Invasion

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER TWOLater on, as they were trudging through the undergrowth, Lumina watched her guards. There was a spring in their steps, a determined look in their eyes. It might have had something to do with their recent victory over the raiders, but Lumina suspected it was more down to the alliance she had negotiated on their behalf with General Tullica.

Her mind drifted to him for a moment. She had almost married him before they’d even met—her father had tried to lure the general into a trap by offering her hand in marriage as bait. She’d fled from the wedding, ending up at the Bucansian border keep—and it was there she’d discovered that General Tullica was not the middle-aged man she’d initially thought, but a good-looking, intelligent and kind prison guard. Marrying him suddenly didn’t seem like such a miserable prospect.

To distract herself from dwelling on the general, she straightened her Bucansian military shirt, patting the epaulets on her shoulders.

“You have nothing to worry about, Lulu,” said Cecas. “If you can fool raiders, then you can fool anyone into thinking you’re a Bucansian soldier.”

“Yeah, and it’s not every day you see a princess walking like a soldier,” Waldien added.

“We all had lessons from the prison guard,” Lumina reminded him.

“I’m glad he had maps of the routes the soldiers walk in this area,” added Torynn. “Although I’m surprised that a simple prison guard had them, now that I think about it.”

Lumina swallowed. “Well, he did have permission from General Tullica to do that, so perhaps that’s why.”

“I guess so,” Torynn said.

The others nodded.

“Makes sense now,” Makshi said.

Lumina tried not to let out a breath. She focused on walking and quietly assessing how long it would be until they reached the border.

“There will be patrols from here on. I suggest we postpone all conversation until we’re in the Land of the Phoenix,” Waldien said, as if reading Lumina’s thoughts.

***

They made good time to the border.

The rebels hid when they reached the road that led to a Phoenix border station. Lumina walked alone while her guards escorted her in silence and invisibility, their presence obscured by the forest on either side of the path.

Now that they were in the Land of the Phoenix, Lumina felt safe in revealing her identity. Since she was dressed as a Bucansian in her home country, Lumina pulled her hair from its concealing bun, ensuring that everyone would be able to identify her on sight by her unique red-and-gold locks—she didn’t want to accidentally be attacked before she even got the chance to explain who she was.

In the distance was a keep, similar to the one she’d left on the other side of the border. Heavy, solid stone walls surrounded a couple of well-fortified buildings in the centre.

There was movement on the station walls; she’d been seen. As she got closer, the portcullis raised and out rushed a company of soldiers, heading straight for the princess.

As they approached, the Soldiers of the Phoenix gaped, their eyes travelling from Lumina’s hair to her Bucansian military uniform and back to her hair, which was swaying in the breeze, like flames engulfing her head.

They dropped to their knees. “Your royal highness,” said one, “my name is Ernold Faustinus, and I am the second-in-command of this keep. May I enquire as to what brings you here?”

Lumina smiled, relaxing her shoulders. “I have spent the last three months a prisoner in Bucansi. I saw my chance and escaped this morning at dawn. I wish to return to my father as soon as possible.”

Ernold looked up. “We had no word that you were in any danger, your royal highness.”

Lumina frowned, tilting her head. “I have not been in the Land of the Phoenix since I was sent to marry a Bucansian general twice my age. I escaped my guards, then panicked when I heard an explosion. I found myself over the border before I knew it and encased in a net. I have been in a prison cell these last three months. Surely you are aware that I was missing?”

Ernold shook his head, looking pale.

Lumina sighed. “Perhaps it makes sense that my father would not want it widely known that I was missing. If anyone in Bucansi realised they had the Phoenix Princess in their prison cell, who knows what would have happened to the war and my country.” She delicately rubbed her forehead. “Please send a message to my father that I have been found and wish to return to the castle.”

Ernold stood and the rest of his unit followed suit. He gestured to the keep and said, “Please, come with us, your royal highness, and we’ll see to the arrangements.”

Lumina smiled and thanked them. She walked to the border fortress, the soldiers forming a protective guard around her as they escorted her. The wind played with her hair, as if asserting that she was indeed the Phoenix Princess with her fiery red-and-golden tresses. The soldiers inside the fortress kneeled as soon as she entered.

Lumina nodded and told them to rise. Ernold led her to the commander of the keep’s office.

Inside, the room was similar to General Tullica’s office at the Bucansian border keep: a desk, behind which the commander stood; floor-to-ceiling bookcases; a red carpet; red curtains tied up beside each of the three windows. The wind carried the sweet scent of the little blue flowers local to the border forest.

The instant the commander saw Lumina, he too knelt. “Your Royal Highness,” he said, “my name is Commander Osgar Fraenzel. I’m in charge of this keep. I admit, it’s a surprise to see you here.”

