Queen of Empire: A fantasy romance (The Relic Trilogy Book 1) Read online

  * * * * *

  'So, are you going to ask her?' asked Patrick, Bass' lab assistant. He had floppy brown hair, blotchy, almost translucent skin, and exceptionally bad fashion sense, although he thought he was the height of cool. He had been probing about this for weeks.

  'Maybe,' Bass replied, feigning exasperation, but he was fooling no-one, least of all Patrick. Patrick, like everyone else, saw the way Bass looked at Anita, and knew there was nothing Bass wanted more than for her to want him too. Patrick, frankly, had always thought Bass was crazy. He could have his pick of any other girl in Empire, and it wasn't like they didn't throw themselves at him. But Bass only had eyes for Anita.

  He just didn't get it. Anita was alright, he supposed; she was quite good looking, had a cracking body, if you liked the toned, athletic, boarder-line menacing look. But she was unpredictable and stubborn, she did not suffer fools, and was used to winning everything. In truth, Patrick found Anita intimidating and unfathomable. Maybe that's what the attraction was…that she was mysterious.

  A light started flashing on the dashboard in front of Bass, indicating there was a spike in the energy in the immediate vicinity. They usually used the sensor to alert them to an approaching Descendant. Strangely, Anita had the same effect, her energy so strong that it set off the alarm.

  'Well, now's your chance to maybe ask her,' said Patrick. 'I'll make myself scarce. See you at The Island later.'

  * * * * *

  'Hi, Patrick,' said Anita, as she clunked up the spiral metal staircase into the room. Anita had no idea why Patrick always seemed to be leaving just as she arrived. How was his timing so impeccable?

  'Hi, Anita,' he replied. 'I'm off to The Island. See you there later?'

  'Yep, sure,' she said, her tone terse. The last thing Anita wanted was to be left alone with Bass. Patrick turned and grabbed hold of the express exit, a pole through the floor, winking annoyingly at Bass as he slid out of view.

  The observatory was an incredible building. It had been commissioned by the Descendants four generations back, so they could keep tabs on the energy. Bass' family were known for their study of energy and had helped design the building. They'd been put in charge of research from the start, earning Bass' ancestor a council position. Bass' father now held that position, and it would be Bass' in time. His family had been instrumental in understanding both energy volatility, and how everything in their world linked together.

  The observatory was over three levels. Downstairs was a large, perfectly round, midnight blue pool of water that was always eerily still. It helped to absorb any background energy 'noise'. The middle floor contained dashboards that provided readings of energy levels in various locations around the world. The floor was filled with a gentle humming as the energy flows were processed. Dials whished backwards and forwards and lights flashed in a way that would be meaningless to the uninitiated.

  The top floor contained the instruments that actually recorded the energy waves, and it was Anita's favorite. Numerous instruments adorned the roof, each trained in a different direction, and all with golden receiver dishes that were shaped like the energy waves themselves. The receivers were of various sizes so they could pick up different frequencies of energy from different distances, with the biggest so large it had to rest on the floor of the roof. Anita loved to lie on that one and stare up at the stars, the large, lolloping energy waves reverberating through her, off to be recorded downstairs. Of course, this affected the readings, so Bass wouldn't let her do that at a time like this, when a ruling Descendant had just died, but she climbed to the roof anyway to look out over Empire.

  Empire had a regal look about it, sort of understated yet effortlessly elegant. It was balanced, embraced, and contained by the river. Beautiful, arched, red brick bridges stretched across the meandering waters, connecting the wealthy center to the other side. The less desirable areas there were hidden from view by the bulk of the town.

  The center of Empire spanned an area about the size of a square mile, built in an era before anyone saw a need to put up walls. The imposing spires of the temples dominated the skyline, seeming to watch over and protect the buildings around them.

  Surrounding the temples were a number of well-to-do areas, with fully stocked food markets, jewelry shops, clothes shops, perfumers, stationers, and restaurants serving an array of new and fantastical concoctions.

