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Prologue

Orange, yellow and red adorned the path before her. It was leaf litter, discarded by the long branches that stretched over the road to the west.

She shuffled her feet through the mess, rustling and crunching the dried foliage as she dawdled along. Her arms were folded tightly across her chest, her eyes moving around to soak in her surroundings.

Parts of the wild had started to reclaim the trail here and there. She couldn’t remember the last time a wagon, or a team of horsemen, had used the road.

At least, not since the aftermath of the Mirikin.

Birds chattered and fluttered from branch to branch. Some of them eyed her cautiously as she drew near to them before zipping away through the trees, or into the undergrowth to hide.

She understood why Alice had spent so much time out here.

It teemed with life.

In a small clearing, a short distance from the road, a brace of deer pawed the leaf litter to get to the grass roots beneath. She startled a few of them, causing them to look to her. This alarmed the others in the group, distracting them from their feast.

Several snorts and nostril flares attracted the attention of a large buck.

His majestic form appeared in the clearing, moving between his harem and the young woman on the road.

Her heart skipped a beat as she stared at his immense antlers. Spread out wide over his head, the intimidating growth could easily cause her irreparable damage.

They had all told her to stay inside the walls. Her aunt had specifically warned her that she would be safer in Woodmyst. There was imminent danger from outside now that the Maji had ascended.

“I just need time to be alone,” she had replied. “I need to find a place to reflect.”

“Try the ruins,” Joanne urged. “There is power and strength there.”

“That’s for you and the coven.”

“It’s for all of us, Catherine.”

“I don’t think so.” She shook her head. “I need to find a place for me.”

“There’s nothing that you can do for them,” Joanne told her, perceiving her thoughts. “Your mother and sister are lost to us. They will never yield to our cause.”

“I still need time to be alone,” she replied.

And so it was, that she had set out to find that place to think and reflect. To meditate.

After leaving the confines of Woodmyst and moving along the western road, she did feel more and more at peace. The farther she walked, and the less that she could see the walls, the more at ease she became.

Until now.

Facing off with a monstrous stag made her fearful, on edge and increasingly nervous.

It padded the ground, flared its nostrils and lowered its head.

I should have stayed inside the walls.

She turned her head slightly, trying not to move too much, too suddenly. The wall was beyond her view and screaming would only aggravate the beast.

Running wouldn’t be of any use as the creature was larger, faster and would have her in an instant.

It lunged.

Her heart beat rapidly in her ears.

The stag raced towards her, its antlers angled for her body.

She instinctively lifted her hands in defence.

A tiny part of her brain seemed to trigger.

A dark place awakened.

Something that she hadn’t touched before.

Her lips moved.

Her voice was distant, unemotional.

There was no fear.

There was no care.

She felt nothing.

“Absorb.”

The stag toppled over and over, flipping onto its back.

It kicked violently, trying to lift itself back to its feet. Instead, it could only cry out as a deepening agony swept over its body.

Pale, twisting vaporous forms seeped from the beast’s eyes, stretching through the air towards the young woman.

With a thud, the stag’s legs dropped to the ground as it rolled onto its side.

More cloud-like forms permeated through the creature’s skin surrounding its sockets, spreading wider and wider until its entire body seemed to be covered with a white, shimmering haze.

Twisting and folding together, the misty form soaked into her finger tips.

It filled her.

Renewed her strength.

Crammed her with vigour.

A wide smile beamed upon her face as the stag breathed its last.

She had taken everything it was and absorbed it.

She felt strong.

She felt powerful.

She felt alive.

She scanned the trees for the rest of the herd.

The woods were empty.

The deer had run off.

Even the birds had vanished.

A tiny element of disappointment swept over her as she peered at her hands.

The energy flowing through her veins, her muscles, her spirit was beyond anything she had ever experienced.

Beyond anything that she had thought possible.

But it wasn’t enough.

This is my awakening.

This is my ascension.

A hunger had developed.

She wanted more.

She needed more.

Chapter One

Emily ran the brush through her daughter’s hair. Alice was seated on a wooden stool in her bedroom, staring at the looking glass upon the dresser, still getting used to the appearance of the girl staring back at her. White had replaced her dark hair and piercing blue eyes watched her where once a deep brown pigment had been.

It wasn’t just her external features that were different.

Deep inside, she understood her full potential. She knew what she was capable of. Once the darkness inside of her was expelled, the light exposed to her the extensiveness of who and what she was.

Alice wanted so much to share this with her mother, but the auburn woman wasn’t ready for such an overflow of information. She had just found out that her own sister and elder daughter were partakers of an unforgivable crime.

The murder of innocents.

Even Alice, who now had a deeper understanding of many things, was shocked that her own family could be capable of such a thing.