Lumina nodded to him. “Rise.” He stood and she looked him directly in the eyes as she recited the story she, the rebels and the general had devised: “I was taken to a Bucansian prison, where they interrogated me and discovered I was a noble. They said they would use me against the Land of the Phoenix and put me in a cell. However, they seemed to forget about me over the last three months, because not once did another soul come to talk to me. Even when they gave me food and water, they didn’t say a word. Then some prisoners in the cell down from me had a fight and knocked over an oil lamp. The fire spread quickly and I needed to escape. So, I took my chance in the chaos, and … here I am.”

Commander Fraenzel raised his eyebrows, doubtful. “You escaped a fire in a Bucansian prison, just like that?”

Lumina levelled her gaze at him and nodded. “I have a great deal of experience escaping my personal guards. You think that I couldn’t do the same to prison guards who have no clue as to my identity and thus do not know to keep a constant eye on me?”

The commander swallowed and shook his head. “The way you escape your guards is legendary among the soldiers, your royal highness. When King Arro announced a competition for a guard who could keep an eye on you, every soldier in the Land of the Phoenix applied.”

Lumina had not known until now how her father had found that extra soldier. When the king had told her this soldier was to be her guard, her inner phoenix had taken over. She had no memory of what happened—all she knew was that her father had promptly withdrawn the soldier and the incident had never been spoken of until the captain of her guards, Pacaus, told her that her phoenix had risen.

Lumina had lived in fear of her inner phoenix controlling her for most of her life—until the last three months. Now, she knew she wouldn’t hurt anyone if she lost control. She had the immortals to thank for that.

The immortals had also helped her access her magic, something which she was internationally famous for not having. Lumina had discovered that her immortal magic had suppressed her mortal magic her entire life. If she had been born a normal human, she would have been as powerful as her father.

Lumina suppressed a sigh and gathered her thoughts. The immortals had taught her how to control her immortal magic, and that was the important thing.

“Well, he never made it into my unit of guards,” she said. “I took exception to the king for trying to place an unknown soldier among my guards and my father never tried again.”

The room fell into silence as the soldiers looked at her hair, wondering what she might have done to get her father to back off.

Commander Fraenzel cleared his throat. “Well then, your royal highness, you are welcome here. We’ve already sent a message to King Arro to let him know that you’ve arrived.”

The princess nodded and gestured to her clothes, frowning. “I wish to clean myself up and change out of these Bucansian clothes. It grates on one’s nerves to wear the colours of the enemy, even if one needed the disguise to escape.”

“A room will be at your disposal shortly, your royal highness,” Commander Fraenzel said. “These soldiers will be your temporary guards until I can find more appropriate ones for you.”

Lumina was escorted to her ‘room’, which was actually a fully enclosed apartment—she assumed that the commander had given up his own quarters for her. Her stomach tightened for lying to him, but she knew it was for the best. Her father and his soldiers had to remain ignorant about the fact that the rebels now had an alliance with Bucansi.

She stripped off the Bucansian uniform and stared at it for a moment, remembering how her training had destroyed at least sixty such uniforms in the last three months. Swallowing, she cast the clothes aside, ignoring her urge to fold them neatly.

She soaked in the tub for a good hour, thinking that this was how she would act if she hadn’t bathed for some time. Once she’d changed into the Military Uniform of the Phoenix, she realised she didn’t need to pretend to feel renewed. She hadn’t known how much strain last night and this morning had put her under.

Lumina emerged from her room with the graceful walk and stance of a princess. If the soldiers had any doubt as to her identity before, it surely disappeared the instant they saw her now. She went back to the commander’s office and was assigned a unit of elite guards to protect her. Commander Fraenzel gave her leave to wander around the keep, as long as she stayed away from the training yards.

Lumina nodded, thanking him. She left the central building and found herself drawn to the stables. She used to spend most of the day with the horses, brushing them down and checking their shoes, running her hands over them to assess how healthy they were.

She hadn’t spent much time with horses over the last three months, of course, unless spending time with a unicorn counted. But considering Estar was an immortal and magical horse, and was always in her human form, Lumina suspected not.

After a few hours, while her guards were distracted by a spirited, tan yearling being broken, she escaped and went up to the roof.

Looking out at the forest surrounding the keep, she tracked where she had walked that day and looked across the border. She wondered if she could see the Bucansian keep from here, and if the general was thinking of her. Berating herself for dwelling on him so often and already missing him, she looked at her hands. She needed to give him space; space was precisely what she was giving him.

She emerged half an hour later to the pale faces and wide eyes of her guards. They took her to Commander Fraenzel, who eyed her for a long moment. “Was that your idea of showing us that you can escape a prison as well as my own elite guards, your royal highness?”

She nodded and the commander sighed heavily. “It’s amazing that your guards haven’t had a heart attack yet.”

Lumina smiled. “They’re used to my numerous disappearances, Commander. But I offer my apologies. I have never enjoyed being under constant supervision and I saw the doubt in your eyes as I told you my story.”

He nodded grimly, respect in his eyes. “In the future, when my princess tells me that she escaped a Bucansian prison, I’ll believe her.”

