The Lion's Crown (The Emberlyn Chronicles Book 1), page 16
The great entrance hall was transformed. It had been empty when they’d arrived, but the spaces between the columns were now filled with long tables, each able to seat twenty people. Penny tried to count them but lost her count around thirty; she was constantly distracted by some other new sight or sound, and by the time she returned to the count, she had forgotten which table she had left off at.
The Lanosh in attendance were clearly drawn from the upper levels of society. Penny felt out of place, even in the dress that had been brought in and hemmed to fit her. She suspected it was one of Queen Anneli’s, as it had been more than a foot too long. Aside from the length, though, it fit her well. Or she thought so, at least. She had never worn a garment like it and wasn’t sure how it was supposed to fit.
An hour had been spent fussing over her hair after she’d bathed. The woman attending to her did not speak her language as Anneli and Faric did, but they had been able to communicate well enough to get the job done.
She gently ran her hand over the flower laurel that had been woven into her hair and smiled. Even though she felt out of place, she was happy. Queen Anneli’s kindness was genuine; she knew that now. In spite of what she would have to do to all of them before sending them home, Penny found that she quite liked the queen.
Three courses had already been brought out, and each of them had been fruit. Penny had recognized only a few of the fruits but had tried them all. At the third course she realized why they had been separate courses: the first had been light, mild fruits; the second had been slightly richer and sweeter. Now, the third was made up of strongly flavored, dark berries and slightly tart grapes.
Penny picked up another berry and looked to her right, where Sir William was seated. His eyes had lit up when he’d first seen her in the dress. It had immediately made her self-conscious. She felt like the tight, thin garment had every detail of her body on display, and she knew a flush had risen to her cheeks as he watched her take her seat.
Sit Stephen had also noticed her, but his attention had quickly turned elsewhere. Penny’s dress was not the tightest or sheerest by any stretch of the imagination. The people of Lanion did not seem modest in the slightest, and Sir Stephen did not seem to mind.
Like her, the men were also wearing borrowed clothes. It was strange seeing Owen in fancy dress, but the biggest shock had been that he’d shaved his beard. William had also removed the stubble that had accumulated during their journey, and Sir Stephen had reduced his beard to a moustache and a small, pointed goatee.
Penny locked eyes with Sir William as she put the berry into her mouth, but she didn’t have time to wonder about the thoughts behind his gaze. Queen Anneli had spoken, drawing her attention in the other direction. Anneli was seated directly beside Penny, at the center of the long table.
“I’m afraid Faric will not be able to join us,” she said.
Penny raised her eyebrows. “I thought he had already left.”
“He will soon; he has been preparing to leave, which is why you have not seen him. He will return to the North Wood with a small troop. If the Dourosh are active there, it may mean they are preparing for an assault on the pass. We cannot allow them to advance that far.”
Penny turned her head and glanced at William. He was leaning forward, listening. “May I ask a delicate question, Your Majesty?” he said as she turned back.
A smile played around the sides of Anneli’s mouth. “You may.”
“Why is Faric not king? As your brother, would he not be the heir?”
She was relieved when Queen Anneli didn’t react negatively to the question. She had imagined some family scandal that had reduced Faric to the role of a wilderness scout as opposed to taking his place as monarch.
“There is nothing delicate in the matter,” Anneli said, picking up her wine goblet. She sipped at the golden liquid inside then set the cup back down. “In your kingdom, succession passes from father to son. I believe a daughter only becomes queen if there is no male heir. In Lanion, the next sovereign is the one deemed most capable of protecting the people. Due to the nature of the threat we face, that person, man or woman, must be the one who shows the greatest affinity for magic.
“My brother and I both have an affinity, but mine is stronger. And, even though he is brother to the queen, those who have an affinity and can resist Dourok’s corruption are needed on the front lines.”
“So all the soldiers you send to fight the Dourosh have a magical affinity?”
“Not all, but those who have it must form a part of the ranks. Their mere presence can provide some protection to the people they are traveling with. But even these people, left alone, could be vulnerable. Faric, as strong as his affinity is, is able to remain alone in the wilderness, surrounded by the Dourosh and their corrupting influence, for a long time. General Braedok also has quite a strong affinity, and he is able to keep his soldiers safe from corruption. And every one of my royal guard also has an affinity to some degree.”
“How many of your people have this affinity?” Sir William asked. He was leaning over to hear better, and Penny realized his arm was against hers.
“Perhaps one in twenty, but most of them are quite weak, magically speaking. Only one in a hundred is strong enough to become a general, a scout or even a king or queen.”
Penny thought about some of Owen’s strange behavior over the years and how he had seemed to be talking to the wraith before it followed them back to the village. “What about people like us?” Penny asked. “Are any of us ever born with a magical affinity?”
A strange look passed across Queen Anneli’s face. “Why do you ask?”
Penny suddenly felt self-conscious all over again. The queen seemed to be looking past her eyes, into her mind. When the queen’s eyes flashed up and landed on Owen, a few seats down, Penny knew that this woman had just read her thoughts.
