Chapter 6

Today is the day.

Before the break of dawn, the world outside is quiet.

Unlike the inside of the Regnum.

All my luggage, dresses and gowns, shoes, and perfumes are all packed and ready to be uploaded. Inside my chambers, Pinta directs the influx and outflow of handmaidens hauling out my belongings and delivering them to the guards out front to secure them on my carriage.

I stand by, fully outfitted in my outwear, flaunting the colours of my Regnum. Although my ankle-length dress is simple in design, it is shrouded by elegance with a high collar epaulette jacket, dark blue with gilded tussles that broaden my shoulders. And a secret surprise under my dress, strapped to my bare thighs.

I am so nervous that it feels like my wild heart beats out of its cage. And everyone can hear it. Once they all depart from my chambers. I linger for just a few more moments. From top to bottom I am filled with reminiscence, every memory I have since I can remember frolics in my mind. I lengthen my spine in fraudulent confidence and make my way out. Outside, Burg waits for me, dressed in his formal serving attire—something hidden in his hand.

"Adalia, you look magnificent." His other hand lodged behind his back, his torso dips into a bow.

"Thank you. Hopefully how I look on the outside will hide what I feel on the inside."

He smiles at me cheekily and shakes his head. "You will win them all over as you have won us." He lifts his hand and uncurls his fingers to expose what lays inside. "I know a goldsmith, a contact of Linel's, actually, who specialises in jewellery making. I requested to have this necklace made for me, and when I told him it was for you. He made it free of charge."

He picks up the necklace and dangles it before me. The pendant is a gold eagle, wings outstretched, and its claws grip the tip of a gilded wave like it's dragging it. My Regnum's crest.

I lift my hand so my fingertips can brush against the cold coat. "Wow, it's absolutely stunning."

"It was being made for your birthday, but I felt that now is the best time to give it to you."

Without a word, I spin around. Promptly, his hands flank my vision with the necklace elongated. He wraps the chain around my neck and hooks the clasp; the pendant sits on the throne of my chest. I twirl back around and my arms latch around his waist. He chuckles and I can feel the rumble vibrating through his chest. He holds onto my shoulders and gently draws me away. He keeps me at arm's length, his gaze glued to mine.

"Only when the eagle believes it was born to fly, does it take flight. And when it is your time, you will soar. But that does not mean even at the peak that troubles cannot reach you." His grasp on my shoulders tightens with a passionate grip. "An eagle does not escape the storm; it uses it to fly higher. Which is what you must do, do not fear its wrath, but rise above it."

I inhale a steadying breath, nodding quickly.

He turns to face the corridor and holds out his arm to me. "I am sure everyone's already waiting. May I escort you down?"

I face forward, gracefully placing my hand on his forearm. "I would be honoured."

In a unified stride, we journey through the labyrinth, one last time. As we walk, a procession of memories plays out before me. Burg chasing Seliah and I when we were no taller than his hip. Times where we conspired how we could escape our lessons and strike a bargain with father to have us train instead. Running away from my mother, pursued by her endless nagging and wishes to have us read Virgil or learn an instrument—anything ladylike. My emotions well up in my throat. And all those memories feel like something sharp in my heart.

We emerge at the top of the last landing; we can see my entire household lined up in the front hall. The staff makes a passageway from the base of the staircase, passing through the open front doors. Father, mother, and Seliah are positioned ahead, standing in formation beside the right door. Together, Burg and I climb down the steps, slowly walking past my family of many. With every step, I trade heartfelt smiles with each of them, then they instinctively turn their faces to the ground.

Once I reach my blood kin, Burg pats my hand and moves to stand in line with the others.

"Safe travels," Seliah says regally, "Hera Adalia."

I laugh and yank her into a quick bone-crushing hug, cherishing the moment. I release her. All three of them are robed in their full royal blue regalia.

I move to my mother. She looks back at me with held-in tears. "I am free of worry. I trust in your wiles and wit that you will outmanoeuvre whomever you face. Bring glory to Regnum Valwa."

"That is my intent."

Last yet first in line. Father is outfitted in a sapphire blue suit, a golden sash across his chest. A stoic mask grafted to his face, his reedy lips are a terse line.

"Make sure that every time you are afraid, for fear will come. Make certain that you are the only one who knows of it. You are the only young woman in the Trials. Your fellow competitors will deem you weak and easy prey out of ignorance." He takes a step forward. "Everything that you know, all the skills you have mastered. Hide them. Do not expose your hand until it is necessary. The other purebloods will aggravate you and try to test your capabilities. Let them underestimate you. So only in the Imperii, will they come to regret it."

He looks beyond my head and flags a servant over. He appears beside me and with both hands offers me a sheathed dagger. I glance back at father and he nods his approval. I take it from the servant and he falls back in line seamlessly.

