Keepers of the Crown

by Lydia Redwine

  He felt her state and followed it to his hand. He instantly closed his fingers around it, and Cam felt she had seen something he hadn’t wanted her to see. She did not probe.

  “So, Cam, why did you really leave Mirabelle? I mean, I know it's for magic and all but why you? In stories, there is always the person who goes on a great adventure. But I believe there is more tothestorythan thequestitself.” Joelmether gaze, his sea-green eyes flickering beneath the torchlight.

  Cam nodded, no smile forming. “And you’re right. I left for purely selfish reasons, actually.” Joel leaned forward in interest. Cam dragged a hand down her face, the images of loved ones flashing in her mind. Adria, Mista, Amelia, Owen and her father too…

  Peter.

  “I told you that my father wasn’t exactly popular among the people for being a Spirit Follower and that my reputation wasn’t all that great as a result,” Cam began.

  Joel nodded. “I remember.”

  “Well, it was more than that. Two realmsof fivebanished me.” Cam droppedher hands toher lap. “AndnowI cannot enter them without getting myself killed by rioters who hate me without even knowing me.”

  “Oh…” Joel said, his eyes widening a bit.

  “So, you see, I am looking for magic because it may help me win their favor. Not that it matters much now…” she sighed. “We’ve been gone for weeks now and have found nothing.

  “We’ve found Ilea,” Joel said comfortingly. Cam was not reassured. Everything felt...muddled. Cam nodded, trying to keep the ache in her chest at bay. Dread was rising. Joel’s hand was at her arm. “I’m sorry.” And for an instant, Cam saw Riah. Saw his wavering eyes as he had said sorry. Right after he had kissed her. She shoved the image away. Joel was not the same person. She hoped.

  And another question was rising. “Why have you really come with us?” But she could not ask, for they discovered that they were not alone.

  She appeared around the corner, clad in the same outfit she had been wearing upon their arrival. She now had a thin piece of material draped around her arms and back.

  Cam started at the sight of Ilea and scrambled to her feet. Joel shot up beside her. “It is quiet now, and I think we should speak,” she said softly.

  Cam nodded. “Yes, I think there is much we can tell each other.”

  Ilea seemed to agree. “We can start by you telling me where you come from.”

  “Mirabelle,” Cam said. “To the east. It is small and many do not know”

  “Mirabelle, yes,” Ilea murmured. “Leviathan went there months ago. I haven’t seen him since.”

  The name of the Shadow Bearer clanged in Cam’s head. It sent shivers down her spine. The last time she had seen him, he was warning her of Khatara’s slaughter. And before that...he had held a knife to her throat in Imber Fel.

  Ilea did not utter the name with the same disdain Cam was feeling. “Are they allies?”

  Ilea seemed to read Cam’s thoughts. “You know of the Shadow Bearer.” It was not a question. Cam nodded anyway.

  “Youhaven’tseen him since heleft for Mirabelle? Was he here?” Cam asked.

  Ilea nodded and said slowly, “Yes, he stays here at times. And he is soon to return. He told me tonight.”

  A chill clutched at every fiber of Cam’s being. “He’s here?” she asked with hushed alarm.

  Ilea shook her head. Joel had shifted uneasily beside Cam. “No, but...the map you brought me. Whoever died was in league with Leviathan. He wrote me a message in the Infernal Speech, telling me he was soon to return.”

  “But…” Joel started, “Only Shadow Bearers and Shedim can read the Infernal Speech.”

  Ilea stared at him with distant eyes. “And the Marked. Theones under Leviathan’s compulsion to serve him.Thosewho have his magic in their veins, making them powerful and…”

  “Immortal,” Cam finished. “I knew it.”

  “Have you ever met anyone immortal?” Ilea asked them, her gaze still distant and her voice threaded with sorrow.

  “Only the Shadow Bearer,” Cam replied quietly.

  Joel scratched the back of his neck. “I’m guessing immortality for humans isn’t exactly...normal,” he said. “You...are human, right?”

  Ilea forced a small smile. “Thank Elyon, yes.”

  Before Cam could say anything else, the door from which she had come from opened, and Fiera emerged with mussed hair. The dagger was still clutched in her fist. Her brow rose at thesight ofIlea. “Youpulleda disappearingact,” shesaid simply.

  “I did,” Ilea replied lightly.

