The Eclipsed Throne (Book 1 of Throne of Magic Series)

She jumped as the bartender approached her with a heaping plate of food.

“Here ya go, milady.” He said loudly and Aurelia felt as all of the eyes of the room landed upon the two of them.

She swallowed the panic that threatened to envelop her and looked up at him with a frown. “Do I look like a lady to you?” She snapped, grabbing the plate from him angrily and giving him a look of death.

The other residents of the pub turned away in disgust, no longer interested in a lowly poor girl in the village. Their focus returned once more to the mysterious woman that was dressed as if she were royalty herself.

Aurelia stole a glance once more at Dorian, his attention still completely on the woman before him as if he were in a trance. It was as if their discussion was the most important thing in the room, in the entire world.

Though Aurelia knew his presence here meant nothing good, she had no time to ponder such things. She shoved the bread on the plate into her pockets and held the bowls of soup tight to her chest as she hurried out of the pub before the bartender could yell at her.

For a moment she hid behind the corner, expecting Dorian to burst out the doors ready to capture her, but he never came. Without another moment to waste, she walked as fast as she could back to the alleyway. Ambrose was still there, his eyes closed, looking worse than she had remembered.

“Ambrose,” She murmured, kneeling next to him and holding a bowl of soup to his lips. Gently she eased some into his mouth and he swallowed willingly, his hands coming up to cup the bowl of soup, eagerly drinking more.

“There you go,” Aurelia said with relief, offering a bite of bread in between long gulps of soup. Taking a small sip of her own, she paused as Ambrose devoured the soup in front of him. She offered her own bowl, relief flooding through her at his hunger. She figured it was a good sign he was eating, and would give him all she could if it meant he would last a few hours longer.

She let him finish her own soup before she used the empty bowl to gather snow. Using her magic, she melted it into water, forcing it down his throat to prevent dehydration.

After she was sure he had consumed enough, she swallowed a bowlful of water herself, her thirst suddenly ravaging. Aurelia only stopped drinking when she felt as if she was going to be sick. To her relief, the feeling of gnawing hunger had, to her relief, disappeared, and her focus returned, no longer edged with panic.

A bit of Ambrose’s color had returned, but his breaths were still shallow and he clutched his abdomen tightly. Aurelia knew he would soon float out of consciousness like he had been doing since the poison had entered his body, but she was grateful nonetheless for the slight color returning to his cheeks.

“Aurelia,” He murmured softly, looking at her in desperation. “I’m sorry.” His words were raspy, his voice scratchy from lack of use. She could tell it took all of his effort to say even the fewest amount of words, her heart squeezing painfully. “I’m not going to make it...” He added, a small cough following his struggled words.

“No,” Aurelia said gently, placing a soft kiss on his forehead, sending another gust of healing energy through him. “I’m taking you to the Elves, Ambrose.” She looked down at him, his eyes wide in surprise.

“No-”

“No,” Aurelia interrupted. “I’m taking you to the Elves. They will know how to heal you. They excel in potion magic.”

Ambrose gripped her hand tightly. “Aurelia, you don’t understand.”

Aurelia looked down at him, gazing into his eyes. “Ambrose—“

His eyes fluttered closed, his breath slowing. She enveloped him in warmth once more, feeling his forehead worriedly before feeding a bit of bread to the horse.

Everything would be okay, she reminded herself. She just had to make it to Ardwen.

She teleported them onto the horse, wrapping her arms tightly around his abdomen once more as the horse began trotting forward.

Aurelia pulled on the reins to turn them back towards the roadway out of town and they slowly left the village, this time with a trail to guide them. Every passing moment the weight lifted off her shoulders a bit more knowing Dorian was just a little bit farther behind them. Without looking back, the pair set off for Ardwen, riding as if the devil were chasing them.

Each time the trail came to a fork, she took the one facing west, determined to get out of Damaris. Every hour or so, she was reminded of the severity of their situation and she urged the horse faster, her heart racing. Ambrose was living on borrowed time and she had to get to Ardwen as fast as she could.

They rode for what felt like days but Aurelia knew it had only been hours – the sun was only starting to set, her thighs raw from riding on horseback. Nevertheless, it felt like she had been on the horse holding onto Ambrose for dear life for forever, her anxiety only mounting as they continued their trek. She could feel the sleepless nights wearing on her but there was nothing she could do, relying on pure adrenaline to keep riding on.

