by Logan Byrne
“We have received word from King Rafael to escort you at once to meet with the high council. Please, follow me,” the guard said, before turning around. He smacked his pike three times on the stone before the gates cracked open, a small gust of wind puffing out and gently blowing my hair back.
My eyes opened wide as an entire city, a kingdom, came into view. I was in awe as we walked inside the gates. The streets were spotless and the buildings beautiful. Everything about the place was regal, from the walls to the shops that lined the pale cobblestone streets. Most of the roofs on the buildings were red cones, the light stone walls providing a perfect contrast. Gold trim was painted around the windows and doors. The kingdom was vast, the small glimpse I could see like a sea of red and gold. It looked almost as big as the area around my old precinct.
The elves watched us, whispering softly, as we walked through their streets. We might have been the first outsiders they’d ever seen, and they were definitely some of the first high elves I’d ever met. They were all the same, in a basic sense— fair skin and light hair. Their eyes were light blue, like a turquoise ocean, and their ears were long and pointed back. Most of them wore simple clothes, with drawstrings in front of their tan shirts and loosely-fitting brown pants.
I could tell they hadn’t been exposed to our style of living, or the mortals. They appeared to be something out of a fairy tale. I looked forward as we approached a grand staircase with so many stairs it looked more like an abstract painting than reality. The stairs led to a castle at the top, the alluring focal point of the entire kingdom.
As we came to the bottom of the strenuous climb, the guard motioned for us to exit the staircase. “No, over here,” he said. We walked onto a platform surrounded by railings and when he flipped a switch, the entire square moved up the side of the staircase as we flew up into the sky and left the commoners behind as they watched us ascend.
“We’re here,” Mirian whispered.
We stood in front of the castle, the golden roof shimmering in the sun as I looked up, stumbling a little, before shaking my head and wondering why I wasn’t born here. The doors opened, displaying a mosaic of stained glass windows with high elves painted across them adorning the entry. The castle felt angelic, more like a sanctuary than the house of a monarch.
Guards were lined up, spaced evenly apart every ten feet, standing stoically as they didn’t budge an inch, even a little, to look at who was approaching. There was a certain formality and hierarchy here that I hadn’t witnessed anywhere else. It was like these people were in their own little world, an alternate dimension, and it made me wonder if we were the weird ones. After all, we did sludge around in a muddy camp instead of living like royalty.
“We are about to enter the sacred chambers of the high council. Please respect and bow as you enter, as is customary,” the guard said, before opening the twelve-foot doors.
About ten high elves were talking inside, but they quickly stopped speaking and focused on us. We all bowed deeply, showing our respect, before walking inside. The room was surrounded by windows that looked over almost the entire kingdom, and a massive circular table sat in the center.
“Mirian,” a man said, before walking over.
“Rafael,” Mirian replied, and they embraced. They kissed cheeks, locking arms as they both smiled. This was already looking good.
“Chancellor Pote, it is nice to see you,” Rafael said, before doing the same with Pote.
“Always a pleasure, Rafael. I trust you have been healthy and well,” Pote said.
“One cannot complain living this life, Heta. It is most healthy for both the spirit and mind,” Rafael said.
“Rafael, this is Lexa Blackmoon, the girl I wrote to you about in my letter,” Mirian said, putting his hand on my back, as all attention was drawn to me.
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, King Rafael,” I said, bowing a little, before looking up to see him smiling.
“You may call me Rafael, young one. I insist,” he said, before embracing me like he had the others. “I am very eager to see what you have brought.”
“Before we get into that, we must talk about the situation at hand,” Mirian said.
“Our people are not your puppets, Mirian,” a woman said from the table. She looked angry, as if she couldn’t believe that she had to sit here through this and that her king was even contemplating helping us.
“Let’s keep calm, everybody. Mirian and Heta would never attempt to use our people in that way,” Rafael said.
“We seek for you to fight beside us in battle, not to fight for us,” Mirian said.
“Kiren Nightstorm is growing his army and powers exponentially. He has already mounted attacks on the pixies, the Minotaurs, and the merpeople. He is recruiting others whom he considers fit to help him,” Pote said.
“That has nothing to do with us here in Alornia,” the woman retorted.
“It has everything to do with you. Kiren seeks to enslave all magical creatures before turning his attention on the mortals. Do you not think he will come for you, especially with everything you possess within your walls?” Mirian asked.
“He will never penetrate our walls,” Rafael said confidently. “Nobody ever has.”
“Just because nobody ever has doesn’t mean nobody ever will, Rafael. You know this to be true. What will you do if he does invade? We have an opportunity now to stop him, especially with Lexa by our side,” Pote said.
“Lexa, what do you think we should do?” Rafael asked, with a smile.
“You’re asking the girl?” a man said from the table, sounding shocked.
“She is only a child, she has no authority over us!” another man shouted.
“I will have silence!” Rafael roared, his eyes turning orange. The council members bowed and receded. Rafael had more than just power—I could feel the respect they had for him.
