← Previous | Next →
“What function does the Dreaming Empress perform?” Alissa asked primly, leaning on the counter.
Reflexively, I shifted the scanner out of elbow range. “The Dreaming Empress renews Atrania nightly through her dreaming,” I intoned.
“Good. One more, and you win a kiss!” She grinned cheekily. “Name three of the territories that connect Atrania with other Realms.”
Ooh, high stakes now! “One: the Night-Realm.” That was easy, since the unicorn Nightwind had opened a portal to it in front of me. “Two: the Sea of Windless Storm. Three: the Unlight.”
Alissa leaned over the counter and smooched me on the tip of the nose.
“Hey, that’s no fair!” I said. I pulled her closer and kissed her full on the lips.
The staff-room door slid open and Sir Madrigan poked his snout out. “Still no sign?”
We shook our heads. We were four full hours into the full-moon shift, and not a single customer had come through the Other Door. It wasn’t a surprise, but it was worrying.
In the days leading up to the full moon, Galmaufryn had spent hours every day scrying in the bathroom mirror in my flat, trying get news of Atrania, of Faerdham Castle, and of Lily. Every day, Alissa drilled me in Atranian lore; Sir Madrigan drilled with his rapier; and Galmaufryn emerged every evening with scanty news. Atrania seemed to be a total mess right now. Elves had attacked all seven of the Kingdoms and the Night-Realm. Elvish sorcerers had hijacked the usual scrying bandwidths (or whatever he called it), and those colleagues who he could find were terrified. The Oak Queen, the Duke of Beasts, and the King of Faery all refused.
But the morning of the full moon, he’d struck gold.
“But the Mountain King,” Galmaufryn had explained breathlessly, “has sent spies into the Iron Fortress. He knows what the Elves want in Atrania, and also perhaps where Lily is.”
By now, though, the rush of excitement had worn off. After sneaking Alissa and the rat brothers in the back door, we’d heard nothing. A dozen or so regular customers came through; Doris bought her regular bag of Mint Imperials and congratulated me on joining the ranks of clever women everywhere. Alissa was quizzing and teasing me. Sir Madrigan and Galmaufryn were in the staff-room, playing with a dollar-store chess set. (Sir Madrigan was winning most of them, much to Galmaufryn’s consternation.)
The main door buzzed. I looked over and put on my customer-service face. To my surprise, three blue streaks of light flashed through the doorway, and coalesced, by the drinks fridges, into small, sprightly figures with pebbled skin. They wore leather boots up to their thighs, and out from under their baggy red caps peered huge, cat-like eyes. Kobolds, people of the Mountain Kingdom.
One by one, they bowed deeply to Alissa and me. The middle one raised his cap. “Vrox Stormblower, at your service. The Mountain King sends his regards,” he said. “Haldyrth the Hearthfire has arrived.”
A thud rattled the entire store. A promotional stand covered in bucket hats fell over. Looking in from the petrol station forecourt was a dragon.
The scarlet scales gleamed in the outside lights. Two twisted horns threatened to graze the forecourt roof. Golden eyes the size of bus wheels peered out from under heavy lids.
The dragon moved its head up to the Korner’s doors, and they slid open. “The Autumn Pass is guarded by Elves this night,” came a voice like the stirring of a volcano. “I flew here by way of the Silent Marches, but all passages out of Atrania are most certainly watched. Come, Princess, we must be off.”
I glanced at Alissa. It was a mark of how awed she was that she didn’t correct the dragon about the princess thing.
“Where will you take us, Great One?” she asked.
Before Haldyrth could answer, a customer burst in. He was wearing a slick blazer and fancy sunnies. He pointed a thumb out to the forecourt, and said, “Dude, I can’t get my Beamer next to the pump. Can you move your shit?”
I couldn’t tell if he just couldn’t see the dragon because of some kind of magic camouflage, or if he was just that oblivious. With rich assholes like this, it could go either way. The same went for calling me dude, which triggered a cold nausea deep in my stomach.
“Hi, sorry, we don’t operate the petrol station.” I took a deep breath. Lily was insistent that we not play ourselves down, make ourselves small, not when trans women get walked all over. “And please, don’t call me ‘dude’. The, uh, blockage will be gone shortly.”
“Look, bro,” said the asshole. “I don’t give a crap about your little drag-queen pity-party. I’m a paying customer, and I want you to—”
A giant claw tapped him gently on the shoulder. The asshole turned. His face blanched when he saw Haldyrth glaring at him from an arm’s-length away.
“A little more courtesy is demanded to the Lady Purveyor,” the dragon growled. “Leave this place and never return, lest I incinerate your conveyance.”