Penny leaned against Sir William, feeling like she was about to faint. He saw her distress, and his hand slipped around her arm, holding her upright. Anneli either ignored or didn’t notice it and turned back to her plate of fruit as William lifted a wine goblet to Penny’s lips and made her drink.
After a few moments, she felt better, but she knew she would not be asking the queen any more questions. She was glad to see a new course come out as music began to play from behind them. She turned around in her chair. The musicians had entered silently and were now standing in front of the entrance to the throne room, playing instruments similar to—but not exactly like—instruments she knew of from the outside world.
The music continued throughout the feast, and the courses began arriving more frequently. Penny ate sparingly, not wanting to get overly full in her tight dress, and by the end of the feast she was enjoying herself again. Queen Anneli seemed to have forgotten the earlier incident, and by the time she stood, thanked all her guests and disappeared into the side corridor leading to her chambers, Penny had decided that the matter was over.
Two servants appeared. One took William and Stephen by the arms and led them the other way toward the rooms they’d been given. The other turned in the opposite direction, leading Penny and Owen to the other side of the palace.
“Where is he taking you?” Sir William called after her.
“I’m not certain, but I’ll let you know.”
A moment later, they were through the side door of the great hall. When they went up the steps and passed the balcony, Penny knew where they were going.
The door to Queen Anneli’s chambers was open, and the servant stopped just outside as they entered. The door closed behind them, and Penny and Owen stood near it, looking in on the empty room.
“Please sit,” came Anneli’s voice from behind another door.
This door opened as they sat on the divan, and the queen came into the room wearing a loose, silvery garment that stopped just above her knees; if Penny had to guess, it was her nightgown. Owen grinned as his gaze drifted down to the queen’s long legs, and Penny resisted an urge to kick him. Anneli seemed unbothered, however, and Penny had to remind herself that modesty was not a concern for the Lanosh.
Anneli sat in the armchair facing the divan and deftly folded one leg over the other. “I alarmed you earlier, Penny. I apologize.”
“Your Majesty?”
Anneli shook her head. “In private, I wish to be just Anneli to you. Due to the way our monarchs are chosen, I was not raised surrounded by all of this. In front of my people, I must be formal and unemotional, but I long to speak with someone who doesn’t view me in that way. I have Faric, but he is gone so much of the time.”
Penny nodded.
“You believe,” she continued, “that Owen was speaking to a wraith?”
Owen looked at Penny, his eyebrow cocked. “I… I remember that. When I ran away from you in the Bleaklands?”
Penny took her brother’s hand. “That… and when he was enfeebled, he would often seem to talk to things that weren’t there. I thought it was just because he was simple, that he was playing like a child, but….” She looked from Owen to Anneli.
“Owen,” the queen said, “what is your account?”
Owen frowned. “My memories of Penny and the village are coming to me much more clearly now. But there are other memories… things I can’t quite… they’re foggy.”
Anneli stood, took a few steps and sat on the edge of the divan, next to Owen. She studied his face. “I cannot easily read you the way I can most people. Will you try to help me?”
“How?”
“Picture us standing in a dark room together. Then imagine the curtains being thrown aside, bathing us in bright, pure sunlight.”
Owen nodded, and Anneli rested her forehead against his, staring into his eyes. Penny sat still, watching, barely breathing, not wanting to interrupt whatever was happening.
After several minutes, Anneli leaned away from Owen and took a deep breath. “There are creatures aside from those we can see with our eyes,” she said. “Formless things. Things most people cannot perceive. They are mostly harmless and rarely do anything that we would take notice of.”
“Are you saying Owen can see them?” Penny asked.
Anneli nodded. “See and speak with. The wraith is a type of formless creature. It exists between their world and ours and can be seen by us; it can hurt us and we it. Others exist fully in their world, and only very rare individuals can see them.”
Penny felt a chill run down her spine. All the times Owen had been speaking to himself, had he really been talking to creatures she didn’t know were there? “Does it mean,” she said quietly, “that he has an affinity?”
Anneli nodded. “In your people, a magical affinity is a very unusual thing indeed. Perhaps one in a million has it, and most of the time it is too weak to be of any consequence.” She reached past Owen and ran her hand down Penny’s cheek. “And you should know that such gifts tend to run in families.”
“You mean I might have it?”
“Yes.”
“How… how could I be sure?”
Anneli looked back at Owen. “In his case, we know because of his unique gift to perceive the formless things. Otherwise, there is a test… one must be exposed to raw magical energy. Every Lanosh undergoes this upon reaching maturity, and those who have no affinity… well, some have been driven mad. But that is rare. Most are merely drained of all mental and bodily energy. They must be cared for until they recover, and sometimes that can take months.”
“Why not just see if they can use magic?”
Anneli laughed. “My dear girl, the effort required to cast a spell is beyond anything one experiences during the test. Exposure to magic is one thing… shaping it to your will is another thing altogether. For most people, it takes years of training to be able to withstand the strain.”
Penny blushed. “I’m sorry. I don’t know how it works.”
