This surely had to be a dream.
Or a nightmare.
Sebastian hadn't yet been given enough information to determine which it would be.
The captain named Matthias herded Sebastian into a large room with an enormous vaulted ceiling seemingly dug from the mountain rock itself. Intricately carved wooden beams stretched overhead in elaborate patterns of shapes and symbols that eerily resembled those of the Scribal Tongue. The once dark wood had been worn to an almost pale gray. It somehow resembled the evening sky, which was just visible through a circular window built into the peak of the ceiling.
Captain Matthias gave a rough shove between the shoulder blades. Sebastian stumbled into an adjoining hall filled with bright, richly dressed people. It was an unexpected sight, at first, and Sebastian had to blink a few times against the sparkling glass-like jewels that adorned the women and the golden, colorful clothes that covered them. Jewels sparkled and bounced off the light let in from the floor-to-ceiling windows along the far wall. Sebastian glanced out of them as he passed; it was as if they overlooked the entire kingdom! Dips of emerald valleys and the peaks of smaller mountains and hills were flecked with bright shades of green and evergreen trees capped with snow. In the distance he could just make out the wide expanse of the Ember Sea, and he imagined his little fishing village of Eilibir down there among it all.
It all looked rather magnificent.
Captain Matthias jerked him forwards. "You must bow."
"What?"
Startled, Sebastian turned from the window, to the captain who bent his spine, and finally to the elegant woman who sat before them on a raised, marble dais. Her shining mass of hair lay nearly as dark as his own atop her heart-shaped face. It clashed vibrantly against the thick, white fur of the impressive gown adorning her body. It draped over her thin shoulders and the sides of the throne she sat in, pooling around her delicately crossed ankles. Sebastian couldn't help but stare.
Queen Davina Salvera was stunningly intimidating.
When he met her gaze, her blue eyes flashed inquisitively like the icy diamonds that surrounded her neck.
Sebastian dropped clumsily into a bow, Matthias's fist still heavy on his shoulder.
"You may stand."
Sebastian obeyed and straightened, observing the beautiful woman sitting upon the throne once more. The queen of Rainier. Rainier's Saviour.
He tried to lower his shoulders from around his ears.
"So, she found him."
Queen Davina's voice, though collected and soft, somehow clanged throughout the crowded room. In his awe, Sebastian had forgotten he was not alone. Those in attendance paused, the skirts of the women stalling mid-rustle. Sebastian felt his ears grow hot as their eyes turned to him.
"Well done, Captain Soiree." Queen Davina swept a regal hand across the room to dismiss the Halorians in attendance. "Leave us be."
The crowd dispersed; the guards, who had remained hidden on the other side of the hall, held open the heavy, oak doors. Their immediate retreat took the sparkle and noise with it; even Matthias gave a final bow of his head and marched to the furthest corner of the room, taking up position there.
Amidst the swishing of cloaks and the hustling of footsteps, the queen remained still upon her throne, but those intense, light eyes tracked each and every movement as the royal hall emptied.
Sebastian's arms pricked with gooseflesh when her gaze landed back on him. She raised from the throne and stepped off the dais, her fur-lined boots soundless beneath the long train of her gown.
One dark brow quirked curiously. "I have lived in this fortress my entire life. My eyes and ears never fail to sense the wanderings of my kingdom. In fact, they are much like bodiless voices, one could say. Do you know what those little voices reported to me this morning?"
Sebastian swallowed. "I-I'm afraid not, Your Highness."
"Your Majesty," she corrected him. "As you are now in my court, I will expect proper etiquette."
"Yes, Your Majesty." He felt the blush sweep up his neck, which made him feel hot beneath the many layers of his cloak.
She curled her fingers. "Follow me."
Expecting him to obey—for her presence alone acted as its own fiery beacon so, of course, he would be a fool not to—Queen Davina turned on her heel and strode from the dais. Sebastian tripped over his feet as he started after her, nearly twisting in the length of her lace train. She paused at a spot in the mountain's wall behind the throne where the faint outlines of a hidden door began to appear. An overwhelming scent of freshly planted soil permeated the room as the door carved itself into the rock. Sebastian stared, struck nearly dumb, until something tickled the bare skin of his wrist. He gasped and glanced down at his hand; a single brown thread twirled between his knuckles, gliding over his skin like a dancing strand of loose hair.
