All the King's Traitors

by Keylin Rivers

  Kuba went silent and his chin dropped to his chest. They were going to take his Aunt Evie. He felt his eyes fill with tears at the thought of losing her.

  “Do you think they have her already? Can we save her? Is there any way?” he asked and looked at Aurelia hopefully, but she just shook her head. He turned to his older brother.

  Ion sighed, “Is this our best chance?”

  Aurelia nodded.

  “Fine. Let's go,” Ion growled through gritted teeth.

  The girl motioned forward and the sternness on her face melted to relief. “We need to get around this mountain. The path splits from there. They’ll have a hard time finding us if we make it past the fork.”

  “I told you not to touch the rock,” Ion said to Kuba in a tired voice.

  “I'm sorry. I didn't know, I swear!” Kuba looked up at Ion pleadingly and thought he saw a flash of anger in his brother’s eyes. To his relief, the look passed and Ion turned to follow Aurelia. Kuba followed behind sullenly. This was all his fault. He could hardly remember what happened before he’d passed out, but he remembered hearing something calling to him. Something irresistible. A song. So he’d reached out to grab at it. He looked at the golden stone in his hand. The stone that had been calling him, that he had answered.

  And now, he was a Wielder.

  It was well past midnight—the perfect time to be on the run. Aurelia walked at a brisk pace—though slower than she would have liked—as the boys struggled to keep up in their injured states.

  She loved the beautiful, moonlit Forest of Reinbeck. As she weaved through the evergreens, she couldn't help but brush her slender fingers along the rough trunks of the pines, the light scraping sensation on her a gentle reminder that she was still alive. The touch of the bark reminded her of the high-altitude flatland forests to the north. She looked up to the snow that remained on the mountain peaks and her mind wandered back to the home she could never return to. To the mountains far north, where they lived so high above the sea the air was thin as a piece of parchment—but ever so crisp all year long. She yearned to return—to go back to Burrath and to her home in the clouds with the ice and snow.

  Her destiny was elsewhere, though, and this kid was going to help her get there.

  Aurelia glanced over her shoulder. The kid was right on her tail, walking in her faint, moonlit shadow. Literally kicking her heels.

  His brother was off in the distance—though still within eyesight—sulking. Aurelia turned back to the kid. He looked utterly distraught. He was twice as old as she had been when she found her Godstone. Still, Aurelia knew what he was going through.

  “So, kid,” she started awkwardly, not knowing what to say or how to properly start a conversation. She had been on her own for too long. “Kuba, right?”

  “Yeah,” the boy said, then pointed a finger at his brother, “and he’s Ion.”

  Aurelia nodded. “What do you know about the Wielders?”

  “Huh?” Kuba’s boyish, high-pitched voice echoed from behind her. “Uh, well, not much I suppose.”

  “Why don’t you tell me what you do know?”

  He shrugged. “In my lessons, they don’t say much about them. Just that the God-King picks who the sky gifts the Godstones to and a little about their powers. Our town is really uneventful. We’ve never had Wielders come through,” Kuba’s voice was calm, but Aurelia couldn’t help but notice him rubbing the back of his neck. “Besides, I’ve never seen anyone higher than a Fourth. I swore he saw a Fifth once, but I don’t believe him…”

  “Hmm,” she mumbled overtop of Kuba’s ramblings. In Burrath, there had never been mandatory schooling like the rest of Azanthea had. Maybe there was now, under King Apollyon’s rule Burrath was just like the rest of the country after all. “It is a common misconception that your King has so much power. Apollyon does not gift what is the sky’s to give.”

  She had known that they were made to worship and fear the Wielders down in the south. The people in Azanthea had been oppressed by Apollyon for centuries. And Wielders were somewhat handpicked by him—by process of extermination—all in the name of peace.

  Aurelia had heard the stories. Apollyon would march his fully-armoured Wielders down the streets during the Battle of Burrath, showing off his human weapons. Crowds from all around would gather to see them—out of both fear and intrigue. The thought of it made Aurelia cringe. Since the war had ended though, Apollyon had finally decided to stop flaunting his best weapons in the streets. She became aware of the silence that crept up between her and Kuba.