  Fiera placed her dagger in the sheath that swung from her hips, and Cam returned her gaze to Ilea. “Perhaps…this meeting should be held more privately.” She turned to Fiera and Joel. “We...have more to tell you.”

  “I will keep watch. You three go,” Joel said. Cam nodded and ventured into the chamber once more. They found that Fiera had rebuilt the fire and that it was now blazing in the hearth. Fiera positioned herself at the door to both guards and to overhear the conversation.

  Ilea remained standing as Cam began to pace before her. A sense of relief spasmed through Cam. They had found her. At last. At long, long last. “We were sent to find you,” Cam said at last. “By the ruling body of Mirabelle who are Spirit Followers.”

  “How...longhave youbeen searching?” Ilea asked slowly. Something small flickered in her amber eyes. Hope.

  “Some weeks, but it has seemed much longer. We...our leader was the only one who knew how you could help. He related little to us. We did not think to ask more since...well, he’s…” Cam couldn’t finish as an ache bloomed in her chest.

  Ilea nodded in understanding. And then her eyes alighted. “Did Daniel send you?” The hope in her voice only increased Cam’s aching.

  “You knew him?”

  Ilea nodded.

  “Daniel did not send us…” Cam said slowly. “But we found a chest of Queen Elizabeth’s of Nazeria which belonged to her parents.”

  Ilea shook her head. “I have never heard of Nazeria nor this queen you speak of.”

  “Her parents, rulers before her, were named Azariah-”

  Ilea’s eyes shot up to lock with Cam’s gaze as she interrupted. “AndHana. Yes, they were companions of mine and Daniel’s. So they...settled a kingdom.” Ilea’s eyes glowed, a real smile beginning to lift her features. She laughed. Her voice grew eager. “Tell me, do you know what became of Daniel and of Mishael?”

  Cam’s lips parted slightly. Clearly, it had been many years since this woman had last seen her friends. “Mishael has died, the circumstances actually unknown to me. His son, a friend of mine, never told me. And Daniel...he was killed along with my mother in my homeland. His son is a friend of mine.”

  Ilea stumbled back. She sank into the nearest chair, her eyes widened. She swallowed, her eyes glazing. She turned slightly from them to gaze absentmindedly into the fire. “I suppose they would be nearly fifty if they remained alive to this day. Young. So... young...”

  She paused for a long moment. She wasn’t drawn from her daze until Fiera said in the gentleness voice she could muster, “Our magic has been stolen, and we know who has done it.” Cam and Fiera shared a glance. Cam could feel the pit of her being roiling, everything inside her beginning to burn.

  The Queen of Mingroth would have to be mentioned.

  “Your magic?” Ilea asked.

  Cam nodded. “Called Mineral Magic. It comes in four forms: one to heal, one to poison, one to enhance senses, and the last to…”

  “The Between Magic,” Ilea said.

  “The what?” Fiera asked.

  “The Between Magic, the magic used by humans, merfolk, animals and the like. As opposed to the magic of Caelae or the Infernal Magic,” Ilea explained. “You are Spirit Followers anddonotknowit?” Her brows furrowedas sheglancedbetween Cam and Fiera.

  “My father has explained it to me some,” Cam replied. “Caelae...do you mean the Crown of Caelae.”

  Ilea’s expressio
n grew still and unreadable as if she did not know which reaction to put forth.

  “We want to know where the Crown of Caelae is,” Fiera said quietly, “And more importantly, why it is so valuable.”

  Ilea’s brows rose, her lips parting slowly. “Does Leviathan know this is your quest? Daniel wrote of it, didn’t he? In that chest you found.”

  Cam nodded. “We do not know what Leviathan knows. We set out to find our stolen magic. The Crown was mentioned secondary to me, and me alone. I then told Fiera.”

  Ilea nodded curtly and then breathed deeply before answering. “Good. Because he believes that the Crown fell into the hands of the Perezians before they fell. Hundreds of years ago. He hasn’t been able to trace it since.” Ilea paused and rose. “That chest must never fall into the hands of the Prince. If he reads the words of the Watchers, they will find a way to prevent The Sacrifice. It is dangerous enough that they know of the Crown’s existence.” Ilea’s voice was fervent and hurried.

  Cam started. “Wait, who is the prince?”

