The Secrets of Arach Innis

Secrets of Arach Innis

By Jane B. Night

Copyright 2016 by Jane B. Night

Published by BZ Publishing LLC

Questions or comments please email BZPUBLISHINGLLC@Gmail.com

This is a copyrighted work. No parts of it may be distributed or reproduced without permission of the copyright holder.

This book is a work of fiction. All characters and places are fictitious. Any similarities to anyone living or dead is purely coincidental.

Smashwords Edition

Chapter 1

Bed her

Young

Vows

Poor child

Alicia tried to push away the voices that plagued her. She had come to the chapel to pray but as she had fervently begged the Blessed Virgin to change her father's mind she had left her own mind vulnerable to the thoughts of those around her. At the moment that was her lady's maid, the priest, and half a dozen other supplicants who had also come to the chapel to pray.

She rubbed her temples as she tried to push the noise back down to a dull hum that sounded like fifty bees buzzing in her brain.

Another headache? Mara, her lady's maid, asked.

Alicia nodded. Mara reached out and pulled the cloak tighter around Alicia's shoulders.

Shall I take you back to your room?

I want to pray for a few more minutes, Alicia said. She hated when Mara treated her as if she was about to break. It was hard to keep the voices at bay. It made her feel so tired and weak. She longed to return to the days before the voices.

You need to keep up your strength. The journey to Eideard will be difficult. I have to say I was surprised your father arranged for a marriage so far from Zelig. I shouldn't say so, I know. I just wish he had decided to send one of your sisters instead.

He had his reasons, Alicia said.

Yes m'lady, Mara said. It was what any servant would be expected to say. Alicia wished she could confide in Mara why it was she and not one of her sisters who were being sent to Eideard.

Sending her to Eideard had been Stephanus's idea. He was her oldest brother and heir to the Zelig throne. Stephanus had been in the room when the announcement of her marriage was made and the shock of the news had broken down Alicia's defenses causing the thoughts from his mind to leak into hers.

She had gotten only pieces, but it was enough for her to see why she had been chosen though she was only sixteen and had two sisters who were older.

She had been chosen for her fragility. Her father had been forced, by the Emperor, to make a peace offering with those who controlled Eideard. Zelig and Eideard were both the largest and strongest kingdoms of their respective empires. It made sense that they should be matched to keep peace in the lands.

Stephanus didn't feel the same allegiance to the emperor and his wishes as their father did. He planned to completely take over Arach Innis, the continent that held Eideard as well as thirteen other minor kingdoms. All were led by barbarian kings who were little more than chieftains. Stephanus was sure that they could be overpowered by his numbers and weapons if only he could plan a proper attack but their father wouldn't have it. There was too much unrest in their own lands and he believed they needed to focus on calming Zelig and the Empire of the North. Their father wasn't a young man any more and Stephanus had glory, power, and land in his mind. Zelig, the little kingdom that was his birthright, was nothing compared to all of Arach Innis.

On maps Zelig was a small shape on a much larger land surrounded on all sides by water. None of the maps she had seen showed what was past the water but she guessed Arach Innis must be out there somewhere. She had always thought the world simply ended at the waters and she had never thought there was anyone who lived anywhere but on the same land as she did.

When her father had been pushed into offering a daughter as a wife of the Prince of Eideard, whose father hadn't been in power for very long, Stephanus suggested her. He planned to send the Eideard Prince a bride who would be too weak to provide an heir. She might very well die trying but that was just as well. Without an heir the new monarchy couldn't maintain their place and the lands would be ripe for Stephanus to conquer. She wondered if he would at least have the decency to wait until she was dead to attack her new husband.

Please Blessed Virgin, don't let me be used as a pawn for war she silently prayed. The Blessed Virgin was always said to love peace and hate war but so many monarchs, including her father, felt no remorse at fighting in her name and having her symbols sewn on the uniform's of their soldiers.

