Second Chance

chapter 7




As the group approached the Conclave’s stronghold, Ava knew it couldn’t be seen with the naked eye due to the magical cloak that covered it. The magical cloak prevented anyone not invited under its protection from even being able to get within a few miles of its location. Anyone who got near the cloak would simply be compelled to follow another route around the spelled area.

Ava was very familiar with cloaking spells and could perform a decent one herself, although not of this size. A few moments before arriving, Carrick chanted an invitation spell while holding her hands, giving her the authority and power to see the encampment and enter.

As they approached, Ava saw the expected shimmery film wave before her eyes and knew she was at the edge of the cloak. All she had to do was open up her magic, which she did, and the encampment appeared out of thin air.

Astonishment wouldn’t even begin to describe Ava’s first impression. She wasn’t quite sure what she expected, but in front of her laid a fully functioning town, bustling with people. There were permanent buildings lining several streets. The roads were made of dirt but were well maintained and packed hard for easy travel. Sidewalks of stone bordered the streets.

As they stood on what appeared to be the main street, she noticed several businesses on either side. She saw a butcher, a grocer, an apothecary and a clothing store while they strode along. At the end of the main street, stood a building larger than all of the others. Carrick noticed her gaze and said, “That’s the Conclave meeting hall. We’ll go there later.”

Ava looked back and forth as they made their way through the settlement, taking it all in. The streets were bustling with people. Some looked at Ava oddly and she realized it was because of how she was dressed. Pants on women were not unheard of, but most Vyronasian women liked to wear feminine dresses. Modesty was never a concern. Women’s fashions in Vyronas often revealed a lot of skin with plunging necklines and short hemlines.

The men always dressed in some sort of pants and shirt, although it could vary depending on their station. Working class men tended to wear sturdy twill while the business-men tended to wear more expensive and softer cuts of cloth. Those in the warrior cast usually wore a heavy denim-like material for their pants, often covered in leather. Sometimes they wore shirts, but mostly they wore breast plates and arm guards.

Her eyes moving from the people to the actual buildings, Ava smiled at the typical Vyronasian crafted style. She saw one story structures with thatched roofs and slate stone walls. Windows were constructed of wood and left open, as the Vyronasian weather was constantly temperate and never reached above 75 degrees in the day or fell below 65 degrees during the night.

The seasons in Vyronas were not marked by changes in weather but by changes in production of fruits and vegetables that could be harvested throughout the year. Having just come from Wyoming where it could get very hot in the summer, and then be buried under five feet of snow in the winter, she supposed having the same weather all the time could be boring. But as she glanced around, she knew in her heart that Vyronas was the most perfect place in all of the dimensions that existed.

Carrick led Ava down a side street. There were more houses built on the streets they were walking and Ava was amazed how beautiful this little town was. She had thought of it as an encampment before and figured it would be filled with tents, yet the houses were lovely with varying hues of slate, and picture-perfect gardens in the front. No, this was definitely a town. Of course, knowing the power of magic, Ava knew it would not have been hard to construct this town within the past four years. However, it was a very pleasant surprise to her.

“I can see you’re shocked,” Kieran observed.

Boy was that an understatement. “I just never imagined there would an entire functioning town here.”

Carrick led the way to a lovely cottage and walked up to the front door. Ava noticed Kieran led King around the back, and assumed there was a stable or some other structure where he could be housed. Carrick didn’t knock but walked right in and Bing followed. Ava brought up the rear and as she entered the cottage, she looked around.

It appeared at first glance to have two main rooms. Ava briefly glanced at the kitchen which was to the left. It was typical of what she would expect. A sink with running water, a stove and a kitchen table with four chairs. She looked to the right and saw a large living area but it was sparsely furnished with just one rocking chair and a small table.

Carrick walked into the living area and motioned for Ava to follow. That is when she noticed another door and Carrick walked through it. This was the bedroom. It had an extremely large bed with wooden tables on either side. It was covered with a fluffy quilt and multiple pillows. Two plush chairs flanked one corner of the room with a table in between them. In another corner of the room was a dresser for clothes. Spartan but cozy.

She noticed another door that was closed. She assumed it was a closet but Carrick pointed at it and said, “That is the bathroom. It has a bathing tub if you want to use it.”

Ava was surprised there was a tub. While living in the First Dimension, Ava took for granted the technology that was so abundant. But coming back to Vyronas, she realized that she still had many of the same comforts that she had there, except things such as running water, light and toilets operated by magic rather than technology.

