Dark Illumination

Chapter Seventeen

“That is preposterous,” Katarina said with a choked laugh at Serena’s side.

She studied her high priestess for a moment, agreeing with the sentiment before she returned her gaze to the prince, who was mid-shrug. In some ways he was still that boy standing tall on the dais with his too long cape and rumpled hair barely contained by his circlet. But this Dillan, determined and strong, with flashing blue eyes, was also a wholly different person. Someone she wanted desperately to get to know. Who was he? What was he like beyond this initial first impression? They were re-meeting each other. But there were so many questions left unanswered. Minions being controlled? Preposterous indeed.

“By whom?” Serena blurted out. The last thing she wanted was to embarrass the prince in any way. But she also had to admit to herself that when she entered this war room the last thing she expected to come out of the meeting was some wild claim about minions being controlled. “The Void doesn’t have that kind of power within the two kingdoms. Maintaining the balance ensures that.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Dillan challenged. “I know it sounds crazy, that’s why I’m merely speculating. What else could account for the presence of minions deep within Lumeria and the band of unclaimed land? I would like to think that our wards are secure.” He glanced at her uncle who tilted his head, thinking, considering.

“The wards are checked on a daily basis,” Lucius said in that quiet, calm way of his. Like they were discussing the new blooms in the garden. “There are sorcerers assigned to specific sections of the grid we have in place. At least ten wards each. Then we have sorcerers whose sole responsibility is to mend broken wards during battles or breaches.”

“How long will it take to check each and every one?” Serena asked her uncle.

“Best case scenario?” He tapped a finger on the neck of his staff. “A week. But with the preparations underway for the union…”

He didn’t have to finish. She knew everyone at the palace was stretched thin as it was. The three stages to get to the actual union day were critical points in the process for both prince and princess. To spare even just a few of The Dark users would delay something they couldn’t wait any longer to proceed.

“Let’s run with your supposition for a second and say you’re right,” Sebastian said, refocusing the conversation and gesturing toward the holograph. “If they are being controlled then by who or what?”

Dillan shook his head. “I was hoping someone here would know. It’s just a thought I had. I could be wrong. Maybe it really is just the balance corroding faster than we expected.”

“But the horde did seem odd that night,” Kyle mused, rubbing his chin.

“What are you saying?” Katarina asked. Her expression was genuinely curious.

“From experience, and from the histories, we know that minions are vicious creatures. The Void uses them to attack,” he said to everyone in the room, not just as a response to Katarina’s question. “But as you can see here, they are just standing there. As if they are waiting for something. Normally they would have scattered in search for a village to attack.”

“You’re right.” Bowen narrowed his gaze at the prince’s holograph. “Why are they just standing there? Never once in my many years have I encountered this kind of gathering.”

It worried Serena that even her commander had no conceivable explanation. For security purposes, they never let her near the borders of their kingdoms. As much as she wanted to fight this evil blight on their lands, her value was to stay in the palace. To ensure the safety of her people by communing with The Dark. The warriors fought while she maintained peace through the power generated by reciting the ancient prayer verses. Without that there would be unrest.

They all looked to her for an answer. Even her uncle was unusually silent about this matter. She studied the translucent image hovering a few inches above the table as if the answer could be found within.

“The answer,” she murmured, a thought occurring to her.

“What is it, Your Highness?”

She ignored the shiver that ran through her body at the sound of Sebastian’s voice. She also avoided glancing his way, instead choosing to look directly at Dillan when she said, “I must consult the Scroll of the World.”

Katarina hummed in appreciation. “Yes. If there was an answer to be gleaned, it would be from that ultimate source.”

“Let me come with you,” Dillan said boldly.

Serena shook her head. “Until we are united, I am the only one with access to the scroll.” Then she shifted to look up at her uncle. “How many sorcerers can you spare without disrupting the preparations here?”

“I can dispatch the apprentices, making sure a master is with each group,” he said.

“You believe they are up to the task?”

“If it was just to check if there are any holes in our defenses then I believe their training is sufficient. They are supposed to take their finals anyway. I can have the masters use this as their final test for the semester.”

Appreciation for her uncle manifested in a soft smile. What would she do without him? “Do that. But I would also like you to keep in close contact with the masters. If the minions are truly being controlled, I don’t want any of them disrupting the union.”

“As you wish, Your Highness.” He bowed before disappearing.

Then she turned to Katarina. “While Lucius is occupied with the task of sending out the apprentices and masters to the border wards, will you supervise the preparations? I need all hands on deck with this one.”

The high priestess merely inclined her head in assent before vanishing as well.

“You have an efficient court, my lady,” Dillan said, real wonder in his tone.

Bowen was the one who responded. “We do try our best here.”

“Commander.” Serena drew his attention to her. “As a precaution, I would like for you to double the usual gargoyle guards here at the palace and make sure contingents of your manticores are on standby at the borders. I would also like you to coordinate with the banshees.” She smiled at the shudder Bowen couldn’t quite contain. “I know you would rather train the pups than deal with their leader, but this is a necessity.”

