by B. A. Scott
“Protect me,” came a soft voice. The group turned to see Princess Ayden emerge from an unlit archway into the hall.
“Princess Ayden,” Athiux addressed her as he bowed. The Princess strode past the four, who bowed respectfully.
“Father,” the Princess greeted Mercer as she sat comfortably in the throne beside him.
“I thought you were resting,” said the King.
“I heard ambassadors returned with a Sage and an Enchantress. I wanted to see them with my own eyes.”
“It’s good to see you again, Ayden,” said Kade.
“And you,” Ayden responded.
“These are Caladen men,” the King told his daughter. “It seems their line has found service under ours once more. And it appears the line of Amirraden has once again found company with Caladen blood.”
“Company I wish Kade to keep,” said Athiux.
“Did she not come to protect this city?” King Mercer retorted. Athiux and Kade both became very silent. Neither spoke, but they both looked like they were focusing intently on something distant. Gabrel found it somewhat unusual. But then, he realized what they were doing. They’re talking to each other, he thought.
Suddenly, Athiux broke his stare, and spoke, “Kade will stay, if you so wish.” Mercer nodded, affirming that that was exactly what he wished. “But have you weighed just how well the ambassadors will fare with your daughter?”
“They’ve boasted talents of magic,” said the King.
“Ah, but they are only amateur wielders, your Majesty,” said the Sage, “and can perform little more than the earliest of fundamental magic. They have not even sipped from a single Fountain.”
“Then they will drink from Evindar,” said Mercer.
Athiux grunted, disinclined to allow such a thing.
“What’s Athiux doing?” Gabrel whispered to Kaven.
“Making sure Kade’s around to finish the job,” Kaven whispered back.
“Even so,” the Sage continued, “if they tasted the waters of Fury, there would be no one to guide them in developing their power. But if my granddaughter were to accompany them, you would not only increase the Princess’s protection, but the Enchantress will also be able to train the ambassadors in their new abilities, so that they may grow to be exceptional wielders. For while they may manage simple spells now, I assure you, it will not be enough to withstand half a regiment of Daro’s troops.”
“They will already have soldier escorts,” said Mercer.
“As they should,” replied Athiux. “But ask yourself this, Titus. Does your daughter stand a greater chance of survival with or without the Enchantress by her side?”
Gabrel and Kaven watched as Mercer’s brow lowered and his forehead wrinkled. He was clearly debating changing his mind about Kade. After several tense moments, he spoke coldly. “The Enchantress... goes with Ayden.”
Athiux nodded in agreement with the King’s decision.
“Shit,” Kaven muttered.
“Your Highness, where exactly are we to escort your daughter?” asked Kade.
“Benevar. You’ll depart the moment Daro arrives at our gates. Return to this hall when the warning bell rings.”
“Forgive me, your Majesty,” Gabrel said, “but why us? I’m sure you have others far more capable of escorting your daughter.”
Mercer shook his head. “You’re all I have left,” he said. “And despite your inexperience, I’ll not deny what power lies in the honor and influence of a Caladen ambassador—even ones so green as yourselves.
A good emissary is hard to come by. He must be educated, versed in the ways of trade, of the customs and politics of other cultures, experienced in hard travel, and be strong of heart and mind—representing the Human race with prestige, as though I, myself, were in his place. When I lose one, it’s a truly terrible loss.
Now, as I’m sure you already know, your father wasn’t the only Caladen to hold such a position. But he has clearly tried to douse this legacy. I think it’s time his sons officially adopted the title, and rekindled that fire.”
“What did you mean when you said the line of Amirraden has once again found company with our blood?” Kaven asked.
“Have they not told you?” said the King. “Amirraden blood traces back to Idonitus Kale—who knew Genus Caladen well.”
“You’re related to Idonitus?” Kaven asked the Sage.
“A distant and diluted strain, but yes,” Athiux confirmed. “Are there plans for your own evacuation, Titus?” he asked the King, changing the subject. “If the battle should go ill?”