Help me, Alicia said softly. Mara reached out her arm and Alicia grabbed onto it and pulled herself up. Mara put her arm around her back and Alicia shuffled her feet as they slowly left the chapel. The priest smiled at them as they passed. Mara smiled back but Alicia didn't. She hadn't cared for the thoughts the aging priest was having about her companion.

She wondered if her Prince would ever have such thoughts about her. She supposed he would have to if they were to even attempt to make the needed heir.

Drops of rain began to fall as they crossed the courtyard further chilling the air. By the time they reached the doorway leading into the palace entrance the rain was falling in earnest and both she and Mara were soaked to the bone. She felt Mara shivering and wondered if it had been selfish to insist they go to the chapel to pray. The chapel wasn't far. A healthy princess and her lady's maid could have been there and back in the amount of time it would have taken to sing the five verses of She Gives Life which was Alicia's favorite song. Mara sang it along with three other songs from the chapel door to the door of the palace.

Alicia panted as a manservant stepped forward and lifted her up into his arms. She leaned her face against his shoulder and closed her eyes. The buzzing in her head was deafening now. She tried to push the noise down but instead of fading to a dull hum the voices became shouts and the room began to spin. Alicia groaned and a moment later everything around her went black.

***

Rodion looked up from his chessboard as his father entered the library.

Are you still not speaking to me?

Rodion shook his head.

You can't stay mad at me forever, his father said. Rodion was pretty sure he could but he wasn't about to say so. He was glad his father had chosen to meet him in the library which was the largest room in the castle excepting the great hall. He was afraid that if he had to be as close quartered with his father as a meeting in either of their chambers would necessitate that his rage might make his raise a fist to his father and that was not what princes did to kings.

I'll return in a while, Uleric, his best friend and chess partner of the moment, said. He bowed first to the King and then to Rodion before retreating. Rodion wished he was able to join him.

Rodion looked away from his father and out the large window divided into pieces by mullions which supported the rolled animal horn covering that let in light but prevented rain from injuring the books. They were all lined neatly on shelves that completely covered the walls of the room save where the door, window, and fireplace were. The library was the first thing his father had ordered built during his reign.

Rodion folded his arms over his chest.

His father sighed and then sat down across from him in the spot Uleric had vacated. Rodion wished he had chosen any other place to sit. He could have chosen from the long table in the center of the room with ten chairs, another chess table, several carved benches, or four leather lined chairs.

You will understand all this when you are older.

I'm seventeen! Rodion shouted and then immediately regretted breaking his silence. He slumped back against his chair.

Yes, you are. You think you know everything but you know next to nothing.

I know that I shouldn't be forced to marry some girl I have never met.

You are right. You should not be. Unfortunately, these are difficult times. At the first sign of weakness the kings to the north and east will attack us.

He knew his father was only speculating but Rodion had to agree it was possible. The history his tutors had taught him showed that larger countries often swallowed smaller and weaker ones.

His father stood up and walked across the room to caress a gilded globe on a matching stand. The globe was etched with a map of all the lands that had been discovered at the time of its creation though the many scholars who had tutored Rodion said there could still be lands that explorers had not found. He watched his father caress Arach Innis lovingly as if the land was his child instead of Rodion.

Arach Innis was shaped like a dragon curled in slumber with its face resting on its tail. Between the tail and the face of the dragon was a space where the Gate of Mist lay. An inlet made up the wings of the dragon across from the Gate of Mist. Eideard lay between the two.

To the north and east of Arach Innis were large land masses. The land mass north of them was five times the size of Arach Innis and ruled by an emperor who had so far been friendly to them. Like the zupan of Arach Innis, he ruled over all the kings of the continent and tried to keep peace though each king could in theory disobey and make an enemy of those who the Emperor called friend. Whether any punishment would ensue for such behavior was unpredictable as Rodion had seen when the throne of Eideard was being fought for.

