Cloak of Darkness (The Destroyer-Blessed Saga Book 1) Read online

  Cloak

  of

  Darkness

  The Destroyer-Blessed Saga

  Sara E. Tonissen

  Copyright © 2021 by Sara E. Tonissen

  Cover by Sara E. Tonissen

  Map Illustrations by Map Effects Fantasy Map Builder

  All rights reserved. For more information visit www.saraetonissen.wixsite.com/cloakofdarkness

  Author’s Note: This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, locations, and events are products of the author’s imagination or works included in the public domain. Anything resembling actual persons, events, or locales is coincidental.

  ISBN-10: 8510206524

  ISBN-13: 979-8510206524

  For my dad,

  without whom this

  book never would have

  been created.

  Prologue

  Queen Snow White was violently ripped from a deep slumber. Her husband, King Ashton, shook her shoulder, urging her to wake up. Snow White opened her mouth to scold her husband on the importance of a good night’s rest when he held up his hand to silence her. He silently nodded toward a royal scout standing awkwardly at the foot of their bed.

  Snow White tugged the gold duvet over her chest, desperately trying to retain some propriety in her personal chambers. She hastily untied a royal blue satin scarf from around her head. The queen’s annoyance lessened with the comfort that she still looked somewhat presentable as the weight of her ebony curls fell onto her shoulders.

  King Ashton grabbed his dressing robe from where it rested at the foot of their bed. He tenderly wrapped it around his wife’s shoulders, helping her tie it once she stood from the bed. His tan face was etched with worry, but he managed to give his queen a small smile before turning his full attention toward the scout.

  The young man stood by patiently, silently watching the pair try to prepare themselves for what he had to share. He was still dressed in civilian clothes—the knowledge that he carried too important to deal with formalities.

  Beads of sweat raced down the scout’s back under his heavy

  sheepskin cloak. While he waited, he had enough time to get his breathing under control, but his heart still beat wildly in his chest. A little Tele pixie, a creature that used its magic to jump between locations instantly, looked no better than the man. It sat panting on his shoulder, holding onto his cape for support while it waited for its energy to replenish.

  A trail of water droplets tracked the scout’s entrance from outside the royal bedchambers. Similar droplets fell from his clothes, all clues suggesting that he had urgent news from the kingdom of Weznik the Ice Queen’s domain.

  “The Ice Queen has turned her sights back onto the continent,” the scout plainly stated, confirming Queen Snow White’s suspicions.

  King Ashton sighed, his shoulders sagging in relief before the scout could continue. “I’m glad that she has decided to look after her own people again,” Ashton commented lightly. He yawned heavily, doing his best to keep himself from falling asleep while standing up. “But I don’t think that information was worth waking my wife and me up for.”

  King Ashton was about to guide his wife to go back to bed when the scout added, “The Mer Queen has also taken an interest in the continent… On the allies that she might be able to make here.”

  Airaldan’s king slowly turned to look back at the scout, Snow White’s hand coming to rest on his shoulder as they waited for more information. Both rulers were now wide awake, their concern accomplishing the work of a dozen cups of Brittonian coffee.

  When the scout did not continue quickly enough, King Ashton questioned, “Allies? Why would Seadell need allies if Weznik has stopped fighting them?”

  “He never said that the fighting had stopped, dear,” Snow White whispered softly, her head hung in sadness. She motioned with her free hand for the scout to continue, her other reaching down to grip her husband's hand to keep him from interrupting again.

  “Weznik and Seadell’s armies have not stalled in their fighting, but it is clear that neither side can win without stronger forces,” the scout continued slowly. His hands fidgeted as he tried to keep all that he knew from spilling out in an unintelligible heap.

  The rulers from Weznik and Seadell never managed to create strong ties to ensure peace between their kingdoms. The Mer Queen did not trust magic wielders, and the Ice Queen despised anyone who was not accepting of those blessed with the Maker’s powers.

  The Ice Queen had not hesitated to declare war on Seadell when her husband and daughter were drowned in the Sea of Bitterness, waters controlled by the Mer Queen and protected by her sisters. Five ships had been completely destroyed with only a handful of survivors left to explain the horrors that had taken place.

  Armies of polar bears and mermaids alike had been battling for almost three months. One for revenge. The other in defense of the uncontrollable actions of nature.

  Once the news had spread of the deaths of the princess and prince consort, Weznik’s people had joined in the fight for justice for their beloved royal family.

  “Queen Rapunzel has already pledged Craelon’s allegiance to Weznik. It will not be long before Queen Beauty does the same with Perancis,” the scout explained. “Seadell has also sent advisors to the continent, but they are focused on Britton and most likely will try to speak with you as well.”

  “Craelon is not a surprise,” King Ashton confirmed, nodding his head as he analyzed the potential alliances. He absentmindedly ran a hand through his curly salt and pepper hair, his fingers getting tangled in it. “Weznik’s prince consort was Rapunzel’s cousin if I am correct.”

  “We must speak with Beauty and Louis before they make any decisions on joining Weznik’s forces,” Queen Snow White cut in. “It is very early to propose a marriage alliance, but we’ve been considering it since Rosalina’s birth.”

