The Vault of Kings

by Matt Taylor

  Sylas continued to marvel at everything around him as they approached the stone bridge leading to the tree. Sky had turned invisible, but Sylas knew she was still there as she rubbed against his legs occasionally as they walked. He wanted to talk to her about the incredible sights they were seeing but decided against using Magick in the city for now.

  “Do you have an appointment?” A woman clothed in nature battle mage robes asked as they approached the gate leading to the stone bridge. She had long red hair and bright green eyes that almost looked like she was constantly channeling Nature Magick. Her smile and kind demeanor didn’t hide the obvious appearance of being able to handle herself in a fight, however.

  “No, we don’t.” Geode said, approaching her, “But we have information that’s vital for the queen to hear.”

  “Is that so?” She responded, raising an eyebrow. Well, without an appointment I’m afraid you will be out of luck. If you would like to make an appointment to see her, I can help you with that.

  “We don’t have time to make an appointment. This is an urgent matter that she needs to hear about,” Geode said, drawing closer to her. Then, lowering his voice, he continued, “We have information concerning both Maelos and the Stone of Darkness. It’s vital that we see queen Nydria right away.”

  Her smile faded away, and she scanned the faces of the party that stood in front of her. After a few moments, she looked back at Geode and studied him for a moment.

  “How do I know that you aren’t spies or assassins working for Maelos?” She said, resting a hand on the pommel of a sword that was strapped to her side. “How do you expect me to believe that you are telling the truth?”

  Geode turned to Sylas and instructed that he hand him the amulet. Pulling it out of his bag, Sylas handed it to him, then retreated to his previous position. Geode held his hand out towards the woman, allowing her to take the amulet into her hands.

  “Do you recognize what this is?” He asked.

  She stared at the amulet for several moments, placing her fingers inside of the empty gem sockets and finally touching the Stone of Darkness itself.

  “This can’t be… Where did you get this?”

  “That’s what we need to discuss with Nydria. We need to come up with a plan for what to do with it so that it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. Also, Maelos knows that we have the stone, and he most likely knows that we are here in this city. I don’t know whether or not he knows about the amulet, but either way, it’s urgent that we talk to Nydria as soon as possible.” He responded, keeping his voice low.

  She looked at the amulet for a moment longer, then handing it back to Geode said with a stern voice, “Right then, I’ll bring you to her. Please follow me.”

  She made the symbol of Nature, and her eyes and hands began to glow. She waved her hands, and several roots that were wrapped around the large gate began to unravel, and the gate slowly swung open with a loud creak. Sylas felt Sky rub against his leg, signifying that she was still there as he followed Geode across the large stone bridge. Even though he was sure the bridge would withstand their weight, the vast chasm that sat below him was enough to bring on a nervous sweat. The tree became more and more massive as they approached it; it’s true grandeur making him feel small and insignificant. Several more guards stood at the other side of the bridge, guarding the massive wooden door that led into the trunk of the tree. The woman gave the guards a nod to which they stepped aside and, grabbing the large metal handles of the door, pulled it open, revealing the inside of the tree trunk.

  Sylas stepped through the doors and walked through a long tunnel of thick wood. Endless dark colored rings of wood spiraled through the massive trunk, showing how ancient the tree really was.

  As he exited the long tunnel through the trunk, he gasped at how spacious it was inside the tree as the tunnel opened into a large room. The room was several stories high and contained several flights of spiraling staircases that led to different parts of the tree. He could tell that the palace must have been divided into hundreds of different sections, all connected by tunnels and stairways throughout the tree. The rooms were lit by small orbs of glowing light that hung from fixtures scattered throughout the tree. He wasn’t sure how the orbs were giving off light but knew for sure that they did not contain fire, and they must have been conjured using Magick somehow. He felt like an ant exploring through a great oak tree as they walked through different tunnels and climbed staircases leading them through room after room.

  Eventually, they came to a stop at the end of a particularly long tunnel that led to a large wooden door that had the same symbol of a tree that was on Goede’s battle robes, etched into the top of its dark wooden trimming. The woman placed her hand on the door and knocked three times. A couple of moments later, the door opened slightly, and a large man with the male version of nature battle mage robes walked out.

  “What is it?” he asked in a deep burly voice.

  “These people have requested to talk to queen Nydria, and I believe that their reasoning is sound.”

  “Is that so? Well, what’s this about then? I’ll be the judge as to whether or not it’s important enough to request visitation with the queen without an appointment.”

  He looked straight at Geode as he talked, studying his nature battle mage robes that were of a slightly different design than his own.

  “Those robes are of an old design… I think I recognize them, though. You got them from here in Gelendor, didn’t you?”

  “I did indeed,” Geode responded. “I was once a warrior that helped protect the outer wall many years ago. I was sent to Shilvrst when Maelos attacked to try and help the city there. We were unsuccessful, as you know, but I decided to take residence there and try to help out the people that lived there as much as I could without being too noticeable.”

  “Hmm.” The man said, continuing to study Geode. “Well, go on then. What’s so important that you can’t do what everyone else does and make an appointment to see the queen?”

