(William)

William woke up and groaned. He hurt everywhere. He had aches on top of his aches. He felt like he had been beaten like a dusty old rug. His left shoulder was swathed in thick bandages. His left arm was in a sling which was tied around his chest. He looked at the rest of his body. He had bindings and bandages everywhere. He looked like one of those mummies from the Graf Desert.

Ugh, not again, he grumbled. Why does this keep happening to me? He looked around. Where am I anyway? His fuzzy mind finally registered. Oh, I’m back in my bedchamber in Lord Tepi’s palace.

He closed his eyes and recalled the flurry of events that had unfolded after the death of the Shadow Queen. Just before he had passed out, he had seen Jane Sapphire charge onto the battlefield with fresh reinforcements.

What happened? Where is my aunt? Where is Ivan? His blood ran cold, and his chest tightened with fear. Did they get the relic back? Did they capture Stoneridge? Did we lose the war?

He ripped off the bandages, gingerly removed the sling, and cast a few healing spells.

“Whew, much better.”

I wonder if I’d be so reckless if I didn’t have healing magic.

He started to dress. That was when he heard the commotion outside of his room.

“Eat it, Zuzu,” a familiar voice snapped. “I won fair and square. You can’t keep him to yourself all the time.”

Zuzu’s muffled response was too quiet, and he did not hear her reply.

“Pfft, I know that his brother is taken by the Shadow Queen,” the familiar voice hissed. “How is that my problem?”

William’s heart thundered.

Thump-thump-thump!

His vision blurred and he swayed on his feet.

The Shadow Queen has Ivan?

The door to his bedchamber swung open and Dahlia burst into the room.

“Umm,” she stammered. Her cheeks reddened and he noticed that she was staring at his bare chest.

“What’s going on?” William demanded. “Is my brother alright? How did the Shadow Queen take him? I mean, I was there. I saw her die…”

Dahlia pulled her gaze away from his bare chest and looked up in confusion. “Uhhh, what?” She shook her head.

Her eyes widened and she slapped her forehead. “Ohhh…” She floundered in embarrassment and looked down at her feet. “So, you heard that, eh?”

“Yeah, I heard you say that my brother was taken by the Shadow Queen.”

“Well… umm… I actually meant that he’s dating her,” she mumbled and shot him a furtive glance.

“What… But the Shadow Queen is dead, right?” William was thoroughly flummoxed.

“Ohhhh, I was talking about the new Shadow Queen.”

William threw his hands in the air. “What new Shadow Queen?”

“Well, Jane Sapphire of course. Blegh!” She stuck a finger in her mouth and pretended to gag.

“Aaaah… I get it now.” William exhaled slowly as he finally grasped the situation. “Soooo, if they’re dating, does that mean we’re not fighting with them anymore?”

“Yeah, the war is over.” Dahlia’s face lit up. “You must be dying to know what happened while you were conked out.” She sidled closer to him. “So much has happened in the last two days. I’ll tell you everything. First of all, I don’t want you to worry. Your aunt and brother are totally fine.”

William exhaled a sigh of relief.

“Ivan’s dragon magic helped him recover real fast! His new gurrrlfriend,” Dahlia pretended to retch again, “Jane Sapphire, is now the Shadow Queen. Slovan Tinbury is the new king of the Nature Kingdom and Lin is the King’s Regent. Oh, and Zuzu said to tell you that you should stop pulling pranks on Lin. She’s a highfalutin-muckety-muck now.”

William shook his head and raked his fingers through his shaggy hair. “Scraps, so much has happened.”

“Oh, and there is more.” Dahlia batted her eyelashes and leaned closer to him. “Let me start from the beginning. I was stationed at the wall when Jane Sapphire arrived with her reinforcements, so I saw everything. It looked like she had arrived to rally the Shadowcloaks and crush us. I thought that we were done for. I was so relieved to find out that I had been wrong. Those white banners that her soldiers carried were a signal to stop fighting. Peace negotiations started the very next day. Everyone is expecting that Jane Sapphire and the King’s Regent will sign the official peace agreement this week. Thousands of prisoners have been freed as a show of good faith. The Shadowcloak forces around Stoneridge have already started to withdraw.”