Astrid's words came to him, then: "I want your elemental threads."
Threads.
His breaths stuttered in his lungs. He tried to shake it off, but it clung to him like a leech.
Until Queen Davina pressed her palm to the surface of the disguised door. It swung inwards at her touch, and the twining thread around his hand fell away. By the Scribes. He was truly going mental. Wearily, Sebastian tread into the revealed room. It was a circular ante-chamber carved into the sides of the mountain. A fire crackled warmly from the ornate fireplace. The flames reflected on the surface of the window opposite it. Through it, Sebastian could see a dizzying drop into a deep valley below. This chamber perched on the very edge of the Mount Halum's cliff.
It wouldn't have been his first choice of a view for a comforting sitting area.
"You are impressed by my mountain." Queen Davina sat down in an armchair behind a tidy desk and indicated for Sebastian to do the same.
"It is quite beautiful, Your Majesty." He perched on the edge of a two-cushioned sofa across from her and carefully placed his hands in his lap. "Though I'm afraid heights have never been a favorite of mine."
Queen Davina watched him. "I had heard rumors of a young man on my mountain—in my library, to be more specific—who has caused quite a ruckus. I tend not to trust mere rumors that arise outside my walls—"She paused to observe him closely; he clutched his hands, desperately hoping no more threads would appear there—"So, I had one of my trusted advisors find you."
Sebastian sat still. He wasn't even sure what ruckus he was meant to have caused. "You speak of Astrid?"
"Astrid, indeed." The queen's eyes narrowed slightly. "It was quite a shock to find you were in my fortress in that very same guard's private chambers—" She leaned towards him, a tight grin pulling at her red lips. "Now how did one of my top lieutenants, who rarely fraternizes with anyone outside the fortress walls, end up with a young man in her bed without having informed me of it?"
Oh, no. He was in trouble. For what, he was not certain, but the accusation in Queen Davina's tone spoke to her disproval. What did queens do with subjects that caused apparent ruckuses?
Hopefully nothing that would claim his life.
His heart thumped wildly, pounding against his chest, clogging his throat, and in the silent waiting, the brash rush of panic that had often plagued him as a child overtook him.
Sebastian gasped against the shock of it, his fingers curling into the arms of the chair, nails clawing at the wood. It felt like his lungs had expanded far too quickly than was medically suitable, like his ribs didn't have enough space to catch a breath.
Calm down!
His harried gaze sought out the queen. She watched him from where sat against the expensive cushions of her chair, slim ankles crossed primly, unaware of Sebastian's distress. But how? Surely his cheeks bled bright red, surely his pupils had retreated to the back of his skull—Desperation rose so sharply from his gut to his head that he dizzied.
Stop!
A small beverage cart by the window smashed against the wall. It tipped on two legs and clipped the long train of Queen Davina's white gown as it fell. It startled him enough that his panic fled with it. Gulps of air rushed down his throat and stung his eyes.
Ruckus.
What in the name of Hel's Abyss?
Sebastian's head spun. Cheeks flushed, he slowly looked toward Her Majesty. "I-I apologize for..." He wasn't sure what to call what had just happened. "...that."
"Whatever for?" She glanced at the fallen cart with a dismissive shrug as if it hadn't just flung itself across the floor. "That cart is hardly a family heirloom. You'll come to find the draft of the mountain's tunnels can often cause objects to move about on their own volition here."
Her eyes smiled, but her lips pursed, tasting something in the air that didn't particularly please her. Numbly, Sebastian nodded, his fingers digging into the arms of the chair. He was half afraid to look at them for fear of spotting any brown threads.
Queen Davina regarded him for a moment and then stood. Ignoring the overturned cart completely, she stepped around it to a bookcase carved into the rock of the wall.
