The Lost Queen

Chapter One

FINDON CASTLE

Flashes of green and black swished past the rider as he approached the castle with a fierce speed. Time was of the essence; the castle had a few hours to live, and the enemy was gaining ground. Swoosh. He felt an arrow pierce his shoulder. He pressed his heels into his horse for more acceleration.

Come on, Arlyn, we have to get to the castle before it’s too late! cried the rider to his trusted steed.

The castle guards saw the dispatched rider from afar. The soldiers knew by his dark green cloak that he was a castle forest scout, so they opened two heavy wooden doors with iron cross members and lowered the drawbridge. There had to be some kind of danger for a forest scout to be in such a hurry to the king’s castle.

The young commander, Jonias, was watching from above the drawbridge and quickly ran down the steps with the wind blowing through the vibrant blue and white flags stationed at the guard houses. The young commander noticed that the wind had changed directions and picked up speed, which felt like a bad omen.

The Jonias hurried to the royal chambers full of moving pictures on the walls and elaborate, mystical doorways made of carved wood.

The whole kingdom had been dreading an attack as it was foretold.

Jonias knocked on the king’s private chambers briefly before walking in and finding King Elias and his wife, Devona, standing over a small bassinet adoring their new baby girl. But when the young commander burst in, out of breath, they immediately turned and noticed the air of urgency that rang through the room.

My lord, one of the forest scouts is getting ready to enter our gates at a hastened speed. I fear your presence will be needed to greet him.

Of course, Jonias, the king answered as he quickly gathered his armor. As he was fastening his breastplate, he took a moment to kiss his wife on the forehead. He turned his attention to Jonias, his trusted friend, and dashed out of the room.

Chaos had struck the palace walls as rumors flooded the corridors. Jonias and the king scrambled around the panicked crowd. A guard helping some elderly women through the packed hall spotted the King and Jonias and yelled to assist them.

He is up in the infirmary, my lord!

The king and Jonias were now practically running and pushing their way towards the steps leading to the infirmary wing. They hurried to the wounded soldier, and the king knelt down to look the man in his eyes. There was no doubt about it; the worst was ahead of them. The scout nodded in silent agreement with the king.

How much time do we have? the king asked firmly.

The man looked up despairingly and answered, Maybe two hours or three at best. They are heavily prepared.

The king nodded and asked, Can we stand our ground?

The scout was almost in tears while he shook his head firmly. Sire, they are coming to destroy you with a vengeance. We might be able to give the people a chance to escape if we take a stand against them here.

King Elias gently nodded his head in agreement and grasped the scout’s hand before rising to his feet. Men, get all the wounded, women, children, and healers out of the castle as quickly as possible! The Dreeks are coming.

Healers shoved cloth strips in their bags with their oils and ointments. Urgency swept through the halls as soldiers ran to their new posts. The queen and baby were escorted to the cellar with Jonias.

King Elias gently helped one of the elders into the wagon with several other healers in the second courtyard. The king nodded to the soldier to get the wagon moving and patted the horse, giving it permission to start its journey. With a heavy sigh, the king anxiously headed towards the cellar to meet his family, preparing to leave through one of the secret underground passages. He tried to compose a courageous front, but lying had never been his strong suit. His bright blue fairy eyes always seemed to give him away.

He sighed again before reaching the bottom step, and as he raised his eyes, he met his wife’s steady gaze. Elias stared at her long enough to soak in the memory of her gorgeous face. Her green eyes fiercely watched him as she put on her battle armor. Elias walked over and, meeting her with an unwavering stare, he helped her put on her shoulder protection. Elias and Devona fell into a gentle embrace, each one sighing with their eyes closed. They both felt like this was goodbye.

Do you remember the path I showed you? Elias asked quietly.

Devona just nodded on his shoulder, too afraid to talk. Soft cries echoed in the room as Tayla laid in a small cot, unaware of the outside threat. Devona knew she had to be prepared to fight her hardest so she could get their child to safety. It was all that mattered now, not just for the Realm of Fordel but for her family as well. King Elias double-checked the saddle before helping the queen onto her horse.

