty than defense. The hallways featured large, open arches every few feet, divided by thick, carved, sandstone columns. She could clearly see the layers of thick outer walls that defended the castle from siege as they passed. They descended a staircase and crossed over a bridge connecting to the center of the castle. She was grateful when they were out of the scorching heat and humid air and back in the cool confines of the inner hallways. They finally emerged into a stairwell and traversed a few floors before entering a larger hallway leading to double doors. Two more guards opened them silently. The tall stained-glass windows cast brilliantly colored splotches across the large white stone floor. The room could easily hold a few hundred people, but it was empty.
“You may leave us,” a commanding voice said, echoing around the room.
Elurra looked up and saw a lone figure sitting on a low couch on the balcony, which overlooked the vast expanse of the room. The guards retreated to the door.
“Am I no longer a threat, Your Highness?” Elurra asked before she could stop herself. She realized a second later she should wait to be addressed before speaking.
“On the contrary. You are very much a threat, but not to me. Please approach,” Lira demanded.
Elurra did as she was told. The staircase leading to the balcony was steep, and she was aghast to find she was panting when she reached the top.
“Queen Lira.” Elurra bowed respectfully.
“You may sit down,” the queen said coolly.
Elurra glanced at the plush, pillowed couches and gracefully knelt on one of them. She quickly noticed they were grain cushions stacked on top of each other. There was a low, wooden table, only a foot high, between them. There were two plates and glasses, but the silverware was missing from the arrangement. Lira watched her closely as she sat.
“My daughter informed me you were awake. I had a feeling you would want to speak with me.”
A servant came and poured a dark green liquid into both of their glasses. Elurra had no idea what the substance was but didn’t have the courage to ask.
“You are correct, Your Highness.”
Terrin had inherited his mother’s ability to conceal her feelings. She couldn’t read how the somber woman felt. Elurra couldn’t help but think of how much older Lira looked. Her face was worn and drawn. Dark moons were visible under her eyes, and stress lines were evident in her face. Although it had been roughly a decade and a half since Zavier died, Lira looked twenty years older.
“Let this be said from the start,” the queen began. “I do not trust you. I am not inclined to believe anything you say. The only reason you are not in a cell is because I cannot fathom any other explanation for your presence here, unarmed, with the knowledge you have. I would accuse you of kidnapping my eldest son, but if that were your goal, I cannot see how any of this would help you. That being said, I will assume, for the sake of conversation, what Terrin said is true, which means you know a great deal about me through…dreams.” Her voice was tinted with disbelief. “What I want to know is how much you know.”
Another server came in through a service door and set down a large bowl and a basket of bread in front of them. Elurra studied the bowl of food critically. It appeared to be fried mystery animal in some type of dark brown sauce filled with an unknown crushed nut. There were plenty of other unidentifiable lumps, but she didn’t want to consider what else she was eating. The servant then set down a bowl of what appeared to be fruit, bowed, and left. Elurra wondered how long she could go without food.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“I know much of your past,” she replied. “From Zavier’s first appearance to your Demon hunting days to his death, and up until you gave up Terrin.”
Lira was about to take a sip of the green liquid, but she stopped as soon as Elurra summarized the many painful memories in such a casual manner. Her hand quivered slightly, but she regained her composure as she silently reached for a roll, ripped off a chunk, scooped some of the soupy concoction onto it, and ate it. Elurra watched her critically, wondering if it was completely necessary to try it too.
“You know quite a bit about me then, and I only know what Terrin has told me. I dislike that deficit. I know even if you are who you say you are, the secrets you seek are dangerous. You already know more than anyone should. What do you want from me? What do you gain by coming here?”
Elurra reached out and took a sip from her cup without thinking about it. She was startled by the sharp, spicy taste followed by a bitter, tangy flavor and almost spit it back out. She forced herself to swallow and answer the question.
“I need to learn stronger magic, and I need to know more about the conflict between the Guardians and Demons. I need to be able to fight the Demons. I believe these needs are what led to the dreams I had of you. You are the only one who holds the knowledge of the Guardians.” She knew she had to eat, or she would look rude, so she took a roll and dipped it like Lira had. She was expecting it to taste revolting, but it was surprisingly savory.
“You are wrong. Your mother knew much about the Guardian’s secrets. In fact, she helped me piece together a lot of what I did not understand.”
Elurra almost choked on her food.
“She never shared any of that knowledge with me before she died,” she said quietly, a lump forming in her throat. She took a few more bites, but she wasn’t very hungry anymore.
Lira finally spoke. “In other words, you are asking me to create a serious threat for myself and my kingdom. The secrets of the Guardians and Demons are powerful. Nitiri does not understand what she is getting into. The forces keeping our worlds apart are fading, and I worry it will not last much longer if more Demons or Guardians come to our world. The power of the Guardians has been diluted, and old knowledge has passed into fairytale. The understanding of magic and nanites has been lost. Now most nanites are obtained through the transference of blood, which is dangerous without proper understanding. I will not threaten my people’s safety to help those I cannot trust. Why should I? What could this arrangement possibly bring me?” Lira’s blue eyes regarded Elurra coolly, the faintest trace of anger in her crisp gaze.
This is a test. Remember, Lira, I know what you care about.
Elurra looked the queen in the eye.
“You know as well as I do that Tipet has seen better days. Even though the Demons are gone, it took years to sort out your internal problems and gain your people’s trust to become queen. You had to send your own son far away to make sure the Demons would not return across the weakened rift and take him from you.” Elurra did not understand anything about the “rift between the worlds” as Lira called it, but she assumed she was referring to the vortexes that sucked the Demons out of Tipet. She could tell she was right by the spark of astonishment in Lira’s eyes.
“When word got out that the Demons were gone, Reagn saw it as an opportunity to invade your crippled nation as retaliation for the death of their king and their stolen Kutsal Stone. Your father’s allies sent assassins after you almost every day. Even now, your economy is barely on its feet, and trade is far and scarce with rumors of Demons at every turn. You are fighting battles both external and internal to keep Tipet alive, and the last thing you need is another enemy. I promise you, Nitiri is just that. She will not stop until she has everything she desires, and I fear that means all the kingdoms are in peril. As the heir to Lur Alava’s throne, I must do what is best for my nation. I will be forced to fight for my kingdom soon, but if I do not receive help, I will fail. Demons will reign again, and I doubt Nitiri will keep them in the north as she has already made moves to start conquest on Amora. With the return of the Demons comes certain death for Terrin. If you do not help me, then you will have one more enemy, one less ally, and one dead son.”
Elurra’s grim words reverberated around the gargantuan room until they faded into silence. Lira stared at her, speechless. Elurra felt bad for being so harsh, but Lira had forced her hand.
“I am not your enemy, Lira. I am here to help you if you can help me. I want to be your ally, just as my parents were in the past,” she added softly.
The queen looked shell-shocked.
“Leave, please,” Lira requested quietly, motioning with her hand as if to shoo Elurra away.
The princess stood and thanked her for the meal before hurrying down the stairs. The guards appeared to escort her back to her room.
I hope I did not go too far, she thought as she bit her lip.