The Vaïndrian Queen: A Novel

By Rachel L. Carazo

Yvane, the Vandrian Queen, has ruled her kingdom without fear for centuries as guardian of Viola, the Violet Tourmaline, an ancient gem with great power. However, when a stranger breaks through the magical defenses of her kingdom with the assistance of the forgotten Blue Tourmaline, her assurances of peace vanish. In the wake of this breach, two children, Ricardine and Biron, escape with a valued manuscript, forcing Yvane to begin a search for them and the knowledge of the Tourmalines that evades her. Yvane, who is protected by a cohort of her loyal subjects, thus journeys into the lands that surround her kingdom, prompting events that will alter the Vandrian perception of the world and their relationship with its people.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 25, 2014
• ISBN: 9781499029833

Rachel L. Carazo

Rachel L. Carazo was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. She has undergraduate degrees in English, history, and French and a graduate degree in English. She has also written several essays for edited collections. Rachel’s hobbies include traveling, playing and watching sports, and attending science fiction conventions. She thanks her parents for their support of her writing and her brother and cousin for their contributions to this project. This is the second novel in the fantasy series The Bequest of the Elodien.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

The Autumnal Court

The blood orange sleeves of the Vaïndrian Queen drifted down toward the black soil of the forest as she lowered herself into her imposing throne. Yet the streaming of her royal garments never commingled with the common earth. Instead, they hovered stiffly above it, mirroring the rigidity of her power.

The night deepened around her striking presence as she quit her entrance, while the eerie reflection of the moon illuminated her robes, a mixture of midnight and orange weavings that accented her gilt, spiked crown. These adornments, when coupled with the radiance of her unblemished skin and the ferocity of her crimson hair, gave the impression that she was a fearful specter of the woodlands who intimidated her worshippers without a sound.

Nevertheless, she was completely human.

The fire in the center of her courtyard blazed toward the stars, but its incinerating light was unable to quell the staunch silence that penetrated the colonnaded platform. While she gazed at the flames, Yvane, the centuries-old Vaïndrian Queen, felt immune to petty human dissension and the threat of advancing age. Not only did her magical heritage protect her, but so did her impenetrable pride.

Yvane next surveyed her timid court, threatening every man and woman there with her mythic powers, which she portrayed through the resplendence of her fair and intensely beautiful face. The winter may approach in the winds but never, she surmised, over the apex of her control.

Yvane then slowly turned her head toward her current minister, Loret Sylvan, a tall twenty-seven-year-old with blond hair and blue eyes. He had learned to serve her through agonizing instruction, and his first requirement, to learn the ancient Vaïndrian language, had consumed ten of his early years. During the remainder of his lifetime, he would translate and administer her wishes to her people, even though she now comprehended and fluently spoke their southern dialect of Istrian.

Yvane kept other children, who she had appropriated for ministerial positions through her lottery, isolated in her monastery. If she needed one of them, the child would only be acquainted with her and the instructors. Therefore, Yvane would have a loyal and ready replacement. However, if the children matured before Yvane needed them, they became the next generation of teachers.

When Yvane looked at Loret, he quickly comprehended the meaning of her glance and readjusted his posture. Her words, which she pronounced gravely, unnerved him. Yet they compelled him to fulfill his duties, since he alone understood her.

010_f_asdasd.jpg . 010_e_asdasd.jpg , she said.

Loret faced the nervous courtiers. Her Royal Majesty, the Vaïndrian Queen, who rescued her people from heresy and mortal destruction, requires that you heed her announcement. He paused, but he continued to stare at them. You can never doubt her importance. Therefore, do not ignore her impending command, he finished, as he returned his attention to Yvane.

010_d_asdasd.jpg 010_c_asdasd.jpg . 010_b_asdasd.jpg . 010_a_asdasd.jpg , she explained.

Last night, Loret narrated, an enemy appeared in these woods. He greatly disrupted our magical defenses, and the guards are still surveying the damage. He could have only bypassed them with internal assistance, he stressed. Yet Her Majesty’s guards finally apprehended him, demonstrating their strength and Her Majesty’s active protection of our borders, he claimed. According to Her Majesty, he added, we will soon learn more about this breach.

011_f_asdasd.jpg . 011_e_asdasd.jpg , Yvane informed him.

Her Majesty will interrogate this man tonight, Loret told the courtiers. Hopefully, his answers will make his intentions clearer to us.

011_d_asdasd.jpg 011_c_asdasd.jpg , Yvane announced.

Admit your guilt to Her Majesty and to the court, Loret implored them. You will still suffer a lawful death when she discovers you, and she will, he warned. But if you come forward now, she will spare your family. If you do not, every household will forfeit a child to her proscription.