She saw the faces of little Antony and Holly flash through her mind. It took a great deal of energy to fight back the urge to cry again.

Not in front of Mama, she told herself.

Alice looked over her mother’s attire. She was dressed in her warrior garb, all cleaned and polished. Her leather breastplate was strapped to her chest, vambraces wrapped over her forearms and greaves stretched from her knees to her ankles. She wore a narrow, slightly curved sword on her hip, sheathed on a belt fastened to her waist.

“How do you want it?” the auburn woman asked.

“Tail,” Alice replied. “High up.”

Emily took a dark ribbon from the dresser and proceeded to tie the girl’s hair up.

“Do you want me to braid it?”

“No.” Alice shook her head slightly.

“Hold still.” Her mother placed her hand on top of her daughter’s head to steady it.

Alice sighed.

She was the leader of people, the Kayl’sro of the Agrodien, a formidable sorceress, and her mother still had the irritating ability to overpower her.

“Don’t huff at me,” Emily chided.

“Sorry, Mama.”

“Now,” the auburn woman said, placing her hands on the girl’s shoulders, “all done. What are you going to wear?”

“My armour,” Alice told her matter-of-factly. “The bearskin and the iron claws.”

Emily moved to a wardrobe positioned against the wall to the side of the room and opened the doors.

“I also need my cloak.” Alice pointed to the right side of the closet where a long, leather garment hung. “The one given to me by the Agrodien females.”

She rose and started lacing up her trousers.

“You don’t want to wear a dress, or something nice?”

“Can you see a dress in there, Mama?” the girl asked as she reached for her boots by the foot of the bed.

“You should get one,” Emily said as she lifted the cloak from the wardrobe.

“I’m the Kayl’sro,” Alice reminded her mother. “A dress is not good apparel for a warrior.”

“You’re meeting your new sisters,” the other replied, draping the leather garment over the bed. “One of them just happens to be the queen of Newholt. It’s a special occasion, Alice. We should get one for you just in case you are required to attend more special occasions.”

“When this is all over,” Alice said, wishing the conversation would change topic, “I’ll consider it.”

She slid her boots on and started strapping her greaves over her shins. Emily took her daughter’s breastplate from the floor and handed it over.

“We should let them stay here,” she said, sounding concerned.

“Why?”

“She’s a queen.”

“We’ve fitted out two caverns nearby as best we could in such short time,” Alice informed her mother as she slid the armour over her chest. “We’ve given them bedding, blankets and furniture. In some ways, the equipment in those two caverns is better than what we have here. They’ll be fine, Mama.”

“I don’t know…” Emily shook her head as she helped her daughter fasten the breastplate. “Queen Amicia has a refined taste. Just look at that clock that she gave to Woodmyst.”

“They’ll be fine,” Alice said again, placing a hand upon the woman’s cheek. “You worry too much, Mama.”

“Says the girl with grey hair,” Emily responded drily.

“I have reason to worry. I’m a leader of a great people,” she replied. “All I seem to do is worry about them. And it’s silver. Not grey.”

Alice stepped upon the porch, her leather cloak draped over her shoulders, the cowl lowered so her hair could trail over her back. Her two swords were sheathed and fastened to her hips, their hilts sticking out from beneath the shroud within easy grasp.

She looked over all the others gathered near the hut. They were all dressed in their best, ready to receive the approaching guests. A small smile crept on her face as she noticed several children fidgeting and tugging at their clothing after having shirts tucked in tightly to their trousers. The little boys were the most annoyed by the ordeal, touching their neatly combed heads only to have their hands smacked by watchful mothers.

“Kayl’sro,” Yuri said as he greeted the girl with a slight bow.

“Good morning,” she replied, stepping off the porch and to his side.

The Agrodien towered above her as he gestured to a row of fourteen reptilian warriors standing tall and proud. They wore their armour well. She guessed that they must have spent the most part of the night before cleaning their coverings and polishing their weapons.

“Very impressive,” she said as she slowly walked along the line to inspect their appearance. She stopped before of the last warrior in the line. It was a young female of whom Alice had grown very fond. She placed a hand on the warrior’s shoulder. “And how are you this morning, Nola’ee?”

“Scared, Kayl’sro,” the other answered.

“Scared?” Alice frowned playfully. “Well, that’s not good. I can’t have my personal bodyguard being afraid.”

“I’m sorry.” Nola’ee lowered her head in shame.

“I’m joking,” Alice said, lifting the warrior’s head gently with a finger on the chin. “I’m a little nervous also. It’s to be expected.”

Nola’ee nodded before Alice continued a little further. Yuri clasped a reassuring hand upon the female’s shoulder before steering her in line to follow the girl.

“Remember your duty,” he said to her in their tongue. “You are the first guard of the Kayl’sro. She chose you above all others.”