  “Hey, Elia?” the kid asked moments later.

  Aurelia recoiled. “Don’t call me—”

  “If the God-King didn't grant me these powers, how did I become a Wielder?”

  “When you picked up the rock,” she said, so far not impressed with the kid's competence. Why he would have been selected to become a Historian was not quite apparent to her.

  “But why this rock?” he questioned further. “Why me?”

  “They really don’t teach you much in those lessons, do they now?”

  “I was taught King Apollyon granted all powers.”

  “King Apollyon is a liar,” she said through gritted teeth. Aurelia dug her nails into the palms of her hands.

  “So,” Kuba said, creeping up to walk next to her. “How did it happen?”

  “Where to start?” Aurelia said to herself. She tried to remember her father’s explanation to her years ago. “Well, you see, a Wielder's power does not come from this earth.”

  Kuba was quiet, but even in the dark she could see his eyes widen. She smiled; perhaps she would enjoy having someone around to talk to.

  “Our Readers in the North believe that the Godstones come from the stars.”

  “What’s a Reader?” Kuba asked.

  “Ah, right. Well, Burrath didn’t subscribe to the cult that is the House of Historians. We had Readers instead, people who would learn what they could from the old texts, similar to the Tekeras.”

  “Ah, got it.” Kuba nodded.

  “The Readers learned about an ancient human discovery. Every time a star dies, tons and tons of energy is scattered across the universe. Most energy releases something, like heat or light. You with me?”

  “I'm with yah,” he said, nodding more vigorously.

  Aurelia smiled. Perhaps he was smart after all. “Our Readers came up with a theory that the stars also release something else. They described it as a kind of anti-energy. The energy to absorb. This is how they think the Godstones are formed. This anti-energy allows them to control the energy of the first thing they touch. The first person to touch a Godstone becomes its Wielder. The Wielder inherits the ability to control the Godstone’s power.

  Kuba shifted—seemingly confused.

  “So, basically, my Godstone fell to earth and landed in a fire. I picked up that Godstone and now I can use it to control fire. I’m a Fire-Wielder.” Aurelia watched as the boy's face lit up in understanding.

  “So what kind of Wielder am I?” Kuba asked.

  “Well, from what your brother told me, and based on the colour of your Godstone, I don't think there’s any doubt.” Aurelia smiled down at the boy who seemed to be grasping his Godstone extra tightly. “You're a Lightning-Wielder.”

  “Whoa,” the boy mumbled.

  Aurelia couldn't help but laugh at his innocence. “Whoa is right. And if I'm right, you're the only one.”

  “Really?”

  “Well, yeah. I've never seen one, and I’ve met more Wielders than most.” She shrugged and continued to walk through the dense forest. “It's got to be pretty rare for a bolt of lightning to strike a Godstone as it falls.”

  “Wow, that's awesome,” Kuba beamed. Aurelia smiled back at the pure-heartedness of the boy. If he had known any better, he would know that being a Wielder was anything but awesome, and being a rare Wielder was even worse.

  “When did you get yours?” he asked.

  Aurelia chuckled. “You sure do as
k a lot of questions, kid.”

  “Yup. I—”

  A low rumbling noise caught Aurelia’s attention and she threw her hand over Kuba’s mouth. Something was close.

  It was quite faint, but unmistakable: the cracking and stomping of a large group in the distance. The army wasn’t far behind, and clearly they had realized someone was missing. Aurelia swore under her breath; they were moving too slow. Carefully, she removed her hand from Kuba’s mouth.

  “Be really quiet now,” she whispered. Aurelia turned to search for Ion. She spotted him near the base of the mountain, but she was too far to yell. She grabbed Kuba by the wrist and they ran at full speed towards Ion, reaching him in a matter of seconds.

  “What?” said Ion.

  “Shhh, they’re on our trail.” Aurelia scanned their surroundings. It was much too bright out with the moon overhead, and they weren’t moving fast enough. The boys were too injured to outpace anyone, which left them with only one option.

