Torvola found herself in a small room adjacent to the throne room. As her eyes cast around the familiar room she couldn’t help the blush that came to her cheeks as she laid eyes on the desk in the corner. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Venera watching her; the queen’s lips twitched in the the subtlest of smirks. At that moment Torvola felt very seen, and she cleared her throat slightly and pretended to be very interested in the map of the kingdom adorning the table in front of her.
Venera turned away from Torvola and addressed the rest of those gathered in the room, “We have much to discuss.”
Venera then nodded to Torvola, “This is Lady Torvola, she was my right hand and most trusted advisor. Torvola, this is my closest council, they are the best and brightest minds of the realm.”
All and all there were four others gathered around the table. A few pages stood along the walls and observed the goings on. A scribe sat at a desk, ready to take notes.
Torvola recognized one of the people at the table, Guin, the guard captain she had seen before. She wasn’t wearing her plate armor but instead wore a sleeveless gambeson and a loose pair of pants. To her right stood a man who was much shorter than she; despite the height discrepancy, he looked similar enough to be her brother with the same dark red hair, pale skin, sturdy build, and green eyes. His hair was much longer than hers and tied back in a braid.
Across the table stood a bearded man adorned in red robes patterned in gold and tied with a sash around his waist. His hair was covered by a white and black scarf that was loosely wrapped around his head, though from the beard, Torvola surmised his hair must be the same dark shade. He caught Torvola looking at him and offered her a friendly smile and nod, “Your tales had made it to even my corner of the continent,” he said, “It’s an honor to meet you.”
“Master Massim is a scholar from the eastern reaches of the continent,” Venera said, “He advises me on all matters of the natural world.”
“And I balance out the opinions of our esteemed Royal Mage,” he said with a good natured grin as he cast a sideways glance at the woman who stood next to him.
She slightly rolled her eyes with a smile, “Ah yes, because your science can explain so much like how I can blast fire from my fingertips.”
“Valid point.”
“Anyway,” the woman said, “I’m Master Streta, as Master Massim’s alluded to — I advise our Queen on all things arcane in nature. I also keep Massim’s head from getting too big for his neck to support.”
Massim let out a sharp crack of laughter.
“Well met Master Streta,” Torvola nodded towards the mage, “When I was last in the presence of the royal council I believe it was Master Moras who had your seat. Is he well?”
“That fossil of a man?” Streta asked, “He’s fine. Doing well for pushing a century really. He stepped down to follow his own pursuits.”
“Well since we seem to be introducing ourselves,” the captain said, “I’m Lady Guin, captain of the Queen’s Guard.”
“I am Lord Uthred,” the man next to her said, “General of the Queen’s army and her right hand.”
Torvola noted how Uthred put a slight emphasis on his role as general and the annoyed glance Guin gave him in response.
Venera cleared her throat, “Now that we’ve introduced ourselves … Let’s focus on the matter at hand.”
Torvola ducked her head to hide her smile; she realized Venera had barely changed in the past fifteen years. The queen had spent most of her formative years away from the clutches of the convoluted dance that was life in the royal class. She was a no-nonsense woman, as direct as an arrow to the heart, and hardly concerned with decorum. Sure she was polite but she had spent the better part of a decade running around the continent with an army to regain her title, sleeping in the mud and cold, fighting hard won battles along side her loyal soldiers.
Venera had learned from a young age that flowery words and empty promises would only get you so far and actions would get you further. It seemed to be a lesson she took to heart and never forgot.
“We need supplies,” Torvola said, “And security – not only for any raiders who may take advantage of the chaos on the coast but if there are more Elders about.”
“Elders?” Massim asked.
“Creatures from the depths below the earth,” Torvola said, “They’re nasty things – skeletal figures barely held together with what little rotting flesh they have left. They’re clad in crude armor. They usually fight in packs, like wild dogs, but the attack on the coast was different.”
“Different how?” Uthred asked. His expression was grim and he and Guin exchanged glances.
“They’re using tactics. This was a large scale attack. If I had to say: it was coordinated along the settlements along the coastline,” Torvola said, “The wave was used to weaken any defenses and scatter organized resistance. Though they’d hardly have to weaken us with the element of surprise. It didn’t take that large of a force to decimate our numbers.”
“And how are you so sure that’s what they were planning?” Guin asked, “This could have been a random event.”
“I’m more concerned with where these Elders went after attacking the settlements by the coast,” Venera said, “It doesn’t sound like you killed them all.”
“If they didn’t retreat back to whatever dark hole they crawled out of, they’d have died with the sunrise,” Torvola said, “They can’t stand the light for too long. I’m not sure why the light hurts them, perhaps it’s due to them being underground creatures.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” Guin said, “How do you know that this was planned?”
“I don’t,” Torvola said, “I’m as much in the dark about this as you are. However, this seemed way too organized to be random.”