Sebastian took the opportunity to hide his shaking hands under his thighs.
He blinked, confused, when the queen reached for a scroll, unrolled it with practiced precision, and handed it to him. "Read that, if you will."
The words written into the parchment were similar to the Scribal pages that Master Lambert had asked him to translate. Though the curling penmanship held a far more ancient flair. He scanned the page. It was difficult to translate but not impossible. He thought of the foreign word Astrid had thrust under his nose twice now: voíxili.
Why were these Halorians so obsessed with the dead language of their enemies?
Then again, why not?
Could Soleita be rising again?
Sebastian shook his head and began to read the fraying parchment, which appeared to be a much-loved piece of text. Worn in places as if it had been handled and read over thousands of times. A well-loved novel. The queen's gaze burned into him, which required a second reading of some of the lines:
While the Mother slumbers in winter's breath,
A thief will arise to conquer the rest.
Earth's kin and creations will be torn apart.
Deceit, greed, and death bred from a mortal heart.
Yet a redeemer is born from a motherless womb,
The quill is reforged to rewrite the realm's tomb.
Saviour of mortals and creatures of seven,
Confronting the thief and lies that have leavened.
Redeemer and sinner can rise Earth or descend;
Though only one lives while the other must end.
When Sebastian perched his spectacles atop his forehead and lowered the scroll, Queen Davina reached out and took it from his limp grasp. She pulled it to her chest.
"What did you understand?"
"Most of it," Sebastian said. "That was the Saviour's Prophecy. Your prophecy if I'm not mistaken, Your Majesty. Though it seems to have originated from—" he trailed off, swallowing, not having known this bit of information and unsure if he should speak of it.
"From whom?" Queen Davina urged. "If you know, do not fear to voice it."
Sebastian tucked his spectacles back into the pocket of his trousers. "It was a prophecy born from a Soleitian priestess," he confessed. "It was said to foretell a mortal who would be responsible for redeeming the myth of Earth's deceit and reuniting the seven realms." He met her gaze. "That was you, but..."
The Tale of Earth's Deceit. He remembered reading the tale to Abel while she had been sick on their journey up Mount Halum. But that was just it, wasn't it?
The story was a myth.
"You wonder why, if I was born to be Soleita's saviour, I chose to defeat them during the Purge," Queen Davina assumed. She rolled up the scroll carefully. "It is a wise question, though to fully understand such a conundrum, one must have experienced the deepest of betrayals. Have you experienced such things in your short life?"
"I consider myself lucky to have not," he replied.
Queen Davina nodded. "Lucky, indeed." She reached over to pull on a bell that extended from the wall over her chair. "I wish I could claim the same."
A knock sounded against the door.
"You may enter."
Sebastian straightened when Astrid strode into the chamber, closely followed by Captain Matthias. Astrid glanced from the queen, to Sebastian, and then shrugged the captain's hand from her shoulder.
"What did you tell him?"
It was a brash statement for a lieutenant to make to her sovereign. But the queen only held her arms out wide, gesturing towards Sebastian and ignoring Astrid's question as if it had been nothing more than heresy whispered on the wind.
"It seems I have met your bedmate. How could you not have told me that such a fascinating young man was in our midst?"
Though the question was kind enough, the sharpness of her tone spoke volumes.
Undeterred, Astrid stuck out her chin. "I did not find him all too fascinating, to be fair."
Sebastian had to agree with her.
For the first time, the queen's expression thinned. Her eyes narrowed over the blatant disrespect. The air grew thick between them. Something small and soft brushed against the back of Sebastian's neck—
Queen Davina snapped her fingers. "That's quite enough, Astrid. Control yourself, please."
Astrid sneered.
"This young man shall now be a guest in our fortress," Queen Davina announced. "I will have rooms set aside for him to use for the duration of his stay. Captain Soiree, you will set up a rotation of guards to make sure he remains safe in this fortress. Assign one of your men to be his personal guard."
Matthias bowed at the order.