Magic here was simply an energy source usually made up from a combination of earth, water, fire and air. In Vyronas, she could make any number of gadgets operate with her magic. The reason Ava was surprised about the tub was because Vyronasian magic actually surpassed the technology of running water to bathe in. Here, cleanliness occurred through a simple incantation spell that took mere seconds to complete. Bathing facilities were not needed as long as one had the proper magical strength, but she didn’t question the tub.

“So is this to be my house until the war is won?” Ava asked.

“No. This is my house. You will be my guest here until the war is won.”

“I don’t think so,” Ava said emphatically. “I am not living under the same roof as you.”

“You will and there will be no argument. I don’t like these arrangements any better than you but it has been decided that you will be safest under my direct watch. Once word gets out that you have returned, there will be attempts made on your life.”

Ava crossed her arms and stomped her foot. Maybe that was a bit childish but oh well. “Forget it Carrick. I’m not doing it. I did my duty and returned. I will help the war effort and I will reclaim the throne. But I’ll be damned if I am going to be subjected to your presence day and night. This is unacceptable.”

“I’m not going to argue with you. The decision is made.”

Ava took a deep breath to continue her argument, but Carrick cut her off. “Come, the Conclave is waiting to meet you and I believe you said you have a lot of questions that you want answered, right?”

“Fine. We will go meet the Conclave but you better start thinking about alternative living arrangements because I will not agree to this.”

Carrick just nodded and said, “Let’s go.”

As they walked out the door, Ava told Bing to stay inside.

“Is King all right?” she asked.

“Yes. Kieran has stabled him a few streets over where our horses are kept.”

Carrick walked back through town, toward the large Conclave building. Ava let her thoughts turn toward everything she could remember about the Conclave. If her memory served her right, thirteen members sat on the Conclave, comprised of men and women. They were all of the same magical line, known as the Scrinia.

The Scrinia were magical historians as well as teachers. They spent their time studying magic, recording their studies, and teaching the royal family how to use their line of magic. They were not, however, good at sorcery themselves, which was a little ironic. They could do basic spells but the power was in their knowledge. Their most important duty was to act as advisors to the sitting King or Queen. While they had no ruling power, because of their lineage and knowledge, their advice was rarely questioned or refused.

Ava assumed that after her parents were assassinated, and in her own absence, the effort to reclaim her throne was being managed by the Conclave. As such, they were probably the ruling faction for all Kestevaynes loyal to the Clairmont family.

Lost as she was in her thoughts, Ava realized they had arrived at the Conclave building. Like the other buildings in town, it was constructed of wood and slate stone, with a thatched roof. But it was easily four times as large as any other building she had seen.

When she and Carrick entered, she first noticed a raised dais at the far end of the room. Upon it sat a massive wooden table with seven chairs on each side, and a chair on each end. She did a quick head count and noted thirteen members sitting at the table.

The rest of the large room looked like a church. Row after row of pews filled the remainder of the room, with an aisle down the middle. Ava assumed this was where citizens could gather and discuss items of concern with the Conclave.

“Carrick, who lives here in this town?” Ava asked as they walked down the long aisle. She had been surprised by the number of people she saw moving about.

“This town is comprised mainly of the Conclave and the remainder of the line of Scrinia, as well as their extended families. There is also a contingent of soldiers here to help protect the area.” They had almost reached the dais but Carrick said as an afterthought, “Oh, and this town has a name.”

“What is it?”

“We named it Clairmont. After your family.”

Ava didn’t have time to respond as Carrick was announcing their arrival. He walked up two steps to the dais, while Ava waited below, suddenly very nervous.

“Conclave members, I present to you Princess Ava Clairmont, recently returned from the First Dimension.”

All members rose from their seats in welcome. Some Ava recognized, others she did not. She assumed the ones she didn’t recognize were members appointed to fill spots left by those that had been killed when Ralina attacked. The ones she did recognize, she did not know them well at all. She had seen them milling about the palace but she had never had any real contact with them.

They all wore smiles on their faces, and some looked very relieved to see her. A woman, who looked to be in her late fifties approached. She had chin length hair that was steel gray and gray eyes to match. She held out her hand to Ava. “Come child. Come join us so that we may become reacquainted with one another.”

