The page led Elurra to Lira’s room for their meeting. She was bewildered when he bowed and departed at the bridge, leaving her to climb the stairs alone. Lira's personal guard opened the doors without a word.
“Queen Lira?” she called, glancing around.
“I will be with you in one moment,” Lira said from behind a divider, her voice muffled by the barrier.
Elurra took the time to study the room around her. It was about twice the size of her accommodations back home. The floor was flat, except for one raised platform where a large canopy bed sat. In one corner, four skinny pillars surrounded a stone goddess reaching toward the sky, her face upturned and hopeful. Stone vines crept over the walls, and a chandelier dangled from the ceiling. The entire room was a majestic feat of art. Hundreds of workers had carved the castle out of stone, giving every room a special touch. The structure must’ve taken a century to build.
Lira stepped out from the divider, wrapped in layers of blue.
“Why are we meeting here?” Elurra asked.
“No one can overhear or spy on us here,” Lira answered as she sat on a pillow beside a low table. Elurra sat across from her, wondering if anyone in the kingdom owned a chair. “Before we start your official lessons, I want information from you.”
“What kind of information?” Elurra asked hesitantly.
Lira sighed deeply and gazed out at the balcony.
“I wish to see Zavier’s death.”
The princess didn’t know how to respond. “See it? How?”
Lira composed herself before turning back to Elurra. “One of the Guardian’s so-called ‘powers’ is the ability to exchange data. In other words, we can transfer thoughts, feelings, and memories because of the nanites in our systems. Through this, I can see what you saw.”
“Nanites?” Elurra asked quizzically, recalling she had heard the word mentioned before.
“They are an essential part of our ability to use magic, but we will discuss that in more depth at a later date,” Lira said curtly. Elurra nodded slowly.
“So how do we do this…data transfer?”
“Simple,” Lira assured her as she reached out her hands. “May I?” She gestured to Elurra’s face. Elurra nodded, and Lira placed her fingers on the girl’s temples and upper cheeks. “Are you ready?”
“Yes, but are you?”
The queen hesitated, but then nodded. “I must know what happened. I remember being attacked and the Demons torturing me, but the next thing I knew, Zavier and the Demons were gone. I have spent years wanting to know what happened.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she muttered, “Gongo riťe.”[i]
Without warning, Elurra was jerked back into the memory of Zavier’s death. A ghostly image of Lira stood beside her, sorrow in her eyes. She and Zavier were sleeping peacefully on her bed, his arm around her protectively. Lira took in a sharp breath and turned away.
“You do not have to go through with this,” Elurra said, worry clear in her voice as she watched the troubled queen take deep breaths to calm herself.
“I am fine,” she shuddered. “I just forgot how beautiful he was.”
Zavier sat up, waking the younger Lira from her slumber.
“Skip forward, please. I do not need to see this part again,” Lira requested as her father burst through the door.
Elurra closed her eyes and recalled the moment Lira was consumed by the Demon. The scene around them paused and shifted as chaos swirled. Zavier called Lira’s name, and the intense battle between Demon and Guardian began. Lira watched, riveted, as Zavier tore through the Demons and gasped when he turned his sword into the strange tube-like weapon.
“What exactly is that thing?” Elurra asked.
“A particle gun. It is a dangerous to use if the weapon is not fully charged, and, as we had been fighting Demons that evening, it was drained. It can take out a lot of enemies, but it draws on your nanite power reserves when the power is low. His reckless attacks could cause a complete system overload in his internal nanomatrix.”
Elurra didn’t understand what most of those words meant. Lira’s face was drawn tight with worry as she watched the scene unfold before her, and her mouth fell open in horror when Zavier uttered the command that drained the light from his body. Tears streamed down her face as the bright pinpoints punctured the demons around him.
“Why?” she cried as Zavier collapsed to the floor. She fell to her knees with him.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Elurra gently laid a hand on Lira’s shoulder as the final moments played out between the king and Zavier. When he was left with two Kutsal Stones and one crown, they watched indecision cross his face before his expression hardened. A sob escaped Lira as Zavier knelt beside the crown and closed his eyes.
“Goodbye, Lira. I’m sorry, but this is my duty as a Prath warrior.”
The Demons rushed forward around them as Zavier grabbed the stones and sealed his fate. The rift opened and tore Zavier and the Demons apart, but Lira wasn’t watching. The scene dissolved around them, and bright sunlight poured in through the windows. Lira’s sobs filled the room as she bawled into her shaking hands. Unexpectedly, she pulled her tear-streaked face away from her palms, anger burning in her eyes.
“I hate this cursed thing!” she shouted, grabbing the crown from her head and hurling it across the room.
Elurra stood in horror as the crown bounced against the wall with a clank and fell to the floor. She sighed in relief when the Kutsal Stone stayed in its place.
“Lira! That is enough!” she screamed, swiveling to glare at the distraught queen. “You chose to see his death. I understand it was traumatic, but he sacrificed himself to return the Kutsal Stone to its rightful place. Do not literally throw away his sacrifice and the safety of your people so carelessly.”