Something about Astrid's fisted expression caused Sebastian to interject. "Your Majesty?" he said. "Could Astrid not be my guard?"
Queen Davina ignored him. "Astrid, you are banished to your barracks until otherwise noted. Control leads to power. Power without control is chaos. You have brought chaos down onto us all. I do hope you learn how to control yourself before you ruin all that we have built here."
Sebastian saw Astrid's fists tighten at her sides, but she merely nodded, albeit curtly. Control? Control over what?
Threads.
"Your Highness?" he tried again, louder this time.
"It is Your Majesty, and it would do you well to remain silent until I have spoken to you."
Astrid grimaced at him over the queen's shoulder.
"But, Your Majesty, I'm afraid I can't stay here."
"Unfortunately, you no longer have a choice. You have shown an awareness of the elemental forces of our seven realms. Forces that should have perished in the Purge. I'm afraid such a thing could threaten our entire kingdom. You will be quite comfortable here, I imagine."
Sebastian's stomach flipped. Force. There was that blasted word again. "But I truly know nothing of such forces—!"
Queen Davina cut him off with a simple wave of her hand. "Captain Soiree, please escort Astrid to her rooms. She is not to leave until I command. Return once she is...situated."
Matthias inclined his head and grabbed Astrid's elbow. She shrugged him off. Her eyes were bright, and Sebastian felt his gut clench as he looked at her. The space around her burned; it reflected the fire in her eyes.
"The fisherboy is right about one thing," she said. "Since I am the one who found him, I believe he should be placed in my charge."
Her mother's eyes narrowed in challenge. "And what is it you would teach him besides water tricks and chaos?"
"What will you?"
Queen Davina exhaled loudly and snapped her fingers. "Captain Soiree, if you will."
Before Captain Matthias could force her from the room, Astrid turned on her booted heels and strode out on her own, Matthias close on her heels. As the hidden entrance shut behind them, Sebastian swore he heard Astrid swear in a way that would have surely made Abel proud.
Oh, gods. Abel!
Queen Davina peered over at Sebastian, the slight movement somehow loud in the wake of Astrid's cursing retreat.
"Since you have found your way here, I wish to help further your education."
His head snapped up. "My education?"
"Yes. That is what you desire, is it not?" Sebastian wondered how she had come to know that about him. "However, before I present such a gift, you will need to be tested first."
"Test me on what?"
"Faith," she said with a small grin. "Perhaps even trust." She held her hand out towards him, palm up. Her skin was so pale he could see the blue traces of her veins. "Place yours in mine. It will only take seconds."
His arm had already reached across the desk before he had thought better of it. Her skin was rather cold like the constant chill permeating the Halorian air. The queen smiled at him, her red lips curling like the curve of a question mark. For a moment, she weighed his hand in hers. He didn't even see the knife until it slashed across his palm in one, clean cut.
He hissed against the pain and tried to pull his arm back, but Queen Davina was deceptively strong for such a slight frame.
"What sort of test was that?"
"If you pass it, you will know."
His thoughts churned as Queen Davina held a small, ceramic bowl beneath his bleeding palm. Her fingers squeezed around his fist until a firm puddle of blood filled the shallow, gray bowl. She gave his knuckles a final pat before she released his arm.
Sebastian curled his fingers around the minor flesh wound. "Why does my blood matter to you?"
"If you had lived a life like my own, you would know that blood always matters," she said. "Besides, it will help test a theory I have concerning you. In the meantime, Captain Matthias will return and show you to your rooms. If you pass this test, it will be thrilling to discover what else you may know."
Sebastian stared down at his cut hand. "But I don't know anything."
She raised a pointed, sharp brow. "That remains to be seen, Sebastian d'Aximos."
He wasn't sure he liked the way she drawled his name, her tone clipping dangerously upwards at the end as if it were an experiment to be dissected and studied beneath a scope.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
It wasn't until she finally took her eyes from him that Sebastian was free to wonder if he had ever given the queen his name.
- - -
Thoughts on Davina, anyone? And, really, where in the world IS Abel? Tune in next time to potentially find out!
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