  Geode stretched forth his hand and presented the amulet to the man. “Do you recognize this?”

  Grabbing it by its silver chain, he lifted it out of Geode’s hand and studied it. The Stone of Darkness was still sitting in the center of the amulet, glowing with its eerie, wispy purple light amidst the sea of darkness within.

  The guard took a step back and muttered under his breath, “So it is true…” He then looked directly at Geode and with a firm voice, asked, “Where did you find this?”

  “That’s what we’ve come to discuss with queen Nydria. We need to make plans for what to do with it and are pretty sure that Maelos knows that we have it.” Geode responded.

  The man stood wide-eyed at the information that was presented to him, then hardening his expression, he scanned the group of strangers in front of him.

  “Nydria will be anxious to hear what you have to say, follow me.”

  Handing the amulet back to Geode, the guard turned and opened the large wooden door behind him and extended his arm, gesturing for them to enter. Geode handed the amulet to Sylas, which he placed around his neck and tucked under his shirt. The metal amulet felt cold against his skin, colder than it should have felt, like it had been sitting in a cold stream all morning long. Sylas checked once more for Sky by shuffling his feet to the side until he felt her bump into his leg again. I have to find a better way of knowing she was around while she’s invisible, he thought. He followed Geode and Uthren through the door and into a large room with high vaulted ceilings.

  Vines from the massive tree they were inside, along with other plants that were brought into the room, climbed up the wooden walls and wrapped themselves along the many carvings and symbols that were engraved into the walls. At the back of the room, two guards stood at the ready next to a large wooden throne. The guards were wearing battle mage robes, but they looked slightly different than the other robes that Sylas had seen, they had golden trim that swirled around the tree symbol in the middle of their c
hest, and the colors were slightly brighter. The guards held large spears and round wooden bucklers and also had helmets instead of brandished hoods.

  Behind the throne were several large stone statues of men and women, atop of all of their heads were metal crowns signifying their royalty. A woman, whom Sylas guessed to be Nydria, sat on the throne watching as they entered the room.

  She was much younger than Sylas had pictured in his mind, he guessed that she might even be just a few years older than himself. She had light skin and long blonde hair that fell over her shoulders down to her mid-torso. A metallic crown with a bright green emerald sat atop her head and she wore the same color of green clothing that the rest of the city wore, but her robes had not only gold trim around the edges but also a bright silver trim that down her sleeves and two silver lines that came down across her chest where they curved in and met at the belt area.

  “My greetings, friends. How may I be of service to you today?” Nydria asked.

  Geode took an additional step forward, then bending forward and kneeling on one knee, bowed himself before her. Seeing Uthren do the same thing, Samara, Torren, and Sylas followed suit and bowed themselves down on one knee to show their respects.

  “Greetings queen Nydria. My name is Geode, and these are my companions and friends. We have traveled here from Shilvrst, seeking your counsel and wisdom. We have some grave news concerning Maelos and wish to ask for your help and guidance.”

  Raising her hand in the air, she gestured for them to stand up, “Please arise. What news do you have concerning Maelos, and how does it concern the people of the kingdom of Gelendor?”

  Geode and the rest of the group stood up, and he continued, “My queen, I was once a part of this great city and served under your mother as a warrior for the protection of our neighboring cities before Maelos attacked. I knew your mother personally and know from conversations with her that because of your lineage and being a direct descendant of the great Nymphara that you and your family possess a great deal of knowledge concerning the Vault of Kings and the Elemental Stones of Power.”

  Nydria again raised her hand, cutting him off. She looked over at the woman that had been their guide as well as the guard that let them through the door and with a smile, asked if they would leave them to discuss the matter alone. With disappointed looks, they both agreed and left the room. Sylas imagined them pressing their ears against the other side of the now-closed door in hopes of catching pieces of the secret conversation as he had done so many times to his parents’ door.

  “Please continue, Geode.”

  “Yes, my queen. As you may or may not know, there was a dark mage by the name of Aracorn, who associated closely with Maelos for some time. He gained great strength in the Darkness Magick and built a crypt just outside of the town of Shilvrst.”

  He stretched his hand out towards Uthren and continued, “We don’t know exactly what he was doing down there, but eventually Uthren and others from the Council of Light that were stationed nearby felt a dark presence, and upon finding the crypt did some investigation and ultimately were forced to slay Aracorn. They thought that they had destroyed all of the evil that he had conjured down there, but it was not so. Many years past and these young folks were exploring the ruins of the Ancient Crypt and accidentally discovered something.”

  Geode turned and looked at Sylas, “Sylas, would you kindly show queen Nydria what it is you found?”

  Sylas reached his hands up to the back of his head, grabbed the amulet by its silver chain, and removed it from his neck. The artificial light that was created by the orbs hanging in the room glinted off of the amulet as he held it in the air. The Stone of Darkness still sat in the center, staring at Nydria with its cold, dark, wispy aura.

  Nydria leaned forward in her throne and stared back at the stone with a worried look. She then raised a hand and spoke to Sylas, “Can you please bring that to me, I would like to have a closer look.”