However, a damned silence filled the court, and no one spoke.

Yvane slowly raised her fist and glared at the courtiers. Then she slammed it onto the golden arm of her throne. 011_b_asdasd.jpg !

You have two minutes, Loret told them.

A heart-wrenching sob immediately erupted from the reverent mass of courtiers. The Vaïndrians who surrounded the woman parted as she staggered toward the throne. She stumbled twice, and she would have fallen on the ground, into an uncontrollable heap of anguish, had a man not grabbed her at the last second. As she righted herself and continued forward, she tugged modestly at her pale gown and kept it from tripping her again.

Eventually, the disheveled woman collapsed in front of Yvane and bowed her head. She could not stop the tears that rolled down her cheeks or keep them from staining the soil with her sorrow.

011_a_asdasd.jpg ? Yvane inquired. She recognized the regular courtiers, but she had never seen this woman at court.

Your name, Madame, Loret finished.

She gasped and struggled to speak. Louisa, Your Majesty, she finally pronounced. Louisa Viens. I am a humble shepherdess from the western fields, she explained. Unfortunately, I have information about the intruder.

Yvane jumped to her feet and began pacing back and forth in front of her.

012_d_asdasd.jpg 012_c_asdasd.jpg , Yvane intonated.

Loret stepped between Yvane and Louisa. You are dressed like a courtier, not a shepherd’s wife.

Louisa, who was still kneeling, raised her trembling hands in a pleading gesture.

My husband died many seasons ago, she admitted. I borrowed the dress.

Why? Loret asked, as he anticipated Yvane’s next question.

The man, she began, as she tried not to stutter. He asked for food and shelter. I didn’t know him, she declared, as she shook her head, but I still showed him the same hospitality that I would offer to any of Her Majesty’s subjects. He never told me his name, but he said that if I came to the court, I would soon learn it.

Her voice faltered and she paused until she had recovered. He promised to be here soon, she finished.

Yvane walked closer to Louisa and glared at her.

Loret, who had been standing between them, moved out of her way.

012_b_asdasd.jpg , Yvane told her.

By helping this man, you have betrayed Her Majesty, Loret explained. He is an enemy.

Louisa sobbed. I have never been a very wise woman, Your Majesty. Only kind. That is my virtue, she related. And my failing, she added, as she lowered her body onto the ground and completely humbled herself in front of Yvane. I ask for Your Majesty’s forgiveness, and I beg for the safety of my children. They are innocent, she stressed, and they do not share my mistake.

Yvane lost her composure and yelled, swinging a commanding arm through the air. 012_a_asdasd.jpg !

We are all affected by your mistake, Loret informed Louisa.

Louisa, who was inconsolable, did not speak again.

Yvane stared at Loret and expressed a single word, the doom of her sorrowful subject. 013_b_asdasd.jpg .

Loret nodded and signaled to the nearest guard who protected the space around the throne. He then approached, with an ax in his hands, and stood in front of Louisa.

Yvane could see that Louisa would submit despite her desperation. Therefore, Yvane descended from the royal platform and reached her hand toward her. 013_a_asdasd.jpg , she said.

Rise and meet the Vaïndrian Queen, Loret commanded.

Louisa, who was visibly shaking, pushed her body off the ground and kneeled once more. With endless tears overwhelming her soft features, she met Yvane’s gaze. However, Louisa flinched when Yvane touched her chin and continued to evaluate her.

Several quiet moments passed before Yvane removed her hand and calmly returned to her throne.

When Yvane turned around and left, Louisa’s heart almost stopped beating. She had to inhale several purposeful breaths to keep herself conscious.

Louisa had never endured such stress before, and her fear for her children amplified her suffering. She wondered why she had listened to the stranger. She also criticized her own vanity, which she suspected had caused her to borrow the fancy dress and come to the court, where she would only succeed in dying.

However, the movement of the guard distracted her thoughts. She started to panic as she watched him raise his ax. Then, she muttered a brief, incomprehensible prayer, hoping that the invocation would save her.

When the guard appeared ready to strike, she closed her eyes.

Suddenly, someone yelled, and the guard immediately lowered his weapon.

A messenger then raced through the crowd and identified himself. Carle Remy, he said.

Yvane recognized him and his name. Normally, he protected the monastery. Yet from his breathless entrance, she knew that his news was urgent.

Yvane therefore had no choice. She halted the execution and prepared to question him.

CHAPTER 2

Visions of Fire

Remy skidded in front of Yvane, halting only when he lowered himself to one knee. He kept his eyes on the ground as he pushed back his brown cloak, revealing the amber-hued uniform that often concealed him in the forest during his patrol.