The King shook his head. “Caleton’s fate will be my own,” he said. “Should we win the day, I’ll know my curse has abated. But should we not, and death rears its ugly grimace upon us, by the love of Ceraya’s shining light, I only pray that whatever evil is set before my eyes takes me in such a manner that it burns away the demons of my past.”
The Princess’s eyes filled with sorrow. “Father—?” she leaned toward the King, and placed her hand on his.
“Take them to the Fountain of Evindar, Ayden,” Mercer spoke hoarsely. “Please, leave this old man to his grief. Gabrel,” he turned his attention. “We'll get you a proper suit of armor, like your brother’s. If you're to be my ambassador, you’ll need to look like one.”
Ayden lifted her hand from her father’s, and stood. “Come with me,” she told the others. She led them out of the Great Hall, through endless hallways, until finally arriving at two immense white doors, which had a notably lustrous quality to them. At the sight of the Princess, two guards heaved them open by pulling their large, silver handles.
The doors parted, and the light of an overcast day filled the hallway. A cool breeze blew past the group as they crossed the threshold onto the hard stone of a lengthy battlement. Roughly twenty soldiers stood at their posts, surveying the land and skies. With crenellation on either side, the bridge wall was easily twenty paces wide, and from what Kaven could see of the land below, he did not want to guess how many hundreds of feet he was above the ground.
But however tall the battlement stood, it was dwarfed in comparison by what towered in front of the group, for the bridge wall connected the castle to the soaring stone spire that held the Fountain of Evindar.
Along with the soldiers on the battlement, there were also strange wooden weapons that Gabrel had never seen before. They looked like massive crossbows, which seated men aimed into the sky.
“Swiveling ballistae?” Kaven asked the Princess.
“Spear-bows,” Ayden corrected him. “An air defense to battle the Fated Ones.”
Ahead, the double-doors to the tower were identical to the ones the group had just passed through. Two guards opened the doors as the Princess led the others through them. In a small room, well lit by windows and torches, began what Gabrel and Kaven would soon discover to be a great spiraling staircase that would lead them to the Fountain, high above.
“Is there no easier way?” Kaven asked the Princess. “We’re dreadfully tired from our journey, and climbing into the heavens will surely sap us of all our strength.”
“If it were meant to be easy, it would be,” replied the Princess as she stepped first onto the spiraling stone staircase.
“It has been called ‘The Climb to the Clouds,’” Athiux said, “and the ‘Steps to the Sky.’ As many times as I’ve walked them, it never gets any easier. You can turn back now, if you like.”
“Not a chance,” Gabrel said, glaring at the Sage.
“I expected to see more soldiers guarding this place,” Kaven noted.
“There will be more when the battle commences,” Ayden assured him. “But you shouldn’t be so quick to believe that simply because you cannot see any further means of defense that none other exists.”
“You mean there’s something else protecting the Fountain?” Kaven asked.
Ayden smiled. “More than flesh and metal guard Evindar. It has kept the Fountain safe for centuries.”
“What is it?” Kav
en asked. “Some sort of spell?”
“You will see.”
Table of Contents
Chapter 23: Fury
After what seemed an hour’s climb, the group reached the top of the tower’s spiral staircase.
“My legs are numb,” said Kaven, out of breath.
“I officially regret accompanying the two of you,” Kade told the brothers.
They walked down a wide hallway, at the end of which were large doors of black stone that formed a circle, split down the middle. Each was riddled with symbols and engravings.
“Beyond these doors lies the Fountain of Evindar,” said the Princess, motioning for Gabrel and Kaven to enter.
They pressed their palms against the charred, black stone and pushed the heavy doors open, entering the chamber like starving children expecting a grand feast to be waiting for them. But they were quickly disheartened at what they saw—or didn’t see.
The chamber was empty.
“What is this?” Gabrel asked.
“A store room?” Kaven offered his confused deduction. “For brooms and water buckets? Old broken chairs, and dusty, moth-eaten blankets?” He paced around the room, eyeing every object it held.