I snap a nod, looking at him straight in the eyes. "I will make you proud, father."

His hands cup my cheeks. "You already have." His lips honour the crown of my head. His kiss lingering.

Eventually, he releases me and I briskly make my way through the doors and down the steps, nodding farewells as I walk on. I reach the bottom, looking at the horse-drawn carriage. The coat of the carriage is a luscious blue with intricate golden edgings. The luggage trunk breaching maximum capacity at the rear, with the coachman on top ready, his hands holding the reins. As I approach, two guards both stand at attention and the one closest to it opens the door for me.

I pause. I glance down and grip my new pendant, drawing a sense of solace. I make sure not to look back. I thank the guard with a smile and crawl into the carriage. I plop down, placing the dagger on my lap. The interior is a plushy white with blue designs, the same shade of blue as the lush cushions that I sit on.

"Halt!" Shouts a voice outside the carriage.

I smile to myself, peering outside the large window hole, velvet curtains tied to its sides. Seliah waltzes towards me with a food basket hooked on her forearm.

"You do not think I would let you go on an empty stomach. Do you?"

"What are you doing?"

"Father said I could ride to the docks with you, then ride straight back." She sways the basket. "Surprise," she sings.

She climbs into the carriage and seats herself opposite me. The guard outside shuts the door behind her. Raised voices exchange words, then I hear a crackling whip. The carriage lurches forward, resounding with the collective thud of clopping hooves.

I gaze outside the window. The green field eddies into the bowl of lavender sky with streaks of dark blue. Its delicateness makes the few stars still visible.

I detest that the only point of entry and exit is through the town. Fortunately, it is early and not even the shopkeepers have arrived yet. My departure will be in secret, despite that everyone knows. Yet Wren and Eren have not made an attempt to reach me.

Perhaps it's for the best.

I shrug off my concerns and focus on my sister, and the last moments we share. The descent off the mountain, and the actual duration from foot to the docks is several hours. We should reach the port before the eventide. Seliah positions the basket on her lap and plucks off its covering, unleashing a plume of scents. She theatrically inhales its divine fragrance and moans in content.

"Here we are."

She hands me a llonguet bread roll laid with a meaty filling inside. I take it, biting into it, mimicking her moan. The shell of the roll is crisp, but the inside is soft and has a tinge of sweetness to it.

"Dweicious," I say with a mouthful.

Seliah laughs with bloated cheeks.

I honestly thought the ride, even though it is still in its initial stages, would be downcast. She and I wallowing in misery, but of course, it's the exact opposite. Even though we are always together, sharing the same experiences, our conversations never end. We talk about this and that, recalling eventful tales during the social seasons. Meeting duchesses, dealing with Counts, and suffering through nobles. It always makes for good storytelling.

In due course, the carriage exits the town, and we make our descent. The most nerve-wracking part of the journey, winding down the waist of a mountain whilst we teeter on the brink. The pathway is rock strewn with shallow potholes, its width just as wide as the breadth of the carriage.

Seliah places the food basket by her feet. I look up. But she's already staring at me like I'm harbouring a secret I refuse to share.

I shoot her an irritated look. "What?"

"Do I even need to ask? You seem upset."

I scoff bitterly. "Because I'm absconding from my Regnum, leaving behind everything and everyone I have ever known. I feel like my life has been thrown into the deep end, and I have no choice either than to sink or swim."

She gives me an imploring look, waiting expectantly for me to expound.

"And where was Wren and Eren? I might never return and still they choose not to show face."

A frown knits into her face. "It is odd. I thought they would have been the first to bid their farewells."

I care deeply for Wren and Eren, those two are my closest companions outside of Seliah. I might never return, or at least not in a very long time. He does not even think to say goodbye or at least send a letter if he cannot stand the sight of me. It's not like I volunteered to take part in the Vasilias Imperii.

"Why... why didn't they come for me?" I ask finally.

Seliah's shoulders sag, and she leans against the headboard. "I bargain if it has to do with the fact that Wren is enamoured with you. Now he has to endure the agony of having his love sail the seven seas to compete alongside brawny, young men." She snorts. Sarcasm trickling through. "Yes, I see no reason for jealousy there."

I shake my head and look out at the glossy silver wall of the mountain. "So he would let his... reservations get in the way of it?"

"Of what?" she challenges.

A scoff explodes from me and my back hits the headboard. "You can be insufferable sometimes."

She rolls her eyes. "Well, I learn from the best."

I pull a nasty face at her, and she sends one right back.

***

I wake to the briny scent of the ocean's breath; salty and refreshing.

"We're nearly there," Seliah says gloomily, her gaze on her lap, twiddling her fingers, distracting herself from crying.

"Oh, come now, where's that infectious smile?"