  Ilea’s eyes widened. “The Fallen Prince of Caelae? Did they not tell you? Lucius. He himself holds dominion over this realm.”

  “Our realm?” Cam questioned, disbelief in her voice and features alike.

  Ilea nodded.

  “Do youremember what the words ofthe Watchers say?” Fiera cut in.

  Ilea’s amber eyes flickered. Her voice dropped to a low tone as shebegan to explain. “The artifact of which you seek is to play a part of great value in the time to come. The world is slipping further into shadows, into the clutches of the prince himself. When the Savior is prepared to be sacrificed, He will wear the Crown, and all will know He is the king. We will be saved then, and the Shadow Bearers, the Shedim, and their master will all be vanquished.”

  “Yes, that is what we read too. But the documents never told us the location of the Crown. That is why our leader came in search of you,” Cam said.

  Silence passed between the three women as Cam and Fiera glanced meaningfully at one another. Finally, Fiera asked, “Do you know its history? You must know more about the Shadow Bearers too since you live with one.”

  Ilea laughed a rough, quiet laugh. “I was living when the first generation of Shadow Bearers was born. As for the Crown’s history, I know much of it. I was told of the time in which it was forged. For hundreds of years, I carried it in my possession, having been appointed by Elyon Himself to be its soleprotector.”

  “You…you mean you had the Crown with you for over a hundred years?” Fiera gasped. “What happened?”

  Ilea smiledslightly. “My timeto protect it hadcometo an end. Since I was marked accidentally, Leviathan had felt my presence for the majority of my life. Finally, he found me, and I have not been rid of him since. I handed the Crown over to Daniel, Azariah, Mishael, and Hana who were the new appointed Protectors.”

  “Where is it now? Daniel wrote that only he and those you have mentioned know its location. Since they are all dead, you are the only one left,” Cam inquired.

  Ilea opened her mouth, and shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  Everything inside of Cam sank. Sank right into the pit of her being. Ilea was telling the truth. “But Daniel did hide it, didn’t he?” Fiera was asking.

  Ilea nodded. “He said that he would.”

  “And you knew Daniel, so you could still help.”

  The darker woman tilted her head, her eyes narrowing as sheconsideredwhat Fiera hadsuggested. “Idon’t knowanything beyond what you have learned. In fact, you have revealed things to me tonight.”

  Cam took a long moment to turn the conversation over in her mind. Her gaze fell upon the circular window from which moonlight shone.

  Fiera’s voice was low when she broke the silence. “When is this savior coming?”

  Ilea’s lips parted, and her smile was small but real. “He has already come. I felt it when He became human. I knew He had come.”

  When Ilea saw that neither Cam nor Fiera understood, she continued, “The words of the Watchers tell us He was to come to us in the form of a human. Born as one from a virgin woman.” She paused to look pointedly at both of them. “He was born four years ago.”

  “You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.”

  -Excerpt from a Song of the Watchers

  Fifteen

  The woman was more like a girl. And this girl was prowling

  silently before Riah like a cat on the hunt. A brown hood framed what little he could see of her face from his sleep-blurred view. This hood hung to her brow and did not flow into a cape-like Leviathan’s did. It was attached, instead, to a vest which she wore over a dress of cotton and brown leather that reached her knees. Fingerless gloves were slid over her palms.

  Her fingers came to grasp the edge of the sofa Riah was pushing himself up from. Her weaponry, the bow, and quiver of arrows slung across her chest and back rustled with her movement. Her eyes peered up at him, and he found they were hazel. Her pale skin was streaked with dirt, but she didn’t seem to mind. The maple-colored hair framing her face and neck was a mass of tangles cut just above her shoulders.

  “You look like you could use a lengthy bath with a dozen bars of soap,” Riah muttered in greeting.

  The girl scowled at him and pulled herself onto the sofa. Riah leaned back, observing her as he rubbed his sleepy eyes with a yawn. She wasn’t breathtakingly beautiful but vibrated with some energy he did not yet have so early in the morning. “Where did you come from?”

  She spoke then, and Riah found that her voice was rather low and refined; not high and feminine as he had expected. “The east. Where did you think I came from?” Her tone told him that she did not expect an answer.

  “Wait…you're not…you can’t be…this Lady of the Rocs Leviathan spoke of?” Riah stuttered.

  She turned with a pointed glare in his direction. “And why wouldn't I be?”