The young warrior nodded again.

Alice locked eyes with her husband who was standing a few yards away. He was dressed in his finest trousers and shirt with a long dark coat that hung to his thighs covering his frame. She was reminded of the attire that the bookkeepers wore in Woodmyst.

“You look handsome, Arthur,” she said, straightening his collar with her fingers.

“And you look like a princess.” He slid his hands around her waist and planted a kiss on her lips.

“Can’t you two let up for a couple of hours, at least,” David Gyfford grumbled. “I barely got a wink of sleep last night because of…”

“David,” Emily snapped. “There are children present.”

He looked to her sheepishly.

“Sorry,” he said. “But honestly. I don’t know how you put up with it. I’m sleeping way out the back and I can hear them. You’re in the room right across the way.”

“I stuff cotton in my ears,” she informed him as she moved to his side.

“Does that work?”

“For the best part.” She lowered her voice. “I can still hear the furniture hitting the wall.”

“Hear it?” he raised his brow. “Heck, I can feel it through the cavern floor.”

Both chuckled softly as the procession moved onto the open ground.

Alice held Arthur’s arm as they walked over the pastureland. Her heart was beating quicker and quicker with each step. Soon, she would meet two others like herself. She could feel their approach.

In moments, they would be together.

To her right she could see Liana, her dragon, sleeping near the entrance to the large cave. She was stretched upon the grass, soaking up the morning sun.

Walking parallel to her, somewhere between the dragon and the group, was Shadow the rukyul. His huge form seemed to glide through the long grass as he scanned the crowd.

His face turned towards the trees on the far side of the glade. Suddenly, he stopped moving and sniffed the air. His hackles raised and his teeth were bared.

“They’re here,” Alice announced.

She gestured for the rukyul to relax. It tilted its head curiously before resting its haunches on the grass.

One by one, a number of horsemen slowly made their way through the tree line on the north-eastern edge of the clearing. First there were five, then ten. In the end, twenty-two riders and four pack horses made their way towards the small settlement.

“There they are,” Richard indicated. He adjusted his legs as he placed his weight upon his walking stick. Sure enough, two women could be seen riding near the centre of the group.

“Good eyes,” his wife Becka commented.

“Only the legs are weak, my dear.”

“Just the knees,” she riposted. “Everything above them works just fine for me.”

“Not you two as well,” David grumbled.

“Shhh,” Yuri hissed as the horses drew nearer.

Alice lowered herself to a knee, bowing her head in reverence.

Her Agrodien warriors followed suit immediately, indicating that all others should comply. Only the younglings hesitated, but were brought into place by their mothers tugging at their arms.

Several men dropped from their steeds and assisted the two women from their horses. Within moments, they moved past their entourage and stood before Alice.

“Your Majesty,” the girl offered. “Welcome to my home.”

“Please stand.” The queen gestured for them to rise with her hand.

Alice did so, examining the women who stood before her. Their eyes appeared as hers with striking blue pigmentation. Their dark hair had been marked with snowy streaks extending over the lengths from the temples.

The people of the glade lifted themselves from the ground. Those who remembered Amicia Elynbrigge looked on with amazement. The transformation was clearly apparent, just as it was with Alice.

Both women looked to the girl in awe.

The queen’s chin quivered before she and the other dropped to their knees.

“My Prime,” they both said together before bursting into tears.

Alice didn’t have words to respond with. She understood they had all experienced and shared something that no other could ever comprehend. So, she did the only thing that made sense.

She fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around both women.

“It’s all right,” she told them. “We’re together now.”

Chapter Two

Lor stabbed at the embers with a long stick, evoking the flames to life as he placed another chock of timber onto the hearth.

“They’ve been gone a while,” Alan, his son, muttered as he peered over his shoulder to the cabin set into the rock.

“They have much to discuss,” Lor told him, placing a pot of water onto a rectangular iron frame set over the fire.

“Why couldn’t they talk here?” the boy asked.

“There are some things that boys and girls don’t need to hear,” Linet, his mother said.

“Alice and Arthur are only a year older than me,” he argued.

Lor looked to his son sternly. “Alice is the Kayl’sro. She is our leader. She needs to be in there. Arthur is her husband, and as her husband, he needs to support his wife. One day, you’ll understand.”

Alan pouted and turned to the fire, resting his chin upon his hands. He was sitting cross-legged by his mother’s feet, growing more and more agitated by the minute.

They all were.

The three women had been shut inside the cabin with a small entourage for a seemingly long time. Commander Brondt and Captain Thornton had accompanied the two sorceresses from the coast into Alice’s hut. The Kayl’sro had requested that her husband be by her side. But she had also invited her mother and Yuri the Agrodien.

