Page 20 of A Clash of Embers

I nodded my head as I watched Leo walk away towards the kitchen and I stood there in the dining room dumbfounded.

That was weird.

I heard a slam of a door and the shuffling of feet before I heard the voices.

“Leo! We’re home!”

I quickly ran into the kitchen to see Leo laugh and walk briskly toward the voices of the people who had just entered the castle. His parents.

Once they looked up at me, their eyes widened. His mother stepped out of Leo’s hug and strolled towards me slowly, studying me.

Queen Anne had dark brown curly hair, similar to Leo, with a large personality, but King Julian was a quiet man, with dark gray hair that was swept to one side of his head. His eyes were light green with flecks of gold. I had never actually spoken to him before and even now he didn’t speak, only the Queen.

“And who is this lovely young lady?”

Leo cleared his throat. "This is Clara. She is the one we were sent to find before the curse. She was lying in the rubble of Claiborne when we found her."

Queen Anne studied me as if she was looking for something. A missing piece. Something out of place. She acted as if she didn't know who I was, which I found interesting because I remember distinctly that the firstborn generations would remember what happened within the curse, thereforeshewould remember.

She smiled looking over at me once again. "It’s lovely to meet you, Clara." She stepped forward, reaching out her hand to encapsulate mine. When our hands touched, I felt the jolt of energy push into her. A warning, telling her who I truly was.

Chapter 8

Queen Anne glanced at Leo and back to her husband, King Julian. He looked unbothered and unmoving. He was like a statue, staring at me, but the stare wasn't an inspection. It was a forewarning. Telling me to be cautious in what I would say to his Queen. As if he said,"Be cautious with her."

I tilted my head with curiosity as I glanced toward my feet, allowing myself time to create a response. "It's lovely to meet you both. I was hoping you would help me understand this world a little more."

She nodded her head and said, "Why don't you follow me and we can discuss this further." She turned and looked at King Julian as she spoke to him. "I will take Clara to my office. Why don't you and Leonardo unpack the materials from the ship with everyone else. Make yourselves useful." She chuckled as she gestured for me to follow her down the hall.

Every step was like chipping away at the ice, trying to get through to something on the other side. It was cold—she was cold, unwelcoming.

Queen Anne opened the door to her office, and I walked inside analyzing the room but was distracted by the clicking of the door behind me and a voice that was hushed and a wholly different tone than the one in front of Leo.

“He doesn’t remember anything, does he?”

I thought my heart would fall out of my ass. I turned around quickly to face her to see her eyes widened with a tear streaming down her cheek.

“No, he doesn’t remember anything, but I remembereverything."

Queen Anne smiled softly before she spoke. “I think it’s probably time to sit down for some tea to talk about this, don’t you?” I nodded my head in agreement and in the next minute we were in her office standing over a large table with the map of Darthium.

“First, you need to see and understand our world.” She gestured to the map that lay on the table in front of us.

I looked over the map and examined the different regions of the world of Darthium: Avellino, the region of Angels; Bolzana, the region of Witches; Monowi, the region of Fae; Lacassine, the region of Shapeshifters; Lockport, the region of Werewolves; Carondelet, the region of Humans; and Ingria, the region of Vampryes.

Looking at the map, studying it was overwhelming. The connection of the royal families to the regions was even more daunting. I knew Luke, Leo, and Bethany were allies, and I missed them dearly. I wish there was a way I could communicate with them, to make sure they were safe.

“I'll be taking a trip back to Avellino again shortly to meet with all of our allies. Prince Luke of the Thea royals and Princess Bethany from the Claiborne royals will be there. And just so you know, Luke remembers everything because his father helpedhim to remember using their gifts, and Bethany does too. Luke ensured that she would remember you."

A small smile spread across my face imagining seeing my two friends.

“We will sail at dawn in two days." She sighed before continuing, "When the curse broke, we were on the mainland and knew immediately we would need to make it back to Monowi to check on Leo and our people.”

She reached out to grab my hand. “I didn’t know how much Leo would know, but I wanted to let you know about your mother Clara. She...she is so lost. Your father and her were adamant about keeping their separation in this war, and when the curse lifted, she realized that it truly happened, that she lost your father and she didn’t know where you were. She has been searching for you, so we will need to find a way to let her know that you are safe. I am... so sorry about your father, Clara. He was a fantastic man before and during the curse. He never changed who he was. He and your mother were great advocates for every being in this land; that is why they couldn’t declare their loyalties to either side of the war. They felt obligated to be the bridge between the two sides.”

She patted both of her hands on my shoulder before she took my hands and pulled me towards the plush tan couch. I took in the panoramic view of the valley, with windows wrapped around half of the room.

“Have a seat on the couch and I will fix us some tea to finish this chat.” She was busy fixing the tea in her kitchenette when she started talking again.

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