Your Majesty, I have disturbing news from the monastery, he announced. We have apprehended the intruder, and he is ready to appear at court, he explained. However, before his arrest, he frightened the children.

Yvane’s visage displayed her consternation.

Nevertheless, Loret immediately took control of the conversation. What happened? he asked.

May I call Harl Rae forward so that he can address the court? Remy inquired. He is injured, but he actually saw the panic. I was not on duty, he admitted. I was only sent to deliver this message.

Bring him forward, Loret answered.

Remy bowed hastily and rushed back through the speechless courtiers. Moments later, the elegantly attired Vaïndrians parted for him and the straining guard who supported himself on Remy’s right shoulder.

Rae was limping, and he huffed each time that he stepped toward the throne. This pain deepened the thick wrinkles on his face, especially beneath his eyes where the years had greatly affected his gentle appearance. However, Rae tightened his jaw and used the pressure to reduce his discomfort, for he was determined not to approach his Queen in a state of carelessness.

We do not expect you to lower yourself on that leg, Loret told him before he attempted to kneel.

He nodded appreciatively. Harl Rae of the Monastery Guard, he said, as he introduced himself. His short breaths stalled his narration, and he had to readjust his stance before he could continue.

At first, I heard screams, terrible screams, he began. The children, who had been startled from their sleep, suddenly found that their nightmares were alive. Then, I saw a great blue light and the fire that followed it, he explained. The children and their instructors ran from the monastery. They entered the courtyard near the gardens until the fire seemed to heighten. Then we permitted them to leave the first enclosure under our strict watch. No one spoke to them unless it was some instruction meant to protect them, he stressed.

Then what did you find? Loret questioned.

We counted the children, Rae declared. Yet he started to cry and could not continue.

Two children are missing, Remy finished. And the monastery has burned halfway to the ground.

Yvane’s fury was obvious. However, instead of answering him, she paced slowly back to her throne and turned resentfully around before she sat down.

Were any of the children killed in the flames? Loret asked.

Before Yvane heard Remy’s reply, an old memory engulfed her senses and removed her attention from the court.

A frightened, seven-year-old girl, with bright red curls and fiery blue eyes, fled down a marble corridor and turned into the sacrificial chamber of the High Priestess. She then concealed herself beneath the altar and attempted to escape from the magical blue flames that surrounded her. However, the fire still threatened her, and she began to think that death, which now seemed inevitable, was as desirable as life.

Yet her fear ultimately returned. The girl covered her eyes and tried to hide from the flames until another arm reached fortuitously toward her. The girl grabbed this soft, feminine hand and allowed the woman to yank her away from the danger.

However, as she emerged from her hiding place, the vision began to fade. The world evaporated into a white light, and Yvane returned her attention to the court.

No children died in the fire, Remy answered.

Loret nodded. Then he surveyed Harl Rae. Sir, you are excused. We thank you for your assistance and we advise you to visit the court physician before you return to the monastery.

Rae nodded and expressed his gratitude, even though his leg still tormented him. Thank you, Sir. Majesty, he added, as he lowered his head toward Yvane.

Remy attempted to turn Rae around, but Rae stumbled, forcing him to pause.

Two male courtiers, who dared to act without being asked, approached them and allowed Rae to lean against their shoulders.

Remy therefore regarded Loret and inquired, Should I stay?

Loret nodded and waited until the men had escorted Rae from the court. Then, he continued with Remy. Do you have any idea where the missing children are? Who they are? he added.

A boy and a girl, Sir, he described. Their names, according to the instructors, are Ricardine and Biron, children of the late courtier Graë Holwyn. The intruder who started the fire helped them escape, he related. However, we do not understand why they would listen to him. We can only confirm that they did not die in the monastery.

Loret started. A traitor’s children! he exclaimed, as he glanced at Yvane. Your Majesty, they could not have been tainted by their father’s disgrace, he assumed. They never met him.

017_c_asdasd.jpg . 017_b_asdasd.jpg 017_a_asdasd.jpg , she argued.

No, Your Majesty, Loret replied. It is not a coincidence. Before he died, Holwyn attempted to escape. Why shouldn’t he want the same choice for his children?

With all due respect, an arrogant voice called, as Gerard Holwyn stepped in front of Yvane. My cousin never wanted to interfere with his children, he swore. He tried, during a fit of madness, to escape, but he had always hoped that his children would serve Her Majesty.

Loret eyed him. We have not given you permission to speak, Holwyn. Do not tempt the law, he warned.

Holwyn bowed and retreated from the platform. He then stood beside Louisa, who still rested quietly on the ground.

