The Ashen Queen Page 9

  There were multiple scenes in front of them now continually changing, showing the boy roaming the countryside, people and animals dropping dead in his wake, the woman moving silently through the streets of the city, people crying and falling to the ground behind her.

  “But the old man was smart, he refused to give in to the craving, for there was something he wanted more… power, he had lived on the streets his whole life, at the mercy of others; he wanted to be the one in control. He had heard the rumors of others like him, so he set out to find them. He traveled all across Latheria, finding others like himself and so the cult began, by the time the rumors reached the royal families it was almost too late. The cult had grown to a terrifying number; they roamed the countryside of Darnu, killing as they went.”

  The crowd was transfixed as they watched a group of people moving from village to village, houses burned and bodies lay motionless as they passed.

  “The King of Darnu sent out his army, five thousand soldiers, all slaughtered. The King sent urgent messengers to the other countries of Latheria, begging for help. They all sent their best fighters.”

  A great battle appeared before them. Plains filled with soldiers, marching towards a small group of people standing in a circle, she watched as they too were slaughtered and heard the terrifying sounds of laughter coming from the cult members and the boy from the farm covered in blood.

  Sofia knew it was an illusion, but it was terrifying just the same. The scene changed to a group of royals all gathered together in a large tent, arguing loudly. One voice rang out above the others.

  “I have an idea.” A small woman in a long robe spoke as she stepped into the tent.

  ‘’It was a historian from Eliador that spoke.” The narrator continued. “She had heard rumors of the cult and had spent months scouring the books in her library for a solution. But it came not from history, but from a story her grandfather used to tell her. A story of a wolf that had been banished from its pack and from the woods it called home. The wolf had been banished using magic performed by a group of humans. It had given her an idea, it was clear now that the cult could not be stopped, but perhaps they too could be banished. If they combined all of their magic together, using the ancient language. The ancient language had been long forgotten by most, only the royals families still had that knowledge, and so they worked together through the night, and the next day one member of each royal family gathered together to create the most powerful act of magic ever seen, the great banishing.”

  The battle scene appeared again, and the same small group stood together in the middle of the plains, only this time bodies littered the ground around them. The royals approached the group chanting, and a great shimmering wall of light appeared and drove the cult into the dark woods, the light surrounded the whole woods, trapping the banished inside.

  The crowd erupted into applause but Sofia just felt sick to her stomach, she forced a smile and applauded politely. She looked over to see the King frowning. She knew that a lot of it had been dramatized but it was still a terrifying story, not particularly suitable for children, she thought, she hoped Lucy hadn’t been scared by it.

  There had been many stories over the years about the banishing, but no-one actually knew the whole story of what had happened that day, all the royals who had performed it had died while doing so, the power had been too great for their bodies to endure. There had been few witnesses, and they had all been too far away, they had seen the barrier appear and drive the cult into the woods but when they had gotten closer there was no trace of the royal family members, they had vanished as if into thin air.

  So they had declared the cult banished, forever trapped in the barrier that now surrounded the entire woods, they believed the royals had sacrificed their lives to create the barrier, word spread throughout Latheria and people celebrated the sacrifices of the royals. Until, over time, they forgot, only remembering at times like this. Her grandfather had always been skeptical of the stories though. He didn't trust them, never believe something you haven't seen with your own eyes Sofia, he used to say to her, there are always two sides to every story.

  CHAPTER 13

  Sofia was glad when the day was over. It had been exciting at times, but it had also been a lot of sitting and smiling, and she had grown restless. She had watched the girls on her list closely and wasn't surprised they all made it through the day fairly easily.

  Kyla, she noticed, never hesitated, she was always sure of herself and her abilities, even with a gigantic bull charging at her. Sofia envied her confidence. The King was even impressed and had mentioned to Sofia she would make an excellent Queen's Guard. She just hoped her mother hadn't heard his comment or she would badger Sofia about it until she gave in and chose Kyla.

  Claire was also doing well. Her opponents were constantly having trouble getting around her duplicates. She used them as a shield around her only stepping out to deliver the finishing blow. She was not as openly confident as Kyla, more calculating, always considering before she acted which Sofia thought could make her a valuable Guard.

  Megan, on the other hand, was trouble, without a doubt, she briefly wondered how she had even made it onto the list until a couple of matches in, and they saw just how powerful she was. She ended up dropping a mountain of bricks down on her poor opponent, probably breaking a lot of bones in the process. The sheer number wasn't even the most impressive part it was the fact that there were no bricks in the arena. Mal wasn't very happy and had given her a warning, but Meghan hadn’t seemed at all worried, she was too busy waving and bowing to the crowd, she was enjoying this too much. Yet the very idea that choosing her would infuriate her mother meant Sofia was reluctant to rule her out just yet.

  Stephanie seemed to be struggling the most out of all the girls. She was undoubtedly impressive in her eagle form, but she was a little slow to shift, and once her fellow competitors figured that out, they were always quick to make the first move. Her matches were only getting harder and harder.

