She did not move when the sun came up. The queen of Delladine found no peace in sleep, but she could not stomach rising for the day either. Gods meant little to the queen and their hells even less; yet the beast that had attacked her the night before had felt so unnatural she was sure it came from a place thrice damned. Lilah had never seen a broken Noduv in person, but she knew that was precisely what had come for her. The thing tossed her around like a doll made of corn husk and it moved faster than flickering shadows. It had a power that was not natural for any man to possess, but its arrogance seemed so very human. Very few things frightened the queen, the greatest of them was even recently dead, but every time she closed her eyes and saw that gaping mouth and sludge pouring from within, she shook like a frightened child.
After Lilah had finally moved to ready herself, a soft knock on the door made her nearly jump out of her skin. "Lilah" The husky voice carried through the dark.
"Come in." She answered without turning. Her attention remained on her fingers as she wrapped her sleek hair into a braid on the top of her head. She was dressed in warrior's clothing. Black breeches and a tunic that allowed for fluid movement and a black cloak to conceal her identity. She had not yet tugged on the boots that matched those of the Queen's Guard, but she knew they would be comfortable and well worn.
"Bleu is preparing your horses and Marzonna is giving instructions to some of the staff. I'm here to accompany you down." Van said tensely, watching her from the doorway of her chambers.
There were many things Lilah wanted to say to Van, but none of them was an apology for keeping the attack a secret, so she did not broach the subject at all. "Everything will be fine." The queen said instead.
"Do not make promises you cannot keep." He answered sharply and remained on the other side of the door's threshold.
"Very well." Lilah sighed and began to wrap a silken scarf around her head and shoulders. She had hidden her golden crown inside her satchel and was grateful her neck would not carry the burden of it while they rode. Lastly, the queen pulled on a pair of leather gloves that fit to her hand like paint and clenched her fists open and closed.
"You need a knife at your waist. The one at your ankle may not be enough." Said the guard, his eyes fixed on a spot just beside her.
The queen walked to him and held out her hand silently, she would not fight with him again. The two stood and watched the other in silence, and then Van finally reached to his belt and pulled out a saber slipped inside a lavish scabbard. When he handed the knife to Lilah, the glimmer of candlelight danced off the gold and emeralds like winking stars, its hilt was a worn jade with the Delacy family crest. Lilah did not need him to tell her it was his grandfather's, she had seen Van carry it at his side since he arrived at the palace and had watched him tend the blade in the evenings. Lylah even knew one of the jewels was a hidden compartment that flipped open and revealed a golden coin inscribed with words as strong as the man who carried it, Loyalty holds. Van had once told her that his grandfather had the words inscribed when he became a king's man and her friend had honored them as much as his grandfather had. The blade was the warm farewell Van would not let pass his lips, the promise that his loyalty would hold.
The queen and her guard found no trouble on their way to the stables. Not a living soul had walked the palace halls and if there were ghosts in the tunnels below the palace, they did not show themselves as the pair passed. Once, hundreds of years ago, the halls beneath Della Palace were a secret known only to those who built the walls and the kings who used them, but time had whispered enough hints until it seemed everyone knew. The tunnels snaked in every direction and led those who entered into their mouths all over Vidan. The system proved very useful for anyone who wished to work in secret.
There was one tunnel named Dead Shute, for its particular value to a king who had an affinity for killing women after they had warmed his bed. The king had been a usurper and was notorious for his paranoia, so much so that he even feared the women he brought into his bedchambers were working to get his crown. Rumor had it that every woman knew a summons from the king was a mark for death, but none could disobey his command. The stories didn't mention how he killed the women, but when it was finished, he would call his guards to discard the bodies without notice. The men would then follow their orders and carry the corpses through the tunnel and toss them into the sea. As far as Lilah knew, no one used that tunnel after the king had died because of claims that weeping women could be heard crying in its darkness.
There were other tunnels with other names, but they all were empty at such an early hour. Lilah had made quick work of reaching the outside of the palace and finding her accomplice. "For the time being, our departure will go unnoticed, but I do not know what will happen when word of our being in Midrouge reaches Vidan." Marzonna said quietly when Van and Lilah had arrived. "I know that Bleu has already told you, but make sure to visit Lilah's chambers at least twice a day." Marzonna continued.
"Yes, my lady."
Van had been given the task of keeping the palace in the dark for as long as possible. Lilah knew that he would order meals to be made and delivered to Lilah's chambers even though no one would be there to eat them. He would order guards to watch her doors despite no one being inside to protect. Van would carry the weight of the deceit for as long as possible and he would be doing it alone. Lilah desperately wanted to look over at him one more time, to tell him how much his absence would be felt, but she trained her eyes off to the distance instead.
