by Mike Shelton
Tears dripped down the old queen’s face, but she appeared more excited and alive than she had moments before. “It’s yours.” She held the Red Jasper StrengthStone out for Shaeleen. “Take it.”
Justyn jumped up off the edge of the bed and said, “No, Victoria. That belongs to Gabor. You can’t give it away. It’s all we have.” The TruthSeer’s face was stern, and he reached out to take the stone from the queen’s hand.
But Orin moved swiftly, appearing between the queen and her TruthSeer. “Let it be,” Orin said with more authority than his years would give him. “It is her right.”
Shaeleen smiled at Orin’s protection of her and cocked her head to the side. For a brief moment, she saw Orin as something more than he was: almost princely in appearance. She returned her attention back to Queen Victoria.
The queen reached her hand toward Shaeleen and dropped the Red Jasper stone into Shaeleen’s hand. A bright light exploded from her upturned palm. Green, red, and blue light—then a brilliant yellow!
The four people in the room had to turn their gazes away. When they looked back, the small Red Jasper StrengthStone was gone. Now imbedded inside the TruthStone, it sat next to the blue IntelligenceStone from Prince Basil.
Shaeleen audibly gasped and had to take in a deep breath to control so much power. Shaeleen could now sense how the light in the room was moving from where the queen was toward Shaeleen as the sun slowly shifted its position outside. Pure euphoria surged through Shaeleen’s body, and she shuddered at the power she now held in her hand.
Closing her eyes, she traveled upon the stream of light once more—out of the queen’s bedchamber and up over the city, the powers of truth, intelligence, and strength coursing through her mind and body—and riding on the stream of light.
She could see everyone in the land—felt a connection to all that had shared even a modicum of strength from the stone over the years. Her mind flew far to the west in the midday sun, until she saw the city of North Bay—with half a dozen warships in its usually peaceful harbor.
“Kerr!” Shaeleen gasped.
She had to warn Basil about the treachery of his brother and the commander from Gabor. Basil! Her heart lurched in thinking about him. He was such a good man, a leader the people loved. But… She groaned with the weight of the secret held by only a few. What will I do? What should I do?
Before leaving North Bay, she searched out her brother. Cole stood in a room with the wizard Faegon. Shaeleen noticed that TruthSeer Erlinda was back and stood in the corner of the room. The queen mother stood by her side and held her hand. Their eyes were red and tired, a resigned look filling their faces.
Oh no! What have they done?
Prince Calix sat on a small throne and directed the group. Commander Kerr stood by his side. Cole stood at attention in front of the leaders.
“Cole!” she called out in the light.
Cole glanced around him, a frown forming on his face.
“Cole,” she called to him again. “Meet me in Stronghaven.”
Cole nodded his head slightly and looked around again. “Shaeleen?” His mouth formed the word, but no sound came out.
Then the prince addressed him. “Wizard Cole,” the prince called out, and Cole turned his attention away from Shaeleen’s voice. “I have a special task for you.”
Cole didn’t speak but stood waiting for the prince’s orders.
“Do you serve your prince? Do you recognize my authority in the kingdom?”
Cole bowed his head and nodded. “I serve the truth, Prince Calix.”
“Oh Cole!” Shaeleen shouted. Why did I leave him there all alone? She watched as Cole frowned slightly and shook his head.
“Is something wrong, Wizard?” Prince Calix asked. “Faegon tells me you are learning quickly. You say you serve the truth. Then I have a quest to test your loyalty to the truth.”
Shaeleen knew that her brother was being manipulated by Prince Calix appealing to Cole’s sense of duty and honor.
“Sir?” Cole said, standing at attention.
“I need you to go to Verlyn and find Princess Diamonique of Gabor. She is to marry the heir of Galena, and her engagement will be announced soon.” The prince smiled and rubbed his hands together.
Cole stood still for a brief moment, thinking. “She is to marry Prince Basil, then?”
Shaeleen’s stomach turned over and she grew queasy. Even in the light I feel the pain of lies!