  Daniella was doing well, although not as powerful as Megan, she could hold her own in a fight, although, unlike Megan, she appeared hesitant to actually hurt anyone and that had almost cost her the match more than once. Sofia wasn’t sure if either Stephanie or Daniella would make it to the end of the second day.

  She had also seen one of the sailors from the Stone Inn compete, the dark-haired man, and to her delight, he was knocked out easily. He had been on the other side of the arena, but she had caught the end of the fight.

  Cole and Jack had both made it through, to nobody's surprise, although Lady Elaine seemed to find the whole thing too much and spent most of Cole’s matches with her hands covering her face. Lucy couldn’t stop talking about Cole as they made their way back to the carriages, she had always had a crush on him, just like everyone else it seemed. Sofia sighed and leaned her head back on the seat of the carriage, she was surprised at how tired she was, seeing as she hadn’t really done anything. Lucy continued to chatter on, and she felt her eyes drift shut.

  Sofia was jolted awake as the carriage came to a stop at the palace gates, they passed through, and she stretched her neck from side to side trying to loosen the muscles. It had been a long day of sitting, and she felt stiff all over, she would have loved to go down to the training grounds, but as soon as they arrived at the palace, their mother rushed them back to their rooms to get ready for the party that night. Sofia was already exhausted just thinking about it, and she would have to go through this every night until the tournament was over. Lucy had already passed out in the carriage on the way home and had been sent straight to bed.

  As with the previous night, she stayed by Alex's side most of the night making conversation with the other ladies, but when there was a break in conversation, she took the moment to pull him aside and ask him something that had been bothering her.

  “What was that with your father? Before the tournament started.”

  “Oh that, it's nothing” he replied shaking his head,
she nudged him, and he reluctantly continued. “Father wanted all of my guards to enter the tournament, as a show of strength.”

  “And you disagreed.”

  “Yes, I don't think it’s wise to let everyone know what my guard's abilities are and Mal agreed, needless to say, Father wasn't happy.”

  Sofia thought Alex was being smart, it was rumored that other countries sent spies to the tournament, but even if that wasn’t true, it was still a good idea for Alex to keep at least some of his guard's abilities quiet. She knew Bordonia, in particular, were very secretive about their own abilities and were very strict when ambassadors were visiting. They were at peace at the moment, but their relationship with Bordonia had never really recovered from the last war, Mal often spoke of growing tensions between the two countries, and after what Alex had said about recent skirmishes, surely it was better for them to be a bit more cautious.

  And it also made sense, choosing Cole and Jack to compete, everybody already knew Cole's abilities, he had trained with all the other nobles as children, and none of them could keep a secret, and Jack, well after the incident when he was younger, his abilities were hardly a secret either. As for the others, she didn't think a lot of people knew much about their abilities, Sofia only knew because she trained with them and she had been told by Mal when she started she was not to talk about their training with anyone.

  As for the Kings guards, none of their abilities were a secret. She had overheard her father talking and knew he thought the King should be more cautious at times. Perhaps this was one of those times.

  “It's just a tournament, why does everyone care so much,” Sofia asked, suddenly frustrated, “I mean, I understand why someone from a poor family would care but for the nobles, it's just the prestige, the honor of being declared the best in Arandale, there are much bigger matters to worry about.”

  “Yes, there are.” He agreed to her surprise before they were interrupted by yet another Lord congratulating Alex on his Guards performances. Why they were congratulating Alex and not Cole and Jack she did not understand.

  Although Cole had been notably absent for most of the night, Elizabeth Sutton had been all over Cole the moment he had arrived, no surprises there. Cole had had a sour look on his face as Elizabeth flirted with him, luckily Blake came to his rescue, and he had disappeared after that.

  All of Alex’s Guards were at the party, although Hayden, Lee, and Jack generally avoided parties if they could, they were all forced to be there during the tournament. Blake normally liked to attend anyway so he could flirt with the noble ladies as did Cole if he was in the mood. Jack, however, hated parties and had spent the entire night hiding in corners, brooding. But still, plenty of girls fawned over him, whispering behind their hands and sending him longing looks but none were game enough to approach.

  She excused herself to get some food, the party was not a sit-down dinner, and she had barely eaten all day, so she was starving, unfortunately, as soon as she stepped away from Alex, she was immediately accosted by the Hallewells’. She almost groaned out loud in frustration.

  “So, who do you think is going to win Sofia?” Chelsea asked, taking her arm.

  Before she could respond though Rachel jumped in. “Of course it’s going to be Cole, nobody else stands a chance, in fact, we should congratulate him on his performance today.”

  “Yes, you should! He is right over there.” Sofia said indicating to Cole where he stood not far away, talking to Lord Richmond.

  “But we wouldn't want to leave you on your own,” Chelsea replied.

  “I’m sure I’ll survive.” She muttered under her breath.

  “Then again,” Janet added, “Parker did look very impressive out there,” she looked over at him smiling, he caught her looking and winked. She blushed.

  “Honestly Janet, he wasn't good enough to make a guard how could he possibly win?” Chelsea chastised, she had her back to Parker and didn't see him approaching.