She had no choice. She had to keep pushing.

As they rode, the snow began to lower in its abundance, the pine tree forest thinning from the thickets of trees surrounding the main castle. They didn’t encounter any other travelers, the freezing weather and falling snow dissuading many from straying outdoors.

As the day began to fade into night, they slowed to a stop as two towering guardsposts came into view on either side of the path. Tugging at her golden thread, her hair faded into a pale blonde, Ambrose hardly recognizable with how sick he was.

“Who requests exit of the kingdom of Damaris?” A soldier called, stepping out of the shadows to inspect their horse. The sight of Damaris soldiers, fully dressed in their midnight black and adorned with sharp swords, sent a chill through Aurelia. Her knowledge of their brutal and violent training did nothing to ease her anxiousness, her spine rod straight as they approached her horse.

“A lovely horse,” The first soldier said suspiciously, looking up to Aurelia in curiosity. “Where might you be headed to?”

“The Elves,” Aurelia responded coolly, doing everything within her power to keep Ambrose upright. “My husband here is in a terrible way. He’s very sick. I’m to find him the best healing medicine the Continent has to offer.”

The soldiers looked towards each other before bursting out laughing at her proclamation. “You’re going to Ardwen?” They looked her up and down skeptically. The second soldier stood, giving her a sad look. “Ma’am, you can’t just go to Ardwen. It’s hidden. Very few are given the gift of admittance. You really expect to be allowed in?”

Aurelia held her head high. “I’ve got to try, don’t I?”

The soldiers looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders, finishing their circle around their horse. “You don’t have much. How do you expect to last the day’s journey to their forest? Never mind the forest itself – thick enough that you don’t know if it’s night or day. Many go crazy in there, you know, lost forever in the greenery.”

Aurelia winced. “I...We’ve been riding for days already. I didn’t have time, I’ve got some bread...”

One of the soldiers went back behind one of the trees, fetching a small parcel. “Here. My wife made it for me.” He gently placed it in Ambrose’s lap. “I can’t imagine what I’d do if she fell ill.” He met her gaze, giving her a respectful nod. “I’d probably ride to the ends of the earth, too.”

The other soldier rolled his eyes, shrugging his shoulders as he met Aurelia’s gaze. “As long as you promise you're not the missing princess.”

Aurelia’s eyebrows rose in feigned surprise, looking between the soldiers with concern. “Princess?”

“Well, we should say future queen,” The first soldier interrupted. “She went riding earlier and no one’s seen her since. They think she’s dead, or worse.” He gave her a grim look. “Kidnapped by Calathis. If you see her, send her our way, alright? We don’t want anything to happen to Dorian’s beloved. Who knows what terror he would inflict on the earth without his queen by his side?”

Aurelia’s blood turned to ice as she pondered their words. What would Dorian do without her presence?

One thing was for sure: after she saved Ambrose, she had to return to Damaris. She couldn’t let him wage war against her grandmother without her revealing the truth of the prophecy. If there was any way that she could stop the slaughter of hundreds of innocents in Calathis, she had to do it. Seeing her grandmother would happen after – in victory. She reveled in the thought for a moment before she brought herself back to the present, looking back at the two soldiers.

The other soldier was nodding. “We’re not supposed to let any woman of Damaris out of the gates, but...” He looked to his partner. “Do you really think Aurelia of Calathis is standing before us, ruined clothing, matted hair, and stale bread?” He looked back to her, inspecting her once more before stepping away to let her pass. “Just...be safe out there, okay?”

Aurelia patted her belt where her dagger now hung. “I’ll do my best,” She called, ready to leave Damaris behind. They moved to the gates, pulling them open to reveal the dark, unlit path fading into the horizon before her.

Before they could say another word, she whipped the reins, urging the horse through in a fast gallop. Aurelia breathed a sigh of relief as they finally stepped off of Damaris ground, no longer at risk of being taken back to the castle.