Prince Calix stood up and threw a glass of wine to the floor, the shards spreading in a hundred pieces across the marble floor. The group in attendance took a few steps back.
“No, she will not marry my self-righteous brother. I will tell you why,” Prince Calix yelled out. The room stood in total silence except for his voice echoing off the walls. Then he crooked his finger toward Cole.
Shaeleen felt herself grow tired. The light in the room had shifted, and shadows began to fill the prince’s room in its stead. She fought to stay there one more minute. She wanted to hear what the prince would say to be sure, but she knew what his words would be. He now knows he is the oldest.
“Shae!” a voice called, deep in her mind. It was Orin, calling her back.
“No. Leave me be,” she cried out, trying to hold on.
The scene in North Bay was fading. She saw her brother walk slowly toward the prince. The prince took a step forward, leaned close to Cole’s ear, then whispered something so softly that no one in the room overheard his words—including Shaeleen. But Cole pulled back with a confused and surprised look on his face.
“Oh no,” Shaeleen said out loud. “Cole!” she screamed through the light. But it was no use, for she was being pulled back to Riverton. And the last thing she saw there was Cole bowing low to Prince Calix.
His darn sense of honor!
Shaeleen was slammed back into the queen’s room in Riverton. Her knees buckled, and she started to fall, but Orin was there to hold her up. As she closed her hand around the stone, the light diminished and then was gone. She sat down on the edge of the queen’s bed and put the stone back into the pouch.
“Calix is going after your granddaughter,” Shaeleen finally said to the queen. “He is sending my brother to fetch her, and Calix intends to marry her.”
Hearing this, the queen fell to the ground. Justyn ran to her side. From the floor, she peered up at Shaeleen and said, “You must save her, Shaeleen. Please, you have to find her first,” she begged, her voice catching with emotion.
Shaeleen looked at Orin. “We do have the means to travel faster than my brother does.”
Orin smiled. “Just say the word, Shae!”
Justyn helped the queen back to her bed and helped her lie down. Then he turned to Shaeleen and Orin and said with a stern look, “You two are trifling with powers you know nothing about.”
“Shaeleen knows what she’s doing,” Orin said, defending her.
Justyn pinched his lips hard. “I’ve been a TruthSeer for fifty years—”
“And yet,” Shaeleen interrupted, “your apprentice dabbles in the power of the shadow and supports Commander Kerr’s thirst for power and treachery. Where does that leave your kingdom now, TruthSeer?”
Justyn’s face went white. He opened his mouth to respond, but the queen put her hand on his arm.
“Justyn, Shaeleen, Orin—now is not the time to assign blame. We must save my granddaughter and the kingdoms. And Shaeleen is the only one that has the means to do that.”
Justyn said nothing, but he didn’t look happy.
The queen coughed and then continued talking. “She already has three powers and the use of a fourth power, through Orin here. Never have we heard of such a coalescence of powers before. Go, Shaeleen, and save my granddaughter. Will you do that?”
“I serve all the kingdoms, Your Highness. However, I feel your granddaughter is important to the future of Wayland. First, though, I must return to Prince Basil. He sent me and my brother on this errand, to discover what his brother was doi
ng. I need to warn him. I owe him that.”
“And, will you tell him?” the queen asked, referring to the birth order of Prince Calix and Prince Basil.
Shaeleen shook her head. “I don’t know. I really don’t know.”
“If you don’t, the pain will destroy you,” Justyn said. “You don’t have enough experience to handle it.”
Shaeleen gave him a dark look. She didn’t like his condescending attitude toward her—though she could understand a little how he must feel. A TruthSeer was used to being the most powerful person in the room—and now, he wasn’t.
“We will see,” Shaeleen said.
“My servants will get you a change of clothes and secure a ship for the journey,” the queen said before laying her head back down and closing her eyes. “I’m so tired.”