  He bristled. “Don't worry Chelsea, I have something up my sleeve.”

  “My Lady.” He said turning to Sofia and, ignoring the others, he reached out and took her hand, kissing the back of it, she tried not to squirm. “I’ll make your Prince regret not choosing me as a guard.”

  “Oh, I doubt it.” She replied smoothly, and he frowned, he still had a hold of her hand and squeezed it tighter.

  “I wouldn't be so sure.” He replied narrowing his eyes.

  She saw Hayden approaching from the corner of her eye and Parker suddenly let go and stepped back as if nothing had happened.

  “Have a good night, Princess.” He said quietly, looking at her intently before walking away.

  There was a tense silence which was broken by Chelsea, “see Janet, he's clearly unhinged. The humiliation of failing to become a guard has made him delusional, you should stay away from him.”

  Sofia couldn't help but agree with her, there was definitely something off about Parker, he was never that serious.

  Hayden arrived at her side, “My Lady, the Prince has asked for you.”

  “Of course, thank you.” She said excusing herself and following Hayden, to her surprise, he led her over to the tables of food set up against the back wall.

  He smiled. “I thought you would be hungry.”

  “Starving more like it.” She said through a mouthful of bread. “How did you know?”

  “You're always hungry.” He said grinning.

  She just laughed and grabbed a plate, piling it with food.

  “So what was that with Parker?” He asked frowning.

  “No idea, “ she said honestly “but I think Jack needs to watch his back over the next couple of days. Parker has definitely not gotten over being beaten by him for the guard position.” She said shoveling food into her mouth, very unladylike but it was only a matter of time before her mother found her, so she had to be quick.

  “I’m not surprised, I'll let him know,” Hayden said, he looked concerned.

  “Oh and keep an eye out for my mother,” Sofia added glancing around.

  He grinned. “Don’t worry she’s talking to the Queen, that should keep her distracted for a while.”

  The party finally ended after a lot more dancing and an uncomfortable conversation with the Queen and her mother regarding her guards. Her mother acted as if Sofia wasn't there, happily telling the Queen the guards Sofia would be choosing.

  “Of course, it will all depend on the outcome of the tournament, we can't very well have guards who can't even make it past the second day,” her mother said chuckling.

  “Of course,” the Queen agreed, watching Sofia closely while Sofia tried hard to keep her expression neutral. She was furious, but she did not want to have an argument with her mother in the middle of a party, especially in front of the Queen.

  “Although perhaps we have to make an exception with the girl, Megan, she seems hardly suited to the role, she has such a temper on her, I don't think she would be a wise choice,” her mother continued.

  “No, I don't think so either. Sofia, what is your opinion on the matter?” The Queen asked.

  She groaned inwardly but spoke calmly, “well, I would hate to judge prematurely, I think we should wait and see what happens over the next couple of days before deciding anything.”

  Her mother glared daggers at her, but she refused to meet her eye. Luckily they were interrupted by the musicians’ who were just starting to play, and she spent the rest of the night being twirled around the dance floor, just like the previous night she barely had a moment's rest and her feet soon began to ache.

  It was close to midnight by the time she was able to escape the suffocating dress she had been forced to wear. Exhausted she collapsed into her bed, burrowing underneath her covers wishing she didn’t have to get up and do it all over again the next day.

  CHAPTER 14

  The second day of the tournament turned out to be far more interesting than the first. During one of the first matches of the day Cole had almost
been knocked out by a city man who had the unusual ability to grow vines from his fingers and toes, it had caught everyone by surprise, how he had managed to keep it a secret for that long was impressive. They had been sparring with swords when all of a sudden the vines just appeared at Cole’s feet, wrapping around his ankles and pulling him to the ground, holding him in place while the man rained blows down upon him, it happened so fast Cole hadn’t even seen it coming, and neither had anyone else. Cole just barely managed to stay conscious enough to use his fire magic to burn the vines around him, causing the man to jump back into a sinkhole that Cole opened up behind him.

  She knew Cole would be furious that he underestimated his opponent. Sofia was surprised, Cole would have never made that mistake during training, perhaps he was more nervous than she had thought. Although losing one match wouldn’t mean he was knocked out of the tournament it would still affect his scores and wouldn’t look good for Alex.

  The biggest surprise of the day, however, happened outside of the arena. During the morning break, she saw out of the corner of her eye a small, blonde haired girl poke her head into the room, judging from her clothes Sofia assumed she wasn't a noble but she looked vaguely familiar, and she wondered if the girl was a competitor. She watched her curiously, then suddenly she was gone, Sofia startled, looking around for the girl and noticed a blur of movement at a nearby table where food seemed to be disappearing but she was so fast nobody else seemed to notice her. Sofia was impressed and kept watching, the blur stopped for a second materializing back into the girl as she grabbed a glass of wine, she looked up and caught Sofia’s eye and, to her surprise, winked before disappearing back into a blur again. Sofia almost laughed out loud, she couldn’t wait to find out who this girl was and she kept a close eye out for her during the afternoon's matches.