Four large reptilian warriors stood in a line on the ground by the porch, guarding the entrance to the dwelling. Their right hands rested upon the hilts of their curved swords strapped to their waists. Behind them, by the door, Nola’ee watched the glade vigilantly. Her eyes scanned the dark shadows beneath the trees to the eastern edge, straining to see any movement or sign of the dark creatures that had surrounded their homes previously.

Everyone else in the encampment had found a place to sit and wait.

The men from Newholt set up camp nearby, pitching tents and gathering wood for their fires.

A few of the visitors found themselves on edge as both Shadow and Liana approached them to investigate the strangers.

“Go on, get,” David heard one of the men shout to the rukyul.

Shadow had crept up behind the soldier and had started sniffing the bent over man as he picked firewood from the ground.

The creature’s hackles were instantly set on edge and his lips peeled open to bare giant, white, razor sharp teeth.

“Oh shit,” the soldier gasped, dropping the timber and reaching for his sword.

“I wouldn’t do that,” David called, racing from his place by the hearth towards the beast. “He’s likely to have you for supper.”

“Call him off,” the man pleaded as the rukyul stepped forward, growling menacingly.

“He’s not mine to master,” the other told him. “Just take your hand away from your sword.”

“I’ll be dead if I do that.”

“You’ll be dead if you don’t.”

“Do what the big man says, Edmond,” another man hollered.

The soldier raised his hands out to his sides.

“There,” he said. His voice was quivered and his body shook with fear. “Now what?”

“I don’t know,” David told him, moving slowly to the rukyul’s side. He tried talking to the beast in the softest voice that he could muster. “Shadow, back down.”

The creature closed his lips, concealing his fangs. Slowly, his hackles lowered as he sniffed at the man curiously. With a low grunt, Shadow turned and slowly moved away towards the open ground of the clearing.

“Are you all right?” David asked.

“I think I shit my duds,” the other replied as several others came running to his side.

“I thought you were a goner for sure, Edmond,” a young man laughed. “That thing could have had you in two bites.”

“That’s not funny,” Edmond held his hands before him, watching them shake furiously.

“You should sit down a bit,” another told him, guiding him by the arm to the ground.

“I’m sorry, Lieutenant.”

“No need to apologise.” The officer smiled at him. “I think you handled that much better than I would have. Sit here and rest a bit.”

“Yessir.”

“I’m Hugh Brook.” The lieutenant extended his hand to the large, bald man from the glade.

“David Gyfford.”

“This man that you helped is Edmond Cobham.” Brook gestured to the other.

“Hello.” Cobham gave a small wave. “And thank you.”

“My men…” the lieutenant turned to the others gathered about. “Jendryng, Sparrow, Vawdrey, Cheyne and Bacon.”

“I apologise,” David said to them. “But I don’t remember names all that well.”

Brook turned his attention to the rukyul moving towards the livestock. “That creature can’t be tamed. How is it that you have one here?”

“Alice has a way with animals. Some kind of connection.”

“It’s never attacked any of you?”

“No. But I wouldn’t want to be near it if she wasn’t close by.”

“And the dragon?” Brook glanced at the giant beast. It had moved towards the large cave and plonked itself onto the ground to sleep.

“A gift from the Haigok,” David said. “We’ve discovered she’s a gentle beast by nature.”

“Didn’t dragons destroy Woodmyst?” Sparrow asked.

“A long time ago,” the large man acknowledged. “But that was under the instruction of the Haigok.”

“And now you’re allies?” Sparrow shook his head. “With your enemies?”

“We are,” David agreed. “With time, things change. Enemies become friends.”

“And friends can become enemies,” Brook added. “Woodmyst, for example.”

David frowned and peered towards the south, remembering his home.

“Indeed.”

“Other people will be under threat,” Alice warned the small gathering seated around the table. “The Maji has an instinctive desire to conquer all. It’s his nature to take control.”

“Why didn’t we see it before?” Emily asked. “Takmel lived with us. He was part of us.”

“I don’t think he ever was, Mama,” the girl answered. Her eyes were filled with sadness as she peered to the others around the table. “I think Takmel knew that a part of him was never going to be satisfied with being a simple man living amongst us.”

“It was his destiny,” Amicia broke in. “His fate was to be raised amongst witches. The Sovereign, and indeed most of the Mirikin, believed the prophecy of the Maji to be fulfilled under the watchful eye of Yasmeen Svoboda. But that didn’t come to fruition. I thought, when Sumaiyya fell on the battle field, that the prophecy was proved to be false right there and then. But, upon reflection, I can see it was still being unravelled and gradually reaching its fulfilment.

“He was raised amongst witches,” she continued. “You. Your sister, Joanne. The Seven and the Erilian warrior women. Your daughters. All he needed to do was sow his seeds of influence over time. It would appear that his focus was upon the Seven all this time.”