A strong gust of morning air hit the three accomplices as they walked out of the palace and towards the stables. Lilah tugged her scarf closer and resisted moving closer to Van like she would've done on any normal day. She looked up to find Bleu and the head stable keeper leading three strong horses, including Lilah's beloved leopard appaloosa that she named Georgie, towards them. The queen hurried over to her fine animal and rubbed her hand down his nose, suddenly regretting all the days she neglected to take him for rides. The moment reminded her just how much she forfeited for a crown.
"Hello, handsome." She said softly and nuzzled close to him. Georgie answered with a familiar nod of his head and a grunt.
"We need to get going before the sun comes up." Bleu said to her. "We don't want an audience."
Lilah nodded and climbed up onto the leather saddle. She tried to busy herself with getting set so that she wouldn't look at Van, but he found his way to her anyway. His presence was felt before Lilah even looked his way.
"Your flowers, Queen Lilah." He said casually, but when Lilah looked down at him, she saw his jaw was tense.
Lilah took the mourning flowers and secured them in the bag hanging from her saddle. "Thank you." Her gaze on her hands as they grabbed the reins.
Bleu was helping Marzonna onto her horse and gearing her up, so Van took the opportunity to move closer and say, "Lilah, I know you're hellbent on doing this, but promise me you won't take any unnecessary risks. The kingdom needs you." His hand was on her knee.
Lilah wanted to remark that Van wasn't thinking of the kingdom anymore than she was going to be careful, but she refrained. Instead, she drank in the sight of him. What had first been a risky plan had now turned into a life threatening one, and Lilah knew it well. She prepared herself for the possibility that she would never see the palace or her closest friend again.
Van was handsome and Lilah saw how women around the palace ogled him whenever he walked by, but she never gave it any thought. That morning though, with the possibility of death standing between them, she noted how the delicate curve of his mouth complimented his sharp jaw. She saw how his hair had grown a bit too long on the top and was now falling into his feline eyes that missed nothing. She thought about all the days they spent training together, the sun beating down on them, and how his hair would curl at the ends when he started to sweat. She could even picture the long scar that wound its way around his forearm from when he was struck by a blade in the first year he was a guard, though it was hidden underneath his emerald uniform at the moment.
"I'll see you in four days." Lilah said to cut her thoughts short.
His hand slid from her leg and grasped the hilt of his sword tightly instead, turning his knuckles white, but he didn't say anything. He bowed and turned away without another word to Lilah.
"We will guard the palace well, Sir." He said once Bleu had saddled up.
"I know, Delacy." Bleu said affectionately and nodded once in dismissal.
Lilah watched as Van walked stiffly towards the palace doors without looking back.
"That boy will be a fine leader one day." Bleu noted as he pulled the reins of his horse and began to lead them towards Midrouge.
"Yes, but he's no king." Marzonna said in a goading voice that made Lilah meet her eyes. Marzonna had skin the color of a praline and deep brown eyes that were wide like a doll's, but they could cut as sharply as glass when she wanted. Her long hair bounced with her every move and she wore long sleeved dresses that made her look elegant, no matter the weather. Her face was starting to show lines around her eyes, but she was still one of the most beautiful people Lilah had ever seen. Yet, as angelic as the woman looked, there was a shrewdness to her that cut Lilah to the quick and made the queen feel as if her emotions were stamped on her head like a seal to a scroll.
"He isn't leading the kingdom, he's guarding it. We'll return soon enough and Lilah will be back on the throne." Bleu said easily, missing the true conversation happening within the spoken conversation. Marzonna needn't make any more remarks on the subject for the young queen to understand the warning.
***
Riding through the day was easy and enjoyable for Lilah, who had been riding since she was but a young girl. Marzonna, however, had found little pleasure in the expedition, accustomed to her time sitting in the library either reading or creating medicine the kingdom needed. She was slight and didn't possess the physicality of Bleu and Lilah, but she never complained aloud, only grimaced at particular bumps and jostling.
They had already travelled through three small towns with no commotion or difficulty. Lilah could feel herself growing relaxed and lazy as she rode along the dirt road and noted the types of birds that flew by. They had already seen many people also dressed in black, leading cattle and carrying bundles of flowers towards the Erzulief border. The late afternoon had grown warm, but Lilah didn't remove her scarf on the slim chance that someone would recognize her.
"I've noticed there aren't many people working the fields." Said Lilah. "Shouldn't the farmers be preparing to reap?" She looked over to Bleu and found a troubled look on his face.
"The people have grown too poor and the roads too dangerous." Bleu said, regretfully. "Thieves have been taking crops as they travel and leaving farmers without. I've heard reports of bands getting together and terrorizing villages for food and money as well."
"Why have we not sent men to stop the criminals?"
"We have, but most guards have families and need the food as much as the thieves."
"So queen's men are robbing our people as well?" Lilah raised her voice.
Bleu nodded. "Some of our men are honest, but not all. I do not think they are all bad, but their desperation is getting the better of them."
