Prologue
100 Years AGMW (After the Great Magic War)
Wind whistled through the many holes in the weather-worn walls of the small, thatched-roof hut where they’d found shelter for the night. Rianth Royan’s father knelt on one knee and splayed his hand flat on the dirt floor. With his long, blond hair untethered and a crazed expression in his eye, he had the look of a wild man, made worse by the fact that he hadn’t bathed in days. None of them had. They’d been too busy running.
“They’re coming.”
The small fire, lit for warmth and to dispel the night’s darkness, did not keep Rianth from shivering at the fear she heard in her father’s voice. It also did not disguise the changes in him. Damian Royan’s shoulders held no sign of the regal bearing she’d known. The man who’d been her rock of strength for all of her ten years looked beaten. That alone terrified Rianth, compounded by a pounding in her head that beat out the wind’s screech. The sonorous vibrations grew in intensity. Sounds she couldn’t hear swelled to crushing levels. Something or someone drew closer and closer. Doom would visit them this night. She knew it in her soul, felt it, like her racing heart.
Her father stood, taking the small bag he’d always worn from around his neck and settling it around Rianth’s. His hands, heavier somehow, clutched her shoulders. “It’s up to you now. I’ll hold them off as long as I can.”
“Hold who off? I don’t understand, Father.” Her voice, not more than a whisper, shook. How had they gone from peaceful wanderers to a family being hunted by some unknown enemy?
Unknown to her, at least.
“There’s no time to explain.” He glanced at eight-year-old Uja, who gripped their mother’s hand while she writhed on the floor. “Get you and your brother to safety. I know you can do this. You have the power within you.”
“What about you? And Mother and the babe?”
Valena Royan screamed, and both Rianth and her father knelt at her side. In the final stages of childbirth, she contorted in obvious pain. Father leaned in to kiss her mother’s temple, then whispered unfamiliar words. Her mother’s brow soothed and she loosened her grip on Uja’s hand.
Boom! The building shook under the shock wave. Another explosion quickly followed. Damian stood, pulling Rianth up with him.
“Your mother cannot travel. And it may be too late for the babe already. Help as long as you can. But when I tell you to go, do not hesitate. Grab Uja and run. As fast and as hard as you can. Head east. Find the village of New Hope. Find Bhren. He will help you.”
“No. I don’t want to run. Not without you. I can help you. We can fight together.” Rianth pulled the wooden sword from her belt, the one she’d made so her father would teach her to fight. “We can beat them,” she said, bravado barely concealing the tremor in her voice.
Her father smoothed her hair with his hand and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry, my dear. You are too young for this war. Besides, you must save yourself and your brother now. That is your fight.”
She dipped her head to keep her father from seeing the tears. He tipped her head up to wipe her cheek with his thumb, breaking her heart with the tender gesture.
“You are the hope of the future, daughter. Do not be afraid to find your destiny.” With a last glance at his family, Damian drew his sword and disappeared through the rough-hewn door.
Tears streamed down Rianth’s face, sorrow struggling against fear, both overpowering her.
“Daughter—” Her mother’s weak voice drew her attention.
Rianth dropped back to her side. “What do I do?”
“Hold the babe as he’s birthed. Cut the cord that has nurtured him all these months. Wrap him in my cloak.” She gasped. “Feed him goat’s milk.”
“No. You’ll feed him. You’ll be here.”
“No, daughter. My strength is gone. I will soon pass from this life. And you must run.” Her mother’s weakened voice held a finality that Rianth did not want to accept. She clutched Uja’s and Rianth’s hands. “I love you both dearly. And this little one, too.” She bit her lip as her entire body tightened. “It’s time. Push on my belly, Son. We must finish this now, before all is lost.”
Rianth supported the babe’s head, her vision blurry as the increasing clash of swords and the escalating booms from outside pulsed through her bones.
Now.
Father? How could she hear him? He was outside, yet it seemed his words filled her mind.
Run.
Yes. She knew her father’s voice, even if unspoken. But her mother needed her.
One more push and the babe birthed. Her mother had been right. It was a boy. Rianth sliced the cord with her knife, wrapped the unusually quiet babe in her mother’s cloak, and stood.
Run, now. Her father’s urgent voice roared through Rianth’s head.
“She’s not breathing,” Uja cried.
Panic consumed Rianth as she turned one way, then back. She couldn’t do this. It was too much.
You can. You must. Go. Run. Now. Save—
His frantic words were barely a whisper in her mind now, and infused with emotion. Then, a roar of pain made her shrink back. Uja jumped up and stared at the door. He’d heard it too.
Tears obliterated Rianth’s view of her still mother and an emptiness she’d never known before made the agony in her heart hurt even more. She edged to the window, pulled back a piece of the cloth covering it, and almost cried out. Her father lay on the ground, his sword still in his slack hand. Tall, ethereal shapes, barely discernible in the darkness, surrounded him. One stood near, his sword red with blood. Another, taller than the others, leaned over her father.