Hush, my precious one. You will be safe soon enough, whispered the king as he handed their child to his queen.

She wrapped the baby close to her chest, making her hands free to ride.

Her husband touched her knee. You have your bow? he asked, trying to prolong their leaving for only a moment.

Devona nodded her head as she firmly grabbed his hand. She hesitated at first, but then quickly grabbed the reins with her other hand. The king motioned to Jonias to take leave and let Devona’s hand slip away from his own. A small party of soldiers dispersed from the castle as they all followed the queen. Devona allowed her tears to roll down her face as they were disguised by the pouring rain.

They all headed straight into the murky forest and booming thunderstorm.

Elias’s eyes narrowed as he headed back up the stairs. While the future seemed bleak at the moment, he couldn’t help but sense a small glimmer of hope in saving the kingdom—in saving his family. But there was work to be done. The warning horns had been blown; the battle was nearly there.

Each soldier stared out into the distance, unsure what they would see. There was an eerie quietness that made the sound of rain appear loud. The king drew his sword and began to bang the hilt against his shield, creating a low, rumbling beat. The king’s men joined in creating a fierce, ringing tone in the air, followed by soldiers grunting, psyching themselves up for the impending battle.

A whistling noise broke the battle chant as an arrow struck a soldier, sending him flying off the platform.

Shields up! Elias cried as a cloud of black arrows fell on them.

Thus, the last battle at the great Findon Castle commenced.

* * *

THE FORGOTTEN FOREST

Rain gushed down on the small escape party as they watered their horses at a small creek in a clearing. The soldiers were wary of the surroundings and took turns scouting for Dreeks, allowing each man to eat and take care of his horse before leaving as quickly as possible.

Despite the heavy rain, the queen could see smoke coming from the direction of the castle. Jonias watched the queen with a heavy heart while he secured her stirrups and saddle at the edge of their camp.

Utter grief overwhelmed Devona as she stood like a stone in the rain, watching the black smoke rise. Heaviness set into Devona’s body like lead. She knew that she must remain strong, not only as the queen but as a mother. She could feel the warmth of Tayla’s small body pressed close to her in the sling near her chest, and her heart ached. Her daughter needed her to be brave.

She slowly turned towards the camp, headed towards her horse, and commanded in a surprisingly strong voice, Let’s move.

Jonias went to help her onto her horse, but not before her upset infant interrupted her.

Shhh, little one, it’s all right. You’re safe here, she said. The queen took a few moments to calm her child before Jonias helped her onto her white steed.

Stealthily, the guards mounted their horses and left the dreary campsite with two guards behind, trying to cover up tracks and start a false trail. This would at least stall the Dreeks.

They rode through the night and heavy rain, only making quick stops for the infant princess and horses. It was early morning before they had a chance to slow down and consider a camp in the thick of the dark, foggy forest.

Scouts went around setting up a safe perimeter. Jonias was heavily uneasy and signaled to the remaining men to stay mounted and close to the queen. There was no wind, no birds, just the occasional rustle of leaves. He knew if they could just reach Centaur territory, they would be safe, but that took a little more star calculating than they had time for. He knew his best chance was to take the royals to Portsoy, where the Ancients could help protect them. He glanced northwest, towards the high mountains of Portsoy. They were difficult to see through the heavy fog.

Devona, on the other hand, did not believe they would make it to the Ancients. Something felt off in the forest. A faint, stale odor of sulfur lingered in the air.

She gripped her bow and readied at her belt to notch an arrow.

Tayla started to cry, and just as Devona peered down at her child, dark arrows shot out from the shadowed bushes, startling their horses. Soldiers quickly surrounded the queen, and they took off in a gallop through the foggy mist.

They had been ambushed.

As Jonias led their group through the thick brush, he wondered who knew about their route. They weaved through the dark trees and dense fog.

Giant cut logs fell in their path, blocking their ways of escape. Hooded figures loomed from behind trees and came after the small party with an uncanny speed.

