by Katy Haye
“You do?” I glanced between them, as though they might pull a jewel out of their shirts or a pocket and show me.
“The Gems of Giera,” Essa said, capturing my attention again. She rolled her eyes at my expression. “Didn’t you listen to any of Ma’s stories?”
“Not as closely as you evidently did.”
She began to recite. “The Gems of Giera were imbued with the power of the goddess herself. There were four of them, tied to the elements: her Tears, her Breath, her Bones and her Heart. Their power was too great for ordinary mortals, so they were kept in the underworld when the earth was made whole, and lay undisturbed for centuries. Then, the four kings who were more than human travelled to the underworld. The goddess gave the gems to them and they used them to wield magic powerful enough to weld a divided Charnrosa into a single empire.”
I looked at the kings. I’d forgotten that part of the stories. These men wielded powerful magic, but that wasn’t all they could do. “Are the stories right?” I paused, licking dry lips. “You can control underworld creatures?”
“That’s right,” Axxon confirmed. My mouth dried. My imagination conjured all manner of pictures. I wanted to ask to see, but they weren’t performing monkeys.
I cleared my throat. “I see.” They were kings, and enchanters, and masters of the elements themselves. And I was Kyann, magic-less orphan from Myledene. And also the guardian who was every bit as important as the four kings. Apparently.
I would do my best not to be jealous that I didn’t get cool elemental powers.
Rey shifted, suddenly restless. Before I could ask what was wrong, his stomach rumbled loud enough to echo through the room. “Is anyone else hungry?” he asked. “I think I’ll find a snack.”
Fon rolled his eyes. “Don’t let defeating the Emperor get in the way of your stomach, will you?”
Rey grinned. “Definitely not.” His gaze swept all of us. “Just me? I’ll try not to be long, then.”
“Actually, I’m hungry.” Essa spoke up. “Can I come with you?”
“Of course.” Rey looked pleased to have company, although his gaze rested on me another moment.
I lifted a shoulder apologetically. I was too excited by what I was learning to have room for food.
They swept from the room. Fon sighed melodramatically. I stifled a smile. It was reassuring to see such a sign of human normality as hunger; a useful reminder that the kings were men, after all.
But I understood Fon’s impatience, too. “What’s the plan to defeat the Emperor? Do we try to storm the citadel? And what do I do? Without magic won’t I simply hold you back?” I hoped they weren’t going to suggest I stayed here while they dealt with the threat of the Emperor. The idea of being parted from the kings now made my stomach lurch uncomfortably.
I wished I’d had longer to get used to the idea of being the guardian. If my father hadn’t been in the Emperor’s prison for the last eight years, he would have shared his knowledge with me and prepared me for the role. As it was, everything I knew about the kings was myths and stories, abruptly come to life.
“You made a worthy opponent when you stood in front of the Emperor,” Axxon said, and I wanted to hug him. I’d been terrified and acting on instinct. It was a miracle matters had worked out well. Awareness of the kings prickled over my shoulder blades. Well, not a miracle, I supposed, more a matter of being a part of the right team.
Fon got to his feet, taking on Rey’s role of ‘restless king’. “Does anyone else want to be reunited with their gem?” He grinned at me. “Would you like to see?”
My mouth dried. See the legendary gems created by the goddess? I nodded.
“Come.” Axxon held out a hand. “We’ll show you.”
My palm was sweaty, and I pressed it to my tunic before taking Axxon’s hand.
“The Gems of Giera were made by the goddess,” Axxon told me. “The power they contain… it’s immense, beyond even that of ordinary horns of magic.”
My blood beat hard in my ears.
“Shouldn’t we—” I was about to suggest we wait for Rey when he came into sight, striding two-steps-at-a-time up a staircase to our left. He was chewing, a bitten-into apple in his hand.
“See? I said I wouldn’t be long.”
I looked past him. “Is Essa with you?”
“She’s in the kitchens.” He glanced down at the apple in his hand. “She doesn’t have to be quick.”