  “We need to prepare for an attack,” Ashton declared. He rushed across the bedchamber, hastily motioning for the butler to open the door. The king peaked his head out to look at the bewildered soldiers standing guard. “Send for General Helio,” King Ashton demanded. “Tell him that I need to speak to him immediately.”

  “Do you really think that we will be attacked?” Queen Snow White questioned. She sank onto the bed, her hand coming to rest on her chest in hopes of calming her racing heartbeat.

  “We have no way of knowing,” King Ashton replied solemnly. He came to stand next to his wife, his broad hands massaging the tension out of her neck. “We need to be prepared all the same.”

  “I will be sending all available scouts to every corner of Cathal in order to ensure that we know the exact decisions of every ruler,” the scout interjected, trying to get himself back to his post so he could leave the king and queen to their planning. “Word will be sent immediately if any of my men learn anything new.”

  “Thank you,” King Ashton acknowledged with a nod of his head.

  The scout bowed low, the Tele pixie falling into his open palm. In a puff of pixie dust, the pair disappeared from the room—leaving the palace as quickly as they had entered it.

  “What are we going to do?” Snow White asked, frowning down at the sparkling dust that trickled onto the floor. “Is there any way that we can remain neutral?”

  King Ashton sighed, his body weighing down the bed as he sat next to his anxious wife. He wrapped an arm around Snow White’s shoulder, gently embracing her as she rested her head against his chest. “If we raise a full army, either side may see it as a threat. If we don’t, we run the risk of being unprepared if we were to be attacked.”

  “How can we
just pick a side? The Ice Queen lost her family. If that had been you and Sampson I don’t know if I would have been able to act any differently.”

  “We will not make any decisions until we have to,” Ashton confided, hugging his wife tightly. “We will talk to Beauty and Louis, see what they are considering. Maybe we can also invite Briar Rose and Everett to see if they will consider keeping Britton neutral. Everything will work itself out. I promise.”

  Queen Snow White doubted that her husband would be able to keep that promise, but she forced herself to remain hopeful. Not for her own sake, but for her husband’s sake—and for the sake of Cathal.

  Chapter 1

  Red Riding Hood, known as Red to a select group of criminals, slid around a sharp corner. Her feet barely hit the cobblestones as she raced along the moonlit streets of Peragon, Airaldan’s glittering capital. The cool night wind was a welcoming relief in Red’s burning lungs as she searched for the nearest path to safety.

  Red’s shoulder length golden brown hair was tangled around her neck. It clung to the beads of sweat on her hot face and cut into her vision. Her dingy crimson cloak was too small even for her petite frame, the leather ties digging into her neck. The ragged hemline wrapped around her calves at each corner that she dodged around.

  Queen Snow White’s bodyguards bellowed for her to stop, their hulking forms gaining on her with every twist and turn.

  The number of guards that chased after her was unusually high considering the dozens of lowlifes that Red had been hanging around that evening. But Red guessed that the sum on her head amounted to more than all of the Rotten Apple’s lovely patrons combined.

  Six men made up the total count, and despite their size, they were fast and they were furious. Each figure was clad in the traditional sapphire blue tunics with Airaldan’s royal insignia emblazoned across the breast. The blood red apple centered in the baby blue diamond was embroidered with sparkling thread—the same symbol plastered on the right bicep.

  Luckily, the layer of dirt and dust covering them told Red that these guards were not part of the favored group that the queen kept tucked away in her glittering palace. These men were common soldiers—plucked from the bottom of the barrel. From there, they were tossed out into the streets to defend against the rising population of thugs and vagabonds; the same thugs and vagabonds that Red made look like innocent schoolchildren.

  “Stop in the name of Queen Snow White!” demanded the leader of the subpar pack, his vowels clipped by Airaldan’s polished accent.

  The slower guards followed suit, shouting similar remarks as they thundered down the city’s winding streets. Iron shackles clanked together at each of their sides, a dark contrast to the few jeweled daggers strung across their cracked leather belts.

  Red cursed her rushed breaths, her retort catching on the tip of her parched tongue. She wished that the Maker had blessed her with longer legs so that she could outrun the soldiers that were fighting to prove their worth in Airaldan’s royal guard.

  Red rounded another corner, barely avoiding an arrow as it embedded itself into the brick wall where her head had just been. A trail of arrows followed her, each point clattering against the cobblestones as the sniper tried and failed to disable Red. One arrow almost met its mark, but it only managed to snag on the bottom of Red’s already torn cloak.

  Red reached between swaths of fabric, her feet never faltering even as her focus was turned away from her path. She ran her fingers along the baldric strapped across her chest, concern washing over her as her nails scraped against bare leather when her hands should have found premixed vials of potions.

  Between panting breaths, Red whispered, “Misce et invenietis et volant,” a simple sleeping spell in the ancient elven tongue as she continued to rummage underneath her cloak. When her fingers finally caught against the few potions attached along her back, the vials were already completing their magical activations.

