Mark of Fate

by K. T. Webb

  A rumbling sound jarred Legacy back to reality. Despite what Silverleaf told them, Legacy certainly did have dreams. But they had been peaceful, no blue fire, no threats to her life; it was the most restful sleep she remembered having in recent years.

  One dream in particular made her want to look beneath her shirt to see if her mark had colored in. The symbols on her side showed her that she had not been destined to die in flames, but instead was destined to find Silverleaf and lead him from his captivity. The blue flame outlined his silvery silhouette against her skin while those mysteriously twisted trees framed the scene. Legacy felt confident the dream had been real, and she would find evidence of it soon enough. The ground continued to rumble as though vibrations rocked it to its core. Legacy looked to her friends to see them each in various states of waking.

  “What is that?” Evander yawned.

  “It sounds like an army approaching,” Justice rose to his feet on full alert.

  As they stood to look around them, Legacy began to mentally prepare for the worst. Had the Shadow Mages rallied so quickly and gathered an army of those who still followed King Junius? It seemed unlikely. The vibrations of whatever was approaching them grew stronger. If there was an army on its way, there was no doubt that it would be significant and imposing.

  “I think they are coming from the north,” Theon guessed.

  He was right. There were now sounds to accompany the trembling ground. The sounds of many moving as one. Legacy strained to see who was coming, but they were on the downward slope of the south-side of a hill—a terrible position to choose if they had suspected an attack. The five travelers stood shoulder to shoulder, prepared for whatever may crest the hill.

  Before they saw any sign of life, they saw the flag. A Pallisaide flag, hoisted high, danced against a blue sky over the top of the hill. Legacy knew before the people came into view that Honor was leading the army, and they had come to find the Queen. She began to run as fast as her weary legs would allow. Honor was just outside of her reach. They reached the peak at the same moment. Honor leapt from her horse and sprinted toward her older sister. Legacy crashed into the embrace of the strongest person she knew.

  “We have been looking for you everywhere!” Honor scolded through tears of relief.

  “I have so much to tell you, but first, how long have we been gone?” Legacy posed the question she was almost too afraid to ask.

  “You left Pallisaide four months ago, your horses returned without you, and everyone began to panic. Rowan, the Gildi, and I only just returned from our travels two weeks ago. We immediately launched a search party,” Honor paused to look at the group Legacy was with. “Where is Noble?”

  Despite the happy reunion, Legacy had to give Honor the news she had hoped not to share. Noble was still missing. There was much to tell and learn after they had finished greeting those who had been searching for Legacy and her friends. Theon was happily reunited with Calix; Rune remained in Pallisaide with the rest of their family. Both Nero and Daenera had recovered well with minimal lasting effects. According to Calix, the brothers had spent days searching for Arkin before they found him in a cell in the underground tunnels. The young man was skin and bones; he revealed that his life had been filled with hunger and worry. The King allowed him to feed his mother and Noble, but only if he could fit through the bars in the cell, he shared with Daenera. Another level of cruelty Junius imposed. Arkin had been a slave, desperate to keep his mother alive but forced to balance on the edge of starvation himself. He was also at the castle with his mother and brothers, they were pleased with his progress, but he had a long road ahead of him.

  Renata brought Evander’s mother, Arabella, with them, she was quite recovered, and neither of them was needed at the castle. The fear of finding Legacy and her travel companions gravely injured forced both practitioners to join the search party.

  Of course, along with Honor and Rowan came Harcos, the rest of the Gildi, and the impaiso, Eirny. Legacy would only have been happier with the reunion if she had managed to save Noble in the Forest of Illusane. Legacy was desperate to hear of their travels and how the rest of Alderwood was handling the change in power. All of that was put on hold when Renata laid eyes on Silverleaf.

  “I feel as though I know you. Somewhere deep in my mind, I can see you, but your name escapes me,” Renata stared at the elemental in confusion.

  “Renata, how you have managed to survive after all these years, I do not know. I am not surprised that your brain is struggling to find me in its archives. When your siblings became the Shadow Mages, I was hidden from all of Alderwood. I am Silverleaf, last king of the Kingdom of Earth.”

  Renata gasped, “Silverleaf! You have come home! But where have you been?”

  “I was hidden in the Forest of Illusane, cursed to live within those invisible boundaries until the day a Legacy would free me,” Silverleaf smiled knowingly at the Queen and offered a slight nod.

  Arabella perked up as though she too recognized that wording her son had shared. She gave Evander a quizzical look, and he nodded with a proud smile.

  “For years, we heard that story, but we thought it was just a rhyme like all the others,” Arabella mused. “It makes me wonder how many other little stories in those old books were guiding us toward some great discoveries.”

  Legacy looked to Arabella as a healthy, upright woman for the first time since she was found in the depths of the castle. The practitioner bowed slightly under the stare of her Queen. Legacy wondered why she regarded her so formally for just a moment before she realized very few people knew that she and Evander were together. The time would come for them to share that information, but for now, there were much more pressing matters to handle.

  “Honor, did Nikita accompany you on this mission?” Legacy searched the crowd looking for the woldigo.