“Come along.” Axxon took my arm and led the way downstairs to a room at the bottom of the castle. It was dark until Fon flicked his fingers and four lamps sprung to life. They were set at intervals in the circular wall, above four sarcophagi whose lids had been set to the side. I couldn’t see it, but I felt magic in the air. I thought we were at the centre of it all, where the kings had slumbered for the last few centuries.
They led me to a raised plinth in the centre of the room. A stone box sat on top of the carved pillar, level with my chest.
The kings assembled around me. As my attention darted between the stone box and the four men, I realised they had taken up places evenly spaced around the room, in line with the sarcophagi and the lamps. Each had his place.
“Open the box, Kyann,” Fon prompted. “The gems are within.”
I swallowed and stepped forward. It’s just a box, I told myself. Never mind that it contained jewels made by a goddess, and that it was talked about in legends written centuries before I’d been born. It was only a box.
Grasping the edges of the lid, I shifted the stone top, evaluating its weight. I lifted it, twisting to the side to place the lid beside my feet. When I straightened, I realised the four kings were all watching me as though I were more important than the gems inside the box. I couldn’t hear so much as a breath from my audience.
Standing on tiptoe, I reached into the stone box. I expected to find cold gems, possibly set in straw for protection. Instead, I found something hard and square within. I lifted it up.
The stone had been sheltering a wooden box, an ornately carved casket such as a king or queen would use to store their most precious jewels. I turned, my gaze darting to the kings. They moved to cluster around me, so all could see as I flipped back the hinged lid.
And found emptiness inside.
Chapter Three
“What?!”
“Where are they?” Vashri took the casket from me, tipping it to peer inside as though the contents might simply be hiding. My hand collided with Fon’s as we both reached into the stone box in case they’d fallen out into that. The stone was smooth and cold against my hand, but aside from Fon’s warm fingers, the box was utterly empty.
I withdrew my hand and looked at the kings. “What now?”
“The Gems of Giera were distributed to the four great families of Charnrosa, the deputies of the Emperor.” Essa’s voice made us whirl to the doorway. She leaned against the jamb, blanket clutched tight around her. “About a hundred years ago.”
“They were given away? As though they were trinkets?” Fon roared, fury shining in his eyes.
Essa held up a pacifying hand. “No, for safety.” She looked around and, realising she had the rapt attention of all of us, began her tale. “Charnrosa hasn’t been peaceful the whole time you’ve been asleep, you know. It was in the time of the Stalwart Emperor’s great-grandfather. A similar situation: the Emperor died and there were two heirs, a son and a daughter, who both claimed the throne. The daughter persuaded the guardian at the time to support her claim. In the tale I was told, he came to the Silent Castle to wake the four kings, with the expectation that they would side with the daughter and help make her Empress. I’m not sure whether the guardian couldn’t wake you, or he decided it would be a bad idea to do so – since there was no reason why you would choose the daughter over the son. Instead, he stole away the four Gems of Giera, deciding to take their power for himself.” Her gaze cut to me. “You must have heard the story, Kyann.”
I nodded, because I remembered – not from the
guardian memories in my head, but from my own life, hearing the tale at bedtime. I remembered Ma’s lyrical tones while I sagged into sleep beneath the covers. “Galosh the Prideful,” I said.
Essa nodded. “That’s right. He tried to take on the power of all the gems at once in order to rule the elements and was torn apart by them for his pride.”
“Serve him right.” Fon folded his arms across his chest with a nod of satisfaction.
The corner of Essa’s mouth lifted. “It was a harsh lesson, certainly. After that, the Emperor commanded the gems be kept safe, so no one would be tempted to make Galosh’s mistake.”
“Why weren’t they returned to the Silent Castle?” Vashri demanded.
Essa lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know, the stories ended at that point. The guardian was dead, his heir a child. Perhaps they tried to return them but couldn’t find the castle.” She looked down at the casket still in Vashri’s hands. “Or perhaps the deputy families couldn’t bear to fully let go of something so powerful now they knew it existed – or no family trusted the others not to steal them away and attempt to seize power. The tales grew vague, but the suggestion was that each family took one of the gems to hide away until such time as they might be needed by the four kings.”