The asshole let out a very un-cool squeak and bolted. I felt I could get used to having a dragon hanging around. Not that I would dare say that out loud.
Alissa squeezed my hand and kissed me on the cheek. “See you anon, sweetheart.”
“The Lady Purveyor must come also,” rumbled Haldyrth.
“Uh, but I’ve got half my shift left,” I said, gesturing vaguely at the clock.
“Never fear, milady!” chirped Vrox. One of the other kobolds pulled a massive cloak out of—somewhere. She got on Vrox’s shoulders, who climbed on the shoulders of the third. The kobold on top fastened the cloak around her neck. The bottom kobold turned a quick circle, making the cloak flare out. When they stopped, in their place stood...me!
“We will watch the store while you’re gone,” the doppelgänger said. I winced at the sound of its...my voice, but nodded thanks.
Alissa nudged me. “It is traditional to offer milk to kobolds in payment,” she whispered.
“Uh, right.” I pointed at the fridge with all the milks. “Flavoured milk’s in the middle. There’s coffee drinks at the bottom, if that’s more your thing.”
“I shall keep them in line,” Sir Madrigan said, one paw resting meaningfully on his sword-hilt.
As we left, Galmaufryn was discussing the relative merits of chocolate versus strawberry milk.
And then we were on the Hearthfire’s back, and away. I held Alissa tightly as we circled over the park, and then we were sweeping through the air over a rolling silver desert.
“What news of Atrania, Great One?” Alissa asked over the chilly winds.
“Elves run rampant. The Gnomes aid and abet them. The Faery King has closed the borders of his land.”
“What about Lily? Our friend?” I added.
“The Mountain King sent several kobolds into the Iron Fortress,” replied Haldyrth. “There are a great number of captives being held there, but none have been implanted with Elf-stone yet.” He paused. “Your father is one of them.”
“So Faerdham Castle has fallen,” Alissa said, voice drooping. I gave Alissa a squeeze.
“He surrendered himself to end the siege,” Haldyrth said. “Your sister Tethyen stands in his stead. She says that the Elves hold the captives against some ransom, I know not what. But that is the business of the Conclave tonight, on the White Lake.”
The silver desert disappeared suddenly, replaced with a vast lake. Half of it was crusted with thick ice. It was bordered on one side by rolling hills, the other by thick forest. The sun was setting in a vibrant conflagration behind the hills, highlighting a distant, spindly tower. Ahead of us was an island; in the centre of us was some kind of pavilion, wrought delicately out of silver.
Outside the pavilion were three camps, each flying a banner. I recognised the red-and-gold as being from Faerdham Castle. Haldyrth touched down on the edge of the island. A detachment of Faerdham guards approached to guide us from the dragon up into the pavilion. In the centre of the pavilion was a rough stone basin, several metres apart, full to the brim with still, clear water. Surrounding it, with their entourages, were three princesses. One, human, wore a sapphire gown with golden trim, and had a golden tiara in her hair; she looked so like Alissa that she could only be her sister Tethyen. An elegant oak woman taller than me wore a dress of summer leaves that shifted as she moved. The third had red-orange skin, a yellow dress, and horns of flame peeking out of her black hair.
“You brought my...sibling,” Tethyen said archly. “My thanks, Hearthfire.”
The dragon bowed grandly. “One is glad to be of service to the realm.” He turned to look at us. “Milady Alissatelle, you need merely ask and I will return for you and the Lady Purveyor.” Then, with a crack of his wings, he was gone.
“I’m told you’ve called yourself Alissatelle, after our grandmother,” Tethyen said. She sniffed. “I felt the moment of your abdication, you know. Was it as painful for you to give up as it was for me to receive?” She didn’t break eye contact with Alissa.
Alissa broke it and stared at her feet. “I…I didn’t think—”
“No, you’ve always been selfish.” Tethyen’s voice was cold and brittle. “Always thinking about yourself, never your duty. You know that it’s your fault the Elves attacked?”
Fire burned in my chest—we’d barely managed to get Alissa to get over that—and I started forward. A cool hand grabbed my shoulder—the Oak Queen’s daughter.
“That’s enough, Tethyen,” she said. “We’re waiting for the others.”
A rushing wind broke the stony silence. A great wave broke on the shore of the island; it retreated to reveal three new arrivals. A merrow-girl, scaled and webbed-fingered, was leading a bird-person and a waist-high fairy. All wore the same royal finery as the princesses waiting in the pavilion.
