The Flame of Wrath (41 page)

             
“The Sorceress?” Autumn had only heard whispers of the Sorceress. It was said that her powers far exceeded those possessed by any sorceress before her.

             
“Yes,” Angelos said. “Though she has been in power scarcely a year, she has proven to be a cautious soul. She analyzes everything. Her mind is...” He paused, thinking of what he knew of the Lucidian Queen. When he felt his daughter's eyes upon him, he met them fully. “Her mind,” he began again, “far surpasses her predecessors.”

             
Autumn suddenly realized what her father was saying. It caused her heart to leap into her throat where it beat loudly as emotion-filled words. “Could she best Aurea?” she whispered.

             
Angelos' eyes voiced his uncertainty, even as his voice said otherwise. “That is why the Empress has her generals. It is our job to ensure that does not happen.” Regardless of his loathing for Aurea, he loved his land, his people. Because of this, he would defend them.

             
The dark-haired Princess scoured the depths of her father's eyes for the truths he kept hidden.

             
“What troubles me most,” the King mused as he played with his beard, “is that Lucidia would not attack us directly over neutral land, even if that land is the Holy Land. She would only move against us if we had desecrated Lucidian boundaries.”

             
Autumn quietly regarded her father's respect for the Lucidian Queen. “Do we know of any other action taken to violate the treaty?”

             
“I do,” a voice answered from the doorway.

             
The King and Princess were shocked to see a peddler in tattered wares. He leaned against the long staff he clasped with both hands.

             
When his head lifted, Autumn drew in a sharp breath. “Soren!” She rushed forward, wrapping her arm around her friend as she guided him toward a comfortable chair.

             
The druid sat down with a grateful expression washing over his face.

             
“What has happened?” Autumn asked.

             
She stared over his tired face, scarcely recognizing it. And yet it was the bandage covering his eyes that frightened her most. “Were you hurt?”

             
Soren pulled the heavy bandage away from his head. Slowly he shook his head. “No, dear friend, but such steps were necessary to hide my identity,” he explained, referring to his crimson eyes.

             
Autumn reached upward to touch a lock of his long hair. It was matted and stained from its once auburn length. As her fingers drew away, she rubbed them together recognizing soot.

             
“Another precaution,” he explained.

             
Drawing closer to the fatigued druid, Angelos placed his hand upon his shoulder. “Tell us what you know, my friend.”

             
“There is word among the resistance that the Empress has sent two divisions across the border.”
              “What?” the father and daughter gasped as one.

             
Soren took in the horror which emanated from their beings. “They inhabit a small town near the border where they have begun construction.”

             
“On?” Angelos asked.

             
“We don't know.”

             
King Angelos felt the muscles of his jaw dancing with tension. “I can guess,” he said.

             
As Soren and Autumn awaited his theory, Angelos returned to the map. “With two sides building, it would not take long before Aurea had a means of full scale invasion.”

             
“A bridge,” Autumn whispered in realization.

             
The Princess joined her father at the map. Her eyes immediately went to the place her father had shown her previously. It was the one place on the ominous canyon where the borders were closest together. Still, close was hardly an adequate description.

             
The two domains might have been two separate worlds for all the closeness which existed between them. A bridge would be an extensive undertaking, but it was the only way for an army to cross. By air, the weaponry required could never be transported. It was far too heavy.

             
“We believe that Aurea will confirm that Pyros has already crossed Lucidian soil during the meeting of generals,” the druid said.

             
Soren stared down at the lingering energy resonating on the floor where the family had walked. “There's something else,” he added somberly. His tone caused the royals of Angels to look in his direction with respectful silence.

             
“We have learned that the invasion was led by Angelos.”

             
Angelos III slumped forward at the mention of his son's name. The knotting in his stomach warned him that he should have suspected his involvement. Yet despite that feeling, something inside of him could not have allowed him to even think it. Why was it that he still struggled with the unconscionable acts committed by his own son?

             
Autumn's face blanched. Gone was the beauty of her olive skin. It was replaced by the pale sickness of regret and sorrow.

             
“Are you sure?” the King asked hoarsely.

             
“Our intelligence has been correct thus far,” Soren answered sadly. “There is no reason to doubt them now.”

             
King Angelos could only nod. He reassuringly squeezed Autumn's arm. Together, they shared a moment of silence.

             
When that silence broke, it was beneath the hammer of the King's voice. “I am expected at the palace.”

             
“I will join you,” Autumn insisted. She reeled at the thought of her father alone in Aurea's palace. The danger he would face there was a bitter certainty.

             
Angelos shook his head. He had only just secured Autumn from Aurea's clutches. He had no desire to usher her back to them. “No, daughter. You must stay here and prepare the troops since I cannot.”

             
Autumn wanted to protest, but knew that her father was right. If they were on the cusp of war then someone would need to remain behind to rally their soldiers to arms. She decided upon a safe compromise. “Take the Guardians.”

             
Hearing the tone in her voice, Angelos nodded. “I will summon Zahara and the others at once.” He kissed her cheek before taking his leave.