The zupan was over the kings of Arach Innis, who had once been little more than clan leaders. The population had exploded after Lunereo blessed his people with the Lunar Dragon gift. The clan leaders became kings who ruled, not over their families, but towns of thousands who lived on their lands. When Eideard lost their king without an heir, noble families from all over Arach Innis fought to rule the vacant throne. Though Dragon fought Dragon the Zupan did nothing. He had also done nothing when Rodion's father had taken the throne though he was barely noble by birth. He was a Dragon which was apparently enough for the Zupan. None of the fourteen kingdoms could be ruled by any man who wasn't a Dragon either by birth or through changing.

The continent east of Arach Innis was only twice its size and ruled over by a sultan who had proven less interested in friendship with them than the Northern Emperor.

The west had only small isles with various hetmans over each.

The southern lands were far away and little more than ice and as far as his teachers had claimed. They held no people because it was too harsh of a place to live. .

Would you have our people subject to foreign laws? Would you have every soul unprotected? Would you have a ruler who doesn't know that we are Lunar Dragons? His father returned to his seat across him at the chessboard and sat down wearily.

They will know soon enough, won't they? The Princess won't keep the secret for us.

That is why you must make her one of us. She will see that secrecy is the only way to keep herself safe along with her husband and her people.

You don't think it is cruel? You have no moral qualms about turning some innocent foreign princess into a Lunar Dragon?

His father sighed and reached a hand across the table to grasp Rodion's forearm. Rodion looked up into his eyes. He was relieved to see a hint of sadness there.

There are many sacrifices we must make for the good of our people. I wish it could be another way, but it can not.

There is always another way, Rodion snapped pulling his arm away.

His father's face was wrinkled and his hair had been graying since the day he first put on the crown.

Like it or not, you are going to marry the Princess when she arrives. The safety of our people depends on it. The King of Zelig will be honor bound to ally himself with us if we are attacked, even by another northern king, as long as you are married to his daughter. He can't join the enemy as he won't shed the blood of his grandchild. Zelig is a powerful kingdom and their protection will mean much to us. The sooner you and the Princess produce an heir the better off we will be.

You want me to produce an heir with a girl I don't even know?

You will come to know her in time just as she will come to know you.

And love? Rodion nearly choked on the question.

Does that really matter?

It should, Rodion said. He felt an ache in his belly but he forced his thoughts back into focus. He wasn't going to let them wander into dangerous places.

Love your people. That is a greater love than you can have for any woman.

Rodion felt his blood begin to boil. He raised his head and growled, I hate you.

I am not here to be loved. I am here to prepare you to be king.

His father stood up and his hip knocked into the chessboard causing several pieces to topple. He took no notice of it as he adjusted the clip of his cloak and headed towards the door. Rodion didn't lift his head as he heard it slam shut.

He let the anger take over for a moment and he thrust his foot forward into the leg of the table, toppling it. Chess pieces clattered as they made contact with the stone floor.

It wasn't fair. None of it was fair.

Chapter 2

Alicia looked at the canopy over her bed. It had been there for as long as she could remember but now it seemed as if each time she looked up at it was precious. The curtains had been drawn around her bed but she could tell from Mara's light snoring that it was early in the morning.

The thoughts of those around her were always the loudest in the wee hours of the morning. She assumed the rumbling avalanche of thoughts were what had awoken her to begin with. When they were so loud, it was nearly impossible to pick out individual thoughts. She was grateful for that most days but perhaps if she could pick out thoughts she could experience dreams again. It had been so long since she dreamed that she almost forgot what it was like.

She rolled over and buried her face in her pillow as she tried to push away the noise in her head. She calmed it to the volume of a waterfall instead of an avalanche.

The room was chilly and she pulled her quilt tighter over her shoulders.

M'lady? Mara's voice whispered.

I am awake, Alicia said with a sigh. Even if she couldn't sleep it didn't seem fair for Mara to always awake well before dawn.

The