“No, there’s magic at work here,” Gabrel said. The brothers exited the chamber, and turned to the others.
“It’s empty,” Kaven said, as though unimpressed.
“It would appear so,” replied Kade as Ayden closed the doors,
Gabrel turned just in time to see Ayden out of the corner of his eye, grazing her hand over one of the symbols engraved on the door beside her. He thought he might have seen a drop of blood upon her finger as she casually disguised the action, and hid her hands from sight.
Before he could ponder what she’d done any further, the doors trembled. The vibration pulsed through his body, and he and Kaven immediately stepped back, fearing something dreadful would soon follow. They looked to the Princess, but were surprised to see that she was smiling at them.
With another trembling, Gabrel and Kaven stepped back even further, unsure of what exactly was happening. The doors before them undulated as if they had been painted on a semi-translucent curtain, then fell to the stone floor, like a collapsing drapery, and burst into millions of tiny particles. Gabrel and Kaven watched as what looked like countless fireflies swirled into the air, until finally dissolving into nothingness. The true black doors revealed themselves, and appeared identical to the ones that had just vanished. But the brothers had a hunch that what lay beyond them had changed completely.
“The veil is lifted,” came the Princess’s voice.
“What was that?” Kaven asked.
“A veil spell,” said Kade. “A common, yet effective way of blinding your eyes from the truth.”
“Ambassadors,” said Ayden, “the gift of Fury is yours for the taking.”
They all approached the doors, but before Gabrel and Kaven could push them open, they swung inward on their hinges, as if the room beyond permitted their entrance. Athiux, Kade and Ayden passed into the chamber behind the brothers. No brooms, no water buckets or blankets tarnished its grandeur. In the center of the room, the Fountain of Evindar protruded through a hole in the stone floor. Its shallow basin was 10 feet wide, and just over waist-high. It looked to be made of a mixture of ivory and alabaster, Gabrel thought, then noticed that the dark blue water inside possessed a strange luminous quality, like it was filled with starlight beneath its surface.
Gabrel and Kaven stood a few paces apart, and rested their hands on the ivory white stone. Athiux, Kade and Ayden walked around to stand on the opposite side of the pool as the brothers.
“Keeping your distance?” Gabrel asked.
“For our own protection,” said the Sage. “Fury is one of the most dangerous abilities one can obtain. The power of the sky—to break rock and chisel earth. But more dangerously so, to destroy life in a flash of power. Think twice, before you decide to—”
“Actually, it sounds like a hell of a defense, if you ask me,” Kaven said, looking to Athiux with threatening eyes.
“Drink, sons of Caladen,” the Princess spoke, “and be refreshed.”
Gabrel and Kaven cupped their hands, dipped them below the surface of the dark blue water, then brought the cool liquid to their lips. It was the cleanest, purest water either of them had ever tasted, and it made their insides tingle as it traveled down into their stomachs. They looked at each other, each wondering if the other was experiencing the same sensation.
“You feel that?” Gabrel asked.
“Yeah,” answered Kaven. “It—tingles.”
A low thunder came from outside the tower. And the light that shone through the windows dimmed as the skies above became dark. A breeze that carried the scent of rain blew into the Tower, causing the torches to flicker.
“Here it comes,” Athiux said under his breath. Gabrel and Kaven eyed each other curiously, having overheard the Sage’s words.
“Here what co—” Gabrel started to ask, but was cut short by a burning pain in his stomach that instantly brought him to his knees.
“Gabrel!” Kaven yelled as lightning crashed outside. “What’s wr—agghhhh!” His legs gave way just as his brother’s had done. They both held their mid-sections, as if it would somehow stop the burning that spread in stilted, pounding bursts.
“Is—this—normal?!” Gabrel asked through gritted teeth. But the only ones who could answer said nothing. Then, the brothers felt the pain in their bellies subsiding, curiously enough, just as their skin began to itch.