“And Catherine,” Alice put in. “But I suspect she didn’t need much coercion.”

“Alice,” Emily chided. “She’s your sister.”

“Something changed in her after Papa died,” the girl replied. She reached across the table and placed her hand upon her mother’s. “I was too young to see, until now. There was, and is, a deep hatred in her. Like a dark chasm. And it still grows.”

“These other people that are under threat,” Arthur said. “What can we do for them?”

“Nothing,” Ursula answered. Her eyes glistened as tears built on her lashes. “We three must remain here. We need to spend this time to unify and build our connection to one another. We don’t have the numbers to help anyone out there. And we don’t have the strength to fight the Maji and the Seven.”

“So?” Brondt looked to his wife curiously. “We just let people die?”

She inclined her head, frowning apologetically.

“The worst of it is that our home may come under attack while we remain here,” she told him. “But we need to remain. I need you here with me.”

He took her hand in his.

“I’ll be right here,” he assured her. “Newholt will still be there when we return. We left her in good hands. The generals and admirals are prepared to defend her and I trust them to do what they can to ensure that our people remain safe and sound.”

“I know they will,” she said, hiding her fears.

“We are not many,” Yuri said, peering to the surface of the table. “We are no army. How we fight magic and army?”

“We will fight magic,” Alice told him, gesturing to Amicia and Ursula. “Concerning Takmel’s forces, I really don’t have an idea of what to do. He doesn’t just control the guards of Woodmyst. He also has an armada in Dweagan, left there after the defeat of the White Witch. The forces in Dweagan remain loyal to him also.”

“Not to mention those dark creatures in the woods,” Brondt reminded them.

Emily looked to the other soldier seated at the table.

“You seem rather quiet, Captain Thornton,” she said. “Have you anything to add?”

He pursed his lips and nodded.

“You’re forgetting the west coast,” he told them. “There are loyalists to Sumaiyya Tarkin from Wintermarsh in the north to the Griralith Pass. Or, at least, what remains of it. If word hasn’t reached them already about the ascension of the Maji, it will soon enough. Not only will we be contending with soldiers and ships to our south, but we will be fucked in the arse from those buggers in the west at the same time. Begging your pardon, my ladies.”

Alice placed her hand strategically over her mouth, pretending to scratch her lip to hide her grin.

“What we do, Kayl’sro?” Yuri sounded concerned.

“We bide our time,” she told him. “We three need to build our strength and prepare. Perhaps some time making a connection with one another may help with building a strategy for what we must face.”

“Do you need a place?” Arthur asked. The others looked to him inquisitively. “A special location? The Seven have the tree in Woodmyst, for example.”

“The glade will suffice,” Alice replied, lacing her fingers with his.

“Do you know where this new power is drawn from?” Emily asked them. “It seems strange that you were all affected so similarly, and at the same moment.”

The women shared a look, meeting each other’s blue eyes momentarily.

“We are Three of the Four,” Alice answered. “Or, at least, that’s where our power is drawn from.”

“Three of the Four?” Arthur furrowed his brow.

Emily shook her head. “The gods?” she quickly looked around the table to see that all others seemed to share her confusion. Her eyes landed on Alice. “But you don’t believe in the gods.”

“I still don’t.” She frowned. “But I cannot deny that my power is drawn from life. Just as Ursula draws hers from the sky and Queen Amicia draws hers from the earth.”

“Three of the Four,” Arthur said. “So, who is the fourth?”

“The Maji, of course,” Brondt suggested. “Who else would take their power from death?”

The three women shot a quick glance to one another.

Yuri noticed the exchange and held his tongue.

Chapter Three

The auditorium of the assembly hall was dark and full of deep shadows. Only a few of the lanterns posted along the walls and the supporting beams had been lit.

Takmel leant back in his chair, slumping slightly as he placed his elbows on the arm rests, pressing a finger to his brow. His mind was engaged in deep thought as he considered what his next move would be.

Newholt had held his army of creatures at bay. It was clear that he needed to send a more formidable force to conquer the seaside city.

He could march his soldiers from Dweagan and sail his warships around the horn. A coordinated attack from the ocean and the land may be enough to see Queen Amicia’s generals surrender, or die.

Either outcome would have the same result.

Newholt would be his.

But he also needed to send ships to the west. Wintermarsh and Ironfields needed to be roused. Soldiers loyal to the White Witch were still guarding his home where he resided as an infant.

Or at least Vonavo, his once loyal guardian, had told him so.

He had no reason to doubt the words of the Gomatha. And the Gomatha had no reason to distrust Takmel.

That was until the Maji stole the life-force from the vaporous being and his kind.

“What troubles you, my love?” a soft voice called from the aisle that stretched through the centre of the hall. His mind snapped back to reality as he moved his eyes towards the speaker.

