A stolen crown, p.28
A Stolen Crown, page 28
Aaron was in the middle of tying off a rope from the mainsail when his legs buckled underneath him and he fell to his knees and Malek, who had been showing him how to make the proper knot, caught him before he collapsed completely.
"Are you all right, lad?" the pirate asked.
Aaron looked up at him, dazed, and Malek could see that the young man's eyes had turned black as night. "What is happening?" Aaron mumbled as he tried to rise, but fell again.
Carly ran over and helped Malek carry Aaron over toward the steps to the stern castle, but before they could get him there, a cold wind began to rise and lightning cracked overhead. They were both thrown back as the lightning struck Aaron and the power that ran through him lifted him to his feet.
"What's got into you, boy?" Malek shouted as the wind began to howl.
"I don't think he's doing this," Carly said. The lightning stopped and Aaron dropped to his knees again then fell forward, limply to the deck of the small ship.
"He's got a wizard's eyes," Malek said. "
"Something is happening." Carly pointed at the dark cloud that had now filled half the sky. "Look there!"
"That's one bad omen after another," Malek complained. "What do we do with him?"
Carly nudged Aaron with her foot and found that he was no longer coursing with lightning, which was a good thing. She knelt down and rolled him over onto his back and saw that his eyes were wide open and black as Malek had described, although it was different than when she had seen other mages use their power. Aaron's eyes seemed almost a bluish kind of black, like the night sky, and they glittered as though filled with countless tiny stars. It was almost hypnotic, looking into them, but Carly shook off the feeling and set to work.
"Help me move him inside the cabin," she said, and she and Malek lifted Aaron and carried him inside to the quarters at the aft of the ship, where they lay him down on a rough cot. Aaron was mumbling incoherently and Carly thought he looked like he was in a great deal of pain.
"What's wrong with him?" Malek asked as the ship began to sway.
"I don't know," Carly said, "but I think it has something to do with the storm that's brewing."
"We're still half a day's sail from Maer Island. It looks like we've got no choice but to try to outrun the storm and I'm worried about more lightning. It was like it went straight for him. If a bolt like that hits the ship, we're doomed. I don't know if I want someone like that on my ship."
"Well, hopefully if he's in here, he won't attract it," Carly said, throwing Malek an irritated look. "And maybe we're lucky it hit him instead."
Malek shrugged, thinking about what she had said, and the ship began to sway even more.
"Malek, let's just leave him here. We have bigger fish to fry if we're going to make speed to the island."
"All right," he said, "but if we get hit again, I'm dumping him off the side."
"We'll talk about that if it happens," Carly told him, and the two of them went back out to the deck of the ship and hurriedly began securing the ship for the rough seas that had already surrounded them.
*****
Underneath black skies, raging with thunder and lightning, in the new temple of the one god at Maramyr, Dakar signalled the priests to begin the next part of the Awakening ritual as it had been described by the images in the Book. Before him stood Cerric and Calexis, who had decided that they would exchange their marriage vows during the awakening. At first, Dakar had wanted to object, irritated that he would also have to preside over the wedding of the fool, King Cerric and the Xallan witch, but the Book had commanded that it would be so and he obeyed, knowing that he would enjoy the just rewards of his obedience.
As Dakar began to intone the words of the marriage bond, He could already feel the powerful presence that pushed at the edges of the void created in the center of the star crystal. The One God waited on the other side of the portal that would be created with the combined magic of the Priesthood and all those who had read the book and come under its influence. When the star crystal was fully endowed with the power of so many mage-priests, many of whom were assembled in the temple, the portal would open and the One God would come walking through to bring divine order to all the peoples of the world.
Dakar had long dreamed of being in the presence of such an almighty power and looked forward to being the favored disciple of the One God. Perhaps the God would share his divine wisdom and power with his High Priest. Dakar was sure that the God would appreciate how hard he had worked and how far he had gone beyond the mere compulsion of the Book. He was a true disciple and he was eager for his true rewards.
Dakar gritted his teeth as the star crystal pulsed even more strongly and he felt his own magic being pulled towards it. It was almost painful to have such an amount of power flowing out of him, but Dakar focused on the rewards the book promised for his loyalty, perseverance and dedication, which would flow back to him once the Awakening ceremony was complete. For now, he had to complete another ceremony that somehow seemed so common, so uninspiring; the marriage of a King and a Queen and the uniting of two lands. To Dakar, Cerric and Calexis’ wedding was nothing compared with the coming of a God.
As Cerric and Calexis exchanged their vows, the crystal began to pulse even more brightly overhead, increasing in its radiance by the moment. Dakar nearly fumbled the words of the marriage rite as he felt the massive structure begin to drain more power from him as it did every priest that was linked to the One. He hurried through the vows as quickly as convention would allow and Cerric and Calexis took no notice, both of them looking pleased as they sealed their vow with a kiss.
The newly anointed king and queen turned and saw that the sea of black-robes congregated before them for the service had knelt en masse, while the many nobles and people assembled in the further rows and galleries of the temple applauded the spectacle of the royal marriage. Cerric was so impressed with the awestruck expressions that appeared on the faces of the onlookers that he did not see the dark shadow growing around the crystal star behind him. Not as enthralled by the proceedings, Calexis did caught a glimpse of something from the corner of her eye and managed to turn enough to see the shimmering darkness and the sheer power that was forming around the crystal.