Devona had drawn her bow, and with a fast reflex, she took down two Dreeks. Swords were now drawn, as the circle protecting the queen was broken. Clashing metal rang in the air as men and Dreeks fell, filling the air with ear-piercing screeching and war cries.

This was the queen’s only chance to make it to the river Elias had shown her in secret. Her steed leaped and pushed through the fight, and she reached for her dagger to slit the throat of one of the creatures trying to block her way of escape. Tayla clung to her mother’s tunic as she wailed, heightening Devona’s sense of urgency.

Jonias saw her dash to escape, and he knew he had to give her as much time as possible. His men thought the same as he did, and they all began attacking the enemy with intensified ferocity, forming a small circle with their backs to each other.

The queen’s escape had not gone unnoticed by the slimy, dark Dreeks. The eyes of their leader narrowed in on the men blocking the queen’s speedy escape. They would all die here along with the prophecy.

With a new anger raging through his thick, slimy skin, the leader hissed razor sharp instructions to his followers to strike the Mankind down.

However, Mankind was stronger than he remembered. They were cunning and knew how to use their swords well. The forest ground was stained with red and black blood as the brave men fought for their lives.

The Dreeks hissed back and forth, locked in war with the guards.

Suddenly, the men were outnumbered. They rallied as close together as they could, preparing for their last defense. The Dreeks taunted the men with screeching and hissing as slime dripped off of their sharp teeth before they lunged in for the kill towards the survivors.

Suddenly, small crossbow arrows and boomerangs flung out from around the dark covered trees, followed by the rush of hooves hitting the ground. The towering Centaurs were taller than the average man or lunging beasts. Their thick braided hair and dark skin shimmered in the early morning dew as their leader drew his large Centaurian sword.

The Dreeks’ leader hissed at his inferiors to follow the queen’s scent as quickly as possible. Like bats in the night, they scattered into the fog and were gone, using their deception and cover of shadows.

Devona rushed her steed forward through the heart of the forest as she heard the ear piercing screeches behind her. The queen caught sight of a small stream and quickly pulled the reins to dismount while throwing her bow over her shoulder.

Devona fumbled towards the babbling brook and collapsed to her knees with her baby locked in her arms with silent tears rolling off her cheeks, knowing she wasn’t going to make it to the ancient hiding place.

The air began to stand still and the echoes of the Dreeks melted away as Devona dropped to the ground. It seemed as if everything froze around her.

The atmosphere shifted with a glistening golden glow as a guardian appeared before the queen. Devona lifted her weary head, and the angelic figure reached his hands to gently retrieve the crying infant. The white figure had a single tear roll down his cheek as he nodded to the distraught mother.

They both knew what had to be done.

Like a whisper in the wind, the guardian and Tayla were gone.

Devona sighed as she sat by the peaceful stream, feeling too heavy to move her arms. Those few moments felt like an eternity to Devona as she mustered up the courage to draw in a deep breath, only to feel her chest concave with the weight of grief again. Her world was gone. Taken from her.

Screeches sounded once again, raising the hairs on the back of the queen’s neck and sending chills through her flesh. New adrenaline pumped through her veins as she notched an arrow from her belt to her bow with intense speed.

She swiftly turned from the waterfront and silently ran through the thick forest brush as her long blonde hair fell along her face, outlining her green eyes. Devona tuned in to every movement and sound just like she had been trained. Her eye caught sight of a slight shadow moving far off in between the trees. Her arrow was gone, and another one instinctively replaced it as she heard screams of agony coming from the Dreek she shot down.

A shadow hissed past her side, and she reacted, resulting in another deathly blow. The Dreeks had given up trying to ambush their well-trained opponent. She wasn’t going down without a fight.

Devona notched two arrows each time, and with accuracy and precision, she hit every target as she headed for high ground. She made it to a narrow clearing on top of a small hill. The sun was barely peeking over the trees as the fog was lifting.

With her arrows gone, the queen quickly dropped her bow, pulled her two long daggers from her belted back sheaths, and watched as the leader of