Shaeleen and Orin followed Justyn out of the room. Their trip from Riverton to Stronghaven would take a few days. A few days for me to decide whether to tell Basil or not.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Three days later, Shaeleen and Orin disembarked from their ship and stepped onto the docks of Stronghaven. During their journey home, Shaeleen had still not come to grips with what she should do. The TruthStone sat heavy in the pocket of her dress—a beautiful, light blue gown with a gold-rimmed, red cloak falling over her shoulders—a gift from the queen.
Shaeleen was beginning to feel as if the weight of Wayland’s future had fallen into her hands. And it was strange to watch others—people walking around, captains yelling at their crews, and kids running through the streets—all with no thoughts of what was happening in the world around them.
Shaeleen was aware that Galena had been blessed with relative peace for so many years that people usually just went along with their daily business with no thoughts of trouble. Periodically, a small border dispute or a minor aggression of an enterprising noble would occur, but the power of the stones had always protected Wayland.
“I need to go and see my father,” Orin said, bouncing on his toes. “He won’t believe the adventures I’ve had without him.”
“Orin.” Shaeleen grew serious. “I don’t know what I would have done without you. You saved me more times than I can count.”
“And you thought I was just some thieving street urchin the first time we met, didn’t you?” Orin laughed and pushed his blond curls out of his eyes.
Shaeleen joined in with a laugh of her own and a nod of her head. “I admit, I might have been a bit judgmental…but you were stealing things.”
“If your brother wouldn’t have caught me, I would have gotten away with it too.”
Shaeleen frowned a bit, thinking about Cole. She hoped he had heard her plea for him to return to Stronghaven.
“Just be careful, Orin,” she said. “You are going with me to Verlyn, aren’t you? I mean, if your father allows it?”
“Of course I am.” Orin bobbed up and down on the balls of his feet. “Once he knows what’s going on, he won’t be able to stop me.”
“You can’t tell him everything,” Shaeleen said, looking around her and lowering her voice. The sounds of gulls flying overhead and of seamen yelling had helped to keep their conversation private, but she still needed to be careful.
Orin peered down at his shoes. “I know, Shae. I know. I will be careful. Can I tell him I helped you and met the queen of Gabor?”
“Yes, that’s fine. As long as he doesn’t know about you know what.” Shaeleen looked around her again. That was a secret that could rip peace away from her beautiful city without a moment’s pause.
Orin nodded.
“Now, go get a bath, eat, and see your father. I’m going home to see my family, and then I will meet you in front of the castle tomorrow morning.” Shaeleen shooed Orin away, but she could tell he was anxious.
Orin took off, running north through the docks, while Shaeleen turned toward the south part of town. She had not gone more than a few blocks, when she heard a carriage coming up behind her. She moved to the side but hardly paid it any attention.
“Shaeleen!” a shrill voice shouted out from the carriage window.
Shaeleen turned, and immediately she let out a long groan.
“Where have you been?” Clarise’s high-pitched voice flew out of the carriage.
“Stop!” came another voice from inside it.
Lady Judith.
Shaeleen groaned again. I don’t have time for this. Without thinking, she smoothed down her hair.
Lady Judith, with her head sticking out of the stopped carriage, glared at Shaeleen for a moment, her eyes nearly popping out of her head at the clothes Shaeleen now wore. The queen of Gabor had also provided Shaeleen with a silver headband that she now wore on her forehead, just under her hairline. It was to be a gift from the queen to her granddaughter Diamonique when Shaeleen met her in Verlyn.
“Where have you been? And where did you get those clothes?” Lady Judith whined.
“Aren’t you off to the charity event for the prince?” Shaeleen asked. “Enjoy your day with the commoners.” Then Shaeleen turned away from the carriage and, with her head held high, continued walking forward down the street.
“How rude,” Lady Judith mumbled. “Driver, stop that girl for me.”
The driver hopped down to obey, and Shaeleen breathed out a rush of air. I’m not letting that woman capture me again! Hiking up her dress with one hand, she took off, running down the street, swerving between townspeople out shopping. But she could hear the footsteps of the driver, who was gaining on her. Breathing hard, she wondered if she could make it home before he could catch her.