“Woah, so much has happened…”

“I know, right!” Dahlia chirped. “Oh, and there is even more. Just this morning, I spoke to Eva, one of the local healers. You see, a few years back she married a Shadowlander. Not all of them are bad eggs, you know. He’s a cooper. Eva is over the seven moons because they’re going to let him stay here. She told me that he told her that they’re gonna let crafters and nonmilitary Shadowlanders that are in good standing with the Nature Kingdom, stay here if they want to. As I said, Eva is thrilled.”

Dahlia kept on talking and William kept on listening.

“Oh, I forgot,” Dahlia blurted. “The big blades want you in the great hall as soon as you are able. They need you there for something important, but no one would tell me the particulars. After all, I’m just an underling.” She huffed.

She looked down at his state of undress and averted her eyes. “Umm, you should probably finish putting on some clothes.”

William’s stomach rumbled. “And get some food.”

(Jane)

Jane scanned the gathered in the Stoneridge palace great hall, waiting for the final vote on the latest proposal. They had been debating different resolutions for well over a day with little rest and the atmosphere was tense.

All the available lords and commanders from the Shadow Lands and the Nature Kingdom were in attendance. To her right, sat Alecta Jade, the captain of her royal guards. To her left, sat her new Prime General, Helkia. Helkia had taken over the position after the death of Rock Stump. Jane was flanked by the rest of her retinue.

On the opposite side of the round table sat Lin Tinbury, the King’s Regent. Lin’s mouth was set in a straight line. Her eyes were as unyielding as an anvil.

Ivan said that she’s about to turn fourteen, Jane recalled. That girl has such a commanding presence for someone so young. She reminds me of my old teacher, Lahari. She’s stern and speaks with poise and wisdom. It’s no wonder. After all, Lin is a direct descendent of King Alaras, the Iron Fist with the Silk Tongue.

To Lin’s right, sat Rose Summerbreeze and to her left, Greg Tinbury, the new Lord Commander of the Nature Kingdom.

Jane glanced at Ivan on the other side of the redwood table and their eyes met for a moment. Her exhaustion lifted and warmth filled her heart.

“With unanimous approval, resolution number fifty-one for creating a new joint council between the two kingdoms has been passed,” the moderator’s voice rang throughout the great hall. “For the next resolution, we have the disposition relating to the Amulet of Storms.”

All eyes turned toward the relic.

Jane’s heart clenched.

“Queen Sapphire, you have the stage. Please present your findings.” The moderator gestured to her and sat down.

Jane stood up and cleared her throat. “The Shadow Lands are in trouble,” she spoke bluntly. She described the constant volcanic eruptions, the falling ash, and the poisoned rivers. “The eruptions killed thousands and those were the lucky ones. The destroyed crops and the famine that followed killed a hundred times as many.”

Jane looked around the room. She saw some concern, but none of the fear or urgency that she felt. She took a breath and continued, “As you know, Commander Snow and I survived the labyrinth under the Temple of Cea’Nia and we learned a great deal about this calamity. Within the temple we found a portal that transported us to the future. I can tell you that the portal that we entered was no illusion. The future showed Commander Snow having fire magic, which was something unheard of.”

All eyes swept to study Ivan.

“We did not know how he could acquire such magic,” Jane continued. “Now we know. He gained it months later, after killing a dragon.” She had the undivided attention of everyone in the great hall.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“There, we met Leaflet, the Ancient Archive.” Jane shared what they had uncovered in the depths of the labyrinth. She concentrated on the meeting with Leaflet and emphasized how dangerous the Amulet of Storms was.

“The relic poses a threat not just to the Shadow Lands, but to all of us.” She pointed to the amulet. “The Nature Kingdom will be covered in lava and ash if we don’t do something about that.”