Yet Loret was not finished with him. We are very aware, Holwyn, that two members of your family are now missing, he began. We expect you to help us find them when Her Majesty gives the command.

I have not denied her, he said, as he bowed again.

Yvane interrupted them. 018_d_asdasd.jpg , she said.

Loret angrily regarded Holwyn. You are not being honest with us, he accused him. The Queen senses it in your voice, he said. What is it? Is there something else that you know?

My cousin lost the use of his arm, and later his life, in this supposed flight, Holwyn countered. The magical defenses cut it right off, he announced, as he reenacted the event with his hands.

That is not what we are asking, Loret corrected him. You know something else about your cousin. It was no fit of madness, he presumed.

I did not live with Graë until his illness. There is no other explanation, he protested.

Yvane bounded from her throne and headed straight for Holwyn. Once she reached him, she fitted her hand around his neck and began to strangle him.

018_c_asdasd.jpg . 018_b_asdasd.jpg 018_a_asdasd.jpg , she pronounced.

She thinks that you knew about the prisoner, he summarized.

Yvane loosened her grip so that he could speak.

I cannot be certain, Holwyn sputtered. Graë’s arm was severed. When it fell, it was whole and seemingly unharmed, as if it was still attached to his body.

And! Loret yelled. There is no way that an intruder could have bypassed our defenses without assistance. Your kinsman, who forfeited his life three months ago, remains crucial to our understanding of this breach. The Queen knows it, and so do you.

Holwyn, whose face was turning purple, collapsed to his knees.

Only then did Yvane remove her hand from his neck.

Holwyn gasped and stared at the stars until he could breathe again. Then he faced Yvane and muttered, My cousin had a message in his hand, a letter that he had been writing when he ran from the house and toward the border. I tried to stop him, Holwyn narrated. "But when I saw the paper there, I couldn’t just take it back. I would have only succeeded in losing my arm," he stressed.

Why didn’t you tell the Queen? Loret demanded.

It could have been a letter to me! he exclaimed angrily. I didn’t know the contents! And I didn’t think that it proved him a traitor either! he remarked.

Yvane slapped Holwyn across the face and then returned to her throne.

019_f_asdasd.jpg . 019_e_asdasd.jpg 019_d_asdasd.jpg 019_c_asdasd.jpg . 019_b_asdasd.jpg 019_a_asdasd.jpg , she declared.

Loret translated the ultimatum. All of the houses owned by the Holwyns will be searched. The Queen believes that this intruder came specifically for these children, he related. Why else would they have followed him?

Although Holwyn was still gasping for air, his sense of defiance remained undimmed. My family cannot be blamed for one man’s faults! he exclaimed, as he glared at Loret.

That is not for me to decide, Loret replied, as he stepped back toward the royal platform.

Yvane then returned her attention to Remy. 020_b_asdasd.jpg 020_a_asdasd.jpg ? she asked.

Are the Queen’s books destroyed? Loret summarized in Istrian.

Miraculously, most are not, Remy answered. The instructors managed to save almost all of them. In fact, they handed several manuscripts to the children before they fled. They were able to do so because the fire actually began on the other side of the monastery.

And the others that were destroyed? Loret inquired.

The instructors will make a list only for Her Majesty, he said. But they did notice that one very important manuscript has disappeared. One child claims that Ricardine and Biron have it.

What book? Loret asked.

It was a historical account that sat on a pedestal in the library, Remy described.

Yvane clenched her fists and tried to control her anger. However, the passion that ignited inside of her made the vision of the girl reappear.

The hand that had reached for her turned into a tall, raven-haired woman, who served as the High Priestess of the Temple. Her soft skin had just begun to denote her age, but her pale eyes still shone beautifully despite her fear for the child and the fire that raged around them.

The girl then followed the High Priestess through the Temple. They ran as fast as they could around the white pillars in the entrance hall, where smoke and blue sparks now obscured their view. Only an open doorway, which illuminated the end of the room with brilliant sunlight, offered them a way to escape.

However, just before they reached the doorway, several armed men appeared and began to chase them. In response, the High Priestess released the girl and caressed her cheek with her fingertips an instant before they were separated. This tender moment, which happened very quickly, still seemed eternal, especially after the men forcefully grabbed the woman and pulled her away.

The girl, who ran much faster than they did despite the tears that blinded her, made it to the doorway and fled. She ignored the Tourmaliens who stood outside of the Temple, many of whom yelled at her. Yet she did hear the terrible scream that sounded from the Temple when the men inside murdered the High Priestess.