  Then, of course, there were the lovely, large, red brick houses with eccentric gardens. The fashion was for ostentatious, perpetually blooming, sweet smelling, climbing flowers. The plants were perfectly at one with their owners.

  The most desirable houses, lived in by councilors, along with properties owned by the Descendants themselves, were on the outskirts of town, or in the surrounding countryside. They usually sat atop imposing hills or nestled against ancient woodland, all gloriously picturesque, secluded, and with spectacular views.

  Empire had once been the world's premier city, where trade was done and Gods were worshipped. Kingdom, a much more impressive, imposing metropolis, had long since claimed that title. Empire was now in retirement, basking in previous honors and glories, living out a dignified and well thought of old age.

  'I'll never get tired of that view,' said Bass, coming through the window onto the roof behind Anita, nodding towards the town. 'It's beautiful at night.'

  Anita moved further onto the roof, so Bass wasn't standing so close. She sat on one of the pipes that connected to the instruments downstairs.

  Bass leaned against a receiver, Anita appraising him as he struggled with some internal debate. The muscles around his mouth clenched uncharacteristically, tension filling his torso and powerful arms, energy spiking with…something. Anita held her breath, dread filling her.

  'So, are you going to the ball?' he blurted, trying to make throwing caution to the wind sound casual.

  Anita turned away to hide the look on her face, her body rigid, hands clasping the pipe for support. 'No, I don't think so,' she said. 'The ball isn't really my thing. Sucking up to councilors, watching everyone make idiots of themselves in front of the Descendants, pretending to fawn over every word they say.'

  'Oh,' said Bass, energy tumbling.

  Anita felt bad; maybe she'd gone too far. Bass was, after all, going to be a councilor one day, but there was nothing she wanted less than to go to the ball with him. Or, at least, not in the way he wanted…urgh, she was useless at this. And aside from the obvious, that it would give him the wrong impression, she didn't want every girl in town to hate her. People already thought she was weird for winning all the challenges; she didn't need the scheming mothers on her back too.

  'Found anything new with the energy?' she asked, hoping the change of subject would lift his mood.

  'No, nothing yet. There was a small downshift when the announcement was made about Philip's death, but it seems to have come back up again. I'm expecting Alexander's Crowning to lift the energy further; it's exciting to have a new ruling Descendant.'

  The death of Philip, Alexander's grandfather, was cause for concern around the energy. Everything was connected, and a fall in the energy meant there was less to go around. If it fell enough, it could have an impact on crop yields, the weather, and many other things besides. 'It's Christiana's death I'm really worried about…the Body bloodline...'

  'Hopefully we won't have to worry about that for a while,' said Anita, getting to her feet. 'We Body types are stronger than we look.'

  Anita shot Bass a smile that was supposed to say both, 'sorry' and, 'chin up'. Bass smiled optimistically, his energy giving a little jolt: message not received, again.

  * * * * *

  The Island was nothing more than a shack, really. Strips of wood thrown precariously together decades before to form a building initially intended as a warehouse for traded goods. Since then it had been embellished inside, laid out over two levels.

  A short, stubby bar adorned the wall on the lower level to the right. Bottles of all kinds of mysterious lookin
g liquids balanced perilously on the uneven shelves behind. This level also had a private room behind the bar, ample space for standing, a couple of tall tables, and ledges here and there to place drinks on. One of these ledges partially obstructed a shady looking passage to the back door. Despite appearances, it led to a pretty, wooden deck with benches overlooking the river.

  To the left of the door was a set of three squeaky wooden steps that groaned agedly every time a pair of feet touched them. They led to a raised seating area with a series of booths and rough wooden tables, affording varying degrees of privacy. The walls were adorned with weird and wonderful trinkets; trophies from successful trading expeditions to the Wild Lands.

  The place was packed. Clearly news that Descendants were in town had spread like wildfire, and everyone wanted to know why. Luckily, Cleo had grabbed a booth at the end of her shift, and Bass and Anita pushed their way through the crowd to join her.