  “Because you’re like…twelve.”

  She scowled again, and this time he laughed. The girl kicked her feet against the rug beneath the sofa. “I’m twenty- one.” Riah’s face slackened. She was older than him.

  The girl...well woman...yanked off her hood, pushed that mass of maple hair aside and revealed a black marking on the back of her neck. Riah leaned forward, his lips parting. The ink curled into the form of something circular and twisted where slits could be seen at varying intervals. A crown with eyes blinking from it. So she was marked. “You are one of them…” he breathed.

  Riah jumped at the sound of a screech and then an earsplitting scraping against the glass like nails on stone. He whirled to find that an enormous bird had landed at the window of the gallery, blocking the sun from view. Its claws drove over the glass, creating the horrendous sound. Riah’s jaw dropped as he scrambled back. The creature wasn’t as large as the one he had seen upon his arrival, but there was no doubt in his mind what sort of creature he was.

  “He’s with me. I suppose that’s proof too!” the girl shouted as she bounded to the window. She opened it, and the bird stepped through quite daintily as if he were cautious of his surroundings.

  “Meet Gamgee.” The girl rustled the bird’s silken feathers. He had to be at least two times the size of the girl herself. The bird nudged her gently with its beak.

  Riah’s brows furrowed as he came to stand a safe distance from the bird. “He seems small compared…”

  “Compared to the Great Roc? Yes, Gamgee is but a babe in the years of his kind.”

  “You flew here?”

  “At dawn. I forgot that most people sleep beyond then. I do apologize for waking you.”

  “What is your name?” Riah asked as he brushed her apology away.

  “Arria Ashelton,” she answered. “And you are Riah.”

  “Yes. Did Leviathan tell you?”

  The girl didn’t answer. Instead, she jumped to the windowsill to crouch as she said, “Come on, we don’t want to waste the day away.”
Her hazel eyes shone with brightness and a challenge. Riah glanced uneasily at the bird who had plunged outside the window.

  “I will soon be riding dragons. This...bird should be nothing,” he rebuked himself. When he turned to meet Arria’s gaze, he found that she had vanished from the window and now sat on Gamgee’s back.

  “Wait!” Riah called, lurching towards the window. But it was too late. Gamgee had dove down to an inner courtyard surrounded by an iron gate. With a twist, the creature soared high, flying above Riah’s head and circling the towers. Arria was a blur but still seemed to be hanging on. Gamgee dove again; this time in an arch. Her delighted laugh rang through the morning air. Riah stepped onto the window as he pulled a warm vest over his loose, cotton shirt.

  Gamgee flew lazily to the window and turned so that his side was to Riah. “I thought I’d show him off first,” Arria said with a light in her eyes. She extended her hand to grasp Riah’s and hauled him onto the saddle on the bird’s back. Riah sat reluctantly his chest pressedto Arria’s back. Her hair whippedin his face, for the breeze blew against them. “Hold on!”

  Riah had hardly any time to grasp her waist with both hands beforeGamgee dove again. Riah’s stomach droppedat the sudden plunge towards the ground. He could have sworn he heardthegirl’s laugh as hecriedout andclutchedher tighter. He scowled at her amusement. Riah’s discontentment faded, however, when Gamgee rose above the fortress, and they were bathed in golden sunlight. His breath was stolen from his lungs, and his eyes widened at the sprawling mountains and forests below him. Streams of silver water flowed between the trees. Only when Arria jostled him in the ribs with her elbow and pointed, did he tear his eyes from the view below.

  Her finger was extended towards a tower of goldenbrown rising through the trees miles off. “That is the Fortress of the Rocs,” she shouted over the wind. Riah almost expected her to direct her bird towards the far-off structure, but Gamgee soaredslowly down into a region ofRiah’s own homethat hehad not yet explored. Even so, he knew what it was instantly: the dragon keep.

  Gamgee landed smoothly, and Arria slipped from his back. Riah’s legs were wobbly as he scooted to the stone floor of the keep. “I haven’t been in here in so long,” Arria said breathlessly. Riah joined her in gazing at the iron fence that rose all around them. The fence was fashioned of bars which ended in sharp points. The bars were close enough that they seemed to form a prison, but the greenery inside, the blue sky above, and the elegant, unlocked door leading out of the keep, showed it was not a prison at all.