“You don’t know that b***h the way I do,” he grumbled.

“Which is why I believe you are the right man for the job. Unless you want me to send someone else?”

That got the commander to straighten to his full height. Bruising his ego always worked like a charm. “It will be done. Would you like me to inform the other generals as well?”

“Commander,” she inclined her head with a smile, “we are taking precautions, not going to war. There is no reason to go all out.”

A corner of Bowen’s lips quirked before he bowed then left the room to do as he had been instructed. She trusted he would send messages to the other generals as well. With two Knights and the prince in the room with them she didn’t want to seem like she was going overboard. The most important thing was to get this union underway.

She locked gazes with Dillan once again. “I leave decisions made involving your Knights up to you.”

“Thank you, my lady.” He gave her a curt nod. “Shall we discuss everything over dinner?”

Flutters tickled her insides as a warm blush crept up her cheeks. “I would certainly like that.” Then she addressed those left in the war room, carefully looking over Sebastian’s shoulder instead of directly at him. “This meeting is adjourned. If anything else pressing should happen, we will reconvene. Let us hope that is not the case. May The Dark and Light be with us all.”

***

As much as Serena wanted to teleport out of the war room, there are just some places in the palace grounds that wouldn’t allow entry via that method of travel. No matter how much she wanted to get away from the prying eyes of Sebastian, it was inappropriate for her to actually run away. It didn’t seem like Dillan noticed the pointed glances his brother had been giving her, but all she could do was hope. Would he have invited her to dinner if he suspected anything?

It wasn’t like anything happened, she told herself as she made her way to the back of the keep. To get to the stone tower where the Scroll of the World was housed, she needed to pass the grounds. Feelings had nothing to do with the union, so why did it bother her that she had lost her first kiss to someone else? Especially when that said someone happened to be the brother of the prince she was supposed to marry. It made as much sense as the notion that minions could be controlled outside of The Void.

Using the back entrance, she stepped out into the open again and breathed in a lungful of fresh air. She hadn’t realized she had been holding her breath until her lungs had practically burned a hole through her chest. No. She refused to let Sebastian’s continued presence in the castle unsteady her. She had made up her mind about heading into this union open-minded, welcoming every possibility with Dillan. No room for doubts. No room for handsome Knights.

Yet the mere thought of him was enough to steal her newly acquired breath. Bringing her hand to her tumbling belly, she inhaled once again before pushing forward. The stone tower stretched toward the sky at the center of the carefully curated hedge maze. It contained special wards designed to confuse anyone without the authority to access the Scroll of the World. Pretty soon she would share the responsibility with Dillan. She actually looked forward to that day. Going through the maze alone was no fun at all.

The groundskeeper and his staff continually out do themselves every year with the impeccable state of the gardens. It was almost as if with the wave of a hand they could make flowers bloom. It took a special kind of skill to cultivate greenery. She should know since anything potted she touched died within weeks. The Princess of The Dark had no green thumb to speak of.

Just as she was about to step through the arched threshold of the maze, a strong grip yanked her to the side. With a yelp, she stumbled into one of the many alcoves created out of flowering vines. This one in particular had red leaves and the loveliest yellow bells hanging from the domed roof. She yanked at the grip, prepared to give whoever had manhandled her a piece of her mind…until she looked up to eyes as red as the walls of leaves that surrounded them. Then her mouth opened yet no words of admonishment came out. She hated the grin that spread across his handsome face when he realized he had succeeded in unsettling her.

“You are avoiding me, my lady,” he said in a hushed tone.

When Dillan had been the one who referred to her as “my lady” a thrill went through her body. But when Sebastian was the one using the honorific heat pooled in her belly. Serena pushed down a new wave of confusion in exchange for annoyance.

“I am not avoiding you,” she said, gripping her skirts to keep from revealing shaking hands. “I’ve just been busy healing your brother.”

She had hoped mention of Dillan would get Sebastian to back off. It only seemed to push him. He took a step closer, his large body looming over hers. It forced her a step back until the wire frame from which the vines climbed prevented her from going any further.

“Then explain to me why you couldn’t meet my gaze at the war room.” He placed his hands on either side of her head, curling his fingers around the wire frame.

Instead of giving in to his demand, she asked, “Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?”

“Don’t play games with me, Sebastian.” Her eyes flashed in challenge. “We both know you’re trying to force something that isn’t possible.”

“Just because you’re marrying my brother doesn’t mean something between you and me can’t happen. Many High Kings and Queens have had other…relations outside of their union.”

The blatant way he spoke shocked Serena into shoving him aside with all the strength she could muster. When he refused to budge, she kneed him where it would hurt most. Cupping himself, Sebastian stumbled back. A pained groan filled the alcove.

“If you think I am that kind of woman then you are sorely mistaken,” she said through her teeth. “It seems Dillan means more to me than he does to you if you’re willing to disrespect him in this way. We may not find love in this union, but I will stand by him as High Queen.” She tucked a stray tendril that popped out of its bindings back into place and smoothed out the front of her gown. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have a scroll to read.”