Everyone took turns to speak their name into the basin. The Oak Princess was Abalise, and the fire-skinned girl was Saldis, third daughter of the Mountain King. Princess Marinna of the Sea Kingdom had brought Prince Wingberry of the Animal Kingdom, and Princess Morningpetal, the Faery King’s heir. Once Alissa nudged me to identify myself, everyone lapsed into silence. I noticed that we had all clumped to one side of the pavilion.
“Do you have any idea what’s going on?” I whispered to Alissa.
She shook her head. “I only ever came to two Conclaves,” she said. “Tethyen was right in that I rarely thought of my duties as heir.”
A perfect ripple spread across the basin from the far side. Then a ripping sound tore through the dusk air as a portal to the Night Realm opened in front of us. The first two through it had lilac skin under their armour, and fingers like tentacles wrapped around their spears. They took up positions on either side. Next came a princess of the same type, wearing a dress of pebbled turquoise. Taalnis, according to Alissa; she gripped my hand tight enough to hurt. Following them came the last two people I’d ever wanted to see: Alissa’s aunt, the Sorceress Uminora, her skin traced with labyrinths of acid-green lines; and an Elf with a huge growth of green crystal growing out of its ashen head—the same one who’d hijacked Galmaufryn’s scrying.
“What the actual fuck?” I exclaimed, and I wasn’t the only one. Shock and dismay echoed around me. But Uminora held up her hand, and instantly there was silence.
“I am here by invitation,” she said, syrup-smooth. “The Princess Taalnis and entourage was the message. Drune here, and I, come as advisors.” She brushed her hand over Taalnis’ bald head. The Gnome girl’s face was blank, I realised: she was staring into space, slack-jawed.
“Advisors are not to speak in place of their ruler,” Tethyen snapped.
Uminora tapped Taalnis’ head with a sprightly finger. “I invite Uminora to speak for me,” the princess droned.
“Thank you, child,” Uminora said. “We are here to discuss terms of ransom. Surely you all wish to know what price the Elves have set on the return of your friends and family?”
After a moment, Tethyen spoke through the solid silence of the pavilion. “Pray, tell us.”
“Royal blood!” hissed Drune the Elf. “The first child of each kingdom.”
A sick feeling crept into my stomach. Tethyen seemed exactly the type to sacrifice her sister to save her father. Alissa clearly thought so too: she had gone pale and still like she did when she was shutting down from stress.
But Abalise was taking charge. From thin air, she had pulled a gnarled staff of dark red wood; a dark emerald poked out of the head. She slammed the butt of it forcefully into the tile floor.
“We will not trade life for life,” she proclaimed. Her voice sounded like fate, the way her mother’s had. “You waste your time—”
“Not so much blood,” Uminora oozed. “Merely enough for a certain ritual—”
“Only six!” Drune hissed. It peered shrewdly around the pavilion. “Only six here have the seed of the Dreaming power.”
Uminora pointed at Saldis. “You! Where is your eldest sibling? Princep Eadhre? We said we needed the eldest, not the heirs.”
“Xe is bed-ridden,” Saldis said weakly.
“Don’t speak with her,” Abalise snapped. “Elf, what dark magic do you intend with our blood?”
“That’s none of your concern,” Uminora said.
Tethyen seized Alissa’s other arm and hauled her out of my grip. “Take him! I want my father back!”
The next moments were a confused mêlée. People were pulling, people were shouting. A long-bladed knife appeared. I tried to keep my grip on Alissa, but I was somehow getting trampled underfoot. I saw red fire clash with green above me… Then, cutting through the clamour like a clarion:
“Hearthfire, I need you!”
The name of the dragon ended the pandemonium. Even Uminora and Drune stopped. I sat up, heart still pounding, and wiped blood out of my eyes to take stock.
Saldis was badly burned, but standing. Alissa and Tethyen were on the ground, at each other’s throats. The knife was sticking out of Wingberry, little more than a mother-of-pearl handle showing; Marinna was cradling him and whispering something.. Taalnis was underneath her guards, who had enough presence of mind to protect her. Some of the guards from the encampments had come up to the pavilion, too slow to do anything.
And there was the Hearthfire. He shouldn’t have been big enough to fit in the pavilion, but he was perched on the far side of the basin. He stared down at Uminora and Drune.
“I’m not afraid of you,” Uminora said levelly.
“You should be.” He breathed a precise lance of golden flame at her. She rolled away, but it still caught her leg, which was burned away to nothing below the knee. As the Hearthfire turned to Drune, the Elf dove for the Night-Realm portal. The fire caught the elf in the middle of the back, but not before it had broken off a chunk of crystal from its head and flung it through the portal. The remaining crystal was the only thing of Drune that wasn’t disintegrated. It clattered to the round at the same time the portal closed.
