Keepers of the Crown Read online

  “I witnessed its fall,” Mista said finally in a tone which was surprisingly calm. Gone, also, was her sister’s dramatic flair. The youngest girl’s usually bright,brown eyes were shadowed. “I couldn’t sleep so I was sitting by the window watching the raindrops race each other down the pane and then…” Mista trailed off where Cam thought she would reenact the sounds of lightning and thunder. Mista only murmured, “It struck the very center and then it collapsed.”

  Cam glanced sideways at her sister. “The only witness…” At first, one would think that the demise of the healing tree was only a horrific accident. But there had been no storm that night, no rain. Nothing but fair weather. Then, shortly after, word had spread that the Medulla Realm was magicless, the same sort of dreadful tidings which had come from the other three realms. The caves of Imber Fel had dried until the last drop of the poison base had vanished. Cinis Lumen’s supply of rare stardust mixed with magical ash had dissolved into thin air. The Gnosi Realm claimed that their supply of magic, hidden in bottles and made invisible to the eye of humans, had disappeared. “All of it...gone...” Cam murmured.

  She bent beside the trunk of the tree and lightly fingered the surface of a once silver apple that was now turning black as ink. It dissolved beneath her fingers. Without being connected to the tree, the fruit, along with the magic, had died. The garden no longer held its familiar look of gaiety and liveliness. The overcast sky loomed ominously, and a steady wind scattered debris and dirt in every direction. Cam pushed aside loose strands of raven hair from her dirt-streaked face and tore her eyes from the decaying tree.

  Her aunt Amelia leaned against the doorway of the rear entrance to the castle. Her expression was blank as Cam knew her own to be. Blank...except for a twinkle of calculation in similarly dark blue eyes. After a moment, Adria tugged at Cam, making an effort to urge her to participate in the mid-day meal. She refused. “Allow me a moment alone.”

  “What about...tea, Cam? You haven't had a proper cup of your favorite tea in ages…” Adria began. Cam cut her off with a sharp look. Adria closed her mouth but tilted her head slightly to the side so as to examine her sister quizzically. Frustration was burning in Cam’s chest. She clenched her hands around her crossed arms.

  She blew out a breath. “Later,” she murmured. “I doubt that,” Adria’s eyes seemed to say. And it was true. She probably wouldn't drink tea later or pick flowers or read...or anything she had once liked to do. Adria and Mista were soon gone from her sight, but Cam saw that Amelia still stood against the castle, her brows drawn together. She was staring at Cam though, not the fallen tree.

  An ache was building in Cam’s chest. She tried to contain it even though she had plenty of reason to feel it. The fallen tree was a symbol that Mirabelle, too, was soon to fall, for magic was greatly ingrained within their society. Without magic, they were weakened; they became prey to outsiders. Once, outsiders wouldn’t have been considered a threat. But that was before Apollyon’s allies, the Shadow Bearers, including Leviathan and the creatures that had destroyed part of Imber Fel come to their land.

  “We can manage day to day, for we hardly use magic, but if we were to be attacked…” Her memory diverted to merely days before when she had told Owen that the battle with Apollyon wasn't really over until they learned the entire truth of his intentions. Even with Apollyon dead. “I wonder...if other people have more powerful magic outside of Mirabelle…”

  “This is morethan a lossofmagic,” Cam said aloud. “This is a warning. Warnings have often been directedat meas oflate.” She finally lifted her gaze to Amelia’s.

  Amelia moved toward her niece with gentle strides and came to link her arm with Cam’s. “Did Peter tell you?”

  “He told me that a prophecy from one of our own has informed us that one day, the magic of Mirabelle will fade, leaving only a small remnant behind and new and greater magic will comeat thegreatest sacrifice.” Anda small remnant was left, a sample of each magic that had been kept in the Royalty Realm for years. Just in case. But one sample of each of the Mineral forms wouldn't do much.

  Amelia nodded. “That time is now, perhaps. This...disappearance couldeven bethedoings ofElyon Himself.”

  Cam frowned. “You mean, a god, who is supposed to be good, took all our magic so we can be defenseless against possible enemies?”

  Amelia shook her head slowly. “Elyon will defend us if His will be.”

  Cam was not convinced. “And what of this great sacrifice? Will it be further harmful to us?”

  Amelia’s voicewas soft inCam’s ear when shespoke next. “What’s wrong?”

