War (The True Reign Series) (28 page)

Maya hugged
Rema again. “I can’t believe it.”

“
Me neither,” Rema mumbled. After saying goodnight to her aunt and uncle, Neco showed Rema to a large bedchamber where Vesha and Ellie sat waiting for her. A fire roared in the hearth, and food was brought immediately.

After eating,
Rema washed up and climbed into bed. She wasn’t sure how she would manage to sleep when Darmik was out there.
Why was something always coming between them?
At least Darmik wasn’t alone—he had Savenek. She fell asleep praying he would return safely to her. 

****

The following morning, Rema woke to pouring rain outside. If Darmik was still out there, then he was stuck traveling through these treacherous conditions. Unease filled her. Something was wrong; she just knew it.

Sitting up in the canopy bed, she saw Ellie and Vesha sleeping near the hearth. Not wanting to wake them, Rema slipped out of bed and put on her clothes from yesterday. If any news of Darmik came while she was sleeping, then Mako would know. Rema slowly opened her door, careful not to disturb the girls. Standing outside her room were two soldiers from her personal guard.

“Good morning, Your Majesty,” they said in unison.

“I
’d like to speak with Mako.”

“Of course. Follow us.”

The men led her down two flights of stairs, stopping before the door to the sitting room. “We’ll wait here, Your Majesty.”

Taking a deep breath, Rema squared her shoulders and entered the room.
Mako sat at the desk, writing. She quickly surveyed the room, but no one else was there.

Mako
glanced up. “Good morning. I trust you slept well.”

Rema clos
ed the door behind her. “I did,” she answered as she moved before the hearth, basking in the fire’s warmth. “Now I’d like your report. How are things? Do we have a plan? Is everyone from the rebel camp here?”

“
Yes, I can tell you definitely had a good night’s sleep.” Mako chuckled. “I will try and answer all of your questions. Everything is running smoothly. All rebels from the compound, except a few dozen, are here or on their way. I expect the remaining people to arrive in the next day or two. Everyone is eager to see you, although I have not yet explained that you are the empress now.”

He stood and
came next to her. “I’d like to ask you a question.” Rema nodded. “How are you holding up?”

S
teady rain pattered against the windows. Dark gray clouds loomed outside. Darmik was out there somewhere. Tears threatened, but she didn’t want to show weakness. She squared her shoulders. “I’m fine, thank you.” Darmik would advise her to be the empress she was born to be. “I’d like to address my people.”

“Excellent idea. Not everyone has eaten breakfast yet, so I suggest waiting an hour. I’ll let everyone know you’ll speak in the hall downstairs.”

“
There’s a level below the main floor?” Wouldn’t that be underground? She had never heard of such a thing before.

“
Yes,” Mako replied. “There’s a room filled with your family’s artifacts—priceless heirlooms. Alongside is an empty gathering hall. It should be large enough for everyone to fit comfortably.”

“My family
’s things are there?” She wanted to see the items, to see pieces of her history. Would they make her feel connected to her family on a deeper level?  She didn’t know, but she was eager to find out.

“Yes, and I will show everything to you later. For now, Kar is in the stables waiting for you.”

Why didn’t Mako say anything sooner? Rema hurried from the room, wanting to spend some time with her uncle.

Her two guards greeted her
. “Are you going to escort me everywhere today?” she asked.

“
No,” one of them responded. “We’re your guards for the first shift. We rotate throughout the day, so who’s guarding you changes, but there will always be two people while you’re inside, and twenty when you step foot outside.”

Rema sighed. She was never going to have a moment
’s peace. The men led her to a door at the east end of the house. When she stepped through the archway, she spotted Kar near a stall in the small barn, brushing a white horse.

She ran
, her guards chasing after her.

Kar glanced up.
“I have an old friend here who misses you.” He smiled and stepped aside.

Snow snickered, greeting her with his wet nose. Rema buried her face
in her horse’s mane. Snow was here. An immense sense of relief filled her.

****

After spending time with Kar and Snow in the stable, just like old times, Rema felt rejuvenated. She found Ellie and Vesha playing cards and asked them to accompany her back to her room.

“I need both of you to help me,” Rema said
, leaning against the bed.

“Of course,” Ellie responded. “What do you want?”

“I’d like to address the people here.” She glanced down at her army uniform. “Can you help me look like an empress?”

Ellie smiled. “I would love to.”

Vesha went through Trell’s closet and pulled out several tunics. Then she tore them at the seams. “I can make you something with this fabric.”

Rema
laughed. “I’d like to address everyone today.”

“I can do it!” Vesha said. “Give me an hour and I
’ll have something magnificent for you.”

“And while she
’s working on that,” Ellie said, taking Rema by the shoulders and moving her in front of the mirror, “I’ll do your hair.” She went to a wooden box and opened it up. “Look what Trell left for you,” she said, lifting a gold crown from the box. “This was your mother’s.” She handed it to her. “I’ll arrange your hair around it.”

Rema stood there
, holding her mother’s crown in her hands. It was solid gold with twelve keys etched into it. Beautiful red rubies were set in each one. She’d never seen anything so striking and unique—it was perfect. Placing it atop her head, Ellie carefully braided Rema’s hair, securing the crown to her.