Guin didn’t look particularly pleased with that answer, “Still … we could be concerned over nothing.”
“I still want to dispatch our fleet to the coast,” Venera said, “They need supplies and manpower out there and we need to secure our western border in case this was deliberate.”
Uthred spoke up, “And if this was deliberate – why now? What’s their objective?”
“Elders have no objective aside from destruction,” Torvola said tersely. Flashes of the dead bodies of those in her village surfaced, unwelcome, in her mind. She shook her head slightly.
Venera cleared her throat, “It seems safe so far to consider this an isolated incident, perhaps they took advantage of a natural event to attack the surface.”
“It’s been known to happen from time to time,” Torvola said, “On a smaller scale but they do sometimes surface from mine shafts or caves that have been disturbed. We’ve had to fight off a few surface attacks in Flintshire.”
Massim looked troubled, “You mentioned the wave — so this quake must have originated from off shore?”
“Yes,” Torvola said, “I’ve developed a … connection … with some of the sea walkers that frequent the coast.”
She didn’t miss the raised eyebrow Venera gave her.
“They reported a rift on the sea bed where the Elders must have come from. Why?”
Massim stroked his beard, “I’ll need to consult our historical record but from what I remember: we never had a history of any quakes or large waves along the coast.”
“If what Lady Torvola described was true, then opening a rift in the earth to allow an attack of this magnitude would require a lot of power,” Streta said, “Much more power than one mage can handle.”
Massim cast a glance at Streta, “I never said that it was impossible for a quake to happen along the coast, I merely mentioned it had never been recorded in the historical records.”
“We can’t rule out an arcane source for this Massim,” Streta said.
“Well we can’t rule out a natural source for it either,” Massim countered.
“Magic is natural.”
“What have the Seers said?” Venera asked.
Streta sighed, “They’re still convening. I doubt we’ll have an answer until tomorrow at earliest.”
“Those three will bicker until the sun dies,” Massim scoffed.
Streta laughed, “As if you could do any better.”
“I could, it’s all about seeking out patterns-,”
“Enough!” Guin slammed the palm of her hand on the table and all eyes turned to her. Her green eyes flashed as she stared angrily back at those gathered at the table, “We talk as if we’re certain this was somehow a deliberate attack on our lands. I haven’t heard any evidence aside from one woman’s assertion that this was out of the ordinary for their usual tactics. Perhaps they have more intelligence than Lady Torvola thought — you haven’t fought these creatures in a while, yes?”
“It’s been a few decades,” Torvola admitted.
“Instead of fretting about the slim potential of this being an attack on our lands, perhaps we plan a way to aid those who need our help along the coast,” Guin said, “That is a problem we can be sure of.”
Guin finally looked to her queen and seemed to remember where she was and to whom she was speaking to, “My apologies for my outburst Your Majesty. However, we’re squabbling over a situation that seems purely in the realm of fantasy. We have people in need.”
“Well put,” Venera said simply, “I agree, we must focus on the problems we know we have right now. We can investigate this incident further to verify if it’s something to be concerned about but for now we must focus on those who need aid right now.”
“We’ll ready the royal fleet, our coffer should be large enough to handle purchasing the supplies needed to feed the victims of this tragedy and to help rebuild their homes,” she continued, “We should be ready to sail in a week’s time.”
“‘We’?” Torvola asked.
“I intend on accompanying this relief mission,” Venera replied, “I would like to see the damage for myself.”
“I’ll ready the guard,” Guin said.
Torvola was quiet for the rest of the meeting, mind racing with worried thoughts as she thought of Venera going to the coast. Was Guin right? Was she worried over nothing? Mari had been so certain this was something that was not natural, something sinister. What if there was another attack? If something happened to Venera…
‘No,’ she thought, ‘You’re worrying over nothing.’
“Torvola?”
Torvola blinked, snapped out of her thoughts and she noticed she was standing alone in the study … well mostly alone. Venera stood by the table, staring at her with a look of confusion and worry over her features, “Are you alright?”
“If I said yes, would you even believe me?” Torvola asked with the faintest of smiles.
“Most certainly not,” Venera said and she returned the smile, “We haven’t talked in so long. Why don’t we take a walk and get some fresh air?”
They exited the room into a side hall that opened up to a large courtyard and garden. The rain had tapered off leaving a muggy and sunny day in its wake. Mist rose from the cobblestones as the sun beat down on the stone; the rose bushes that lined the edges of the courtyard were beginning to bloom, bright red and pink blossoms filling the air with fragrance.
“You seemed quiet towards the end of our meeting,” Venera said, “I’m sure I know why.”
“I suppose I can’t convince you to reconsider your decision,” Torvola said, “It still may be dangerous out on the coast.”
The corner of Venera’s mouth quirked upwards, “You say that as if I hadn’t spent over a decade riding into battle with you by my side.”