Suddenly, Yvane’s attention returned to the court. Then she gazed at Remy. 021_i_asdasd.jpg . 021_h_asdasd.jpg 021_g_asdasd.jpg . 021_f_asdasd.jpg 021_e_asdasd.jpg , she stated.

Loret conveyed her instructions. Continue to protect the children and the teachers, he said. The Queen will soon question them.

Yes, Your Majesty, Remy replied, as he bowed twice. Then he hurried away and prepared to follow her command.

Yvane next regarded Loret. 021_d_asdasd.jpg 021_c_asdasd.jpg . 021_b_asdasd.jpg , she added.

Since the intruder had obviously known the exact location of the children and the books before his arrival at the monastery, Yvane suspected that another Vaïndrian had helped him. Loret therefore eyed the guards that protected them and prepared to sequester the court.

Guards! he announced. Every courtier is now under your surveillance. They cannot leave this area until the Queen commands it! In fact, every guard across this kingdom must be vigilant. If any man fails at his post, he will be punished, he warned.

The courtiers, who solemnly accepted their detainment, situated themselves around the central fire and prepared to wait.

Loret, however, amended the command for Holwyn and Louisa. He expected them to remain near the throne.

021_a_asdasd.jpg ! Yvane declared.

Loret nodded. Her Majesty is ready to question the prisoner! he exclaimed.

CHAPTER 3

The Prisoner

Two guards, who were armed with massive battle axes and bows that they had strapped on their backs, entered the courtyard with the prisoner. He was a healthy young man, but his muddy trousers and frayed boots suggested that he was poor.

He also wore a long, black cloak, which was decorated on the hems with bursting blue flowers, each with eight petals. However, the guards had tied the garment behind his back so that he could not use it to hide from them.

A third guard, whose weapon was sheathed, strode behind them. He carried the prisoner’s strange, gray bundle, which resembled a wad of dirty wool wrapped with several flaxen ropes.

The prisoner, nevertheless, walked with his pride and stared at Yvane as soon as he noticed her. He exhibited no fear, and his steps never faltered as he approached the throne.

Loret, who noticed this defiance, strode forward several feet. He was determined to protect Yvane and intimidate the prisoner with one gesture.

What is your name? Loret asked, as the prisoner halted in front of him.

The man did not reply.

Loret scoffed heavily at him. It is customary to bow toward Her Majesty, the Vaïndrian Queen, Loret informed him.

"It is not my custom," the man retorted. He spoke fluent Istrian.

The courtiers started at the strength of his voice and the ease with which he communicated in their language.

Where did you learn Istrian? Loret demanded.

My former master and I, we listened, he quipped.

Where is your master? Loret continued.

He died, the prisoner announced. He became old, a fate that most of you can understand, he added, as he shifted his gaze around the court until he reached Yvane. Most of you, he whispered. His words were almost inaudible.

Yvane sat restlessly in her throne. His candor, not his insinuations of death, made her uneasy.

023_b_asdasd.jpg ? she asked, as she leaned forward, hoping that her determined gaze would frighten him.

Your name! Loret exclaimed.

I am Aemmi, a foundling. I have no last name, he confessed.

Why have you invaded the land of the Vaïndrian Queen? Loret prompted. She has not offended you. She does not know you.

She offends everyone in this world, Aemmi reported. Word of her existence and rumors about an ancient sorceress overspread our lands. My master, like his master before him, spent his life looking for her.

Yvane laughed cruelly at the ambitions of Aemmi’s brethren.

023_a_asdasd.jpg , she smirked.

Loret laughed with her. You only prove Her Majesty’s worth, Aemmi, he admitted.

Aemmi smiled back just as enigmatically as Yvane had smiled toward him. He then passed his eyes over the court and decided to introduce his purpose to them.

Why don’t you ask me about my bundle? he said. I have carried it throughout this world like my forbearers. It wants to ask you a riddle, he declared. No one has solved it yet. However, if Your Majesty manages to answer it correctly, Your Majesty can have the bundle.

The courtiers released a stunned murmur that only quieted when Yvane rose from her throne.

024_e_asdasd.jpg . 024_d_asdasd.jpg , Yvane commanded.

In response, Loret waved at the third guard who had entered with Aemmi. Bring the bundle forward! he requested. Then he told the other guards, Be ready to defend the Queen!

The guard that protected the oddity, a hastily wrapped and seemingly worthless treasure, approached the dais. It does not appear to be harmful, he said to Loret, as he glanced quickly at Yvane. Yet for it to make such promises, there must be something false about it.

Loret nodded. Then he turned toward Aemmi. What exactly are you offering with this thing?

Aemmi’s face stiffened. "The bundle