  'Before we get into the gossip, let me get you a drink,' said an overzealous Cleo, by way of a greeting. She flagged down a bartender and ordered a bottle of Ginger Champagne.

  'What are we celebrating?' asked Bass, surprised. Ginger Champagne was rare and usually only saved for special occasions. Luckily, being friends with the owner's favorite bartender and only daughter meant they never had to pay for such luxuries, but still, this was an extravagant move.

  'We're celebrating my brilliance at extracting the gossip I am about to tell you from a councilor,' Cleo replied, carefully annunciating each word to make sure they could all hear and therefore marvel at her achievement. Three glasses were placed on the table and filled with champagne.

  'The gossip mill comes up trumps again,' said Anita, wishing that Cleo would just get on with it, but knowing there wasn't a speck of hope on that front. At least the promise of gossip had lifted her mood.

  'Indeed it does,' said Cleo, taking a moment to build suspense, savoring the attention before beginning her story. 'So, we know so far that the ruling Spirit Descendant, Philip, passed away a couple of weeks ago, meaning that Alexander, Philip's grandson, will succeed to the throne soon. We also know that Christiana, the ruling Body Descendant, is getting on a bit.'

  Cleo paused, the silence pregnant.

  'What we didn't know, until tonight, is that Christiana is more than getting on a bit.' Cleo looked between them, her voice hushed. 'She's dying.'

  'What?' Bass and Anita said together, their voices low.

  'That's going to have a significant effect on the energy,' said Bass, livid. 'The bloodline…they have got to prepare people for news like this.'

  'But why would Gwyn, Marcus, and Alexander come here if Christiana is dying?' asked Anita.

  Cleo looked smug. 'Why indeed?'

  'Cleopatra, we know you're brilliant, and for that we're eternally grateful, but we're dying over here. The suspense is literally killing us,' said Anita, barely covering her frustration.

  'Alright, alright. They're all here, not just the young ones, and they've brought Christiana here to die. There's something here she wants to make peace with before she goes, but nobody knows what it is. All I know is that she's currently on her death bed below the Temple of the Body, and that Austin is fuming about the whole thing.'

  Austin, Marcus' father, the ruling Mind Descendant, had a reputation for being venomous. He, as with most Minds, thought himself superior to everyone, including the other Descendants, so it wasn't surprising that he was cross at having to be in Empire at the whim of another.

  'They're going to hold the Chase, the Crowning, and the ball here, instead of in Kingdom. They're going to hold off for a couple of weeks, as the likelihood is it'll be a double Crowning, with Peter succeeding Christiana.'

  'They're going to let him rule?' asked Bass. 'Surely it would make more sense to pass straight to Gwyn? It's supposed to be a female line…'

  'Nobody knows if either of them is eligible to rule, given that Christiana has no direct female heir. The bloodline could be broken anyway, and the prophecy could already be dead,' said Anita, trying to take in the magnitude of what she'd just heard.

  'Gwyn certainly doesn't think it's dead, given the way she was strutting across the temple earlier,' said Cleo.

  'So, they're having the Crowning here, but where will it take place if not by the Relic?' asked Bass.

  The three temples were built as triangles, with three tips, one from each temple, meeting at a point in the middle. In Kingdom, the main parts of the Grand Temples were open to everyone, had a central section that only the Descendants were allowed to use, and the joined tips, which housed the Relic, were also open for everyone to visit.

  Crownings usually took place by the Relic, so that everyone could see them, but in Empire, the layout was slightly different. The temples were open to everyone, but underneath each temple were chambers that only the Descendants were allowed to use. Underneath the joined tips was a sacred area, but nobody, apart from the Descendants, and a few select councilors, were allowed to know what was there. On the main level, the area of the joined tips was closed off to everyone but the councilors, who used the hexagonal chamber inside to host council meetings when in Empire.

  'The rumor is that most of each Crowning will take place in the public center of the relevant temple,' said Cleo. 'The Descendants will then go to the sacred center underneath the tips to perform part of the ritual, and then will come back up to complete the ceremony.'

