Soul Blaze (29 page)

“I have information for you,” Theresa began. “The
messenger will be along shortly with the official
announcement, but I deemed it in your best interest to be
forewarned.”

“You’re scaring me,” I said. “What’s going on?”
Theresa pulled the door to the chamber closed,
standing with her back to it.

“Phoenix has just declared the North independent from
the South. He is now free from your rule. As we speak,
refugees are streaming towards Castor. They know what’s
coming.”

I couldn’t speak. Theresa was watching me closely.
“Where’s the border?” I asked quietly.

Theresa unfurled a small piece of paper she’d been
carrying. It was a little map of Lotheria, with a red line
scored across it. I took it from her, looking at it closely.
Phoenix had divided our country neatly in half. Riverdoor
and Thurin now lay on his side of the border. I crumpled
the map in my hand and leant against the wall, fighting
back tears.

“When will the official announcement be made?” I
asked, my eyes closed.
“Sometime this afternoon,” she said.
I opened my eyes again, fiddling with the paper in my
hands.
“How do you know this?” I asked her finally.
She met my gaze steadily.
“Do you really want to know?”
She was challenging me. I could hear it plain in her
voice. I stood a little straighter.
“Yes, I do.”
She sighed and leant against the door, folding her arms.

“We intercepted the messenger on his way through
Keyes,” she said, her eyes unreadable. “We… convinced
him to give us a look at what he was carrying. In addition,
my scouts in Gowar and Abdoor have reported troops
along what is now the Orthandrellian border.”

“What do you mean, you convinced the messenger?” I
was pretty sure I knew, but I wanted to hear her say it.

“We gave him a choice. He could let us see the message,
limbs intact, or we’d send him back to Orthandrell minus
a few fingers. Obviously, he chose to hand over the
message. We’ve modified his memory so that he no longer
remembers meeting us.”
“You keep saying ‘we’.”

She heaved another sigh.

“Since we arrived in Castor, I’ve been assembling a
team to keep your royal behind safe and sound. We’re
mostly students from the Academy, but we’ve
encountered a few who have similar interests and
recruited them. We’ve stopped three assassins and are in
the process of tracing who hired them. I’ve got scouts all
over the country. Including,” she grinned wolfishly. “In
the newly independent Orthandrell.”

I gaped for a few seconds. I’d never seen Theresa like
this before. At the Academy she’d always been short with
me and more than once we’d gotten into heated
arguments, which was as animated as I’d ever seen her.
When we travelled to Castor and she’d begun to disappear,
I thought she would just faze herself out of our group,
now that she seemed to be expanding her horizons. But
here she was, telling me that she’d actually been doing a
better job of protecting the country than I had.

“This is invaluable information,” I said earnestly.
“Thank you.”
She inclined her head.
“Theresa.”
She looked up at me, her expression unreadable.

“Truly, thank you. I don’t know how I would’ve
reacted to getting this information in front of others. In
return, I would like to offer you a budget for your team, to
use on whatever you deem necessary to give us the edge
over Phoenix.”

Now it was her turn to look surprised.
“Really?” She asked.
“Of course,” I replied. “And when you track down
whoever hired those assassins, I’d like a word with them.”
She grinned again, flicking her long red hair over her
shoulder.
“Of course, Your Majesty,” she said formally.

When I emerged back into the throne room, only a few
non-magi were left. I settled in for the rest of the
afternoon, my eyes on the throne room door. I accepted
the thanks of the brand new mages with only nods, but
any other time I would join in the celebrations that
usually followed during the evenings.

I’d watched and participated in several of these
celebrations, usually held in the middle of the city. After
one or two, I’d noticed that they doubled as a soul mate
ceremony, the new mages leaving with the other half of
their soul reinstated.

It filled my own soul with happiness to see them
reunited. It only reinforced that I’d done the right thing,
and for a few precious moments I could forget what had
transpired between Phoenix and I, and bask in the
happiness of others.

The sun was setting the throne room alight when I was
summoned to the council chambers. I stood, my ladies
straightening my dress, having arrived a few moments
previously. Nillia quickly redid my hair right there on the
dais as Lord Hugh waited for me. When they were done,
the girls stepped back.