“I have found you at last. You cannot run from me this time.” Even though the shadow did not speak to Rianth, the voice—throaty and low—entranced her, beguiling her to come closer. A calmness settled over her and she reached for the door’s handle.
“Ri,” Uja whispered. “What are you doing?”
Rianth turned to her brother, saw her mother’s body on the floor, the babe in her own arms staring up at her. What am I doing? What is happening? She gasped, trying to will the strange enthrallment to leave her, the spell broken by a sharp shake of her head.
“Where is it?” the tall one said. For the first time, Rianth heard the jagged edge of intense anger. “Where is the talisman?” A bony hand grasped Damian by his tunic, yanking him off the ground.
“You will—” Damian gasped. “Never—find—”
His body began to glow, as if heating up. Brighter and brighter he burned, until it hurt for Rianth to watch. When the light dimmed, nothing remained of her father except dust settling to the ground.
The voice that had enthralled her let out a soul-curdling scream of frustration and hatred. So much hatred it hit Rianth like hot coals from a fire, burning hot and forcing her back. She brought her free hand up in an attempt to ward off the wave of emotion. Turning away, she almost cried out when her mother’s body started to glow with the same heat as her father’s just had. In moments, only the ashes of a life snuffed too soon lingered.
Rianth swiped at her tears with one hand and stared at the babe in her arms. It was up to her now to keep her brothers safe. She glanced outside, saw the shrouded shadows moving toward the hut. Saw golden eyes no longer defined by skin that chilled her to the bone. She knew she must leave with her brothers now, before the fate of her parents befell them.
Stifling the terror of what she’d witnessed and the crushing grief that pulsed in her heart, Rianth held tight to her new baby brother, grabbed Uja’s hand, slipped out the back of the hut, and ran.
~~~
Cloaked in robes the color of night, the men walked in a solemn, unwavering line. The cave, large and round, was lit by an eerie glow that emanated from a central, circular stone altar and smelled dank and rotten. Shadows hugged the walls, shrouded figures that swayed to and fro with an unnatural fluidity. The novices approached the altar, forming a semi-circle around it.
No fear emanated from any of the candidates, only the eager focus of the enthralled. Taegar, taller than any person or shadow in the grotto, drank their fervor in, her power swelling as their devotion poured into her. Her euphoria was only temporary. She knew that only the awen, Earth’s magic, could sustain her for the eternity she coveted. Soon, she would have everything she needed. Soon she would be the most powerful druid and magician of all time.
Soon all would bend to her will.
Damian and the rest of his weak circle thought she hadn’t known about the talisman and its ability to bind the right person to the awen forever. She’d waited all these desolate years for it to resurface. Taegar’s bony hands clenched into fists with a subtle crunch. She’d had it within her grasp when she’d caught Damian Royan. Yet the means to harness total control over Earth’s power had once again slipped through her fingers.
Damian had surprised her by not having the talisman. He’d hidden himself well since the war, using the druid’s sleep as a shield. She’d sensed his awakening several years ago, though attempts to find him had frustrated her at every turn. She knew nothing about his life to aid in her search. Only a tip from one of her disciples sent out in search of him had led her to the empty-handed Damian.
Inside the nearby hut where she’d finally found her old nemesis, Taegar had found only ash. Damian had not been alone, though. A scent wafted in the air, a tinge of fear. Someone else had been there. Someone who may very well hold the key Taegar must control.
Earth’s magic imbued light, emanating from the center of the altar, had become tinted with the orange of anger. Taegar slowed her breathing, calmed herself and reached out with her mind. The light dimmed, fighting her until she suppressed its will, forcing the awen to blaze with the purity of white that fed the darkness in her soul. She moved forward to the altar and reached into the glowing light, the direct contact permeating her with its potency. She consumed it and the fire consumed her in return.
Taegar raised her head, showing all the golden power in her eyes. One by one, she directed her gaze to the men in front of her. Light shot from her into each of their souls, infusing them with a limited magic. In debt to her by the endowment, they would do anything she asked of them. Little did they know their power was both finite and infinitesimal.
Only she must have unlimited power. For that to happen, she must find the talisman and bond with Earth’s magic. Then, all would be hers. Forever.
Taegar gripped the altar. The time had come to send more of her soldiers out in search. As the light dimmed, she gave each acolyte a silent directive, then watched as they filed out of the cave, knowing they would do her bidding or die in the attempt.
Only when they all left did she slump over, giving in to the weakness that ravaged her each time she tapped into Earth’s awen. It worsened with each use and now she couldn’t even leave this cavern, which held the only stream of magic she’d found. She must find the talisman or she’d be remanded to the druid’s sleep by necessity, not choice. That must not happen. She had to find it. She would find it.
Soon…
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