“I can feel it,” Kaven said as he rubbed his forearm. “Pulsing through my veins. It burns.”
Gabrel felt it too. The itching turned to fire—hotter than any flame he’d ever touched. His veins bulged, and felt twice their normal size.
Magic uncontrollably filled the brothers. Their eyes glowed fiercely as the pain increased. Flashes of lightning burst through every window in the tower, and the wind howled all around them. Several of the chamber’s torches went out as Gabrel braced himself upon the Fountain’s brim, and tried to heave himself back up to his feet. Kaven felt the need to plunge his body into the Fountain’s water to calm the pain. But he didn’t think he could muster the strength to stand.
I can at least throw an arm over the brim, he thought, and removed one of his gauntlets. To his surprise, every vein in his hand looked to be filled with white-hot magma. He pulled up his sleeve to find the branching streaks of light running the course of his arm, like lightning beneath the surface of his skin.
“What is this?!” he yelled.
Gabrel heaved his elbows over the edge of the Fountain, and was able to stand just enough to lean over the basin and catch his reflection in the dark blue pool. His eyes were aglow, which startled him less than the sight of some white-hot substance creeping up the veins inside his neck toward his jaw. It seared like his skin was being forced against a scalding frying pan. He watched as the substance traveled past his jaw line, up both of his cheeks, until finding the outer corners of his eyes.
He could contain himself no longer. The pain was too great. He screamed in agony, and bolts of lightning tangled around him. Then, Gabrel felt an unusual element in the air. The pain he endured began to subside as the awareness came to him. With a motioning of his hand, Gabrel discovered that the air felt thicker—denser than normal, as if it was filled with something heavy he hadn’t been previously attuned to.
“They’re aware of the current now,” Kade said.
Kaven braced his palms upon on the cool stone floor, and closed his eyes, attempting to calm the power he had tapped. It was difficult—very difficult—to do so. Finally, the glowing within his veins dimmed. With a last deep breath, and an even longer exhale, he reopened his eyes, which lost their glow as he found he had regained the ability to still the magic inside him.
Gabrel closed his eyes tightly, and focused all his thoughts on subduing his magic. Bit by bit, its power lessened over him. The lightning out
side calmed, and the faintest light of day shone once again through the tower’s windows. Eventually, Gabrel was able to release the magic inside him.
“Hell, that hurt,” Kaven exclaimed.
“Evindar has the least pleasant waters to taste of all the Fountains of Adoran,” Athiux told the brothers. “Its acquisition reflects the nature of the power it bestows.”
“You could have told us that before,” Gabrel said.
“Could have,” the Sage responded.
“Drinking from Evindar is often considered a rite of passage among wielders,” said Kade. “But fill yourselves with magic now, and you’ll find the power of Fury much easier to manage than before.”
Wary to do so, Gabrel and Kaven did as the Enchantress instructed. Both feared to be overcome with excruciating pain once more, yet they were relieved to find that no such feeling came.
“Like having a new blade upon your belt,” said Kade, “such is the gaining of a new power. You need only grasp it, and bend it to your will.”
Gabrel and Kaven could feel Fury inside of them, but neither had the desire to test their new abilities in their present location, so each released his magic.
“What current were you talking about?” Kaven asked Kade.
“Fury is everywhere—its energy is all around us,” she answered. “The air, the water. Even in you and me. The current is what connects us—the conduit for Fury’s power.”
“We should let the ambassadors get to their father’s chamber now, your Highness,” Athiux said to Ayden. “He’ll be anxious to see them.”
“Very well,” the Princess nodded. “Find rest in these quiet walls, ambassadors.”
Rest, Gabrel thought. A glorious word that sounded as heaven in his ears. But he knew the Sage would not let him have it. Gabrel would surely see his father in the hours to come, and when he did, there would be questions he had been waiting to ask.
“Come now,” Athiux whispered in Gabrel’s ear. “Let’s get our answers.”
Table of Contents
Chapter 24: Forbidden Love