Anneli’s smile remained. “I do not mean to shame you,” she said. “In fact, I find your innocence refreshing. So many of my people take what we do for granted. They don’t fully understand the sacrifices people like me make on a daily basis to keep them safe.”
“Sacrifices?”
Anneli closed her eyes. “Every four hours, day and night, I extend my energy as far as I can, to the edges of the city and beyond, probing for any incursion of Dourosh. The sentinel crystals are a great help, but they can be fooled; I cannot rely on them alone. As I do this, my mind comes into contact with thousands of other minds. I see what they see, I hear their thoughts, I feel their emotions. It is… exhausting. I am never not tired. Not for one single second of the eleven years I’ve been in power have I not been tired.”
“Can’t you step down?”
Anneli shook her head. “It takes too long to learn everything that must be done as monarch. A few individuals with great affinity are being trained now, being prepared in case I do not live out my natural lifespan, but until they hold this position themselves, there are things they cannot know.”
Penny’s eyes widened as a thought occurred to her. “If Owen and I have a magical affinity, that means we are protected from Dourok. You wouldn’t have to enfeeble us!”
Anneli pressed her lips together. “I… have had that thought. If you are both willing to undergo the test, I can determine the strength of your affinities. Only then can I know if it is strong enough to resist Dourok’s corruption.”
“And Sir William and Sir Stephen?” Owen asked. “Could they also be tested?”
Anneli shook her head. “The test is not something to be taken lightly. I will consider it for the two of you, since your ability to see the formless things proves you have an affinity. As your sister, Penny has a good chance of possessing it as well. But the odds that four from your world, traveling together, would all have an affinity… it is too unlikely to risk the test.”
Owen looked over at Penny. “I think I would like to take the risk… to see if I don’t have to be enfeebled again.”
“And I would like to as well,” Penny said.
Anneli smiled. “Owen, I believe you will pass. The ability to perceive the formless creatures hints at a strong affinity.”
“And if we both pass,” Penny said, “we can go back to our village as we are?”
Anneli nodded. “I would need some guarantees, of course. You would not be permitted to speak of what you have seen here. And I would send a sentinel crystal with you, so I might know if any Dourosh are ever near you.”
“And I imagine you’d watch us, too,” Penny said. “The way you watched General Braedok’s battle?”
“I would. But this is all assuming the test confirms the strength of you affinities.” She stood. “I will let you know when I am prepared to administer the test. Until then, remove it from your minds. There is nothing you can do to prepare, so there is no need to burden yourself worrying about it.”
Anneli gestured for them to rise, and she embraced each of them. As she pulled Penny close, she whispered, “I believe your knight awaits.”
Penny frowned as the queen moved away, but Anneli’s smile remained. “Goodnight, Blackmoors. I will speak with you again in the morning.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Happiness
The servant led Penny and Owen back to their rooms, but after they said good night to one another and the adjoining door was closed, Penny quietly opened the door to the hallway once again. She was relieved to find it empty.
She looked at the door across from her. It was Sir William’s room. Sir Stephen had been given the room opposite Owen. She stepped out into the hallway and closed her door. Three strides took her across the hallway, and before she had a chance to change her mind, she knocked.
William opened the door and smiled as he saw her. “Please come in,” he said, pulling the door wide.
Penny stepped inside and looked around. It was similar to the room she had been given. It also had a door leading to the next room, but it was closed. “Sir Stephen is abed?” she asked.
William nodded. “I believe so.” He gestured her toward one of the armchairs and followed her, sitting in the one she didn’t take. “You were taken to see the queen?”
“Yes.”
“What was it about?”
Penny sighed and looked toward the window. The curtains weren’t drawn, but it was too dark to see anything through the glass except a single illuminated window in a tower rising up from the outer wall of the palace. “There is much to tell, but I don’t feel like talking about that right now.”
William nodded. “Of course. What… what would you like to talk about, then?”
Penny looked at William. His face was soft in the dim firelight. What had Anneli meant when she’d said that her knight was waiting? George was not yet dead a week. Why did Anneli think…? Penny knew she was blushing as William studied her face. Of course. Anneli had seen into her mind. She knew. George or no George, the queen knew what Penny was feeling.
William remained silent, waiting for an answer. She had loved George—at least she thought she had—but that seemed like a lifetime ago. And nothing would bring him back now. What she was feeling was not a betrayal. Was it?
“Our reading lesson, Sir William,” she finally said.
William knotted his brow then smiled. “Yes! Of course. Did you bring your book?”
Penny shook her head. She spied the book of stories about the Hobswood on William’s bedside table and pointed at it. “We could read that.”
William stood and crossed the room. “We’ll need to sit together,” he said, walking to the divan at the foot of the bed. “Here.”
Penny got up, once again feeling naked in her silky dress. She sat next to William and looked down as he opened the book.
“Let me see,” he said. “Ah, I’m certain you remember this word.”
“Yes,” Penny said. “Forest.”
“Good. And this one?”
She frowned. “Folk… folklore?”
William beamed. “Yes! Excellent!”
He scanned the page for another word she would know, but she placed her palm on the book, stopping him. He looked up into her eyes. “You don’t wish to continue?”