“Kiren is ruthless and cold. His goal is simple: to control and enslave every creature on Earth, whether they have magical blood or not. If he gains this power, he will purge every impure being in the realm, and your people will be no exception. He is crass, bold, and has a penchant for suffering and misery. I think you would be daft not to take him as a serious threat. If you want your people to survive another year, you need to fight beside us,” I said.
“Interesting,” Rafael said, putting his fingers to his chin as he stroked it slowly.
“Lexa should be able to defeat him in single combat, but the rest of it is too much, even for her powers. His forces rival those we have seen even in the darkest times, and we need to subdue them before it’s too late,” Mirian said.
“Our people haven’t been to war in centuries. We have lived a peaceful life within these walls. You’re asking me to open my gates, allowing my citizens to die, their blood spilled on the battlefield,” Rafael said, walking over to the windows and peering out at his kingdom.
“Some might die, yes. I will not lie to you, Rafael. What happens if he wins, though? All of your citizens’ blood will be spilled,” Pote said.
“Come with me,” Rafael said, turning abruptly and walking towards me. “No, not you, just the girl.”
“But sir—” a man said.
“My word is final. Lexa, please come with me,” Rafael said.
Shrugging to Mirian and Pote, I followed him, as we walked out of the high council’s chambers and down a long hallway. A long red rug stretched as far as the eye could see, the walls tall and pointed inwards in a gothic style. Rafael didn’t say a word, instead guiding me along, until we walked up a long spiral staircase and stopped outside a small door, just big enough for us to walk through.
He put his hand flat on front of the old wooden door, the iron latch coming undone, and we walked inside. The room was beautiful, adorned with stained glass and jewels affixed everywhere. Bright light shone through the glass, the room taking on a golden hue. An altar sat in the middle, atop a red rug with golden trim.
“This room is for the curre
nt ruling king or queen of Alornia. It’s here for us to seek guidance and support, praying to the heavens as we wait for word from those who came before us,” he explained.
“Thank you for entrusting me to enter your sacred chambers,” I said.
“Is it true? About the wand?” he asked.
I unclasped my sheath, pulling out the wand. His eyes lit up. “So it is true,” he gasped, in awe.
The golden streaks inside the crystal glimmered as I turned it for him to see. “I almost died getting this,” I said.
“Even though most of our people are not mages, we have always revered the master Merlin for his work and the progress he put towards the magical race as a whole. We have in turn replicated him, turning our kingdom into one that is technologically advanced and prosperous,” Rafael said.
“I could tell coming inside that this kingdom is different from anything I’ve seen before,” I said.
“The thought of it crumbling into ruin has always kept me up at night, even before I heard about this man, Kiren Nightstorm,” he said, walking to the altar. “I pray here every single day, to my ancestors, hoping that they will spare us just one extra day. It always comes, but I fear for the day it doesn’t.”
“He seeks to destroy everything, Rafael. I know you believe your walls are safe, but any fortress can only take so much abuse before it crumbles. Don’t let that happen to you. Don’t let your legacy be tainted by the actions of this man,” I said.
I could tell I was getting through to him; his heart seemed more pure than I would’ve thought. I knew he wanted the best for his people, and that was honorable, but I thought Mirian and Pote had him all wrong. I didn’t think he only cared about his people—I thought he did care, at least a little, for other magical creatures—but he couldn’t show that weakness in front of the council. They would never allow it.
“What would you need from us if we were to agree?” Rafael asked, looking out the stained glass windows.
“You would have to discuss terms with Mirian and Pote, I’m not the best for that. I know they would never ask of you what they weren’t willing to put up in return,” I said.
“They do have pure hearts, those two. I believe you,” he said.
“I hope that you will accept our offer, and I hope that you will save not only your people, but all our people,” I said. He considered my words for a moment before turning around and nodding.
“We will make it happen. First, though, I need one thing,” he said, walking closer.
“Name it,” I said.
“Show me the mark. I’ve only read about it, long ago, but I never thought I would meet somebody who possesses it,” he said.
I calmed my mind, slowing my breathing, as I concentrated on the mark. My hands began to glow, faintly at first, and then brightly, and Rafael’s eyes lit up as if he’d seen a ghost.
“It’s beautiful,” he gasped, as tears began to form in his eyes.
“I will fight beside your people. We will vanquish Kiren to the darkest depths of Hell,” I said.
•••
“My king,” the council said, as we walked back into the high council chambers.
“Be seated,” Rafael said as the doors closed behind us.
Mirian nodded at me and I slyly nodded back, letting him know that the deed had been done.
“We have come to a resolution, Lexa and I. We will help the magical realm defeat the tyranny known as Kiren Nightstorm,” Rafael said.
“And you’re sure of this, my king?” a woman asked.
“Yes, I’m sure. I know our people haven’t seen war in centuries, but the time has come to once again don our weapons and armor and ride valiantly into battle, like our forefathers before us. Kiren Nightstorm threatens to topple our kingdom, murder our people, and destroy our culture. It’s true, we might lose some warriors, but we would stand to lose so much more if he came into full power,” Rafael said.
“We cannot let him take what is rightfully ours. Our ancestors have worked tirelessly through the ages to ensure our people stay strong and our gene pool stays pure. If he were to invade, everything would be lost,” a man said, standing up, his tone and expression quite serious.