Calexis also saw that the mage-priests were not actually kneeling, but had fallen from the same pain that had doubled over Dakar who was now down on one knee nearby. She looked at Cerric and saw a strange expression come over his face. It was one of hunger, a hunger for power, one that she herself recognised and knew well but had not realized that it ran so deeply in the Maramyrian king. There was something familiar between his look and the dark presence that now seemed to envelop the brightly pulsing star crystal.
The star crystal blasted forth a burst of light. Cerric turned to face the bright glow and took a step toward it. The shadow that had gathered at its center leapt toward the Maramyrian king, gathering around him like a cloak of blinding darkness. Cerric stumbled forward then reached out for the star crystal. Immediately the dark power closed around him and in a bright flash, the crystal shattered. All was silent. Calexis took a step back as Cerric, her new husband, slowly turned and smiled cruelly, looking right through her, shards of crystal embedded all over his entire face and body. Whatever the priests had conjured with their star crystal, it had leapt into Cerric. With her own small magic, the Xallan queen could feel the difference in him and she used her own power to see his aura. There was something heavy and malevolent to it, and though Cerric had always been shrouded in some sort of darkness, his aura was now entirely black.
Cerric’s eyes looked wildly about the temple at all the people gathered who were now nervously trying to edge their ways to the doors. Even though his mouth was not open, a low, rumbling laugh escaped him and reverberated louder and louder throughout the temple until it was a loud cackling roar. The doors swung shut and the people who had been trying to leave were now going to hear what their new king had to say.
Calexis realized that whatever energy had taken hold of Cerric was the same thing that had been draining the power of all the mages. Her pulse skipped a beat as she realized that now, Cerric, or whatever it was that he had become, now controlled the entire Priesthood and could draw on the powers of all its mages. With her power, she could see the subtle flow of countless lines of energy toward her new husband. Cerric turned and looked directly at her and Calexis froze in fear at the power she saw in his eyes. He then turned back to the audience and smiled.
“People of Maramyr, people of Xalla, people of the world! You are mine. Welcome your ruler, welcome your god!” his voice thundered. “Bow before me!” His voice reverberated through the temple and, with a gesture of his hand, the entire crowd felt themselves forced to their knees. Before Calexis could stop it, the words tumbled from her lips.
“Who are you?” she asked. Whoever he was, and whatever he was, he certainly was no longer merely the Maramyrian regent-king named Cerric. He chuckled, his voice deeper than it had been.
“Who am I?” he asked, his tone derisive. “I am Kroma. I am your king. I am your God!” his voice reverberated over everyone assembled in the temple.
Powerless to resist the god’s will, each and every one of them were compelled to their knees, all except one, who stood in the shadows behind a stand that had been brought in to display the Xallan banners. The figure recoiled back into the shadows and wept, knowing finally what part he had played in bringing the god to walk the earth. The only thing that saved him from the horror of what was happening was the surge of energy he felt with the sudden return of his own powers. Gone was the feeble weakness he had been cursed with. He felt it flow through him, enveloping his skin like a familiar set of clothes. He quickly grasped the powers he knew so well and made haste to obscure himself from the god’s penetrating vision as the King, no longer simply Cerric but now also the god, Kroma, swept his gaze through the crowd, revelling in his malevolent glory.
He stepped back, deftly using his powers to hide himself from the powerful gaze of the god-king. Overcome by a wave of emotions, elation and despair and both energized and exhausted with all that had happened, the figure melted further back from the crowd, the truth becoming real. It was true, his powers had returned, but at what price? He knew the god, Kroma and knew him to be a truly evil being, a vicious killer and bringer of war and death, though he knew him by another name. That such a god now walked the lands promised more misery than the people had ever known. The figure wept in the shadows for the people and he wept for the mages who had been tricked into giving their power to Kroma for it was their lives, their force, their wills that had been violated to open the rift between the heavens and the world. He wept for sadness at the strife and hardship that he knew was to come, but a part of him also wept for joy that he, one of the most learned and powerful mages that had ever lived, was no longer cursed to be Anonymous.
EPILOGUE
Cold, heavy with water, her body bruised and bleeding, Ariana had pulled herself from the water and collapsed on the bank of the river. It hurt to cough, and she had breathed in a lot of water, enough that her lungs still struggled for air. She knew she was in trouble; the wound in her side was bleeding badly where the mage had stabbed her, but it was not as bad as it could have been, had she not moved sensed his approach and moved just enough that Dakar's knife had missed her vital organs. Still, the wound was deep and it would not matter much if she continued to bleed for much longer. Ariana reached out for her power and used what little energy she had left to heal the wound. The effort left her dizzy and, not knowing whether she had succeeded in stopping the bleeding, whether she would live or die, she fell unconscious.