  “She did. The woldigo pack was bringing up the rear,” Honor replied.

  “I will find her,” Rowan offered as he disappeared within the crowd.

  “Silverleaf must be crowned again. I know we do not have his crown here, and we have not yet had an official coronation for Nikita, but we must pronounce them both as the leaders of their kingdoms before the Shadow Mages are upon us,” Legacy insisted.

  Renata and Justice looked at each other for a moment before each began giving orders to the soldiers who awaited further command. They would need to gather items to bestow the right to rule upon each of the other kingdoms. It pained Legacy to take something that should have been an auspicious occasion and turn it into a rushed ceremony in the middle of a field. There was no other choice. Legacy could feel the truth of it in her gut, the three kingdoms must be reunited in order for them to overcome the Shadow Mages and reclaim the wild magic.

  Rowan arrived with Nikita just in time to hear the story of what had happened while the others were in the Forest of Illusane. Legacy needed them to know how serious their control over Noble had become. She told them everything she knew about Junius and his plan to give his son to the enemy in exchange for power. Legacy choked as she revealed the truth about how many children the late king fathered and how he had murdered them. Arabella cried freely in memory of the babies she had helped bring into the world only to stand helplessly by as the king snuffed out their lights.

  The crowd had quieted and gathered like children listening to a bedtime story. They were both appalled and enraptured by the story of the man they had all hated their entire lives. Legacy realized the more of the story she shared, the less she felt the weight of her father’s evil deeds on her own shoulders. Her people were sharing the load without complaint. When she reached the point in the story where she told of how the king had treated Theon and his family, there were shouts of outrage from those who knew them.

  Each piece of the tale fell into place as she told it, showing her how thoroughly the wild magic had woven the threads of their lives. So many “ifs” and “whens” had happened as a result of the choices people m
ade to fulfill the destiny they thought awaited them. Telling everyone how they came to that very moment only made Legacy realize how right Silverleaf had been about the fates given to them by the wild magic. None would have come to pass without the people entrusted with their roles. None of the wonderful things meant to happen would have happened if those people had not each played their parts. There was no doubt in her mind, as she introduced the gathering of creatures and humans to the one whom time forgot, they would defeat the Shadow Mages as a united people. As her story came to an end, Renata and Justice set about preparing both Nikita and Silverleaf for an emergency coronation. Arabella stepped in for Renata and gestured to the older woman who moved toward the sisters.

  Renata took both Legacy and Honor by the arm and led them away from the army as though she needed privacy to address them. Once they were alone, Renata turned to both girls with ill-contained emotions.

  “We are about to face something that will change everything for Alderwood. But, before you embark on that journey, you must know what will happen to me when the Shadow Mages are gone.”

  “What do you mean?” Honor looped an arm through Legacy’s.

  “I am only alive because I made a promise to dedicate myself to restoring the wild magic. Once you defeat the Shadow Mages, my task will be complete,” Renata tried to put the words delicately.

  “You mean you will die?” Legacy cleared her throat to keep the tears at bay.

  Renata nodded, “I have always known my time with you would end when you finally faced the darkness that has loomed over Alderwood for centuries. The blood that runs through your veins was chosen by the wild magic long before I was even born. You were meant to end this, which means you were also meant to end my time here,” Renata placed a hand on each girl.

  Legacy bit her lip. She had noticed the changes in Renata from the day they infiltrated Pallisaide. Every moment after Honor confronted the Shadow Mages and killed their father had taken its toll on the woman who brought them together. Legacy had not wanted to admit the possibility that Renata would not be around for all eternity. The Oracle had been in Alderwood long before they were born, Legacy assumed she would be there long after they had passed on.

  “You are asking us to do the impossible. We are supposed to destroy the Shadow Mages, even if that means destroying you?” Legacy whispered.

  “Yes. I am not more important than any other person, creature, or element of nature living in Alderwood. You cannot allow the Shadow Mages to continue their dark hold in order to avoid ending my life,” Renata begged them to understand.

  “No. There has to be another way!” Honor said. “Have we not lost enough in the name of saving Alderwood? Why must Legacy lose the only mother she has ever known?”

  “I know this is difficult, but it has to be this way,” Renata added. “I knew what I was doing when I made this deal. We cannot eradicate their darkness without also destroying me. Our fates are connected.”

  Legacy wanted to refute everything Renata said, but she knew it would do no good. The Oracle had been alive for longer than any human should live. Her pact with Alderwood was ending. Renata had made peace with her fate long ago; it was time for Legacy to accept the truth. To save Alderwood, she would have to say goodbye to the one constant in her life.

  “I have no idea how to say goodbye to you,” Legacy whispered.

  Renata nodded and hugged both girls close. “I spent my life preparing for you both to come to this point in your lives. I have so enjoyed watching you become the women you are today,” Renata pulled away and offered them each a smile, “I only wish I could be here to see the greatness you will accomplish.”

  “You may not be here, but you will always be with us,” Honor said before nodding to both her sister and the Oracle and leaving them to a private moment.