All eyes turned toward the relic. Jane felt the atmosphere in the room shift. Her fear and urgency were now shared.

“The Amulet of Storms will continue to wreak havoc until it is returned to its rightful owner and reunited with its other half, the Elemental Teardrop,” Jane stated. “The relic must…”

The door at the back of the great hall burst open and William barged in, interrupting her midsentence. Jane’s eyebrows rose. William’s cheeks were stuffed with food, and he was dual-wielding curved croissants.

He looks just like a chipmunk… She smiled. A few people tittered, breaking some of the awful tension in the room.

“Uhh, I was told to come here as soon as possible,” William announced around a mouth full of food.

“Your timing is perfect,” Jane responded smoothly. “We were just discussing the Amulet of Storms. Take a seat.” She gestured across the table. “Your unique talent for detecting magic will be required shortly.”

William raised one of his croissants and saluted with it. He hustled toward the table and plopped onto a chair.

After the interruption, Jane shared the clues that Leaflet had provided for returning the relic and saving both kingdoms.

Next, Ivan was called up. He verified Jane’s account of the events from their meeting with Leaflet.

After that, a bookkeeper from Scar was called to present the recent environmental changes in the Nature Kingdom as possible symptoms that could be linked to the relic. She detailed the temperature increase of different hot springs, ground tremors near the hamlet of Ixia, smoke plumes rising from the Old Mountains, and the increasing dust fallout. At the end of her presentation the great hall was as silent as a tomb.

“In the last two days, the amulet has been analyzed by scholars, guilders, and casters,” Jane’s voice echoed throughout the hall. “Their focus has been on the clue provided by Leaflet that the amulet is a compass that will lead us in the right direction. With the use of bit detectors and other magical discernment techniques, it has been determined that the magical essence within the compass always points south.”

Jane looked at William. “I’ve been told that you can see magical bits. Perhaps you can provide the final confirmation with your unique ability.”

All eyes turned to William, and he gulped audibly. “Well, I’ll do my best,” he said nervously.

Jane turned toward the moderator. “Move the relic to the podium.”

“Yes, your highness,” the moderated replied.

William stood up and walked stiffly toward the podium.

(William)

William approached the Amulet of Storms. His stomach was in knots. He liked being the center of attention, but not like this.

He paused next to the podium and narrowed his eyes. The amulet did not look like anything special. It was a semicircular white stone. It could have easily been mistaken for a moonstone. The magical essence inside of the relic looked like sparkles of bright light and the bits were concentrated on one side of the amulet. He reached out to touch the velvet lined box that held the artifact but stopped when he saw croissant crumbs sticking to his fingers.

Everyone is staring at me.

He pretended to continue his examination while he discretely wiped his hands on his pants. He decided against touching the box and he turned the podium a little to the left. The bits in the amulet moved and continued pointing to the same side of the chamber. He rotated the podium in the opposite direction and the bits still pointed to the same place. No matter what he did, the bits always pointed in the same direction.

“Well, the bits are always pointing over there.” He gestured to one of the walls in the great hall.

“Please record that William Snow has confirmed that the relic’s essence is pointing south,” the moderator announced.

“Thank you, William.” Jane smiled. “Take your seat. With that, I abdicate the stage.”

“My pleasure.” William exhaled a sigh of relief.

Phew, that was easy. Scraps, I think Ivan’s girlfriend likes me. He grinned.

“The purpose of resolution fifty-two is to decide on a plan as it pertains to the Amulet of Storms and establish a fellowship to execute it,” the moderator’s voice rang in the great hall. “For the record, we have gathered the following clues. This information was presented by Queen Jane Sapphire and Commander Ivan Snow, as it was given to them by a being called Leaflet.”

“The first clue is – ‘Across the bounding main, find a place that you cannot find, but it can find you,’” the moderator quoted. “The second clue is – ‘The amulet is the compass.’”

“Resolution fifty-two is now open for deliberation.”