Lilah's hands tightened around her reins and she bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to draw blood. The dark shadow of her father had loomed over her since she was a child, and now that she was queen, there were even more ways in which his ghost caused havoc in her life. Whenever she felt she was making progress, he was right there to remind her he had decades to ruin her kingdom and a few months in her hands would not save it completely. For years, King Gordon and his cabinet had refused to make terms with Erzulief so they could trade goods for the abundant supply of livestock and crops Erzulians had and Delladine people were paying the price.
Lilah did not say anything more, only regarded her kingdom through new eyes. She looked around her and saw empty fields which had been plucked and trampled over and homes that seemed just as lifeless and delipidated. She tried to recall the last time she saw any signs of life and realized it had been over ten miles since she saw anyone. She could feel her heart fracturing in her chest for the people her family had let down over the years. The cabinet blamed people for trying to conjure food all the while preventing supplies from getting to them the right way.
"We're about to take a path in the woodlands, it's well worn but there's been reports of robberies along this way. We'll need to be sharp." Bleu broke the queen from her thoughts as he brought his horse behind the two women and pointed out the path.
"Lilah, you ride in the middle of us and I'll ride behind. If there's anything that causes alarm, say something immediately."
The women nodded and directed their horses towards the muddy path hidden within the trees. There were no other travelers around them, so the woods were quiet and peaceful aside from the occasional caw of a bird. The trees were more sparse than Lila had expected, with plenty of space between each one to see out several yards in every direction. The air was thick with humidity and more quiet than it ever was inside the crowded palace walls. Lilah almost wanted to close her eyes to let the peacefulness of the woods roll over her and soothe her fury over her suffering people, but she wouldn't allow it. The only thing she had that was fierce enough to fight for her kingdom was her fury and without it, she could very well fail.
"Look at that." Marzonna said from just ahead.
Suddenly, the idea of relaxing had slipped from Lilah like ice melting off a statue. The queen sat straighter and laid her hand on the seraph at her side. She trained her eyes forward to see what Marzonna had, but she found nothing, the night was falling upon them and the dark nooks of the woods made it hard to see anything more than a few feet away. After a moment more of squinting, however, Lilah saw the flicker. It was not the flicker of movement however, it was the flicker of light and the more her eyes adjusted the more of them she saw. As the horses moved further down the path, the trees grew thicker and were covered in the faint warm glow that could only come from candlelight.
It was like nothing Lilah had ever seen in her life. There were hundreds of candles hanging from branches, crowded on tree trunks, they swung overhead and poked out from the ground below them, their wax dripping down to cover the earth. The candlelight stretched as far down the path as Lilah could see. The bright glow made it impossible to see outside of the path, leaving anything not bathed in the warmth to a harsh darkness that set Lilah's instincts on edge. She could smell sage in the air and looked around for the people who made this display, but only found the darkness outside of the path. At the realization, unease gripped her spine and held her upright, reminding her of last night when the creature attacked. She looked back at Bleu and found him as indifferent as ever. Marzonna too, seemed to be unbothered by the strange atmosphere, so Lilah tried to feign an unaffected air.
"What is this?"
"They're lighting the way to the Boneyard Coast." Marzonna answered airily.
"Noduvs did this?" Lilah gaped.
"Yes, and others."
"I've never seen so many candles in my life. It must've taken them ages to light them all." Lilah's own voice was now taking on a dreamy state.
"They do not light these by hand." Bleu answered from behind her. "There are rituals that take place for weeks leading up to The Mourning, this is just one of them. Someone conjured all of this light."
"Does that mean there are other places lit like this?"
"Yes," Now Marzonna answered again, "Things like this are taking place all over Delladine and Erzulief right now. I'd imagine this is on a much smaller scale than those happening in Erzulief."
For a moment, Lilah felt shortchanged. She felt as if she had missed everything in the world while she was growing up inside her palace walls. Her father wasn't the type to travel and Lilah was of course not allowed to go anywhere without him, so this was the first time she had been anywhere that wasn't covered in expensive marble or ivory. She could've cursed at the foolishness of tradition. Royalty was meant to rule from within palaces, but they were determining the fate of those who lived on the outside. How was anyone supposed to make good decisions for a kingdom they saw so little of?
Lilah looked around and soaked in everything of the tradition, determined to learn as much as she could while on this expedition. If she was going to lead her country well, she needed to understand her people first. Her mind flashed to something Van had said to her only last night. You have not yet seen what is happening outside of the palace walls. Lilah thought about the empty fields she had seen earlier and began to understand what Van had meant. The true Delladine was out in the fields, in these woods covered in candles for a sacred ritual; it was in Midrouge where innocent people were being hanged for who they were, and it was Lilah's job to see it all. Not only to see it all, but to change it before it was too late.