“Like now,” Rey said lightly.
“Then we need to get the gems back,” I said. “If you’re sure you need them – we did okay against the Emperor without them.”
“No,” Axxon stated. “We need all our strength before we face the Emperor again. We can’t leave anything to chance.”
The others nodded. I understood how they felt – I needed to regain my magic before I fought the Emperor. With the help of the kings I’d been able to rescue Essa, but we hadn’t escaped entirely unscathed – our father had been killed by him. I shivered.
“Can anyone find the castle now?” Essa asked. “Or is it still hidden by your shield spell?”
“It is hidden. Only the five of us and those we bring with us would be able to reach it.”
“Which mean there’s no way the families could bring the gems back,” I mused.
Fon snorted. “We don’t wait. We go and fetch the gems.”
“Where are these families?” Axxon demanded.
“Scattered to the four corners of the empire,” I said, because I might have forgotten the stories of Charnrosa’s past, but I knew the present. “The four families enforce the Emperor’s rule over areas that roughly match your kingdoms.”
“It will take some time to get the gems, then,” Vashri observed.
“Do we split up?” My gaze settled on Axxon’s face, then shifted to Rey, then Fon and Vashri. A lurch dragged my heart at the thought of being apart from any of the kings. I shook off my unease. I wasn’t a child, and the kings could certainly cope without me for a few days. “It would be quickest,” I said reasonably.
“No.” Axxon’s tone was implacable, and none of the kings attempted to argue.
“We stay together,” Rey added.
I nodded, glad I wasn’t going to have to be parted from any of them. “Which family do we visit first?”
“Who is closest?” Vashri asked practically.
Axxon frowned. “Distance hardly matters if we will have to visit them all. What is their affiliation at present? Do they all support the Stalwart Emperor?”
Politics. I hated it, but I’d kept track of what was happening in the Empire in order to keep Essa and myself safe. “It’s complicated,” I said. “We should sit down to talk it all through.”
“Let’s sit in comfort. Upstairs.” Fon led the way out of the room. The other kings and Essa followed.
I turned and caught my sister’s hand, tugging her forward so she was level with me. “How do you know all these stories?”
Her hand covered mine. “While you were learning magic with Pa, Ma was telling me the tales of our history.”
“And you remember them after all this time?”
Her smile turned wistful. “They’re all I have of her. Of course I remember them.”
Grief swelled in my throat. Essa had her stories. All I had of my mother was the memory of her screaming at me to take Essa and run before she’d been killed by the Stalwart Emperor’s guards. I closed my eyes. If I thought hard, I could remember her voice telling me the story of Galosh the Prideful. I’d try to hold on to that. It was a happier memory than the others I had.
~
Back in front of the fire, Fon spread a parchment map of the Empire of Charnrosa across the wide oak table and we sat looking at the areas that aligned with the four kingdoms the kings had known, while I tried to explain the current situation in Charnrosa to men who were five hundred years behind on the news.
“Do I understand this right? Everyone appears to support the Emperor, but some of them are lying?” Rey challenged, his brow furrowing.
“I wouldn’t describe it as lying. The Stalwart Emperor is our crowned ruler and the four families have accepted that. They offer fealty and support him in word and in deed when required. But the families of Pardal and Ullagar are more enthusiastic in their support than the families of Hullar and Baloa.”
“They are the ones who supported the Stalwart Emperor’s brothers?” Vashri clarified.
“That’s right. The Hullar family wanted Sigmon to rule, while the Baloa family supported Vellore. The Pardal and Ullagar families both supported Thall, who is now the Emperor. From the moment they declared their alliance it was a foregone conclusion that Thall would win – a simple matter of strength of numbers. He killed both his brothers in the ensuing battles and took the title Stalwart Emperor when he was crowned.”
Essa snorted. “The man has delusions of grandeur. Stale-Wort would be more appropriate.”