Turning around a corner, she ran into a man and knocked him flat on his back. Stopping momentarily, to check if he was all right, Shaeleen saw a familiar face peered up at her with surprise that mirrored her own.
“Shae!” Cole gasped out loud.
Just then, the man that was chasing her grabbed on to her hand and pulled her toward him. “Lady Judith would like a word with you.”
Cole stood up and turned with an angry look at the driver. “Let her go.”
The man stared hard at Cole, obviously trying to decide if avoiding facing this young man was worth Lady Judith’s displeasure.
Cole stood with a fire in his eyes that Shaeleen hadn’t seen there before. And she noticed a small sizzle of light at the tips of his fingers as he drew his sword.
Shaeleen thought about using her TruthStone’s power on the driver, but knew she needed to be careful with that. Instead, she pulled upon the small StrengthStone. She felt her muscles bulge, and she pushed the driver away on her own, with more force than she’d intended. He landed against a wall and slumped to the ground.
“Tell Lady Judith I have nothing to speak to her about.” Shaeleen stood over the man, her cloak swirling around her. “I am on an errand for the prince.”
Looking from Shaeleen to Cole and back again, the driver slowly stood up and held his hands in the air as he backed up and then ran back the way he had come.
Shaeleen turned around and saw Cole staring hard at her. He appeared to be in shock.
“I could always take care of myself,” she said, trying to lighten the mood.
That brought a small crack to Cole’s lips, and he almost smiled. “You look amazing, Shaeleen!”
Shaeleen grabbed him hard and hugged him. “I’m so sorry I had to leave you, Cole.” Pulling back out of his warm embrace, she noticed he, too, was dressed far better.
He now wore a new, crisp uniform—blue and black, the colors of Galena’s IntelligenceStone. His hair was styled a bit more neatly than when she had left him almost two weeks before. But the biggest differences were in his eyes and his demeanor. Two weeks had brought power and confidence to his usually shy persona. I guess I’ve changed too.
“I just came from Gabor,” Shaeleen said.
Cole’s eyes grew wide. “I thought I felt you in North Bay. But, afterward, I didn’t know if it was my mind playing tricks on me or not.”
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��That was me,” Shaeleen admitted.
“How?” Cole let out a deep breath. “I can tell a lot has happened.”
Don’t I know it! She wanted to tell Cole about her travels to Gabor, but now was not the time—the thought of what to tell Basil still consumed her mind.
“We need to report back to Basil,” Shaeleen said, but she started walking in the direction of their home. “I think it would be nice to go home first, don’t you?”
Cole’s eyes had flashed at her not using Basil’s title, but he let it go for once. They walked in silence for a moment. Then Cole spoke. “Shae, Prince Calix has asked me to do something for him.”
Shaeleen nodded. “Bring Diamonique back to him?”
“How did you know?” As Cole’s eyes grew round with surprise, Shaeleen noticed the power he seemed to hold behind them now.
“I was in the room with you, Cole,” Shaeleen said with excitement. “It really is quite amazing. Truth and light go together. That is the strength that holds Wayland together: light and truth and the power of the stones.”
“Slow down, Shae.” Cole laughed. “What are you talking about?”
“I can travel on the rays of light,” Shaeleen said. “Well, not physically, but I can see things.”
Cole scrunched up his face. “Well, I don’t quite understand what you’re saying, but I am glad you’re back.” His smile grew wide, and he put his arm around her shoulder for a moment.
Turning back to their new task at hand, Shaeleen grew more serious. “About Diamonique? Are you going to bring her back to Calix or to Basil?”
“Shae, we serve the truth, don’t we?” Cole’s demeanor seemed to grow solemn. “Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving North Bay before you left?”
Shaeleen wondered about the change in subject. She realized her brother was most likely facing his own internal questions of what to do. How could I have left my brother there all alone?