King Lerin and Prince Talon stood in the throne room of Carhan while Lerin took requests. A scribe was writing down notes about the session to review with the prince later. The guards stood in their usual spots near the doors and the throne, carefully watching each person who entered.
Talon stood next to Lerin, listening to each exchange. When this session was over, Lerin would ask him what Talon would have done and why. It was his education; one that never ended. The current petitioner was a man asking for two cows because wolves were killing his own.
Lerin approved the request, and the man left, bowing with gratitude. Qidan, the mage advisor, stood on Lerin’s other side as Lerin had asked him to join in teaching Talon. Typically, the mage would have declined, but somehow Lerin had convinced Qidan to come. Talon wished the mage had refused.
“Bring in the next person,” Lerin ordered. His crown swayed when he tilted his head to listen to Qidan whispering in his ear. Talon couldn’t hear what was being said and pretended not to notice.
The next person who came in was an old man, who bowed deeply when arriving. He had a pin of a women on the left side of his chest. “Thank you for seeing me, your grace,” he said.
“Judging by your pin, I assume you come from Kalmor?” Lerin asked. The pin was meant to show faith in Tarmella and the people of Kalmor almost always had some sort of pin with her on their clothing.
“Yes, your grace.”
“What is your request?”
“With the recent troubles in the world, we’ve been having difficulty getting food from our usual trade routes. Our crops were destroyed in a recent storm and I humbly request your aid.”
“I see—”
Before Lerin could go any further, the doors banged open and a guard rushed breathlessly into the room. “Sire, I apologize for the intrusion but I have urgent news from Arindall!”
Talon noticed Qidan’s interest. Interruptions like these were rare. Lerin himself remained composed. “We’ll get you your help. Guards, please escort our guest out.”
The old man knew better than to argue and bowed once more before leaving the throne room. The guard rose. Lerin waited until the doors were closed before breaking the silence. “What news?”
Talon was eager for the news as well. Arindall was near the Unknown Waters, far away from any threats. What urgent news could come from a village so far from any enemies?
“Numerous reports have come in that Arindall was attacked, with most of the people there being killed or assumed taken captive. The village is in ruins,” the guard said.
“What?” Lerin blurted out as he stood from his throne.
Qidan and Talon were also shocked. Talon didn’t understand how this was possible. There were no raiders in that area, nor were there any known conflicts between nearby cities and other small villages. Who would attack Arindall and why?
“The details are scarce. The attackers were said to be riding with a sigil of a dark sword with a hand gripping the handle. Whoever was behind this attack was heavily armed.”
Talon had no idea what the sigil could mean. However, Lerin gasped upon hearing the description. What could his father know about the attack? He had studied all the nations and their symbols, along with lords and other famous families. This was one he had never heard of.
“So, it is true,” Lerin mumbled.
“W—”
“Everyone leave!” Lerin boomed, drowning out Talon’s question. “You two stay here,” he whispered. Qidan opened then closed his mouth, unable to hide his annoyance at being commanded to stay.
Despite the situation, Talon allowed himself a small smile. Seeing the mage being told what to do was something he wanted to see more of. But then the look on Lerin’s face wiped away his smile. His father was pale and sweating.
Everyone left, leaving Lerin, Qidan, and Talon alone.
“What’s going on?” Talon asked.
Lerin opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted when the doors barged open again. Two guards were sliding on their backs on the floor as three figures walked into the room. Each wore a robe similar to Qidan’s.
“Who dares—” Lerin stopped as he saw the figures. The three strangers were mages, and they looked irritated. The guards had tried to stop them from entering and, as mages usually did, they had moved the guards with the power and entered anyway.
“I apologize. I received some important information and wasn’t expecting any mages to be waiting,” Lerin said. The two guards who had been knocked down were back on their feet and looked at Lerin, who motioned them away.
Clenching his fists, Talon took deep breaths to calm himself. The disrespect these mages showed upset him and seeing his father bow down didn’t help. The smirk on Qidan’s face only irritated him further.
“Your guards tried to keep us out. We have an important matter to discuss that cannot wait until tomorrow,” the oldest of the mages said.
How can mages talk to a king this way? Talon’s fists shook with rage. He found it hard to accept that this was how the world was and there was nothing he could do about it.
“What can I help you with?” Lerin asked.
“I’ve received reports of someone killing with the power in Carhan. What do you know of this?” the mage said.
Lerin shook his head. “This is the first I’ve heard of it. Are you sure this power user is killing?”