Jane’s report, the Scaran bookkeeper’s analysis, and the provided clues were followed by a fierce discussion. William lost interested after a snooty scholar spent too much time linking the bounding main from one of the clues with the Ocean of Tears.

Duh! William thought, wishing he had another croissant.

The deliberations lasted for hours, but finally a decision was made.

“By majority agreement we are going to form a fellowship between the two kingdoms to safeguard the relic and ferry it across the Ocean of Tears,” the moderator announced. “The Fellowship of the Amulet will be co-led by Queen Jane Sapphire and the King’s Regent Lin Tinbury. The joint party will board a pair of frigates and follow the Lonely River south to the capital. A missive will be dispatched to Calot so they can prepare four squid-racers for the second leg of the journey. Two of those ships will be crewed by the Shadow Lands and the other two by the Nature Kingdom.”

(Jane)

Two days after the peace agreement was signed in Stoneridge it was time to head south. Jane, her entourage, and her royal guards boarded the Tortoise frigate while Lin and her retinue boarded the Red Moon.

True to its name, the Tortoise was not the fastest ship, but with a crew capacity of two hundred, it was a good choice until they reached the capital. After all, she needed over a hundred bunks just for her royal guards.

Jane glanced at Ivan as she turned to the next page of the almanac that she was reading.

“Stop fretting, I’m doing better,” Ivan reassured her without looking up from his book. “You don’t have to check on me after every page.”

“But I like looking at you,” Jane teased.

Ivan looked at her and smiled. “It’s weird… Ever since I got my magic, I instinctively know when others are looking at me.”

“A great skill for a predator.” Jane leaned forward. “It’s exciting, isn’t it? You keep discovering new things about your magic.”

They continued to chat. In the last week, they had tried different methods to temper Ivan’s volatile behavior, which had manifested after he had acquired his dragon magic. They had already tried meditation, dueling, magical leeching, exercise, and a few other approaches with different levels of success. Today, they were trying one of their favorite pastimes, reading.

“Reading and a cup of mint tea is calming,” Ivan explained. He raised his mug and took a sip. “The mint is soothing, and this book, The Morgue Collective, is a fantastic read. It’s so easy to become engrossed in a well written story. It makes me feel like the old me. My mind is tranquil, and I can think clearly.”

Jane cocked her head.

“You know, I don’t feel like setting anything on fire right now.” Ivan grimaced.

“How does reading compare with dueling?”

“It’s different.” He pressed his lips together. “Dueling allows me to channel my anger… Reading helps me forget it. Oh, that reminds me. I owe you a big thank you.”

“What for?” Jane asked.

“For leaving that pyromaniac Selena Flint back in Stoneridge.”

Jane laughed.

“That lunatic went from hating my guts after we captured her as a saboteur to worshipping me after she learned about my fire magic. Being stalked by someone that can cast Invisibility is creepy.” Ivan lowered his voice. “One time, I thought I smelled her in the men’s public bath.”

Jane giggled awkwardly. “Uhh, I think a lot of the girl casters do that… Umm, I might have done something similar on a dare when I was sixteen.” She covered her face. Ivan’s shoulders shook with mirth.

“Still, I don’t blame her.” Jane winked at him. “I might have stalked you with the help of Invisibility on Eel Island.”

Ivan reached forward and cupped her face. “Stalking is definitely creepy. But I’ll give you a pass this time.”

He leaned forward and kissed her.

Thump-thump-thump!

Ivan sniffed the air and groaned, “Ugh, it’s William… again.”

“Come in,” Jane called out.

The door swung open, and William rushed in. “Well, umm,” he stammered and looked up nervously at his brother. “Uhh, please don’t be mad, but I kind of screwed up.”

Ivan’s eyes narrowed. “Spit it out.”

“Ahem.” William cleared his throat. “You see, I took your Giant Steel blade, and I was showing it to the crew on the main deck and then there was a kerfuffle.” He paused and rocked back on his heels. “Well, one thing led to another, and then your blade fell overboard into the river.”