That prompted a smile. The four kings digested my summary of recent history, then Vashri asked, “And the Stalwart Emperor simply sent the families who had supported his brothers back to their lands?”
“Why didn’t he execute them?” Fon pressed.
“You’re asking the wrong person.” My gaze darted to Essa, in case she had something to add, but she remained silent. “They swore loyalty. Perhaps he was showing clemency.” That didn’t seem likely for the man I’d met, the ruler who’d killed my father with a single, magical blow. “More likely, he understood the support the families had in their lands. He’d just put down one rebellion. He didn’t want to risk another. Better to have his deputies cowed and shamed by their disloyalty than turn them into martyrs.”
Axxon nodded. “And they have supported the Emperor since then?”
“That’s right. They enact his rulings, collect the taxes he demands, enforce the justice he decrees.”
“Yet make no attempt to curb the man’s excesses?” Axxon’s expression twisted with distaste. “They appear craven.”
“I suppose they did what they felt they had to. The Emperor might have taken revenge on their lands and all the people there if they hadn’t surrendered when they did. And his brothers were dead – there was no one else for the families to support.”
Fon clasped Axxon’s arm in a show of support. “This is their chance to make amends. They can hand over the gems and offer us their help.”
Axxon’s expression remained grim. “They had better.”
I reached for his other hand, linking my fingers with his. “The Stalwart Emperor is our enemy. Let’s not add any more names to that list unless there is truly no alternative.”
The strain in Axxon’s eyes vanished. “You’re right.” His fingers squeezed mine. “One enemy at a time. I’m sure when we stand before them these deputy families will do the right thing.”
Abruptly, I hid a smile. I was quite sure that faced with a thunderous Axxon, the deputy families would fall over themselves to do his bidding rather than incur his wrath. I bit my lip. I didn’t want them to feel forced. For the first time, it occurred to me that if we defeated the Stalwart Emperor, we would need something to set in his place. The kings would go back to sle
ep until the next time they were needed, so someone would be required to take charge of the Empire. Best not to alienate the people who were best placed to take on the role of ruler when – I hoped – it became vacant.
“Do we visit the Baloa family first?” I queried. “They are closest, and their loyalty towards the Emperor is based on his victory rather than a true allegiance to the man.” An easy target first. We could work our way up to the others.
“Agreed,” Axxon said. The other kings murmured confirmation.
“We should leave immediately.” Fon was the impetuous one.
“Are you recovered?” Rey asked me.
“I’m perfectly fit.” I swallowed, then admitted, “But I don’t have any magic. Do you want to wait until I’ve regained it?” Getting it back felt impossible, but the four kings of legend had awakened. Nothing was impossible.
“No, we can help you rediscover your magic as we travel,” Axxon told me. I nodded, reassured by the certainty in his eyes.
“I can help with that,” Essa offered.
I turned to my sister, my heart flipping over because I’d had quite a different idea about her role. “We’ll pass close to Myledene,” I told her, my finger pointing to the spot on the map. The Baloa homelands were about a day’s ride farther past our old village. I took my sister’s hands. “I wanted you – please will you return to the village and stay there?”
“What?” Shock shone in her eyes, eclipsed by dismay. “No! No, I’m not going back, Kyann.”
“It’s your safety I’m thinking of,” I protested, wounded by the hurt in her eyes. “I couldn’t bear it if you fell into danger again.”
“I didn’t fall.” Essa gripped my sleeves. “I fought him, Kyann.”
“I know you did.” I put my arms around her. She was shaking at the memory. My fearless sister, still a child, after all. “That’s exactly why I want you to be safe. Your magic is magnificent and yet you weren’t able to stand against the Emperor.” I swallowed. “I don’t want you to be in danger. I promised Mother I’d protect you.”
She pulled away. “And how can you protect me if you don’t even know where I am?” Fire glinted in her eyes and I was glad to see it, at the same moment that I acknowledged it meant she wouldn’t be easily persuaded.