“We will be with you, Rafael. I promise you that we will be by your side,” Mirian said.
“I know, Mirian, and I thank you for that. Your protégé let me know that your people and my people will coexist and fight as one. Our resources are open to you, all of you,” Rafael said.
“We will get back to our camp and start working on things at once,” Pote said, nodding.
“When are we leading the charge?” Rafael asked.
“We must rally our troops and we need to visit a few more races before we partake in battle. It is imperative that we have as many forces as we can gather. Kiren and his duskhowlers are practitioners of the darkest magic, and we don’t know what he will summon or use to try to destroy us,” Mirian said.
“You can never be too careful with a rune mage, let alone one who has ulterior motives. Do you believe he is going to use dark magic?” Rafael asked.
“I believe so, yes. It is in his nature to use it in one way or another. I’m not sure what they have up their sleeves, but we can assume it will not be good,” Mirian said.
“Alert us at once when you have news. Otherwise, we will arm ourselves and ready our troops. Until we meet again,” Rafael said.
“Until we meet again,” Pote and Mirian said in unison.
We left their chambers and went back into the majestic hallway, and the guards escorted us back outside to the moving platform. “Why aren’t we leaving?” I asked.
“We are. The high elves have teleportation dampened so that nobody can invade their kingdom. That means we must be outside the walls to come or go,” Mirian said.
“It’s kind of like Filtonshire,” I said, getting the shivers.
“Are we going to be okay?” a woman asked, as we came off the platform. A crowd gathered around us, many of them women and children holding onto one another, as they looked at us intently.
“We wouldn’t have outsiders inside our walls unless the situation was dire,” a man said, holding a broom.
I looked around at them, at their scared and nervous faces, trying to figure out what to say. It wasn’t our place to tell Rafael’s people the truth, or what was coming their way. He might break his deal with us if he knew we meddled with his people and his ruling.
“Everything will be fine,” Mirian said, holding his hands out. “We are old friends of King Rafael and want to create a trade agreement to bring prosperity to your kingdom.” He smiled and the people began chatting and smiling, all of them obviously happy with the thought of their kingdom growing in wealth and prosperity.
Mirian looked at me, a sort of “I had to say that” expression on his face, before we started moving again. It felt bad, lying, but it was the only way. As I looked at little girls and boys holding onto their mothers, watching us walk by, I realized that they didn’t need to know, at least not yet.
We were still weeks away from mounting our major attack, and there was no need for anybody else to be stressed out. I knew I was stressed out enough for all of us. The gates opened once more, the massive metal hinges roaring as we left, the gates quickly closing once more as the magic barrier was restored.
“Let’s go,” Mirian said, before pulling out his wand. We teleported back, but not before I caught one last glimpse of the kingdom. In awe, I stared as the vision was sucked away from me, and I was standing in Pote’s tent once more. I wondered if I’d ever go back.
18
“What happened?” Charlie asked, as I sat around with my friends later that night.
“It’s going to happen, we convinced them to help us and they agreed,” I said.
“Wait, it was just that easy?” Britta asked. “I thought the high elves were stubborn and hostile towards outsiders.”
“Well, they are a little stubborn, some of them, anyway, but overall King Rafael w
as a delight. He took me out one-on-one and we talked. We went to his sacred prayer chambers to talk, and we were able to broker a deal. I think he’s just too scared at the thought of losing everything,” I said.
“I’m still in shock. I wonder what this war is going to be like,” Faus said.
“It’s going to be war, that’s what it’s going to be. The real question is what we do when we get to Kiren,” Charlie said.
“That isn’t our job,” Blake said.
“Why not?” Charlie asked.
“It’s Lexa’s job to finish him. It’s the only way,” Blake said.
“I’m not going to finish him,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“Lexa, you have to finish the job once that time comes. Kiren has caused too much strife and hardship throughout the realm to let him just walk free,” Blake said.
“I’m not going to let him walk free and say see you later or something. He will stand trial and go to prison, like he should,” I said.
“So what, he can bide his time and escape like you did? Or maybe he can gain supporters from the inside? Lexa, that’s stupid,” Blake said.
“Justice is stupid? You’d rather me kill him and stand over his still warm corpse? Maybe I could put my boot on his chest, too, like he’s a trophy hunt?” I asked.
“Okay, that’s enough, both of you. We can’t plan what will happen when the final battle starts. Things change in the moment, and besides, it’s a while away still,” Britta said.
“No, I’m sorry, Britta, but that’s stupid. If you don’t finish the job, then I will. I’ll rip his damn throat out and spit it out all over him,” Blake said, getting angry.
“I guess you really get to know somebody in times of crisis,” I said, crossing my arms.
“This is what he’s doing to us. You guys need to get over yourselves and realize that the final moment isn’t as important as you both think. Just defeating him is the priority, not what happens after. Whatever the council and leaders think is best is what will happen. It’s not Lexa’s, or Blake’s, or any of our responsibilities to take him out or arrest him or anything,” Faus said. “Don’t let him tear you apart.”