  Cleo really had excelled herself this time.

  'And the Chase? Where and when will that take place?' asked Anita, as offhandedly as she could.

  Cleo and Bass smiled. 'Bet you can't wait to get your teeth stuck into that one,' said Bass. 'See if you can't beat the Descendants...'

  Luckily, at that moment, there was a ruckus across the bar, and Anita took the distraction as an opportunity to evade a ribbing and head to the restroom. But what Cleo had failed to mention, was that the young Descendants were in the back room. The commotion was the result of them having decided to leave, and Anita found herself trapped directly in their path.

  A mass of bodies closed ranks behind her to gawk at the Descendants as they passed, and she couldn't go forward without attracting their attention. There was nothing she could do but duck her head and try to keep her energy under control.

  Gwyneth came first. Cleo was right, she did have flowing golden locks, her long blond hair glimmering in the light. She was tall and thin; unpleasantly thin. Her floor length silk dress and red cloak made her look the part, but she had the air of someone trying just a little too hard. She wasn't unattractive, but nor was she a great beauty, her nose too long, eyes set a little too close together.

  Gwyn walked past Anita without so much as a glance in her direction. Unfortunately, the same luck was not to be had with the next Descendant, Alexander. As soon as she saw him, her energy lifted. She did everything she could to try and suppress it, but Alexander's head turned slowly, carefully, searching for the source. Here we go again, thought Anita, desperately trying to push back through the crowd.

  He found her, of course, piercing blue eyes looking down into hers, this time only a meter away. Neither said a thing as they held each other's gaze. She searched for any hint of what he was thinking, but his expression gave her nothing to work with. The crowd watched with growing interest, but Anita was determined not to break first. He might affect her, but she wasn't going to let every victory be his.

  Marcus, who had been talking to a couple of councilors at the bar, sauntered over to see the cause of the crowd's interest. Alexander moved on, following Gwyn outside.

  'Well, that was interesting,' Marcus drawled, standing close and looking down with flirty eyes. He smelt of vanilla, and as it wafted over her, she inhaled greedily, momentarily disorientated as her pulse reacted, racing, energy singing, color rising to her cheeks. She told herself to snap out of it, exhaling sharply, trying to get a handle on her out-of-control emotions.

  'Alexander doesn't usually deign to interact with anybody
…even if he didn't talk to you, I would call that an interaction, wouldn't you?'

  'I'm not sure what I would call it, other than weird,' Anita shot back, a little too sharply.

  Marcus smiled. 'We're heading to my family's residence just outside of town. Why don't you join us?'

  She couldn't take on the Descendants all at once, and certainly not on their territory. If Anita had had a social climbing mother, what she was about to do would be cause for disinheritance. Seeing as she didn't, and that, to Anita, winning was more important, she had no choice but to refuse.

  'I'm terribly sorry, but I have a prior engagement,' she said. 'Please excuse me.' And with that, she forced her way through the shocked crowd, heading for the back exit, out onto the deck.

  'Holy Mother of the Gods,' Cleo exclaimed, bounding after Anita. 'What were you thinking?'

  'I couldn't go with them,' said Anita.

  'You have just committed social suicide.'

  'Social suicide? How?' Anita spat. 'Where exactly was I in the social standings anyway? They're just people, Cleo. People like you and me. They just happened to be born into a different bloodline.'

  'They're powerful. You need to be careful.'

  Alexander's earlier words came back to her, you are a very desirable asset, and it halted her tirade. She knew Cleo was right; her abilities often made her reckless, but staying off the Descendants' radar was the smart thing to do.

  'Look, I know I shouldn't have done it like that, but I couldn't go to Marcus' residence and be their plaything for the evening.'

  Cleo nodded. 'At least you didn't make a complete swooning idiot out of yourself like half the other girls in there would have.'

  'Look, Cleo, I think I'm going to head home. Thanks for the champagne, and say bye to Bass for me?'

  'Sure, no worries,' said Cleo, shaking her head as Anita turned and walked back inside.