Lira glared at her with red-rimmed eyes. “How dare you tell me what to do with my crown? This is my kingdom! Who are you to come here and tell me what is acceptable and what is not?” Her voice steadily rose until she was screaming, her words full of bitterness. “Who are you to expect me to share the knowledge of Yamoi with you? Do you think you can waltz in here, learn the secrets of magic, and retake your kingdom with a snap of your fingers?”
“No! I doubt there is much hope of defeating Nitiri without a Guardian on my side, but not all of us are so fortunate!” Elurra screamed. “My twelfth birthday is in a month, yet I am the only hope for my kingdom. If I do not try to stop Nitiri, then who will? That is who I am, Lira. I am the one standing in the way of those terrible beasts devouring us again!”
The royal women glared at each other silently, neither willing to back down. After a long silence, the fury in Lira’s eyes faded and she looked away, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks.
“I apologize. Please, leave me,” she said quietly.
Elurra bowed stiffly and exited the queen’s chambers without looking back.
°◌°○●○°♣°○●○°◌°
Elurra was still angry an hour later when a knock sounded on her door.
“Enter!” she called. The door opened, and the same nervous page from before entered and bowed.
“Lord Almasi invites Your Highness to join him in the Royal Garden in one hour,” he said hastily, only stumbling once over the wording.
Elurra raised an eyebrow. “Tell Lord Garen I would be delighted to accept his invitation.”
The page nodded and scuffled out of the room. As soon as he left, Elurra realized she hadn’t known there was a garden in the palace.
“Where would a palace garden even be? And what would it look like in this climate?” she mumbled to herself as she walked over to the bell on the far wall and pulled the string.
Ten minutes later, Finila knocked and entered the room with a bow.
“You called, Your Highness?” she asked, her eyes respectfully averted. Elurra had asked her to meet her gaze numerous times, but the girl was highly reluctant to break protocol in such an egregious manner.
“I need your help finding the Royal Garden,” Elurra told her.
“If you do not mind me asking, ma’am, why do you need to find the gardens?”
“Lord Almasi has invited me to meet him there.”
Finila’s eyes grew wide, and her cheeks flushed slightly. “Garen Almasi, My Lady?” she asked, her voice squeaking.
“Finila, why are you so excited?” Elurra coaxed.
The girl looked at her fidgeting feet, clearly embarrassed.
“The other servants and I have…we like to keep an eye on Lord Almasi’s interests because he’s a very attractive man. There were rumors he took an interest in you at the prince’s ball, My Lady, but no one was sure if it was true.”
Elurra grinned at the timid girl, her eyes dancing with laughter. “Your excitement stemmed from having the inside scoop on Lord Garen’s interests and receiving bragging rights amongst the other servants?”
Finila blushed one shade darker and nodded. “I suppose you could say it like that, ma’am.”
Elurra covered her mouth with one hand to suppress a giggle.
“I believe we should get to the Royal Gardens. We do not want to leave Lord Garen waiting, now do we?”
The girl gave a startled jump and shook her head vigorously.
“Of course not, mi’lady,” she said as she opened the door and handed Elurra her parasol.
A few bridges and hallways later, Elurra discovered the large arboretum. Vibrantly colored flowers grew everywhere, and towering trees reached toward the ceiling, which was made from a patchwork of glass. Small stone pathways cut through the vegetation, and benches sat in strategic positions. Servants stood on ladders and harvested fat foreign fruits. Elurra could hear running water.
How on Incari am I supposed to find Garen? she wondered. The arboretum was huge, and she had no idea where to start.
“I am so glad you could join me.”
Elurra spun around and saw Garen behind her. Although he was slightly less exposed, it was not by much. He wore a long, sleeveless tunic with a low-cut V-neck that exposed most of his chest and his gold chains. A cord wrapped his waist, acting as a belt. Elurra still wasn’t used to men’s attire in Tipet. She was accustomed to men wearing pants instead of tunics and shendyts, but the outfit looked natural and even attractive on Garen.
“My pleasure, Lord Garen. Why did you ask to see me?”
“Does a man need a reason to ask a beautiful woman to join him in a romantic garden?” he countered, a charming smile on his face.
“If the man has only romantic intentions on his mind, then no. However, you, Lord Almasi, did not invite me here for romance,” she said, looking at him pointedly.
Garen chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, reminding Elurra of Terrin.
“Queen Lira warned me you were a sharp one. You are correct, Princess Elurra. The queen asked me to be your guide and assist in your training.”
“Is that why you danced with me yesterday?”
“Yes, but I assure you I did enjoy our evening. I would have asked you to dance whether or not Queen Lira requested me to,” he said quickly. Elurra sighed and tried to hide her irritation. She didn’t enjoy feeling like a charity case. “I was going to give you the first of many grand tours of the castle,” Garen continued, his smile returning.
He extended his bare arm, and she hesitated before placing her pale hand on it. Garen was charming and handsome, but as he escorted her through the garden and told her fascinating details about the castle’s construction and the arboretum, she cast her mind far away to a forest in Amora where another dark-haired boy gave her a tour of his world and all the secrets it held.