“What!” Ivan roared. He leaped off the chair and the book on his lap flew aside. “You took Sharp Reason without my permission,” he bellowed. “And then you dropped it in the river!” His eyes blazed. The veins on his arms bulged and a muscle in his jaw twitched. His lips drew back in a snarl. A fiery tendril, like a whip, sprung out of his hand.

Jane tensed. He’s losing control.

She set her book aside, ready to step in if Ivan could not get himself back under control.

Ivan took a breath. The fire tendril coiled around his wrist. He looked at his brother and asked, “Where exactly did the sword fall in the river and how long ago did this happen?” He clenched and unclenched his fists.

William hesitated, looking anxious. “Uhh, well… It happened about an hour ago.”

In the blink of an eye Ivan crossed the cabin, grabbed his brother by the collar of his shirt with one hand, and pinned him against the wall.

“And you’re just telling me this now… After an entire hour has passed.” The wood under Ivan’s feet sizzled. The planks scorched.

William’s eyes widened. “Calm down… Calm down! Ivan, it’s just a joke. I was kidding.” he repeated shakily. “Scraps, I haven’t even touched your stupid sword. I promise,” he squeaked. “It’s just that you’ve been so uptight lately. I just wanted to do something silly to cheer you up. I thought I’d play a practical joke on you and then you’d laugh.” William deflated.

“Stop it, you’re hurting me!” William cast a Light Shield and the magical dome shoved Ivan backwards.

Jane raced toward Ivan and placed her hand on his shoulder. She winced from the heat but did not lift her hand. She hoped that this would work. It had worked the last few times. The first time, he had burned her hand. Ever since he had accidentally burned her, her touch had instantly quelled his anger and smothered his fire.

Ivan’s eyes widened and the fiery tendril around his wrist snuffed out. He lowered his head and his features twisted.

Alecta Jade and two royal guards rushed into the cabin. “What’s going on?” Alecta barked. Her eyes widened when she saw the Light Shield around William.

“Oh, just some horseplay between brothers,” Jane replied calmly. “Return to your post.”

“Yes, my Queen.” Alecta looked at the charred floorboards and narrowed her eyes. She shot Ivan a dirty look but saluted Jane and left the cabin.

“William, are you alright?” Jane asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” William mumbled, and his shoulders sagged. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“I know,” Jane replied. “How can I explain it… You see, the nature of magic tends to influence a caster. For example, when Light casters learn their first healing spell, they have the innate need to help and heal others.”

William nodded his head.

“Here is another example. I’ve read that shifters who transform into trees can spend months in that transformation without realizing how much time has passed.”

“Yeah, that shift is very relaxing,” William agreed. “It makes me sleepy if I stay in it for too long.”

“Right.” Jane smiled. “We know virtually nothing about dragon magic, but we know a lot about fire. Fire has an interesting duality of creation of destruction. It can save your life in the middle of winter. It allows you to cook food. It’s used to forge tools and weapons. It’s a great source of light and heat.” Jane paused.

“At the same time, fire can be devastating. Left unchecked, a single spark can consume an entire forest. Your practical joke, even though it was well-meant, was like a spark.”

“Ohhhh, I see,” William looked at Ivan. “Sorry…”

“It’s alright. I’m the one who should apologize. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I feel terrible about that. I’m still struggling with this…”

“Don’t worry about it.” William grinned. “I’m way tougher than I look.”

The brothers hugged and everything was forgiven.

Ivan turned toward Jane. “Thank you. You explained that very well. I know that control is the key.” He steeled his resolve. “I won’t let this magic rule over me!”

“Remember, when we were in the future portal together, you had mastered your magic,” Jane reminded him. “You’ve got this. It’s just a matter of time.”

“Scraps, I can’t play practical jokes on Lin and now my brother is off limits too.” William looked at Jane. “Can I go after the Demon Twins?” William’s eyes beamed.