  “We've got to climb!”

  She didn’t wait for an answer but began to scale the nearest tree. She was thankful for the easy-to-climb evergreens as she pulled herself up from branch to branch. She could hear Kuba and Ion questioning from below.

  The sappy bark stuck to her palms as she hoisted herself higher. The sweet scent of the trees mixed with the saltiness of sweat surrounded her. She looked over her shoulder to check on the boys. They were both still on the ground below looking from her to each other in confusion. She looked up and peered through the trees. A large group of soldiers—probably the caravan Kuba was supposed to be with—was bustling through the woods and closing in on them quickly.

  “Climb now!” Aurelia motioned for them to follow. “They're right behind us!”

  A small flood of relief passed through her when the boys began to climb. The feeling took her by surprise.

  Aurelia pulled herself even higher, determined to get as close to the top as possible. The crisp mountain air stung her face as she emerged from the cover of the forest. The branches were becoming thinner, and she could feel them bending under her weight. She hugged the trunk and grasped a branch overhead. Just as she began hoisting herself up, the branch snapped away from the tree.

  Her heart skipped several beats.

  She was as high as she could go, but she still wasn't sure if it was high enough. She gazed back down at the boys. Kuba was almost at her level on the opposite side of the tree, and Ion was just below him.

  Ion helped pushed one of Kuba’s feet up higher.

  “Hold on tight, guys!” Aurelia said loudly to cut through the howl of the wind. She didn’t care now if the soldiers heard. Either her plan was going to work or they were going to be caught.

  Aurelia sat on the thick branch and wrapped her legs around the trunk of the tree. She rapidly unravelled her scarf and used it to tie herself to the trunk. Once she was secure, she quickly gathered her focus and channelled her energy, anticipating her wield. She blocked out all noise, all sound, and all feelings. She could feel the whisper of her Godstone creeping into her from where it dangled on her necklace.

  Aurelia felt the fire rushing through her veins—burning, desperate to lash out. But she took a deep breath and slowly focused that burn to her hands, waiting for the fire to obey her control.

  She closed her eyes and when she opened them, everything was different. She felt the fire’s power surge through her. She felt destructive and unbeatable. But mostly, she felt in control. Aurelia forced the air around her to combust, creating a fireball that hovered above her left hand. With intense concentration, she nursed the fireball, feeding and enlarging it.

  Finally, as her power peaked, she set her eyes on the target. Mount Zar.

  With an intense focus and all the concentration she could muster, she took aim at the snowy ledges far above and released.

  A massive, continuous blast of fire came surging from the small ball she was conjuring. The blast reached up towards the steep, snowy side of Mount Zar. Aurelia held onto that flow for as long as she could, but eventually the wield wore her out. Her complete exhaustion nearly overtook her, and she barely managed to grab hold of the trunk to stop herself from falling over. The fire sped towards the snowy ledge. She watched it with heavy eyes, hoping it would get there before it extinguished.

  “Hey …” She tried as hard as she could to shout, but she was fading in and out of consciousness. “Hold on … tight …”

  Aurelia turned back to the mountain just in time to see the blast hit the steep face. And then she heard the rumbling of the snow starting to roll downward.

  And everything went dark.

  Chapter 6

  Reinbeck Forest, near the Village of Zar, Morning of the 2nd Day of the Month of Warmth, 1114 A.F.F.

  “Aurelia!” Kuba shouted as he shook her. “Aurelia, wake up!”

  “Kuba?” she groaned. “They’re gone?”

  “Yeah, you did it,” Ion said, reaching out his hand from the branch below. Aurelia hesitated for a moment, but then took hold of it to steady herself before beginning to untie herself from the tree.

  “Thanks for saving us,” Ion said.

  “Yeah, it was awesome!” Kuba added enthusiastically, inching towards the end of the branch he was perched on. “That avalanche was huge!”

  He watched as Aurelia bolted upright from her slumped position. She looked down at the snow from the avalanche and then quickly up into the distance. “We have to move, find shelter.”