“Would you like us to accompany you?” Sojaya asked.

I turned back to see Arianta and Nillia also waiting for
my response. My stomach turned over as I realised both of
their family’s estates were on the wrong side of the newly
formed border. They would be hard pressed to get back to
them now.

“I think it would be best if I went alone,” I said. “I’ll
inform you of the meeting’s results afterwards.”

They curtsied gracefully and trotted off the dais.
Inwardly, I thanked Theresa over and over again. I could
tell them in person what had transpired, saving them the
disgrace of public emotion.

I followed Lord Hugh to the council chamber silently.
When we arrived, I sat in my chair at the end of the long
table. The rest of my council had already arrived,
including my mother and father. A man I didn’t recognise
stood at the far end.

“This is Lord Brook,” Hugh began. “He has travelled a
long way with his message.”

I observed the Lord wordlessly, wondering what on
earth possessed Phoenix to send nobility. Surely
Orthandrell didn’t have so many nobles that it could
afford to have them kidnapped. I fiddled with my
necklace as I waited for the lord to speak; the Ularair’s
scale, about the size of my thumbnail, hung from a silver
chain around my neck.

“Your Majesty,” Lord Brook began. “I bring greetings
from His Majesty, King Phoenix of the North. He hopes to
find you in good health.”

“What’s the message?” I asked darkly, in no mood to
mess around with formalities.
Lord Brook cleared his throat and withdrew a scroll,
unrolling it to read the text.

“’As of this moment, I, King Phoenix of the North,
declare Orthandrell independent to your, Queen Sky of
the South, rulings. As I deem fair and just, the northern
half of the country, Lotheria, belongs to my province. You
will not interfere with the affairs of my country, nor
dissuade me from this decision’.” He placed a small map of
the new country on the table as he finished.

Silence fell over the council chamber as I allowed my
councillors to absorb the information.
“I’ll have my guards escort you to safe holdings, my
Lord,” I said tonelessly. “Excuse us.”

Lord Brook bowed sardonically, and I felt anger rise
beneath my skin. As my guards led him from the room, I
stood, letting the Ularair scale go.

“By capturing Lotherian soil, King Phoenix has made
himself an enemy of my country,” I stated. “I will not
allow this act of aggression to go unchallenged.”

“You’re speaking of war,” a noble from Castor said.
She’d gone pale, but her voice was strong. “Your Majesty,
we cannot-”

“Cannot what?” Lord Hugh challenged. “Cannot take
back our land? My family’s home lies on the other side of
that border. Do you think I will allow it to pass from my
hands so easily?”

Many other nobles were nodding in agreement with
him. I turned towards the giant map of Lotheria that had
been carved into the wooden wall of the chamber, calling
a ball of lightning to my fingertips. Carefully, I burnt a
line across the country, copying the map on the table.

“This is the new Lotheria,” I said, stepping back. “Are
you so opposed to war now?”

The chamber had fallen silent. After a quick evaluation,
I realised that at least a third of my councillors had lost
their estates to the new border. I could sense the anger
rolling through them.

“Please inform Lord Brook that he is not to leave his
rooms,” I told the guards. “He is to be our honoured guest
of indefinite stay. Lord Hugh, could you please draft a
response to the King’s letter?”

He nodded.
“What would you like to say?” he asked.
A thousand rude responses came to mind, but I pushed
them aside.

“Tell him that he is unjust in his actions, and if he is
unwilling to rescind them, I will be forced to take
measures against him.”
Lord Hugh paused, his quill hovering.

“My Lady, you know how he will respond.”
I smiled.
“Of course. But we must observe the niceties, mustn’t
we?”

Lord Hugh handed a rough draft of the letter to the
council scribe, who hurried away with it, his face white.
He knew what he was carrying.

“My friends,” I said, turning to the councillors. “You
know how these actions will proceed. Can I count on your
support? Will you follow me into these difficult times?”
Every face in that room was hard with determination and
sorrow. My mother was watching me forlornly. “If I
declare war, will you second it?”