His first wife, Catherine, strolled towards him. Her hands were behind her back and her body swayed with a confident swagger.

“You look different,” he said.

“How can you tell in this gloom?”

She waved a hand, sending ribbons of flame along the walls to ignite the unlit lanterns.

He sat up straight, alarmed by the action she had taken.

“You’ve been practising.” He glanced at the lights.

“A little,” she agreed, climbing the steps to the platform.

“I’ve never seen you do something like that before,” he said, peering to her curiously. “It’s more like something that your aunt would do.”

She lowered herself onto his lap and kissed his lips.

“Let’s not talk of her,” Catherine whispered. “Or any of the others. Talk to me. What troubles you?”

He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.

“I think I will need to send a few of the others to be my representatives,” he told her. “I can’t be everywhere at once. But I can stay connected to them if they go in my place.”

“You plan to break the Seven?”

“I believe I must.” He sounded saddened by the idea.

She tilted her head to the side as she considered his face. He looked tortured.

A deep connection had taken place between Takmel and his nine wives on the night of his ascension. The relationship was also extended to include a link between each of the women.

They were one.

All of them.

To separate would be painful.

No wonder he appeared so wounded.

“I know you don’t want to hear this,” she began, “but the Sovereign took to a similar strategy, if you remember. She sent the others of the Mirikin to all corners of the realms to wait for the time to strike.”

“That time never came,” he replied. “Svoboda was killed by the Seven, if you recall.”

“That’s not my point, my beloved.” She stroked his face gently with her hand. “She was able to keep a strong connection with them all the way from her palace in Blackrock Haven. You are much stronger than she ever was.”

“So, you think I should break the Seven?”

“I think you should do what you think is right.” Catherine placed her forehead against his shoulder.

“That doesn’t make it any easier,” he told her. “If I do decide to send any of them in my place, I need to consider who and to where. Should I send them alone or in twos?”

“Just remember one thing,” she whispered.

“What is that?”

“Who your first love was,” Catherine said, turning her face to lock onto his eyes. “Who it was that helped you from the beginning. Who it was that kept your secrets safe and sound. Who it is that will not leave your side. Ever.”

He got the message.

“Don’t worry yourself, my love,” he assured. “I could never be apart from you.”

She relaxed her posture and rested against his frame. He ran has hand over her waist and held onto her.

Some silence passed before Catherine spoke again.

“I think you should stop the supplies to the caverns.”

“I gave my word,” he replied. “Besides, they are family. We don’t simply abandon our family.”

She sighed.

“You disapprove of my decision?” Takmel asked.

“They are a threat to you and this city,” Catherine explained. “We can’t rely on them to keep peace with us.”

“I don’t believe that they will,” he replied.

“Why not?” She sat up and turned to face him.

“She meets with the queen of Newholt and another woman as we speak.”

“You know this, how?”

“I have eyes on them.”

“Your creatures from the north?”

“Yes.”

She glared at him momentarily.

“I hope you don’t keep watch of me when I am not in your presence.”

“No need,” he assured her with a tiny grin. “We are connected. We are as one, you and I.”

She thought back to the look of surprise on his face when she had ignited the unlit lanterns only moments ago.

Not all that connected.

She lowered herself to him again and ran her fingers over the stubble growing on his face.

“I should shave,” he said.

“Let it grow,” she whispered. Her voice resonated around the empty room.

It frightened him a little.

“There is something different about you.”

She giggled softly and kissed his chin.

“All is well, my love,” she told him before nestling against his chest again.

But he wasn’t so sure.

Chapter Four

His good eye moved over her bare skin slowly, scrutinizing every curve and line from her forehead to her toes. Her soft breaths swept over his chest with every exhale she made. A calloused hand rested on his shoulder. Her thigh was draped over his loins.

She was exhausted.

So was he.

But duty called.

He started to edge towards the side of the bed, causing her to stir awake.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“I’m on night patrol, remember?” he answered.

“No,” she groaned, lifting herself from him before slumping onto the mattress to his side. “I don’t remember much at all. You got me drunk again.”

“The only way to get you into bed, my dear captain!” He smirked.

“You play dirty, Landon.” She started to chuckle softly as her eyes closed again.

He sat up and threw his legs over the side of the bed. His gaze fell upon her flesh again. This time, he ran his fingers gently down her spine. She reacted with a soft moan.

“Keep that up,” she said, “and you’ll be back in here, Lieutenant.”

“I should go.” He got to his feet and lifted his trousers from the floor. “Will you be all right?”

“I’ve sailed from one side of the ocean to the other,” she reminded, turning over to face him. She flicked her long, dark hair from her face and peered to him in query. “I have twenty men under my command and you ask me if I will be all right.”