             
As King Angelos walked silently down a quiet hallway, his mind flashed to the visions presented to him by the Oracle. He felt those images around him like a staticky cloud. Still, he forged ahead to war and to perhaps the death of all he knew.

********

              The war-room was in an uproar. Voices bled together in a great mess of chaos. Fists pounded against the surface of the massive table. Eyes flashed in heated passion. Then suddenly silence reigned over the room.

             
The Empress' arrival had gripped the generals with such force that it threatened to choke them all. Her intense blue eyes scanned the generals who were awkwardly shifting beneath her gaze. Flaming pupils flickered beneath the winds of rage as she caught sight of Angelos III, who had Zahara and another Guardian standing at his back with clasped hands.

             
“Your Majesty, is it true?” a general asked nervously.

             
The Empress moved to the head of the table. She sat within the chair as though it were a throne. Her crown glinted with all the radiance of her golden hair. Her expression gave nothing away, least of all her innermost desires for this meeting.

             
Only when she felt compelled to speak did she answer his question. “We are at war with Lucidia,” Aurea declared.

             
The loud panic which had once filled the room returned with zealous intent. Aurea attempted to put an end to its pandemonium, but not even she could subdue it.

             
Angelos lifted his voice above the others. The sheer fact that he had spoken compelled the others to reverent silence. Among his peers, he was a legend worthy of the utmost respect. “Brothers, Sisters,” he soothed. “We must be calm. All this shouting solves nothing.”

             
Aurea's eyes narrowed heatedly upon him. She did not need or want Angelos' help in anything. Let alone in controlling others. As the room grew respectfully quiet, she rethought her position on accepting Angelos' help. Perhaps if she governed how he could aid her, his assistance might be tolerable.

             
“Why have we declared war?” the general from Shadow Reign asked calmly. He was every bit the personage of his cousin, Donovan. His demeanor was calm and steady unlike many in the room.

             
“My reasons are my own,” Aurea answered flatly.

             
“With all due respect, Empress,” Donovan's cousin countered. “If we are to send good men and women to possibly die in this war, they will need more than that.”

             
Aurea's being tensed visibly. She clenched the arms of her chair tightly then released them with a lengthy calming breath. “Of course,” she said, regaining her composure. “It has come to our attention that the Lucidians are preparing their forces to attack.”

             
“But why?” the General from Blessed Vine asked. “We've coexisted with them for centuries.”

             
Aurea met the woman's eyes with an earnest expression. “They are angry that we have taken Logos under our protection.”

             
“Protection?” the woman asked in confusion.

             
“Yes,” the Empress said. “We had to conquer Logos as a means of protecting it from the Lucidians who were about to destroy it.”

             
Confusion spread throughout the room like a toxic cancer. It stopped with the people of Angels, Black Flame and Illusion. They saw clearly what the others could not. In their eyes, Aurea was a serpent whose dance hypnotized all who witnessed it, but when one least expected it, her kiss was venomous and deadly.

             
Donovan's cousin suddenly understood why his cousin had taken up such an unthinkable task. The reasons why his cousin would invade Logos had been a mystery to him. It had caused him to lose respect for Donovan. And yet, as he learned the truth of why Donovan had gone, his cousin fell in good favor with him once more. Donovan was defending the history and wonders of Logos not tainting it. This knowledge granted him a certain peace.

             
The Shadow Reign general stood with a sense of great purpose in his every movement. “My Empress, I think I speak for everyone here,” he said, “when I say that we will do whatever it takes to defend the Holy Land from those who would harm it.”

             
Aurea smiled. She rose from her chair then gently clasped his arms. “Our people and our future generations to come, thank you.” She looked away from him, convincing all of her sincerity with her mesmerizing eyes. “All of you,” she added.

             
Chests puffed with pride at those words. They were about to embark upon a great crusade. They were going to defend the glory of their holiest land. The Land of Logos, where they believed the Dragon, Herself, resided above any other plane would be protected from the evils threatening it.

             
Silent servants passed orders to each general. The words were read over carefully. They recognized that the battle-plan was a sound one, but it revealed far more than a mere attempt to keep Lucidia at bay. It betrayed a desire to conquer a great portion of Lucidia for Pyrosian rule. Still, they did not question it. All that mattered now was protecting Logos.

             
As the meeting adjourned, not all were filled with blind faith. Angelos was more wary of Aurea than ever before. He stopped short of the doors when he heard Aurea's voice call out to him.

             
“King Angelos,” she said. “A moment.”

             
The dark-haired king paused with Guardians enveloping him.

             
“Alone,” the Empress added with feigned politeness.

             
Angelos motioned his entourage away. He saw the hesitation in Zahara's eyes before she reluctantly left the room.

             
When they were alone, the King turned toward the Empress. He waited with a defensiveness lingering about his body.

             
“I appreciate your help during the meeting,” Aurea said. She poured herself a glass of wine. Her movements were fluid and at ease. She lifted her head to glance at the King. His stance was that of stone. She smiled all the more intensely. As she opened her mouth to speak again, Angelos interrupted her.