Ava did not take the proffered hand but walked up the two steps to stand beside Carrick on the dais. The woman put her hand to her side but still smiled with warmth at Ava.

“Princess Ava, I am Laina Mercea of the House of Scrinia. I am the Chief of the Conclave and I speak on behalf of everyone here when I say we are so very glad to have you back with us.”

Never forgetting once that these were the same people who had sent her away from Vyronas, Ava responded, “I’m surprised to receive such welcome when you are the very people that had me banished from my homeland.”

Ava heard a few gasps and embarrassed coughs. Good for them. She didn’t intend to make this easy.

“Yes, well, I am sure you were not happy with our decision, but it was done with your best interests at heart. Surely you must see that?”

“No, I don’t see that. If my best interests were at heart, then my interests should have been taken into account. And I am not just unhappy with your decision, I am really pissed off at this Conclave right now.”

The room became deathly silent and Ava was sure she could hear a pin drop. “However, know that I am here now with the sole intention of working with the Conclave to help win Kestevayne back for its people.”

Her last words seem to cut some of the tension but Laina responded nervously, “Well, let’s all take a seat shall we and we will bring you up to date on our progress.”

The Conclave members all took chairs on the long sides of the table. Ava took one of the chairs on the end, hoping that she would establish some authority. She expected Carrick to also take a chair on one of the long sides, but she gritted her teeth when she saw him sit at the other end of the table.

To help solidify the notation that she could be in charge, she began by saying, “Why don’t you, Laina, start by filling me in on everything that has occurred since I left.”

“Of course, Your Highness. I’m pleased to let you know—", Laina began but was cut off by Ava.

“First, I think everyone recognizes that I am from the Royal House of Clairmont and I fully understand that it is everyone’s good intention to put me back on the throne in Kestevayne. With that being said, let’s dispense with formalities, and please just call me Ava.”

“Of course, Your… I mean... Ava…,” Laina stumbled.

Ava risked a glance down at Carrick to see what he thought of her actions so far, but he watched her with a bland expression. Damn, he would be a good poker player.

“Ava, much has happened since you left. We have found that Ralina Haramish is the person behind the plot to remove the House of Clairmont from Kestevayne. The news we get about Ralina is frightening at best.”

“Carrick tells me she leads an army bolstered by dark magicks.”

“Unfortunately, the darkest of magicks,” Laina lamented. “The likes of which we have never seen. It is assumed she has made some sort of dark pact or blood sacrifice to harness the type of power she has.”

“What is it, exactly, that she can do?” Ava questioned, more curious than afraid.

“We have learned that she has mastered the power of mind control. Most of her forces do her bidding not of their own volition, but through a dark compulsion she is able to spread through their minds.”

Another Conclave member spoke up, “Your Highness… I mean Ava… she has strong energy magicks. She has been witnessed to incinerate a group of beggars outside the palace because their smell offended her nose.”

Suddenly, all the Conclave members started talking, spouting out the stories they had heard of her evil prowess. Ava tried to take it all in.

“They say she sacrifices a newborn child at the end of each month to sustain her powers…”

“The darkness in her is so powerful, her eyes have turned red…”

“She no longer has to eat and drink to live, but consumes the souls of those she kills….”

And on and on it went. Ava was overwhelmed. Never had she heard such stories, and she could feel fear radiating off the Conclave members. It was contagious as she was feeling a cold pit in her stomach. Could Ralina be brought down? She didn’t see how at the moment. Ava glanced back at Carrick. His expression was no longer bland. She saw fire in his eyes as he listened to the stories.

“What is our current plan on how to handle this situation?” Ava asked.

Carrick spoke up this time. “We have spent the past four years mustering forces to battle Ralina’s army. Luckily for us, Ralina keeps her army very close to Kestevayne and rarely sends them more than a few miles out. We assume this is because she wants to be protected at all times, or perhaps the secret to her dark magic is at the palace and needs to be protected. Regardless, we strike at her forces as we can, and are trying to whittle their numbers down. But in all honesty, we need to cut the head off the snake or this war will never end.”

Many Conclave members murmured their agreement. Ava leaned back in her chair and pondered her next move. She knew her parents would want her to lead her citizens to take back their homeland. They would expect her to be at the helm. She knew she had to firmly establish control at this point if she was to be effective in the coming weeks and months.

Most importantly, Ava was never going to let Carrick or the Conclave gain an ounce of control over her life…ever again. Ava pushed to slide her chair back from the table and stood up. She placed her hands on the table.