“It feels strange leaving you here on your own,” he told her as he tied the cords of his pants.

She winked playfully. “I’ll be fine,” she answered. “I plan to return to the Gypsy later. I should start thinking about another run to Dendadia before all my coin runs dry.”

“How soon?” he asked. “For how long?”

She heard a hint of concern in his voice.

“I don’t know.” She sat up and wiped her eyes. “I don’t plan to linger there. Perhaps a week if the weather holds.”

“Oh.” He sat on the edge of the bed to put his boots on.

She slid over to him and ran her hands over his back and shoulders.

“Come with me,” she suggested. “I’ve a bed on the ship big enough for the two of us. We could walk the streets of Dendadia and see the marble columns of the citadel together. We can listen to the melodious chimes in the Temple of Four and watch the sun set over the Bay of Dreams. Come with me, please. We could leave tomorrow.”

He lowered his head, as if in pain.

“I have my duty,” he grumbled. “I can’t just simply leave. If I could, I would. I would go anywhere with you, Davine. To the ends of the Earth. But I can’t. Not yet.”

She rested her chin on his shoulder and let out a long, soft sigh.

Straightening his eye-patch, Lieutenant Landon Wake quickened his pace as he started climbing the road to the palace gates. Several guards posted along the sides of the wide thoroughfare saluted him as he passed by.

This was a new, and strange affair for him. He wasn’t used to such formalities.

Being a lieutenant didn’t usually require the men to pay him so much attention. He had walked this road many times before without having as much as a look in his direction from the other men.

After all, he was an officer of the auxiliary forces. A leader to the men, who, like him, had been wounded in battle or were not seen as being fit enough to fight in the regular army, or stand guard at the palace.

Men who were too fat to run. Men who were too scrawny to hold broad swords. Men who were unable to hit a target with a bow. Men who were missing parts.

Those were the men Wake worked with.

The docks, or the market place, were the sectors that they watched over. He and his squadron would mill about and watch for any trouble. Their eyes were kept peeled for thieves, scallywags and disruptive drunks who threatened the peace.

Until recently, the worst that any of them had dealt with was old men pissing against the walls of the library as they made their way home from the tavern.

Then the dark creatures from the north came.

Everything changed after that.

Commander Brondt had given him a position at the palace. Overseer of Arms.

When he enquired as to what was expected of him with such a lofty title, the Commander had simply told him that it was a very important role.

“Good morning, Sub-Commander,” an older man dressed in navy regalia called from the gates.

“Vice-Admiral Morris,” Wake said with a curious smile. “I’m not one to correct my superiors, sir. But if you care to look at my uniform, you will see that I am…”

“A lieutenant,” the other said, and grinned. “Yes, yes. I can see your attire. Although, it is a little unkempt.”

“It’s old,” the lieutenant replied. “Just like the one who wears it.”

“Not any more, Sub-Commander.” The vice-admiral turned to face the palace as Wake drew alongside. “You’ve been promoted. The Overseer of Arms is not a job for a mere lieutenant. So, Commander Brondt saw to it that you are given a rank that fits the bill.”

Wake felt a knot tighten in his stomach.

“I don’t understand.” He stopped walking, coming to a halt at the base of the steps leading up to the palace’s large doors. “How can I simply leap from lieutenant to sub—”

“Sub-Commander,” Morris finished. “Commander Brondt is our commander. He can bloody well do what he bloody well wants to do. It’s as simple as that.”

“And here I was, thinking that the Overseer of Arms position was just some cushy position he came up with to keep me content until I retire.”

“Sorry to disappoint you.” The vice-admiral turned towards the doors again. “This way, sir.”

“Sir?” Wake raised his brow as he followed after the other.

“You outrank me, Sub-Commander,” the older man said, and chuckled.

“Oh my,” Wake gasped. He swallowed hard and made his way up the steps. His legs felt wobbly and the world seemed to spin.

“Commander Brondt must have seen something in you, sir,” Morris assured him. “Otherwise, he wouldn’t have made you second in command of Newholt’s forces.”

“Second in…?” Wake put a hand to his stomach. His heart started to race. It felt as if it was about to burst from his chest. “I think I need to sit down.”

“Here…” the vice-admiral took the other by the arm. “There are seats inside.”

“He made a mistake,” the younger man stated. “I’m not the man for this job.”

“Yes, you are, sir,” the other said, pulling him through the doors and steering him towards a chair positioned against the wall of the foyer. “All your men have claimed that you are the only one that they would willingly follow into battle. All the civilians you protected on the docks gave their support for your promotion. Captain Thornton, who has accompanied the queen and the commander on their trek, recommended you. There are others who have fought beside you at the battle of Woodmyst who gave their encouragement. Everyone who has ever met you has said as much. Landon Wake is the man for the job. So, here it is. Embrace it, son.”