  Cam released a shaky sigh. “Everything…” Aloud she said, “Nothing. Nothing except...well, I miss Fiera. I miss her terribly.”

  And it was true, she did miss her sister more than anything ever since the older girl had gone to live in Cinis Lumen in the south for good. She was jealous of Caleb Opados, another friend she hadn’t seen in a while. He had Fiera all to himself these days. Cam would have normally smiled at that thought, but there was more plaguing her mind. “Lately, it's all been...shadowed.”

  “I know,” was all Amelia said. She squeezed Cam’s shoulder once before she turned to enter the castle by its rear entrance.

  “What if…” Cam started silently. It was dangerous. Those two words. But they were her most constant companion this past week. “What if I hadn’t left home to warn them? What if Apollyon had had his way? Terra might not have” She shook her head. “Silva and Kazbek would've won anyway.” The restless ache in Cam’s chest jumped along with every nerve ending in her body.

  A cry burbled from her throat as a heavy hand slammed across her mouth. Cam screamed against the damp flesh, her eyes wide to catch the blurs of her surroundings. And then...blackness. Cloth. It was rough and too warm against her face. She could barely register the darkness before another pair of hands gripped her arms.

  Cam clenched her teeth against the cry that rose when her arms were twisted back to be held in iron grips. “Where did they come from? What is happening?” If only she could scream, try to attract the attention of her sisters and aunt inside… But her cries were only muffled pleas against a filthy hand. A man’s. It was too broad and calloused to be a woman’s from this realm. The one holding her arms behind her was also a man.

  The air was suddenly cooler against Cam’s bare arms. “I’m in the forest. Out of the garden…” She made an effort to lower her immense heart rate. “Imust calmmyselfandtake note of the situation.” Cam strained her ears. Before she could differentiate between the sounds surrounding her, the calloused clasps released her, and she discovered her feet were planted on the soft ground. Muddy ground that had been stirred from the rain. A voice, low and growling echoed in her ear. “You are henceforth banished from Realm Medulla. Your return is punishable by death by hanging.”

  The words came to an abrupt end at the same time the hands released her. Stunned, Cam stood in the darkness of her blindfold until she heard the rustle of retreat into the forest. The silence bristled. The trees were watching in awe.

  “Banished!” she exclaimed aloud as she ripped the blindfold from her eyes. “Owen would never allow this to happen,” she told herself, for Owen, the leader of this very realm, was a close friend of hers ever since childhood. Cam had not recognized the voice of the man who had spoken. The word “hanging” clanged in her head. Hardly anyone was ever hung in the Medulla Realm. Cam had never seen or heard of one since she had come here thirteen years ago.

  Cam threw the blindfold to the ground. She whirled around, recognizing her surroundings. The gate was sealed shut, but it wasn’t too tall to climb over. Cam braced herself to jump it, but the silence stopped her.

  It was too quiet here. Where birds normally chirped and the rustle of leaves could be heard, there was only a very still silence. Cam glanced up. The clothing of the watchers in the trees blended perfectly with their surroundings. It was only a pair of gleaming eyes and the point of an arrow that made Cam second
guess her decision.

  She glanced once more at the gate, again at the figure in the tree. There had to be at least a dozen more. The gate of twisted vines was sealed with a sense of finality.

  Two

  “Truth is, Camaria, you are no longer permitted to enter the

  Medulla or Gnosi realms until further notice. We hope to revert this as soon as possible, but for the time being, there is nothing Owen, Peter, or Saffira can do. If the rebels in those realms learn you have returned again, the riots will only worsen.”

  Lord Cole Caddell, Camaria’s father, stood before her as he spoke these words. It had been six days since she had been forced to leave the Medulla Realm. Fortunately, as soon as Amelia had known, she had sent a horse. Cam had made the trip once more back to the Royalty Realm to find her father waiting.

  “Are you saying that my mere existence within the borders of the realms disrupts their peace?” Cam inquired, her arms crossed defiantly and her head shaking in disbelief. “I didn't realize how...detested I was.” Her father noddedsolemnly. Lord Caddell himself was one of the seven Spirit Followers acting as a ruler Mirabelle. Cam opened her mouth to say something else but only released an exasperated sigh. No one knew how long it would be that she would be shut away from her aunt, Owen, and her sisters.