“Have you done that recently?” Torvola asked, “From what I’ve heard: the realm’s experienced an unprecedented peace.”
“Save for one upstart in the southeast? Yes,” Venera said, “However Guin’s kept me in shape.”
“Oh?”
“With my training,” Venera laughed as she lightly shoved Torvola in the shoulder, “Don’t tell me you’re jealous.”
Torvola let out a laugh, “Hardly. She looks like a capable warrior, though perhaps a bit forward at times.”
“Her mind is always on action and hardly on planning,” Venera said, “Not like her brother … not like you.”
“So Uthred is her brother then?” Torvola asked, “I wouldn’t peg him for a general sort.”
“He’d surprise you,” Venera said, “His knowledge of tactics is nearly unparalleled.”
“Given your realm’s peace, how much of that knowledge is battle learned?”
Torvola knew the answer already: Uthred looked to her like he knew books more than battle. She was certain that he had learned from some of the brightest tacticians the continent had to offer. Uthred was a familiar name to her, a name he apparently shared with his father – one of the wealthiest lords in Irozia and a staunch ally to the queen. He had rode into battle with Torvola many a time and had proved his mettle until the very end.
Well now she knew why Guin seemed to bristle at her presence. Uthred seemed unbothered but he also seemed to be more tactful than his sister.
“I’m glad to see that Lord Uthred’s children are doing well for themselves,” Torvola said, “You certainly have put a lot of faith in them.”
They had reached the edge of the courtyard and Venera stared down at a rose bush as if examining it. She reached out and gently cupped one of the blossoms in her hand though she did not pull it from its stem, “It was the least I could do to repay him for his loyalty.”
Her voice was quiet and laden with grief and Torvola’s arm twitched, reflexively coming up to place a comforting hand on Venera’s shoulder. It took all her strength to fight that urge and her hand slowly lowered, “You weren’t the one who led him into battle that day: I was.”
“And I allowed you to go, despite of my better judgment,” Venera said with a sigh as her hand dropped back to her side, “I knew we needed to take the risk and Thoran knows that Caleste was ready to march out there and take the pass herself if we didn’t go.”
Torvola let out a bitter laugh, “The only thing holding her back that day were the healers.”
Venera looked up at Torvola, she reached out and cupped Torvola’s right cheek in her hand with the same gentleness that she had handled the rose. Her thumb smoothed over the scar that marred her right cheek, “You need to forgive yourself for that day.”
“I have — but I still regret every decision I’ve made regarding that battle,” Torvola said, “We almost lost everything.”
“And yet here we are,” Venera said.
They stood in the quiet courtyard in a castle they had paid in blood for, in a land they had retaken battle by brutal battle. Torvola had to remind herself to breathe as she looked into Venera’s eyes. It was the first time in years she had gotten a look at her old lover’s face: wrinkles creased her dark skin, her hair was streaked with gray, her cheekbones stood out a bit more prominently, and her dark brown eyes still held the shine to them that Torvola had remembered from all those years ago.
Her beauty still stole Torvola’s breath away.
“You look exhausted,” Venera said, “Have you gotten any sleep?”
“Not much,” Torvola admitted, “Not since the attack.”
Venera made a sound from deep in her throat as her forehead creased in concern, “How bad?”
“I’ve told you about the losses-,”
“I know you’re not dumb. You know I’m not asking about the numbers of dead or the houses destroyed. I’m asking about you.”
From the look Venera was giving her, Torvola knew she wouldn’t get away with trying to play it off. They had known each other for long enough that Torvola knew Venera could see past her lies and wouldn’t let her get away with it. Her shoulders sagged and she stepped back from Venera, albeit reluctantly. Her cheek felt cold at the lack of Venera’s hand.
A stone bench sat nearby under a tree and she sat down heavily on it. She cradled her head in her hands, frustrated by the fact that this had happened weeks ago and the pain was still as fresh as it had been that night on the hill, “I never wanted to go back to war.”
“I know,” Venera said as she knelt down beside Torvola and placed a hand on her knee, “And you don’t have to. Come with me when I go to the coast, I can take you home.”
Torvola looked at Venera and she could see the pain in her queen’s eyes; she didn’t want Torvola to leave again, to go back to her life on the coast. In all honesty: Torvola wasn’t quite sure she wanted to go back either. There was pain in going back, pain that Torvola wasn’t ready to face again.
“I’m not sure I’m ready to go back,” Torvola said.
“So what will you do?” Venera asked, “Will you stay here then?”
There was genuine hope in her eyes and Torvola felt something stir deep in her chest. Feelings she had kept buried for so long threatened to resurface but she tamped them down, uncertainty dominating her mind.
“I don’t know,” she said finally, “I don’t know.”
Venera looked crestfallen, and the corners of her mouth tugged down into a frown as she stood up, “Take your time Torvola but know this: You can’t keep running from your pain.”