The torches from the guardspost quickly faded behind them and they once more relied on Aurelia’s magical fire for light. Their surroundings transformed, the traces of Damaris quickly fading away. The snow quickly disappeared, now only a dirt pathway to follow lined with shrubbery, though the cold breeze still bit at her cheeks as they rode. All they could see for miles on end were rolling hills, the tall grass moving like waves in the wind.

Aurelia swallowed her fear, putting her faith in the road in front of her.

For the next few hours, they stayed on the same path, Aurelia summoning a small ball of fire to lead the way.

She kept her eyes open wide, fighting against exhaustion, keeping her fire strong in hopes to ward off the creatures of the night that liked to prey on innocent passerby. Her vivid memory of the wolves on the way to Oceria sent another rush of adrenaline through her body, a cold reminder to remain aware of their surroundings.

Aurelia leaned forward to feel Ambrose’s heartbeat against her palm, faint and thready, but there nonetheless. His breathing was deep and slow, still asleep from when they had left the village in Damaris. Aurelia didn’t want to think about why he hadn’t awoken in the encounter with the soldiers. He had to make it. There was no other choice.

Around midnight, they reached a fork in the road, a faded sign stuck in the center with arrows directed in two separate ways. North – Ardwen, Weylin, and Navar, south – Calathis and Oceria.

Aurelia’s heart stung at the sight of Calathis – so close, yet so far away. Grudgingly, she forced herself to turn the reins to the right despite her heart aching at the choice. If there was any kingdom that could save Ambrose from deadly poison, it would be Ardwen, she reminded herself. What sort of person would she be if she left the only person that was helping her die?

She urged the horse on as the forest thickened and overtook them, the moon still bright above them, lighting the pathway ahead.

Where the forest surrounding Calathis was made of tall, towering trees, the forest they rode through was filled with all sorts of lush greenery, thick and all shades of green, a different ecosystem than she was familiar with. If not for the cool air, she would’ve described it as a jungle, plants covering every flat surface except the trail before them. The thick leaves on the branches above them danced in the wind, making shapes beneath the moonlight.

They continued on, the gravel road before them their only guide, only stopping for the horse to drink some water and eat some grass while Aurelia forced some bread down Ambrose’s throat, leaving none for herself.

Wariness began to overtake her exhausted body, yet she forced it down, ignoring the overwhelming feeling of distress that seemed to be creeping up on her. Aurelia knew that if she brought Ambrose down to the stream to drink some water she wouldn’t have enough energy to put him back on the horse. She couldn’t ignore that she was losing her strength and the pair of them would die here, unable to make it to their saviors.

Shortly after the stream they stumbled upon another fork in the road, this time the sign half-overtaken by vines. To the left was Ardwen and to the right was Weylin and Navar.

Aurelia knew from her few lessons in kingdom geography that Navar was the farthest north of all of the kingdoms, Weylin in the North but not on the coast as Damaris was, and Ardwen deep within the thick forest.

Pushing their horse onwards, even she knew they didn’t have long before the horse would want to rest. Where they once were galloping through the forest, they had slowed to a trot, the leaves above them growing denser until the moonlight was completely blocked out with only Aurelia’s ball of fire to light the path. Her motivation began to slip, unable to be retrieved as the horse, too, began to slow, no longer able to be pushed to arrive to the Elves any faster.

Where the forest that they had entered had been quiet and smelled of fresh air, the forest around them now felt auspicious – as if something could jump out of the thick vegetation and attack them before they even noticed its arrival. The wind whistled through the trees, the thickness of the forest absorbing every sound they made.

Not long after they had left the fork in the road, the trail just stopped. One second it was there, the next the horse was trampling through the plants, slowing their pace even more. Before Aurelia had realized what was happening, the trail faded behind them in the darkness, as gone as quickly as the darkness had come. They were officially lost with no direction of where to go, unable to turn around nor continue except on assumption.

She persisted anyway, pushing the horse to go as far as it could muster despite the terrain. Aurelia refused to let panic take over, swallowing the fear that had created a thick lump in her throat.

They would find Ardwen, and Ambrose would get the help he needs.

She murmured it over and over, affirming the hope as if it would make it become real. She kept pushing them forward, sure the kingdom of tree houses was just around the next bend or just a bit farther into the trees, her focus entirely on the horizon before her.

And that was why when something slammed into them from the side, sending them flailing onto the forest floor, she had not seen it coming.