  The ingredients swirled around, dancing together to match the beat of Red’s feet pounding against the ground. A soft glow came from within the little glass bottles, the light growing brighter as Red drew near to the end of her spell.

  Red grabbed a potion bottle, the remaining few falling dormant as she channeled her magic into the vial clasped in her calloused hands. The potion was easily ready with a few final words mingled with Red’s hot breaths. “Ad somnum posuit.”

  She could not pinpoint the sniper, but she knew that he was still following her as his arrows continued to stream down. With a last glance at the rooftops, Red threw the vial backwards into the sky, hoping for the best.

  Glass shattered as the potion shot out of the bottle, aiming for the hidden sniper. The surprised shout alerted Red that she had at least managed to throw him off her trail. The lack of arrows was only further proof that she had escaped the danger from above.

  The guards on foot, however, would not be so easily dealt with.

  The magical explosion seemed to have indeed taken all the guards by surprise, but it had done nothing to slow the bunch down. With little energy left and nowhere to hide, Red fumbled with the other potions hidden underneath her cloak.

  Red felt a tightness seep into her chest. She was down to her last four potions. And if their combined power did not work, she would be left to fight the guards off, her energy depleted from the run and the toll of her magic.

  She tried to keep her panic at bay, fearing that it would influence the final outcome of the mixed potions. But she could not stop herself from considering what might happen if she were to be captured.

  Red did her best to push the kernel of dark magic out of her mind as she began to cast another spell, but she had little control over the worry and fear that could easily be mixed into any potion. “Misce et invenietis et volant ad somnum posuit,” Red chanted again, her worry seamlessly working its way into her already cracking voice.

  Red let out a panicked yelp as she tripped on a loose cobblestone, the patrol gaining on her.

  She felt the glass vials trembling in her hands, her fingers beginning to tingle from the dark magic that slammed against Red’s restraints. She had no idea if those restraints would last if her worries continued to hold out against all other emotions.

  Red stumbled over the uneven cobblestones again as she turned to look back at the guards—no more than a few yards away. She slammed the group of potions into the ground, throwing herself into the nearest alcove as the bottles shattered on impact.

  A ground-shaking boom thundered through the streets, followed immediately by shrieks of terror from the guards. A thick darkness wrapped itself around the alley before exploding out into the four way intersection.

  The blast from the second set of potions was nothing like the first. The first had been controlled, focused. The darkness that erupted from the second group had been too powerful, too savage. And Red knew that none of those guards would be walking away unscathed after what she had done.

  Red scrambled out of the little alcove she had managed to tuck herself into, a new panic washing over her as she took in the carnage. The blast had thrown the guards in all directions from where the glass vials had made their mark. Charcoal burn streaks lined the exact spot the potions had finally mixed and exploded. Blood coated the sides of the buildings, the slick liquid sliding down the cool brick.

  The sight of the severed guards was enough to make Red close her eyes and force the contents of her stomach to remain in place. Red had seen blood and gore, was no longer bothered by it, but this had been accidental. And it had been completely brutal.

  Red snapped her eyes open at the sound of barely audible moans of pain coming from the far-right corner of the alleyway. With a deep breath, Red stepped around the broken body parts as carefully as she could, making her way toward the pitiful whimpers.

  When Red finally saw which guard the noises were coming from, she rushed toward him, ignoring the rest of the men that she already knew were dead.

  The man gasped for air, but his eyes stil
l held onto his fury as he took in the figure that approached him. His hand barely managed to hold onto his sword, but he lifted it despite the exhaustion and weakness creeping into his body.

  Red knelt down at the guard’s side, her hands steady as she easily plucked the sword out of his shaking hand and tossed it out of his reach. Blood pooled out of the guard’s leg that was no more than a shredded stump starting at his mid-thigh. His remaining leg lay limp on the cobblestones underneath him. The rest of his body was visibly broken even in the dimly lit hours before dawn. Parts of his skin were badly burned from the heat of the blast, and more blood began to bloom from an open wound on his chest.

  Despite knowing that it was the end, the guard showed no fear as he glared up at Red. Several times his eyes almost glazed over, but he always refocused them to give Red another hateful stare.

  “I can help you,” Red whispered. Her hands were on the verge of shaking, but she willed her fingers still as she pulled a single healing potion out of her cloak.

  “W-why would… you want… t-to do that?” spat the guard. His voice grew gravelly as more blood began to flow from his side. His body spasmed with the effort to keep his head turned toward Red. He used what little energy he had left to try to move away from her even as his limbs failed him.

  Red grabbed for the man again, but he jerked out of her grasp, blood falling all the more quickly as he tried and failed to pull himself away. She crawled toward the man, but she did not try to touch him as she whispered, “This was not intentional. I did not mean to harm you or your men. Please, let me heal you.” Her words flowed together the more she spoke, her nasally Perancinian accent shining through Cathal’s common tongue—the desperation in her voice was all too clear.

  Red flinched as the guard’s bloody saliva landed on her cheek. The blood coated smile that he offered her was enough to make her body clench in frustration as she tried to reach for the man again.