Seliah denies me and frowns purposefully. "I know that I was advocating for the Trials, at least the benefits of its reward. I guess I did not fully comprehend your departure until now. It is definitely more real. More than I like."

I nod. "The first time in our lives where we will be apart." I grin. "Finally."

Seliah's frown melts off her face and she lunges forward to smack my leg. I jerk it aside.

I laugh as I dodge several more of her attempts. "Simmer down, sister." I adopt a serious tone. "Am I terrified, angry, and upset? Certainly, but it will change nothing. It must be done, and I will have it done. No matter the outcome, we will have time for each other in our... new normal."

Seliah snorts at the term. "Who knows what that will look like..."

Soon the view outside changes. The carriage travels down the pier flanked with anchored vessels. Most of them are cargo ships, mammoth size with three masts. Square rails hang beneath the forward of the bow, and topsails hang above the courses on the mainmast and foremast.

The pounding thud of the horses' hooves slows to a trot before the entire carriage stills. And so does my heart. My chest inflates and with it, trepidation jumpstarts my heart, making it beat at a frantic rhythm.

"It's time," Seliah says.

In unison, we lean forward, engulfing each other in a desperate embrace.

"Take care, sister," she whispers in my ear.

We draw apart.

Her eyes dart to the dagger. "What will you do with it? I'm sure weapons are not welcomed."

I smirk and bend forward to pick up my dress, exposing the surprise. A holster strapped to either thigh. I slip the sheathed dagger inside the empty one, allowing my dress to unfurl back into place.

Seliah gives me a mischievous look. "Sneaky."

"One must always be prepared."

My side of the carriage door opens wide, portable steps already await me. I move to exit and the coachman offers his hand. I take it as I carefully take my two steps down. Once I'm off, he heaves it up and puts it back in its holder.

I take a step back to take in the sight of the Storm Voyager. Captain Devwar's airship is larger than the average. Since lighter weight makes for greater speeds to obtain enough generated momentum to have the ship propelled into the sky. The Storm Voyager has a carrack-style architecture. The ship is deep and broad with a high sterncastle and a higher forecastle thrusting out over the bow. The make of the ship is expensive too, forged from dark alabushian wood.

The masts of an airship are different, despite that it can travel both sea and air. Some have hot-air balloons. But the Storm Voyager is steam-fuelled with a dirigible sail and a steam engine used to power the propellers. A huge cylindrical swollen gasbag looms above the head of the ship from rear to peak.

From the wide gap between the railing, the crew members let down the wooden ramp. It lengthens out until its foot meets the creaking ligneous pier. A silhouette of a masculine frame crests the brink. He calls for someone over his shoulder, then he begins his way down and three other crew members follow him.

Captain Devwar. A navy-blue forage cap bedecks his head, his insignia imprinted in gold in the centre along with the hemming. His navy-blue Captain's coat rises behind him, his trousers white like his top garment.

"Hera Adalia," he says and flashes a yellowy smile. His beard all-white with a few rebellious black blotches. "What an honour it is to have you aboard my ship again."

"If I am forced to travel. I feel a slither of comfort that it will be with you."

Two of his crew boys pass my periphery and disappear behind me. I presume they are going to offload my luggage and have it brought to the airship.

"Only Adalia would dread the chance of being the next Ruler of the realm," he says and shakes his head like he's disappointed in me.

My father doesn't own Captain Devwar, but every time we sail, he leases out his services. Despite his flaws, he and his crew are the best. And he has captained his ship through even the most punishing tempests. That is how his ship earned its name.

"The entire realm, that is... that would mean millions of people under my care."

"That is why I hope you win," he says strongly. "Better a kind-hearted Hera than an arrogant son of a Domus."

I smile meekly, turning to watch the crew members lug my baggage up the ramp and disappear aboard with it. I glance over my shoulder to see the coachman ready in his place. He whips the reins and the stallions charge onwards. I step aside and Seliah's torso protrudes out of the window hole, almost hanging.

"Adalia!" She outstretches her arm and I extend my own.

Our hands clasp for a split second.

"Long live the High Queen!"

I stare after the carriage with a whimsical smile, watching it recede.

I spin back around. "How long is the journey from here to the Pantheon?"

"Since we are travelling by air, we're only flying over Erindor. It'll take two days if the weather is on our side."

"Very well." I nod, glancing back at the airship. "Shall we?"

He's about to nod, but something behind me catches his attention. He smiles mysteriously and looks back at me. "I think someone wants to bid you farewell before you leave." He turns and walks to stand beside the ramp with his arms folded behind his back.

I rotate around and a cloaked slender man approaches me. His dark brown cloak is rugged, and his hood hides his identity from me. But I already know his face.

He draws back his hood and looks down at me with remorse-filled eyes.

"Wren."