Wake took in some deep breaths as he rested on the seat. He looked up to the vice-admiral standing nearby. His eyes moved to the guards standing at attention about the room.

“All right,” he said, feeling his heart settling down. He looked back to the older man. “So why are we here in the palace?”

“The commander has made an appointment for you to meet with the royal tailors,” Vice-Admiral Morris replied. “It’s time for that old uniform of yours to be replaced with something more fitting.”

Wearing his damson cloak, Takmel strolled along the corridor of the storehouse with the master bookkeeper, Lewis Drayton, by his side. He scanned the countless barrels of cider and ale that rested on their sides in high racks along the walls on either side of them.

“We should have a neat surplus of coin this season if we can transport this stock to Dweagan before the snow closes the road to the south,” Drayton said.

“It’ll be done,” the young man replied. His voice was distant.

“There are rumours,” the bookkeeper added, “that you intend to sail the warships into the Eastern Sea. Are we at war with someone, my lord?”

“Just a precaution,” Takmel replied, continuing to peer at the barrels. “How many trips will this lot take? I’d like them in Dweagan sooner than later.”

“We’ve ten teams of bullocks that aren’t being used by the quarry, and another twenty teams of horses that could cart this away in say…” the older man looked back towards the way they had come from, mentally calculating the number of barrels lining each wall. “Perhaps three drives.”

“Get it underway.” Takmel peered towards the doorway at the end of the room and made his way towards it, hastening his pace a little.

“Forgive me, my lord…” the other bowed his head slightly. “But is everything all right? I don’t mean to pry, but you seem distracted.”

“Distracted?” The Maji turned his head to see the older man struggling to keep up.

“As if you are elsewhere.”

Takmel immediately thought of Catherine and the way she had caused the lantern flame to shoot around the assembly hall earlier.

“Small things, Master Bookkeeper,” he replied with a small grin. “Small things are on my mind. Nothing to be concerned with.”

“Of course.” The other grinned back.

“In the meantime, organise the transport of these barrels to Dendadia,” Takmel instructed. “We need to maintain the trade agreements and keep the shipping routes open.”

“Keep the shipping routes open?” Drayton stopped in his tracks. “I thought that was the responsibility of Newholt.”

“I intend to control the shipping routes and all the ports,” the younger man explained, turning to face his bookkeeper. “To do so, I must control Newholt.”

Lewis Drayton felt a dribble of cold sweat run down his spine. “But Queen Amicia is an ally. Is she not?”

Takmel placed a hand on the other’s shoulder and stared into the old man’s eyes, pushing past the surface and deeper into the bookkeeper’s being.

“You are a loyal servant of Woodmyst, Lewis. I don’t think there are any more loyal than you. Please understand, Amicia Elynbrigge is not one who can be trusted. She is a traitor to her kind. She is willing to turn her forces against those who she calls her allies and friends. She has done this before. She will do it again.

“We must take a pre-emptive approach. We must be prepared to strike before we give her the opportunity to do so. And she will. But, we need to be assured that we have control of the trade routes of the Eastern Sea.

“Woodmyst must be the power that the lands near and far give homage to. Not Newholt. Not the traitorous Queen Amicia.”

“She is a traitor,” Drayton agreed. He understood. “We can’t let her enact an embargo. We can’t let her prevent supplies from getting through to the people.”

“Precisely.” Takmel felt the corners of his mouth rise. “Most of the warships will accompany our merchant vessels on this voyage. Once they pass the horn, the navy will sail north to Newholt and our cargo ships will continue east.”

“Most of the warships?” Drayton furrowed his brow.

“Hmmm?”

“You said, most of our warships will accompany the cargo ships. I don’t understand.”

“Three galleons and five frigates will remain,” Takmel explained. “I’ve got other plans that require their use. But that is for another time.”

“Of course, my lord.” Drayton bowed. “If I have your leave, I will prepare the transport of these goods.”

“Thank you, Master Drayton.” Takmel took his hand from the bookkeeper’s shoulder.

As the Maji watched the other walk away, back along the corridor of the storehouse, he churned his many thoughts around in his mind. Newholt. Amicia. The trade routes. The glade. Alice and her band of followers. Catherine and her growing abilities.

There was too much happening at once.

Too much to control by himself.

But he dared not show his concerns, especially around his nine wives.

They would see it for a weakness.

They would pounce like ravenous beasts and tear him to shreds if they were given the opportunity.

He had manipulated them, robbing them of their freedom. He had made them believe that they served him of their own will. If they were able to see his doubts, his concerns, they would try to take back what was theirs.

He couldn’t allow that.

Splitting the Seven was becoming more and more the only viable option.

Besides, it was how it was always meant to be.