“What you have told me is daunting. But one thing my parents taught me is that nothing is insurmountable. We will take back Kestevayne and put an end to that miserable creature, Ralina Haramish. But to do that, you need me. As the only living heir to the Royal House of Clairmont, I alone hold the seat of power to our magic. It is the best weapon you have at the moment.”

Ava paused for effect and looked down the table. All the Conclave members were nodding in agreement. Carrick was leaning forward in his chair, his arms on the table, and staring at her intently.

Satisfied she held their attention, Ava continued. “I wish at this point to remind you that as the Royal Conclave, you are here to give me advice. But I will make the decisions. I will have every member’s agreement right now, or I will return to The First Dimension immediately.”

Ava was bluffing, of course. No way was she leaving that bitch to continue her tortures upon her people. But one by one, each Conclave member stood up and agreed to her demands. All except Carrick, but then again, he wasn’t a Conclave member. This brought her to the next point she needed to make.

“In order to effectively lead, I need to trust those that are advising me. This Conclave broke my trust by orchestrating my banishment behind my back, no matter how good their intentions were. This I will forgive and let them earn my trust back. However….” and here Ava looked straight down the table.

“Carrick of the House of Dunne. Your breach of my trust was far worse than what the Conclave committed. You and I were betrothed to be married, and if there was one person in this world I should have been able to trust, it was you.” Ava felt her voice quaver slightly with a wave of hurt. But she shook it off. “For this, I am immediately relieving you of your duty as Commandant of the Royal Army and you are no longer welcome to sit at this Conclave table. You should remove yourself from this hall immediately.”

Ava heard gasps from around the table but she never took her gaze from Carrick as she said those words. She found it a bit disconcerting that his expression never changed. Nor did his body position. Ava thought she would get immense satisfaction at the end of her speech but she just wasn’t getting the thrilling rush she expected.

If anything, her decision wasn’t setting so well with her conscience. Too late to take it back. She certainly couldn’t be seen as wishy-washy with her Conclave. Besides, she had every justification for relieving Carrick of his duties. There simply was no way she would be able to trust him again.

None of the Conclave members said a word. Several seconds of heavy silence hung in the air. Then Carrick casually pushed his chair back and stood up. He started to walk down the side of the table that bordered the dais steps. Ava assumed to make his exit. But he continued walking down the table toward Ava. When he reached her, he grabbed her arm and said to the Conclave, “I beg everyone’s pardon. If you will excuse me for just a minute, I will be right back.”

And with that, Carrick forcefully dragged Ava from the Conclave hall. Ava was too astonished to even put up a fight as he was pulling her down the aisle toward the door. But about three paces from the exit, Ava’s senses returned and she pulled back against Carrick, digging her feet into the floor. That did nothing but cause her feet to slide across the slick wood.

“What do you think you are doing?” Ava hissed at Carrick.

Carrick didn’t reply but yanked her right out the door. Once they were out of sight of the Conclave, Ava really put up a fight. She started hitting at Carrick and pulling harder away from him. Carrick never missed a step. He spun around on her fast, bent down, and hauled her up over his shoulder. Ava grunted as the air was knocked out of her.

Carrick casually strolled down the street, carrying Ava as if this was the most normal thing in the world. Ava started pounding on his back, yelling for him to let her down.

“You are making a scene, Princess Ava,” Carrick said. The contempt in his voice was no doubt for her title of “Princess”.

“I don’t care you pea-brained, jackass,” Ava gritted out, her voice lowering a few octaves. “Let me down.”

Carrick slapped her hard on her butt and said, “Behave yourself.”

That did nothing but fuel Ava’s anger higher. She renewed her pounding on his back and started flailing her legs, hoping to shake herself loose from Carrick’s grip. She made no progress. He was just too strong and too big for her to battle against.

Ava peeked up and noticed that they had returned to his home. He opened the door with his free hand and entered. Carrick walked straight to the bedroom and threw Ava down on the bed with enough force the air was knocked out of her lungs again.

Trying to regain her breath, Ava watched Carrick with suspicious eyes. She expected him to launch into a tirade but he calmly walked to the corner of the room and sat in one of the chairs. He leaned back casually, stretching his long legs out. He sat still, just watching her for several long seconds.

Finally, Carrick spoke. “You made quite an impression on the Conclave.”