  Legacy was terrified and heartbroken. Of course, she would do what she had to do to destroy the Shadow Mages and break their hold on Alderwood. There was never a doubt that she would bring this battle to an end, but the trade-off was unexpected. Renata was her mother in every sense of the word, even though she did not carry Legacy or give birth to her. If Renata had not saved Elysia and shared her life force with the pregnant woman, Legacy would never have been born. Renata took the child of her enemy into her arms and raised her as her own. That act alone was not enough to ensure Legacy would grow to be the one who would rise against King Junius, defeat the Shadow Mages, and reinstate the wild magic of Alderwood. Renata delivered the baby of a young girl named Laurel when she fled Pallisaide. When Laurel was dying, Renata helped set things in place that would ensure that baby, Honor, ended up with members of the Resistance. She had been instrumental in their lives before they even knew she existed, and now they were expected to let her go. Legacy hugged Renata close again before holding her at arm's length.

  “I love you, Renata. Thank you for helping me become who I am. If it had not been for you, I would have been dead before I had the chance to take my first breath. Without you, we never would have made it here.”

  Renata touched her face, “I would do it all again in a heartbeat.”

  They returned to the others arm in arm and prepared to reunite the three kingdoms. Legacy felt in her gut that everything had fallen into place just as it had been intended. Silverleaf and Nikita waited for her in front of Justice with the crowd gathered around to watch the impromptu coronation. No matter what happened now, Legacy would be ready.

  Nikita sat in front of Justice with her head held high. Brilliant white fur moved gently in the summer breeze as she waited for the questions to begin. Legacy looked on proudly from her position next to Justice. Of course, they had no crowns to place on the heads of the other rulers; that would come later at their official coronation at Pallisaide. For the time being, they needed to focus on bestowing the titles and responsibilities that accompany their roles. Once both Nikita and Silverleaf were figuratively crowned, the trio would represent the unification of Alderwood as it was intended. It was necessary to become a united front if they were to face the Shadow Mages.

  “Lady Nikita, do you vow to protect and nurture the wild magic as you work with the leaders of the Kingdom of Man and the Kingdom of Earth?”

  “I do.”

  “Do you assert your right to wear the crown and sit upon the throne of the Kingdom of Creatures as the ruler chosen by the wild magic?”

  “I do.”

  “Do you swear to fight against the Shadow Mages and their twisted ways of using the wild magic for their own gain?”

  “I do.”

  “Do you swear to protect and guide your subjects as Queen Nikita, helping them find their voices and become the beings they were intended to be?”

  “I do.”

  Justice stepped forward and placed a hand on Nikita’s head as a symbolic representation that one day a crown would be perched there instead.

  “I present to you all, Queen Nikita of the Kingdom of Creatures!”

  The crowd cheered, the woldigos howled, and the canthions roared. Legacy watched the change in Nikita as she stood and took her place next to Justice, Renata, and the Queen of the Kingdom of Man. Next, Silverleaf would approach and be asked similar questions. Legacy watched the elemental gracefully make his way to the front of the group. She knew he could make magical fire, she understood he could take on other forms, but she had no idea what else he was capable of. Legacy had only heard about elementals from Renata when studying the history of Alderwood.

  They were very strong and could be very dangerous. As far as she knew, there were no other elementals left other than Silverleaf himself. Now, as he knelt before Justice, Legacy could see that he was pure walking energy. Silverleaf was not bound by the same rules as humans and creatures. The laws of nature were immeasurable and continually evolving. Legacy was thankful that this elemental was on their side.

  “Lord Silverleaf, you once sat upon the throne for the Kingdom of Earth in Pallisaide. In the years sinc
e you have been gone, much has changed. So, I must ask you now do you vow to protect and nurture the wild magic as you work with your counterparts?”

  “I do.”

  “Do you promise to treat all citizens of Alderwood with respect?”

  “I do.”

  “Do you assert your right to wear the crown and reclaim your place upon the throne of the Kingdom of Earth?”

  “I do.”

  “Do you swear to wage war against the Shadow Mages, fighting off the temptation to join them and use the wild magic for personal gain?”

  “I do.”

  Justice placed a hand on Silverleaf’s shoulder. They made eye contact for a moment before Justice motioned for him to rise.

  “I present to you all, King Silverleaf of the Kingdom of Earth.”

  Once again, everyone in attendance applauded and shouted their approval. The wind swirled around the three rulers like a gentle caress, bringing summer blossoms to gently land on each of them. Legacy felt a tickle at her side, a sensation she had heard about from Honor but had not believed she would ever experience.

  “I am pleased to present the reunified kingdoms of Alderwood! From this moment forward, we will live as one as it was intended by the wild magic.”

  Legacy was caught in her own world. The sensation she experienced, coupled with the emotional aspect of finally completing part of her task, left Legacy feeling dizzy. Part of her wondered if it was a result of the whirlwind of activity and emotions from being lost, to finding her sister again, to the hurried coronation of her counterparts. The only thing she truly knew was her body was more exhausted than it had ever been.

  A side-glance at the other two rulers told her they shared the weight of her weariness. If all three of them were experiencing the strange feeling, Legacy felt certain the Shadow Mages were somehow responsible. For every step forward in their journey, their enemy was there to shove them back down.