The chamber was silent for a second. I could smell the
smoke of the burnt map on the wall behind me.
“Yes,” Lord Hugh said, standing. “You will have all the
support House Lyon can offer.”

Following his lead, every single councillor stood and
pledged their allegiance. My fingers were trembling, but
I’d long since tucked them behind my back.

“And so it is,” I said, almost to myself. “If you will
excuse me.”

I swept from the council chamber, heading upstairs. My
feet carried me towards the roof without my realising it.
When I emerged into the bright sunshine, I took a deep,
trembling breath.

I’d known it would come to this, and yet I’d be
delusional enough to hope it wouldn’t.
~Chapter Twenty-Seven~

Phoenix’s response arrived a few days later. In that
time, I’d informed Nillia and Arianta of the implications of
this new border. They’d taken the news well, and had
only requested that a rescue party be sent for their
families. I’d had to refuse, knowing that any breach of the
border would not be met well.

Theresa’s scouts had kept me well informed of the
changes happening in the north of the country. Almost
overnight, Phoenix’s troops had appeared along the
border. Her scouts in Orthandrell were now trapped there.

The King’s response was terse and to the point. It was
read out to me in the council chamber, along with the rest
of the councillors. I’d known what was coming, but
hearing my ex-fiancé’s words pierced to me to my soul.

“All those in favour of a declaration of war?” I asked
tonelessly. The councillors voted unanimously. “So be it.
Do not release this declaration yet. King Phoenix has
amassed his troops with prior warning. We will need time
to do the same.”

After the meeting ended, I headed for my favourite
garden, hoping the mud people would be there. They
weren’t however, and so Morrigan and I were the only
two in the small space.

As we relaxed in the long grass, Morri preening my
hair dutifully, I allowed myself to forget the oncoming
storm of war. For a few moments, I was a girl and her bird,
enjoying the weather.

“Your Majesty,” Janson appeared at the edge of the
garden. “Master Ispin has requested you in the library.
Immediately,” he added, seeing the reluctant look on my
face.

I sighed and heaved myself off of the ground. My few
moments of peace were over. The servant had already
disappeared back to the palace, busy as ever.

I strode back through the palace halls, my skirts
swirling around my legs. I was wearing the green over
white dress that left my shoulders bare. It had quickly
become my favourite, especially after I’d burnt my
engagement party dress.

So lost in thought about the meeting, I only looked up
when I heard a muffled squeak of a boot on a floorboard in
front of me. When I did, I felt my blood run cold.

“Your Majesty,” Ryman said icily. “You’ll forgive me if I
don’t bend the knee.”

He was holding a knife to Seff’s throat. The little girl
was pleading with me with her eyes. I could see a line of
red where the blade was pressed against her skin. Ryman’s
eyes were wide, his clothes frayed and limp; he’d lost a lot
of weight since I’d last seen him. His hair was in disarray
and he had large dark circles under his eyes. The hand
holding the knife was trembling.

“Ryman,” I said slowly, clasping my hands behind my
back and beginning to conjure a large fireball. “What are
you doing here? Let her go.”

“I think not, Your Greatness. Also you can do away
with that fireball you’re creating behind your back. You
may be fast, but I am faster. Young Seffina here will be
dead on the floor before it reaches me.”

I let the fireball drop, wishing desperately for my twin
swords, remembering too late their demise.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“Ah yes. You’re on your way to see your little redheaded friend, are you not?”
Seff let out a squeak, and I watched a tear crawl slowly
down her cheek.

“Did he ever tell you he was researching her family
tree? Did he?” I shook my head, not breaking eye contact.
“Your friend knew there was something strange about this
little vagabond you’d brought into the palace. As did I.
There was something strangely familiar about her, but
before I had time to investigate it, you took up your post
as Queen, and I was forced to flee my palace lest I be
brought to trial for so many heinous crimes that you have
imagined.

“But he found the answer. And little birdies found me
in my hiding place and brought me a wonderful tid-bit of
information. Shall I share it with you, Your
Wonderfullness? Shall I, Seffina?” he asked the girl. She
didn’t answer. “It turns out that your little street rat
friend, your little criminal
protégé
is the last living
descendant of Queen Fleur.”