  Sylas nodded and walked towards Nydria, keeping the amulet held out in front of him. Upon arriving at the throne, he placed the amulet into the outstretched hand of Nydria, then took a couple of steps backward. Nydria held the amulet by its chain and examined it for some time. She then grabbed its metal surface and brought it close to her face so that she could stare into the depth of dark color the stone emanated. Without breaking her concentration on the stone, she asked, “What is your name?”

  Sylas hesitated for a moment, not knowing whether she was addressing him or the stone, but after realizing it would be quite strange for her to be talking to a rock, no matter how special it was, decided that she was most likely talking to him and he responded.

  “My name is Sylas, queen Nydria.”

  “Sylas, can you please tell me more about how you found this amulet and the stone? I assume that you found them separated, yes? or were they already fused together when you found them?”

  “No, they were not together when I found them, but I don’t really know how exactly they got that way either…”

  Sylas proceeded to tell the queen about how he had discovered a new room in the crypt and after touching the stone which was in the center of the skull he had found, was teleported to a strange darkness dimension. He then relayed some of the visions that he had during that time, and explained how when he finally exited the darkness, he found himself back where he had been before, and the stone had been fused to the amulet. He then told her more about his visions, had how Maelos seems to know where they are at every time he has them.

  Nydria looked puzzlingly at the amulet, trying to digest all that Sylas had told her. “Very interesting… this is quite the mess you’ve gotten yourself into.”

  She ran a finger over the stone and then, after pondering a moment longer, handed the amulet back to Sylas.

  “So, Geode, what is it that you want to know from me? I’m interested in hearing your plans as to what you intend to do with this discovery, but I would like to know what you want to ask me first.”

  “I was hoping you would be able to tell us more about what the Vault of Kings is. Being at the rank I was, I was entitled to little more than the rumored information that floated amongst those who were curious enough to receive it. I know that many details about it are well-kept secrets among the royal families; therefore, I thought you would be able to shed some light on the subject. I also wanted to get your insight on what you might think Maelos would be doing with the Stone of Darkness to get it to behave the way that it did with Sylas, and its possible connection between himself and Sylas now because of what happened.”

  Nydria sat back in her throne and put a hand on her chin, “I’m a little hesitant to divulge such information to all of you…”

  She looked at her two guards that stood at each of her sides to which the one on the right replied, “If you wish us to leave you alone, just say the word, my queen.”

  She shook her head, “No… I don’t think that will be necessary… somehow I have a feeling that this information is going to get out into the public eventually anyway. You might as well stay and hear it from me so that you can correct any corrupted information that begins to spread. How far back do I need to go? I assume that all of you know who the original Kings were?”

  “We’ve taught them some of the history of Magick and told them about the original mages and how they obtained their power, but have not given them much information beyond that,” Geode said gesturing to Torren, Samara, and Sylas.

  “Very well then, we can start from there. The original six mages are also known as the first ‘Kings’, and even though there were women amongst them, such as my ancient ancestor Nymphara, they were still called the ‘Kings’. The power that they were able to retrieve from the gods was influential enough to all of those that associated with them that they were each set apart as rulers over different parts of the land. Despite the enormous power and knowledge they received from the gods, after mastering their respective elements and then going on to learn from each other and eventua
lly discovering the advanced technique of combination Magick, they wanted more. They wanted more knowledge and more power, so one day all six of them came together and climbed to the top of the Kandarin mountains to again plead for more knowledge. They heard a voice of warning descend from the heavens, telling them that if they sought out too much power, they would become corrupted and ultimately consumed by that lust for power. They did not head the voice, however, and continued to pray to the gods for additional knowledge. A dark angelic creature descended from the heavens and granted them their request.”

  “The description of what he looked like that has passed down from my family described him as having dark black wings, wearing nothing on his torso, and dark black robes from the waist down. It was said he had seven orbs hovering around him, orbiting slowly as if he was the center of his own universe. They described him as terrifying, and at the same time, awe-inspiring. He told them about the history of the heavens and more about each of the elements that they already possessed, but sadly those details have been lost through time. I don’t think that they were lost because they weren’t important, though… I think they were lost because they were too important, too great for mortals to know and were probably forgotten on purpose.”

  “The angel pulled six of the seven orbs from around him, and using his godly powers transformed them into the six elemental stones that we know of today, one of which you have in your possession. As you may or may not already know, the elemental stones give the person that possesses them additional power and an advantage to learning new techniques when using Magick of that element. When you are in possession of one of the stones, you are able to achieve feats with that element in a short amount of time that would rival that of a master who has studied that element for a lifetime.”

  “The angelic being also gave unto them a secret, which proved his warning to be true about the possibility of corruption and lust for power. All six Kings decided that the secret was too great for man to know; if it fell into the wrong hands, it would spell doom for all. They asked the angelic being to forge for them a key and build for them a vault that could only be unlocked with that key. They desired that the key should be able to contain all six of the elemental stones so that the only way that the vault could be opened was if all six of the original Kings, or their predecessors, came together in unison and harmony to unlock the vault. They hoped to try and prevent anyone from coming and stealing the secret without consent from everyone else or one tribe taking dominance over the others by requiring that each stone be placed into the key for it to work on the vault.”