When Ellie was done, Vesha came forward holding a simple, yet stunning dress. Rema slipped it on and looked in the mirror. The heavy
, black fabric clung to her body, making her appear thin and tall. The sleeves were green, matching the color of Emperion. A red sash was tied around her waist, complimenting the rubies in her crown.

Mako told everyone she wished to speak to them. They all gathered in the large room downstairs, awaiting her. She entered
, and the room fell silent. Her stomach was queasy with the idea of speaking before so many people, especially without Darmik’s silent, steady support beside her. Taking a deep breath, she smiled and tried to appear confident.

Her guards helped her stand upon a table, overlooking everyone.

“Thank you all for coming here,” Rema said in a loud, clear voice. “I am grateful to have you by my side.” She looked into her people’s eyes, wanting them to know she was sincere. “As you know, I was kidnapped and taken to Emperion. What I want to share with everyone is that while I was there, it was discovered that I am the true heir to the Emperion throne. I am Empress of Emperion and Greenwood Island.” Many of the rebels whispered to one another, surprised by the news. “I want you to know that I plan to bring peace to both great kingdoms.”

Cheering arose. “However,” Rema said, holding up her hands
, “before I can begin to help you, we must remove Barjon and Lennek. With you by my side, we can rid the island of these fiends. Justice will be served. Who’s with me?”

Everyone stood, clapping and cheering. Rema smiled.

****

Mako accompanied Rema to
a small library. “I thought you said we were going to the archives room?” There was nothing but books here.

He smiled.
“Watch.” Moving to one of the shelves, his hand felt along a book, jiggling it. A loud groan erupted and the bookshelf swung open, like a door.

Rema
’s eyes widened. “A secret passageway?” she asked, curious to see what lay beyond.

“
It’s not secret anymore. Trell left a letter detailing the location of the room, and who is permitted access to it.”

“I
’m not sure what right Trell has to the items,” Rema mumbled.

“He agrees. In his letter he states that everything is yours to do with as you please.”

Her heartbeat quickened. Her family’s history was in there, only a few steps away.

“
Follow me.” They walked into a short hallway and down a flight of stone stairs, stopping at a heavy oak door. When Mako gave it a push, the door they had entered through swung shut with a bang.

“
There are several torches. Wait here while I light them.”

The room gradually lightened, and Rema looked around, astonished at the sight before her.
The large space was divided into sections. One contained statues and artifacts, another area was filled with books, while to her right were shelves filled with boxes of various sizes. The last area was completely covered with white sheets, concealing the identity of what lay underneath them.

“
The room you spoke in is on the other side of that wall,” Mako said, pointing to the left.

Rema walked through the
area, unsure of where to start. “Have you been in here before?” she asked.

Mako nodded.
“After I read Trell’s letter, I located the room. Although, I haven’t investigated anything in here yet.”

She went over to the boxes and pulled
one down. Sliding an envelope out, she found a picture of a young man with a crown atop his head. She glanced through a few more and found similar pictures. Pushing the box back in place, Rema went to the area covered with sheets. She gently tugged on the white fabric, and it slipped off a desk covered with papers. Rema sat on the chair, observing all of the documents and maps, afraid to touch or move any of them.

“
What have you found?” Mako asked.

“
I’m not sure.” The maps appeared to be of the various regions of the island. Some of the paperwork had names written on it, others had dates with events.

Mako pulled one sheet of paper out from under the others, and set it on top. It appeared to have the layout of a large castle. He tapped the edge, lost in thought.
“I’d like to study this one in greater detail.”

“
Here,” she said, offering him the chair. He sank down on the seat, staring at the paper.

Rema
went over to the statues, observing their intricate detail. One was of a young girl wearing a crown. Engraved on the girl’s outstretched hands was a key. Rema took off her necklace and held it next to a statue—the keys were identical.

The room suddenly became overwhelming. So much of her past was hidden in here. She headed toward the door, needing some fresh air. Pushing on the knob,
it refused to budge.

“
I didn’t know there was another door,” Mako announced, coming up behind her. “Step aside and let me try. It’s probably just stuck from lack of use.” He turned the latch and banged on it. It flew open, revealing a solid black room. Mako grabbed one of the lit torches and went inside. He whistled in awe.

Rema stepped in
to the room. All the walls were covered with weapons. Swords, different sizes of knives, daggers, longbows, crossbows, arrows, and spears. There were hundreds and hundreds of weapons—enough to equip a small army.
How long had Trell been planning this?

Darmik

Darmik had no idea if the sound of a twig snapping was from an animal or a person
, but they couldn’t afford to stand there waiting to find out. He grabbed Savenek’s arm and pointed up. Savenek nodded. Darmik clasped his hands together and crouched down so Savenek could use it to hoist himself up to the lowest branch. Once he took hold, he climbed higher until he disappeared among the leaves.

A nearby tree had several broken limbs protruding from the trunk. Darmik grabbed one and pulled himself up. Then he clasped onto another, lifting himself higher on the trunk. He was about to take hold of
another branch when he heard the sound of leaves crunching below. He froze, trying to peer down without moving.