The Hearthfire turned to us. “Now,” he growled. “Who began this? Who drew blood at the Conclave?”
Abalise got to her feet, steadying herself with her staff. “It was Tethyen who drew the knife.”
“They were just asking for blood,” Tethyen whined. She let Alissa go, and we all withdrew from her. “I just want my father back.”
Alissa clung to me as if I could be torn away at any moment. Now her expression was livid.
“Foolish child,” said the Hearthfire. “You should know that blood magic can work great harm.”
Marinna pulled the knife out of Wingberry. She had apparently healed the wound, because no more blood leaked out of the prince. “I call that unbecoming of a princess,” she said.
“Agreed,” said Abalise. “I propose to remove her from the Conclave—”
“You can’t!” Tethyen cried. She was curling herself up into a ball.
“—If Alissatelle will consent to returning.” Abalise looked at Alissa, pointedly ignoring Tethyen.
Without letting go of me, Alissa said, “If I had known what a poor replacement waited for me, I might have done things differently. Albeit I would not have met my Brooke.” She kissed me on the cheek. My heart rate and breathing finally returned to something like normal.
“All in favour?” Abalise asked.
Saldis, Morningpetal, and Marinna raised their hands. Wingberry nodded weakly.
Abalise turned to Tethyen at last. The oak girl loomed over the pathetic princess. “Until such a time as you are fit and placed to rule, you are removed from the Conclave.” She turned away. “Captain Malgerius, escort Princess Tethyen from the White Island.”
After that, Taalnis and Wingberry were taken off to the Alabaster Tower for convalescence. Uminora and the Elf-stone were taken off to one of the camps. Alissa conferred with the Conclave for a few minutes, and then we stepped outside the pavilion with the Hearthfire. He was back to being massive again.
“You are fortunate, Princess, that it was not my turn to watch over the Dreaming Empress. The Nightwind or the Moonwhelm would not be so generous with their time.”
“Well, we’re glad you were here,” I said. “I couldn’t do a thing. I felt useless… At least at the store, I know what rules everyone’s playing by.”
“You can’t fight all my battles for me,” Alissa said.
“What’s happening next?” I asked, nodding in the direction of the pavilion.
Alissa didn’t answer for nearly a minute. “I must stay,” she said at last. “My people need a proper leader right now, and the Conclave will need to meet frequently.”
My heart dropped. “Can’t I stay?”
“The Korner needs a Lady Purveyor,” Alissa said. “It’s part of the Accords.”
“But it’s only once a month, I could—”
“Things are changing fast, milady,” the Hearthfire rumbled. “The Elves are rupturing the boundaries of Atrania. The Door will open much more often.”
I have a half-hearted chuckle. “Well, there goes my social calendar. My pen-pal is in Elf jail, and my girlfriend is ‘working abroad’…”
Alissa wiped away the tear I was trying to ignore. “We will talk as often as I am able. But if you need more assurance…” She turned. “Abalise! Would you witness a contract for me?”
Abalise came over. Her head of leaves was shading more autumn from the stress of the evening. “Of course, sister.”
Smiling, Alissa turned back and looked up into my eyes. “Lady Brooke of the Korner, my sweetheart: would you accept a betrothal?” She produced a silver ring set with three pieces of smoky quartz. “I purchased this from Michael of the Hill last week. Lily said it was traditional, and I thought this stone matched your eyes.”
I stared at the ring. I was exhausted, I was stressed, and my brain had just gone blank. There was some kind of emotion at the end of the tunnel, but I couldn’t quite grasp it. Alissa was staring at me, and I idly noticed that she was holding her breath in.
“A response is traditional, at this point,” Abalise said. Her face hadn’t changed, but there was warmth in her voice.
I swallowed. “Going down on one knee is traditional,” I croaked.
Alissa squealed in delight. She kneeled, and I held out my hand for her to slip the ring on. Then she pulled me down and pressed her lips tight against mine. We didn’t come up for air until Abalise coughed pointedly.
“I witness this betrothal,” she said, and left us alone.
“Sir Madrigan is gonna lose his shit,” I muttered. “I hope he hasn’t let Galmaufryn and the kobolds wreck the place.”
“Let us find out,” said the Hearthfire. “The night wanes, and I needs must be elsewhere, milady.”
Alissa kissed me one last time, and I let the dragon pull me away. My future was murkier than it had ever been, but for once there was a solid place there, an anchor to point my heart towards. Something to truly live for.