Lumina nodded and smiled. “Thank you, Commander.”

That night, as Lumina lay in the fresh linen sheets of her bed, she thought of her rebels, sleeping in the forest outside the keep. At least it was a warm night.

***

The incognito carriage arrived early the next day, direct from Heartspire, the capital city of the Land of the Phoenix. Lumina thought that it must have travelled throughout the night to get here so quickly. Alongside the carriage rode her royal guards, sent not only to protect her, but also to identify her.

When Pacaus’ hazel eyes landed on Lumina, he leapt off his horse, ran over and kneeled before her; the other guards followed suit. His curly brown hair hid his face as he said, “Please forgive us, Your Highness.”

Lumina just smiled. “There is no need for forgiveness, guards,” she said. “I escaped you; anything that happened to me from that moment on was my own fault.” Lumina told them to rise and her keep guards approached, shaking hands with their royal counterparts, respect in their eyes. The collective relief that the Phoenix Princess had returned home safely after her ordeal in the enemy country was almost palpable.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Commander Fraenzel,” Lumina said. “It won’t be forgotten and shall be rewarded.”

The commander knelt. “The greatest reward we could ever have is Your Highness’ safe return to the king.”

Lumina liked the commander, she decided. As she climbed into her waiting carriage, she called out the window, “I apologise again for escaping your elite soldiers, Commander Fraenzel.”

Hearing this, her royal guards sent knowing looks to her border keep guards.

***

Lumina enjoyed the trip back to the capital, certain that her father was waiting. Although she looked forward to seeing his face again, her stomach lurched at the thought of what it would be like to be around him once more. General Tullica had accepted without judgement that she loved her father, despite the horrors King Arro had committed.

It was early afternoon by the time she arrived at the palace, and sun rays lit up its spires and pink sandstone walls. She could see servants through the large, stained-glass windows, hurrying along hallways and up and down stairs.

The rich, floral aromas from the royal gardens wafted on the breeze and into Lumina’s carriage. She smiled at the scent, remembering how the gardens and stables had been her favourite parts of the palace.

A manservant met her carriage and took her to her father’s meeting room.

King Arro was sitting at a solid oak table inlaid with gold, silver and bronze and a scattering of rare gems. He was deep in conversation with a group of people Lumina didn’t recognise—judging by their dress, they were foreigners, and they stood and sat like soldiers. Lumina took note of their clothes—they weren’t in military attire, but instead wore the finest silk velvets and the richest of colours.

Only on special occasions would Lumina and King Arro wear silk velvets; otherwise, they wore the finest of silks. Lumina wondered at how rich these people were if they could wear such garments on a normal day.

Then she realised that the huge empire of Avadier would probably be rich enough to do exactly this; its people would want to display their wealth when making a treaty with her kingdom. So, these visitors must be Avadierish, she thought. But who is my ‘fiancé’ among them? And why are most of them soldiers?

There was one particularly handsome face in the group. He had black hair and blue eyes, a clean-shaven face. He and five others didn’t hold themselves like soldiers, Lumina noticed—their postures indicated nobility rather than military.

King Arro looked up and glared at the royal guards for interrupting the meeting. It was difficult to tell where his sandy blond hair ended and his heavy golden crown began. His beard was in a plait, threaded with gold strings and woven with sapphires.

Then he saw Lumina.

“We’ll continue this another time,” he said to his visitors with a smile.

They filed out, glancing curiously at Lumina as they walked past. She was glad Pacaus had insisted that she fix her hair in a concealing bun. Otherwise, these foreigners would be gaping at the sight of the Phoenix Princess wearing the Military Uniform of the Phoenix.

Once they were gone, King Arro strode over to her and hugged her fiercely. “My phoenix, you’ve returned.”

Lumina hugged him back and tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’m back, Father. I’m terribly sorry for running away and destroying our chance for peace with Bucansi.”

“Nonsense, my phoenix. It was for the best. General Tullica would have made a terrible husband for you. You destroyed nothing.” He kissed the top of her head. “Come, my dear, let’s have afternoon tea together.”

They sat in the king’s sunroom and looked out over the vibrant royal gardens, where they could see a statue of Lumina’s mother, Queen Eos, in her human form. Queen Eos had protested when the king became tyrannical, but he hadn’t listened to her. So she had left for Xunith, the immortal plane, taking Lumina’s sister, Soleil, with her. Lumina hadn’t seen her mother or sister since she was two years old.

Seeing that her father was gazing at the statue, Lumina wondered if he missed her mother and sister. She reached over and held the king’s hand. He smiled indulgently at her, squeezing her fingers and pouring her some tea.

She spent the rest of the day in her father’s company, enjoying herself immensely—they hadn’t spent time together like this since she was a child. But she also knew that soon, she would have to start spying on him once more. Her stomach lurched. She pushed the thought away, deciding to bask in his company when all that sat between them were good feelings.