Return of the Crown by Millie Burns Page A

front of the castle.
    The royal carriage sat waiting, painted ebony
with the emblem of a blood red rose encased in a crown of prickly
thorns. The coachman ushered her up the steps, closing the door
behind her. The horses began clipping along the cobbled courtyard
and out into the city. The streets were dark and silent as a tomb.
Only thieves, drunkards, and other unsavory characters lingered in
the streets after dusk. She could hear the knights rattling armor
as they trotted behind the coach. It wasn’t necessary for them to
wear full armor, but she did so enjoy the discomfort of others. The
coach halted at the harbor, the knights clanging to a stop.
    The coachman held up a hand to help her
dismount the carriage steps; she looked down her nose at him.
Sauntering regally to the end of the pier, she threw her arms up,
chanting an archaic spell of summoning. A large dorsal fin broke
the surface, and a sinister shark circled beneath the pier.
    She chanted arcane words while envisioning
row upon row of iron teeth, wickedly sharp. She swathed it in
darkness stretching its natural form. It lengthened to forty feet,
and its girth filled out proportionally. Its sides erupted with
razor sharp projections, and she tinted its eyes the crimson of
freshly spilled blood. She drove an image of Ravyn on the raft deep
into the creature’s brain. Zelera threw her dark head back, and
maniacal laughter echoed over the sea as she sent it on its deadly
mission.
    Inhaling the salty sea air, she spun about
striding back to the coach. She flounced up the steps, sitting
primly on the cushions. Once the doors of the coach fastened
tightly and she was alone, she let exhaustion claim her. Heavy
eyelids drooped and she sagged into the cushions. Throbbing erupted
along her temples as the darkness demanded retribution for a job
well done.
     
    A steady breeze pushed the raft onward
towards its destination many miles to the southeast. Ravyn slept
peacefully through the night, but before the sun peeked over the
horizon, a familiar dream surfaced. Ominous black clouds filled the
sky, Zelera’s mocking face loomed above, and her parents
disappeared from the deck of a splintering ship into the menacing
blackness. She woke chilled, the breeze cooling the sweat beaded
across her back and neck.
    She popped the cork of a gourd and gulped the
cool water, wrapping Rowan’s fine cloak about her. A small school
of dolphin frolicked beside the boat. They cheered her up with
their silly antics. She clapped her hands as they leaped in high
arcs, splashing down and spraying water into the raft. She trailed
her hand in the water and was excited when a dolphin brushed
against it. The dolphin seemed thrilled to have an audience,
performing amazing acrobatic feats. She watched them until hunger
gnawed at her belly. She dug into the provisions, pulling out fruit
and biscuits.
    The day wore on with steady progress to the
East. The steady breeze filled the sail, and Ravyn rejoiced in the
warm sunny day. After another dip into the food bags, she pulled
out her scrying bowl. Connor could tell her if she was on
course.
    She filled the bowl with seawater. She took a
deep breath to center herself and locate the magic welling deep
within. The dolphins continued to splash and play, and she found
herself easily distracted. Ravyn sighed and closed her eyes.
Pushing her aural self ahead of the raft and out beyond the seas,
she crossed the land, seeking out the green-gold aural thread she
knew to be Connor. She spied it and grasped it, as the scent of
pine washed over her.
     
    A sweet scent overcame Connor. He felt the
indigo aural thread tugging at his consciousness while weeding in
his garden. ‘ Ah, there you are. Are you ready to get under
way? ’
    ‘ I’m already near a full day of sailing.
How long until I reach Aigerach? ’
    ‘ As long as the winds favor you, I’d
expect a day or two more. Let me follow your aural trail back to
you .’ He followed her thread out past the