Time passed, consciousness came and went, and Ariana felt herself being lifted from the mud, the sound of the river fading away. She felt warmth and she felt a chill, shivering and disoriented, she opened her eyes and tried to see, but all was darkness. Ariana felt herself slipping into a dream, one she had lived many times over, a dream of fire, a night when everything burned. A cool hand touched her face. There was something familiar about it and soothing. The dreams faded, and finally she slept.
It was many days before Ariana awoke to the daylight. She could not remember much else except that time had passed and that she had slipped in and out of consciousness. She found herself laying in a kind of low bed, not much more than a mattress on the floor, and covered in sheets of a plain-looking material that was soft to the touch yet durable and strong. Her clothes were neatly folded and sitting atop a small wooden table. The wound on her side had been bound with bandages, but she could tell that it was mostly healed.
Still disoriented and weak, she pushed herself up to a sitting position then took a moment to catch her breath as she looked around the room. It was a simple structure with wooden walls that seemed to have been carved from a tree and there were few amenities in the one room, save for the table, several cushions that appeared to be for sitting upon. There was another table atop which sat a basin of water and wooden bowl full of green apples. When she saw the food, she realized just how hungry she was.
Ariana pulled the blankets off of herself and rose to her feet. She was wearing some kind of loose-fitting robe of a similar fabric to that from which the bedding was made. It was a kind of earthy beige color and the bottom of it came down to just above her knees, with openings that ran up the sides of her legs and beneath the short sleeves that ended just past her shoulders. Though it was not much more than a shift, she found the garment comfortable and unrestrictive yet warm against the cool morning air. Ariana took one of the apples from the bowl and bit into it. The fruit was both sweet and tart, but given how hungry she was, it tasted delicious and she bit into it again, crunching away at the firm flesh as juice dripped down her chin.
She wiped her face and walked the few steps over to the doorway, which was covered only by a heavy cloth that billowed from a breeze outside. Pushing it aside, Ariana was surprised at what she found outside the door. Beyond the cloth, there were only trees, branches and sky and there was no ground anywhere within view. Her stomach turned for a moment at the dizzying height and she grasped onto the solid wood at the side of the opening, just to make sure she did not fall. She wondered how she had gotten up so high. There were no stairs or ladders leading to or from the room she was in, which looked to have been carved into the trunk of a giant tree that reached high above the forest, much like the others that surrounded it.
In the corner of her eye, Ariana caught sight of something. Higher up than where she was, a figure walked along a nearby tree branch. The person who, by her figure, looked to be a woman, was dressed in green and brown leathers that matched the trees, and underneath the leathers, was also garbed in a similar plain robe to the one she wore. She also wore a mask of some kind, that seemed to be made of some kind of copper interworked with green inlay and horns. Ariana's heart lurched as she watched the person leap from the branch and fall through the air. She was about to cry out when she saw her land on another tree branch just above the hole in the tree where Ariana stood. The woman crouched like a cat, her limbs folding and her body almost flattening to the surface of the thick branch as she absorbed the impact of the drop from such height. When the woman leapt again, Ariana jumped back, moving out of the way, as she saw her flying through the air directly toward her. The woman landed lightly beside her and stepped into the small dwelling inside the tree.
“I see you are awake, child,” the woman said from behind her mask. Now that she was closer, Ariana could see the woman's dark curls tied back behind her head. She at first appeared tall, but was not much taller than Ariana. She was more slender than anything, though Ariana also noticed the tone of muscle beneath her pale skin. The woman's strong physical presence along with the green and copper mask and the tight-fitting leather clothing she wore over her robe, made for a very striking image. Ariana realized she was staring and quickly recovered, replying to the woman.
“Yes,” Ariana said. “Thank you for helping me. I am Ariana of...”
“You are a child.” The woman cut her off.
“What?”
“Whatever name you may have had means nothing in this place. You are a child, and thus you have no name.”
“I don't understand,” Ariana said.
“Children often do not,” the woman replied.
Ariana considered what the woman had said to her. This was clearly elven land and, from what she knew of elven culture, she knew she was lucky to be alive. The elves did not take kindly upon intruders into their domain and she had heard reports that those who did wander into the dark forests of Elvanar never returned. For now, Ariana decided she would express her gratitude to the woman who had rescued her even though it grated on her nerves that she kept calling her a child. Considering the elves were reputed to be much longer-lived than humans, she wondered if she might seem very young to the woman, but at the same time, Ariana was not about to meekly submit to being treated in such a way. She had to get back to Aaron and to find some way to stop her uncle from starting a war against Kandara. Surely, once she explained who she was, the elven woman would understand the importance of her position in the world, that she had responsibilities.
“I am not a child,” Ariana insisted. “I am the... ”
“You are a child,” the woman repeated. “And your name or however important you think you might be is irrelevant in this place. You are in Elvanar and you shall be judged by your actions.”
“Am I a prisoner?”
The woman looked at her from behind he mask and Ariana thought she detected a smile in the eyes that stared at her.
“That is up to you.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“How little you understand,” the woman commented. “It is proof that you are but a child.”
“Fine then,” Ariana said. Even though she was frustrated at the elven woman's condescending tone, she decided to play along. “I'm a child, but I have a name. I have told you mine. What is yours?”