“How disappointing,” one of the younger mages said.
“I’m sure Qidan could help you,” Lerin said.
“A hunt for a power user? Sounds more fun than this dull affair,” Qidan said.
The older mage nodded. “We could use your help. We will be searching homes to find this person.”
“I understand,” Lerin said.
Qidan then headed toward the exit with the other mages.
That isn’t important information! Why could that not wait until later? Talon thought angrily.
Lerin exhaled. “I’m glad they didn’t stay longer. I have nothing else to give them.”
Talon wasn’t listening. His entire body was shaking. He couldn’t stand these mages. Why couldn’t they be civil? Energy surged through him. For a moment, he could do anything. Nothing could stop him, not even the mages. He had never felt this way before. As quickly as it arrived, the energy left him and a nearby pot exploded into a thousand pieces.
The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
The king’s mouth opened wide as he stared at his son. “I can’t believe it!” Lerin gasped.
Feeling woozy, Talon took a seat and studied his shaking hands. What happened? Did he… he shook his head. He didn’t want to think about it. If he had done what he thought, then the mages would be after him! That was one of the rules after the war of power: anyone from the royal family of Azzellia who could use the power was to be trained at Mortham Tower.
The mages used to check the royal family for the power. The checks stopped after no one with the power had been born for over three hundred years. The consensus was that the Astero family had lost favor with Tarmella and had been stripped from ever using the power again.
Talon didn’t understand why his father was staring at him. That had to mean it was true. “Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked, dreading the answer.
Talon hated the mages. The last thing he wanted to do was be sent to the tower to train with them and become one of them. The thought disgusted him. He would refuse. If the mages or his father tried to make him go, he would run away. Anything was better than becoming a slave to the mages.
“You used the power,” Lerin said softly. He kept glancing at the doors nervously. “The mages haven’t come back; they must not have sensed it.” He regained his composure. “Follow me.”
Confused, Talon got up and followed Lerin. His father wasn’t turning him over to the mages; he must have a plan.
“Where are we going?” Talon asked.
“I’m taking you to a place that no one in our family knows about except for me,” Lerin began. He led them out of the throne room then scurried down a corridor and took a right. “Only the kings of Azzellia know what I am about to show you. Knowledge of this place is only passed down to the prince when the time is right. Not even the mages know of this.”
“What does this have to do with… what’s going on?” Talon asked.
“Everything,” Lerin replied, then stopped.
There was just a wall in front of them. “Only someone within our bloodline may activate this wall,” Lerin said, placing his hand on it. “As a descendant of King Egmardern, allow me to enter.”
The wall shifted and opened quietly. All he saw ahead was darkness. Lerin motioned for him to enter.
Talon stepped inside, then gasped. A library! There were bookcases full of books. Notes were lying neatly on desks. He was shocked at how big the room was. Fifty beds could fit in here and there would be plenty of room left over.
Lerin appeared behind him and the wall closed up. “This room contains knowledge dating back to the great rebellion fifteen hundred years ago,” he said. “The mages would kill for what is in this room; there is knowledge of how to use the power here. The knowledge that was lost in the war of power.”
“The lost knowledge is stored here?” Talon asked. He couldn’t believe it. “Why are you showing me this?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Lerin said. “You will use this room to train and master the power.”
Talon was stunned. His father wanted him to learn the power? They both knew what would happen if the mages found out. If they discovered someone in the Astero family could use the power and didn’t go to Mortham Tower, the mages would annihilate the entire family and choose a new king. Lerin would risk his kingdom for Talon to learn the power?
Lerin continued, “there is more knowledge in this room than in any library in the kingdom. You will be able to use the power in ways the current mages could only dream of. You will be the shining light in the war to come.”
Many questions shot through Talon’s mind. “Why would you risk everything for me to learn the power? What if a mage senses me in here?”
Lerin chuckled. “This room is protected by a ward created by Egmardern before his defeat. The ward is undetectable by any power user; nor can anyone sense the power thanks to the artifact in here,” Lerin pointed at a pole that was sticking into the ground, which connected to the ceiling. “So long as that pole remains intact, you should be safe. However, you would need to be careful that the mages don’t find out you can use the power.”
“What did you mean that I will be the shining light in the war to come?”
