《A Crown of Ivory》


 Chapter 1

    I basked in the sun.


    The light was warm and inviting, nothing like the black stars over Dis.


    A breeze swept through the meadow I was standing in, bringing with it the sweet scent of flowers and woods. Being aboveground was delightful. I should have asked my father to come up years ago.


    Lambert clambered out of the hole in the ground we¡¯d come up, his bone armor rattling. He turned and gave me a look. Some found the amalgamation of face parts unappealing, but I thought it had a rough charm.


    ¡°Quiet Lambert, you¡¯re ruining the moment,¡± I said.


    He didn¡¯t seem too apologetic as he made way for the rest of the retinue. An assortment of undead creatures and rare monsters made their way into the clearing. Each of the noble houses had given me gifts of their finest creations or creatures for my trial. It felt like cheating honestly, but my father said my leadership of this menagerie would be a part of the test. Best to get off to a strong start. I turned to the black-robed rich, casting a series of divination spells.


    ¡°Vikram, please set up an outpost here and find a place for the servants. Lambert and I will go ahead to the city. We¡¯ll stay in touch via this.¡± I shaped a piece of bone from my hand and removed it from my palm before handing it to Vikram. The pain was sharp, but I¡¯d learned to manage it long ago.


    ¡°Of course, my lady. Please contact us if you need anything,¡± he replied, bowing.


    I blew on the whistle around my neck to summon my Nightmare Abaddon. The spectral steed came galloping out of the woods, pale blue ghost-fire where his mane and tail should be. I swung into his saddle and gripped the reins. Time to see the people on the surface. The undead of Dis had warned me that surface folk were a different breed. They claimed I could easily frighten them. For that reason, I¡¯d only bring Lambert. So many people composed him. I hoped some would find him comforting, like I did. Plus, a revenant bodyguard would discourage all but the most determined ambushers. Not that I was worried. Humans were notoriously weak.


    Lambert ran on foot while Abaddon rode through the forest. The city¡¯s defenses gave off a strong magical signature, so I pointed us in that direction. Father had said that we would be near Machford, my birthright, when he opened the portal. I planned to ride into the city, claim the throne, and then consider how to best succeed in the trial. I¡¯d ask them what their biggest problems were and go about solving those to start. Perhaps conquering the neighboring kingdoms would help them. Certainly couldn¡¯t hurt.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    I was so excited thinking about meeting with my new subjects that I almost didn¡¯t notice the owl-bear before it was too late.


    The gigantic creature jumped in front of us on the trail, roaring in defiance. Fifteen feet long and several tons of teeth and muscle stared us down. I¡¯d only seen examples in books, but this was definitely an adult owl-bear, near the top of their maximum size. The feathers around their heads were valuable alchemical ingredients. Vikram would be furious if I didn¡¯t collect any. Still, I didn¡¯t want to go about disturbing the local ecosystem in my first hour on the surface. Owl-bears were supposed to be apex predators, keeping many smaller predators and prey populations in check.


    It charged.


    I sighed. Clearly, this monster didn¡¯t recognize a true hunter. I spurred Abaddon out of the way of the charge, the horse side stepped with eerie grace. Lambert leapt forward and tackled it head on. His eight foot frame put him at equal height to the chimera.


    There was a short contest of strength as I considered options. Lambert was unusually strong, but the owl-bear tossed him to the side. No matter, Lambert bought me enough time to think of my solution. I shaped a thin needle of bone out of my hand and rode straight at the owl-bear¡¯s back. As it turned to face me, I swung off the saddle and drove the needle into its shoulder. Once I felt the needle hit bone, I used magic to usurp control of the owl-bear¡¯s skeletal structure. I jumped back from the owl-bear¡¯s swipes, narrowly dodging its talons. Now, though, with my essence inserted into its body, it was merely a contest of wills. The owl-bear was strong, but it had never faced down Death before. The conclusion was foregone.


    ¡°Sit.¡± I commanded.


    With a whimper, the owl-bear fell onto its hindquarters.


    ¡°Stay.¡± I said.


    The owl-bear made no motion to move, my intent transmitted through the needle. With a thought, I sent a message to Vikram to come pick up the owl-bear and add it to the menagerie. I would remove my bone essence and test its performance after it was trained. The beast was definitely intelligent enough to obey instructions.


    Lambert was still extricating himself from the trees. His impact from being thrown had almost chopped the tree in half. He made a half-hearted attempt to dust the brush and branches from his armor and gave up. I stifled a giggle at his bedraggled state. As usual, my revenant bodyguard was unamused.


    ¡°Stop playing around, Lambert. You¡¯re slowing us down.¡± I said, readjusting my dress.


    With the grace of a long-suffering friend, he helped me back onto Abaddon and we resumed our trek at a more leisurely pace. While the creatures of this forest shouldn¡¯t pose any real threat, letting my guard down like that was a dangerous habit.


    I enjoyed the spring air for the rest of the ride. Soon enough, the trees thinned out, and we came upon a dirt road. We could see the smoke from the villages outside of the capital walls. I fidgeted with the reins. A powerful ruler should make an impression, but how to do it?


    There was the Ra¡¯Zul sphinx. It would make for a regal first look, but difficult to maneuver in narrow city streets, so I ruled it out. Maybe a zombie griffon? Flying in was always impressive, but it might try to eat someone if I wasn¡¯t around. Ah, I snapped my fingers; I had the perfect idea.

 Chapter 2

    The city of Machford rose from the surrounding forests, built atop a stony plateau. A river runs beneath one side of the cliff, where someone constructed a complex set of pulleys and pumps to pipe water up to the city. Historians and wizards have debated endlessly whether the plateau is a natural or magical phenomenon. The shape is too regular, and the raised land is as high as a large hill.