  “Whoa there, you just fainted,” Ion said calmly, a flicker of hope flashing in his eyes. “They’re gone. We should go home. You can rest.”

  Home. Kuba’s stomach flip-flopped as he thought about his Aunt Evie. What was going to happen to her? Would they really take her?

  “Unless you want a death sentence, there’s no going back,” Aurelia stated firmly.

  “But what if we just go to get her? We can be quick!” Kuba pleaded. He couldn’t stand the thought of her being in any kind of trouble because of them.

  He watched as Aurelia shook her head slowly. She seemed tired.

  “That won’t be possible. They’re quick, and it’s too dangerous,” said Aurelia between short breaths. “If you two go back, I’m not coming.”

  “We have to though, and you can protect us,” Kuba exclaimed, looking to Ion for support. He couldn’t just leave his aunt, and now that the army was gone, this was their chance to rescue her.

  “I agree with Kuba,” Ion said firmly, arching his neck to see Aurelia around the tree.

  Kuba watched Aurelia’s face; she looked sad and anxious. She was silent for a minute and then finally let out a long sigh.

  “Look, I’ll tell you what,” she started. “You help me, and I’ll help you.”

  Kuba edged forward on the tree branch to listen to her.

  “It is not safe to go back now. You two were already on the run,” she said, pointing at Ion. Then she turned her finger towards Kuba. “And now you’re a Wielder. So, here are your punishments. Death.” She pointed to Ion. “Become an Eleventh,” she said as she pointed to Kuba. “Or death.”

  Kuba swallowed even though his throat was dry as a bone. He breathed deeply to quell the jittering in his legs.

  “We have to do something,” Ion’s voice cracked. There were tears welling up in his eyes.

  Upon seeing his brother’s tears, Kuba’s deep breathing stopped working. His legs began to tremble. His rib cage felt like it was going to implode.

  “Your family will probably be taken to some dungeon in Azul,” said Aurelia. “Apollyon likes to use family members as leverage.”

  Kuba’s breathing started to become laboured and out of the corner of his eye he saw the tears beginning to roll down Ion’s face.

  “I am heading to find the remaining Free-Wielders,” said Aurelia. “If you help me find them, they may be able to help you.”

  “There are others like you?” Kuba asked.

  “Hopefully.”

  “Why shou
ld we trust you?” Ion chimed in. His words were strained, and his hands were balled in tight fists on his knees. “How do we know they will help?”

  “You should trust me because I’m your only shot at making it out of this alive,” Aurelia said, and then she paused solemnly. “I don’t know if they’ll help, I cannot speak for them. What I do know is that we’ve got to move.”

  Kuba looked from Aurelia to his brother and back again. If what she said was true, and the army really was after them, she really was their only shot. And she had just saved them. The only thing holding Kuba back was his aunt.

  “What’s that?” Ion asked hastily, sounding worried, perhaps even frightened.

  Kuba’s eyes shot up and his gaze followed his brother’s extended arm, pointing off into the distance. And then he saw the horror.

  From his height in the tree, he could see the flames blazing in the distance, the fire dancing against the night sky. It was the Village of Zar, their home. Burning.

  Kuba’s breathing quickened, but even still it felt like he wasn’t getting any air. He felt as if he had been blasted out of his body and was watching all of this unfold from just above them. Like he was detached from it all, and that feeling scared him. There was no air in his lungs. His aunt, his friends, his life, it was all there. Memories of them flashed through his brain and he was bombarded with so many thoughts at once, he couldn’t grab a hold of just one. He squeezed his eyes together to give his mind a break but when he did, he swore he could hear the faint sound of their shrieks.

  He opened his eyes, listening even closer now. Their screams were quiet, dulled by the distance, but they were there. His breaths were too short, and he couldn’t stop the feeling of dread creeping into the base of his skull.

  “Kuba.”

  Ion’s voice pierced through the buzzing in his mind, and his attention snapped onto his brother.

  “What’s happening?” Kuba whispered between laboured breaths.