“Things are in motion now. First, I will need to explain the sigil described to us. A couple of years ago, a strange man with a scar running from his chin to his left year and an accent I had never heard before requested to speak with me privately. I took a couple of guards and spoke with him. This stranger told me that sometime in the future there would be raids in the lands of Azzellia, Vandalor, and Eshil Domain. He described the symbols exactly as the guard did. He told me the raids would be the first of many and said eventually there would be a full invasion, though he said that could be ten years away. I was also told that the raids were designed to gather information and the invasion would be like none had ever seen before,” Lerin said.
More questions came to Talon. How could someone predict the attacks? There was no way to know the future, he was certain. Commoners talked about mages as if they could read minds and see into the future, but that was nonsense; even the mages said that wasn’t possible.
“At first, I thought the man was mad. Thinking about it now, I should have paid more attention. His accent was strange, one I had never heard before and haven’t since. With his… prophecy coming to life, I must assume he was part of this invasion force. And that begs the question, why did he tell me?” Lerin was now speaking more to himself. “It never made sense to me. If he was speaking the truth, why not give me more information? He gave me a fake name, Perdomas and, I’m sure.
“Slow down!” Talon said and Lerin blinked in surprise.
“Sorry about that,” Lerin said and took a seat. “I wish I had questioned him further. Now I believe everything he told me was true.”
Talon had never seen his father so distressed before. Droplets of sweat were building on his forehead. However, things were starting to make sense. The rebellions breaking out all over Aidris must be coordinated efforts to disrupt the nations to make this upcoming invasion easier. The invaders must have been looking for the strengths and weaknesses of the five nations. But who was going to invade, and why?
“What do you mean that I will be the shining light in this war?” Talon asked. “The mages would never allow me to lead the war when I can use the power.”
“You’re right. That is a problem we’ll have to find a way around. I don’t have the answers. All I know is that you must be the leading force against these invaders. The other nations are too stubborn to unite. Vandalor despises us. The people of Eshil Domain think nothing can harm them. Skahad wants to be left alone, and Malvarian wants nothing to do with us. These rebellions aren’t helping, as each nation blames another. The enemy is making the right moves.”
Uniting the kingdoms would be impossible, Talon knew. These rebellions had only sown more division amongst the nations. Him using the power would only dredge up the past and remind people of how Egmardern tried to unite the lands under him and almost succeeded. If he tried to do the same thing, the other nations and mages would bring their full force against Azzellia. He could be the strongest mage in the world and it wouldn’t matter. There was only so much one person could do.
“Our bloodline produces strong power users. All three individuals brought to Mortham Tower in the past thousand years were the strongest of their time. I have no doubts you will be the strongest user in these lands once you master the power.”
It was all so daunting. How could he be the leading force? Talon relaxed his tense shoulders. He didn’t have a dislike of Vandalor like most of Azzellia. Was it a burden he could handle? “Why don’t you unite the lands? You’re healthy; you will likely rule for a long time,” Talon said.
“You’re right, but you will be leading our forces. I am too old to do that. Don’t worry, I won’t sit back and do nothing.” Lerin handed Talon a book titled Utilizing the Power Efficiently. “Uniting these lands will be my priority. I will do whatever it takes to make this happen. You must be prepared to do anything to help.”
Talon nodded as he accepted the book. It was his duty to help his father however he could. “I’ll learn how to use the power. Together, we will fight these invaders,” Talon said. The first thing he would need to learn was how to access the power at will. He knew very little of the power and how it worked. The books in here would help, but was there enough time? The enemy could strike at any time. It could be tomorrow or years from now, at least according to his father.
“The first thing I will do is petition Mortham Tower and see if they’ll assist us. We need eyes on the waters as that is where the invaders will attack from. I’ll need to assemble the council. There are important matters to discuss. Telling the public about the upcoming war is next.” Lerin continued listing things that needed to be done.
One thing Talon admired about his father was how he planned things out. He had no doubts that Lerin would do the tasks in the order he was listing. Normally he would dread going to a council session, but this was important. An invasion was coming and his people would need him.
Talon opened the book and looked at the first page. This was a book for someone new to the power. The first thing it described was how to access the power at will, along with some information on how someone could realize they can use the power. Not many people in the world could use the power.
“I see you’re beginning already,” Lerin said as he got up. “I’ll leave you to it. We’ll speak later.”
Talon watched his father place his hand on the wall and vanish. His priority was learning the power. Time may not wait and he couldn’t risk not being ready for the invaders. He would do what was required, even if it killed him. He started reading about what was needed to summon the power. Placing the book down, he officially began his training.