    I¡¯d have to ask King Petronius if he remembered the details. When he¡¯d founded the Alzian Empire, Machford had been a backwater province. Regardless, it makes for a defensible and commanding position. Tall stone towers overlook each corner, with thick walls protecting the entire perimeter. A gentle dirt ramp led up to the main gate from the surrounding area, and at the base of the cliffs on all sides, a tremendous amount of industry had sprung up.


    From above, the most distinguishing feature of Machford is the main keep. A second set of walls enclosed a castle with a commanding view of the city and surrounding area. The stones were a beautiful pattern of blue and white bricks arranged in mesmerizing geometric patterns. Colored pane-glass windows decorate the entire edifice, a product of a century at peace.


    Below, good citizen toiled in the streets. Above, I watched from my scrying pool inside my palanquin. We were on the back of my war-elephant, Hanno. He was lumbering up the road towards the city, while Lambert and I sat in a brass edifice on his back. Hanno was from an extinct race of elephants that the Spectra had given me. They¡¯d preserved his corpse and reanimated his spirit, gifting him to me at thirteen to command battles from atop. His skin was rough like obsidian, and I¡¯d once watched him barrel through a stone wall six feet thick.


    His size would make for an imposing but appropriately stately entrance. Already, we¡¯d passed a few wagons who¡¯d rushed off the road to make way for their new princess. A few riders had even turned around and rushed back to the city to prepare a welcome. It was slightly rude not to greet us themselves but I would forgive them because of the surprise. I already felt like I was failing my father¡¯s trial. I should have sent a herald ahead to announce my arrival.


    I considered the lessons my tutors had given me.


    Vladislav the Crucifier had encouraged me to start by crucifying a few peasants as a lesson, but he also thought crucifying solved everything. I could admit that it worked for him, but maybe not something so extreme to start. We could always revisit crucifixion.


    The Wraith Gestalt at the soul well by the river Cocytus had given me instruction on manipulating a populace. To control the senses was to control their thoughts. Perception was its own reality. I¡¯d need to establish my propaganda machine for all of that to start being relevant, however.


    This was a trial of leadership, and not whether I could mentally ensnare my kingdom in an illusion. My people should want to follow me for my virtuous leadership.


    In the end, I felt Sforza had given me the most sound advice. ¡°Nothing is more difficult than to introduce a new system. The innovator is the enemy of all those who benefit from the old ways, and their allies shall be tepid even if they gain from the new. The bringer of change will confront opponents who are protected by the old law, and they must overcome the resistance of those who cannot believe in a new thing until they see it,¡± he¡¯d once told me.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    I would be the bringer of change. I¡¯d read the most contemporary works in my father¡¯s library. Machford was a successor state to the Alzian Empire. Their language and culture stemmed from the first settlers of the continent from across the starless sea. A feudal system of wage-slavery under the guilds, church, and local nobility prevented people from ever rising above their station. I would end these oppressive regimes, and bring about an era of equality and merit, just like the City of Dis.


    A group of farmers huddled behind their cart of produce. Their gazes averted from their new royal. I gave them my best smile.


    ¡°Good day!¡± I called out.


    They redoubled their cowering. ¡°Spare us, please! Great faerie queen!¡±


    I chuckled. A simple mistake for the uneducated. Hanno paused his lumbering gate. Fae nobility would¡¯ve made sport of their caravan on the spot. That they weren¡¯t screaming in agony should be proof enough. Luckily, there was an easy way to show I wasn¡¯t a fae.


    I pulled out an iron spike and shoved it straight through my hand. Cold iron was the bane of all fae, so it should serve as a demonstration I wasn¡¯t one of their kind. With a twist of will, I congealed the blood around the hole I¡¯d made in my hand. There was no sense in wasting any here.


    ¡°I am no faerie queen. I am flesh and blood like yourselves. Please spread the word that your rightful princess has returned!¡± I said from my palanquin. Satisfied I had allayed their fears, I spurred Hanno on with a mental flick. The red and black elephant sounded a trumpet, and we continued down the road. I pulled out the iron spike from my hand and put it into my ring of holding. They were useful to have on hand in case any real Fomorii showed up.


    Speaking of roads, one of the first acts I¡¯d have to make as princess would be to get these fixed up. They were of terrible quality and liable to break a wagon¡¯s wheel as much as help it along. I made a mental note that I¡¯d need to hire some engineers to build some proper infrastructure. There was no shortage of stone in the kingdom, but without good roads, we could never become a hub of trade and culture like I dreamed.


    We continued to ride past more and more citizens as we got closer. I didn¡¯t see any need to repeat the first encounter. They¡¯d spread the word soon enough.


    However, I understood why my father kept a herald for when he visited the other clans or received guests in his halls. The giant skeletal vulture in his entrance hall announced his arrival with a voice like winter and carrion. Announcing myself to people seemed gauche in retrospect. Perhaps I could conscript the next passerby.


    Unfortunately, the travelers in front of us were rushing ahead into the city to prepare for our arrival.


    We finally passed out of the forest and entered the town at the base of the plateau. Ahead of us there was a set of switchbacks carved into the cliff face leading into the city proper. The quaint pastoral buildings around us belied a simple life devoid of pretension. I had always found the Draggul vassal¡¯s township to be dreary and gauche. Here, it looked like people had embraced a more ascetic lifestyle. I applauded such a view.


    The inhabitants cowered in homes and shops as we passed by. No children ran out to greet Hanno, but I doubted they had seen an elephant and he was quite large. He was much gentler than he looked and I doubted he would trample anyone unless he wanted to.


    No trumpeters greeted us either, but I was expecting the real welcome up in the castle. Normally, the entire city would feast upon royalty arriving, but with such short notice, I would forgive it. I smiled and waved as was appropriate. They would cheer me once I was properly announced.