Ava gaped at him. That was all he had to say? She waited, but he didn’t say anything further.

“I don’t know what your game is Carrick, but you are done here. You are finished. You heard me relieve you of your duties and there is no way that I am going to allow you to remain involved. I don’t trust you anymore so you will only be a hindrance to me.”

“Oh bullshit, Ava,” Carrick blasted at her. “You are not doing this for the betterment of your rule, or because you don’t trust me. You are doing this to punish me for sending you away. If you are going to be a ruler, at least learn to be honest in your decrees.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ava sputtered but Carrick was hitting close to the truth.

That one small statement seemed to infuriate Carrick. “I don’t know what I’m talking about?”

He jolted up from the chair and charged across the room at Ava, rage burning in his eyes. Ava tried to scramble backward on the bed, but he was on her before she could move two inches. Reaching out, Carrick grabbed Ava by the back of the neck. It didn’t hurt, but he had a good grip on her. He pulled her up off the bed and marched her to the kitchen. He walked her right up to the window over the sink and pointed out.

“Look at that house across the street. Do you see that little boy sitting on the front step?”

Ava looked and she saw a darling young boy, maybe six or seven years old. He had the brightest red hair she had ever seen, and a spray of freckles dusting his nose. He was reading a book. He held it on his lap, face full of concentration. And that’s when Ava noticed that he only had one leg.

She turned to look at Carrick. Rage still filled his eyes. He turned her head back toward the window, his hand still firmly gripping her neck, forcing her to look at the little boy.

“Don’t tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about.” His voice was low but filled with a burning fury that made her hair stand on end. “That is what has been happening the last four years. Every day. Bloodshed and death and maiming. That’s Sam across the street. He lost his leg when one of Ralina’s soldiers cut it off. Do you want to know why, Ava?”

Ava was fairly certain she did not want to know, but Carrick continued.

“The soldier cut his leg off after Sam kicked him. Do you want to know why, Princess Ava, that Sam kicked him?” Carrick was almost taunting with his tone of voice.

Ava shuddered envisioning that poor child getting his leg cut off. The violence in Carrick’s voice chilled her to the bone.

“It was because the soldier had just finished raping Sam’s mother and then slit her throat. I got there just as the soldier raised his sword but I was too late to stop Sam from losing his leg. My only solace was I ran my sword through that soldier so he could never harm another child again.”

Ava made a strangled sound in her throat. Tears welled up in her eyes and she let them flow freely. Oh gods, the pain that poor child went through. But Carrick was not finished with her.

“I have more blood and sweat invested in this war than you will ever have, Princess.” Again, her title was said with the utmost disdain in his voice. “While you were tucked safely away on your little horse farm in Wyoming, completely oblivious to this carnage, I defended our citizens with my very life. I watched my father die to avenge your parents and your honor. You may sit on the throne and rule one day, but for now, the Army follows my command. The Conclave looks to me for strength and encouragement. It’s what the House of Dunne has done for Kestevayne for centuries. For the last four years, I have been leading the fight for your country, not because I wanted to, but because I love these people as much as you do. Now, you can make all of the damn proclamations you want, but I am not stepping down as Commandant, nor am I withdrawing from this fight.”

Carrick finally released his grip on her neck causing her to look at him. He seemed to have run out of steam and she saw the rage recede and then flicker into sadness. Ava turned back to the window and just stood there silently, looking at little Sam reading his book.

“I’m going back to the Conclave hall as we have work to do. I suggest you leave your bitterness toward me out of your decision making and put your energies into helping your people. Trust me, after we win this war, you’ll have plenty of time to hate me.” Carrick turned his back on Ava and walked out of the house.

****

As Carrick walked backed to the Conclave Hall, his fury had simmered down. He even had a rush of pride for Ava making known her displeasure over being sent away, but never would he have thought she would try to relieve him of his duties.

He had too much invested in this to walk away and it certainly wasn’t fair for her to even ask him to do so. He hoped he’d made his point to her. He had seen the sorrow and empathy on her face as she watched little Sam through the window. He felt bad for showing her the harsh realities but she needed to understand that life here was different. It was brutal and the atrocities were relentless. There was no time to dwell on the sadness. Only time to focus on how to end Ralina’s control.

Yes, Ava had been heartbroken over seeing Sam and hearing his story. There had been a time when Carrick would have just pulled her into his arms and soothed away her sorrow. Those days were gone though.