  “Yes, you have done something,” Cole told her as he rested warm hands on her arms. “Your alliance with the Spirit Followers, instead of with them, is seen as a betrayal. They believed you were with Silva and Kazbek all along.” Cam sighed as she leaned against the wall. Her head was throbbing.

  The names of her former parents, or rather, those who had raised her, clanged in her skull. The names seemed so foreign, yet so familiar. The names she knew as well as her own. But the people themselves...both were still mysteries. Kazbek, a dead one. But Silva… “Sometimes I think I’ll wake to find her standing over me, thorninfested rose and all.” Aloud Cam said in a rather dejected tone, “What can I do to make them understand?”

  At first, Cole merely shrugged but then appeared to be considering alternatives. “They are convinced you are the one who destroyed or took their magic…at least that’s what they're saying. They’re saying that it’s the Spirit Followers’ fault. Their claim is that the reason you were sent to each realm was to inspect the source of magic and plan your strategy for how to take it.”

  “But that isn’t true! I was only doing my job!” Cam burst out.

  “I know,” Cole said calmly and quietly. “Believe me, this frenzy is exasperating for me too, for all of the Spirit Followers. Our belief is that some way, somehow, the rebels will be connected with the disappearance of the magic and your recent visits would be perfect evidence for a coverup.”

  Cam’s brows lifted at this remark but then furrowed as she said, “I don’t see how they could capture the magic supply, or even destroy it…” She faltered, recalling the image of the magical tree in the center of Medulla, fallen on the ground, split by a supposed lightning bolt.

  “There is a chance to prove yourself, and perhaps the Spirit Followers as well, as worthy examples of leadership,” Cole added.

  Cam diverted her attention once more to what her father was saying. “I could care less what people think of me...in normal circumstances. But now that it affects my life, my responsibilities, my relationships...I’m forced too.”

  Both were silent for a long moment while Cam paced before their sitting room fire. Her father seemed to be turning a solution around in his mind. “Join the Seekers,” he said at last.

  Cam’s brows lifted and mouth fell open in surprise. He was serious, not frowning as Peter had been before news came of their vanished magic, but quite serious regardless. Cam remembered, then, what she and Peter had discussed when they had heard a rumor that someone east of Mirabelle had information on the location and history of the Crown of Caelae. All Cam knew of the Crown was that it was to be of great value sometime in the future. For what reason exactly, she did not know. Cole continued, “It could very possibly be dangerous, but if there is any chance of finding the Crown, you must aid in that quest. The Crown in our hands, protected from Apollyon’s followers could quell the riots.”

  “You would let me go?” Cam asked slowly.

  Her father’s expression softened. “I love you, Camaria, and I would do anything to keep you safe, but I will encourage you to take a position among the Seekers for your benefit and for our people. We must earn their trust and allegiance before we can expect them to follow us. And besides, you’re a capable young woman, one that I trust.” Cam couldn't restrain her smile. Cole, too, was smiling. “You remind me of your mother,” he said softly. “She wouldn’t have stopped for anything to stay close to her family. To her sister.”

  Cam’s smile faded somewhat at the thought. “But, what exactly will this crown do?”

  Cole shrugged slightly. “That’s hard to say, actually. Elyon has never explicitly stated what exactly it will do. Just that the Savior won’t save unless He has it.” Cole paused as if he was attempting to decide how we would next speak. He leaned forward to take his daughter’s hands in his own. “Do you remember, Camaria, when we spoke of the Mineral Magic one day being done away with, so new magic could emerge?”

  Cam nodded. “For the Spirit Followers, yes, but wouldn't the Mineral Magic still exist for others?”

  “That is what I am not sure of,” Cole replied with a sigh. “It could be that the disappearance of our own magic was ordained by Elyon Himself and that this Crown of Caelae is the new magic. Or a symbol of it anyway.”

  Cam wasn’t convinced. “It just doesn’t seem like something a god would do. It reeks of foul intentions.”

  “I agree,” Colemurmured. “But then, Elyon does at times use those of foul intentions for His own glory.” A long moment of silence passed, in which all Cam listened to were her own questions and the crackling fire. “There is one more thing that may help,” Cole said. “You see, we’ve found something. A chest of items, mostly parchment, bearing the penmanship of Daniel Adriel.”

  Cam’s browshot up in curiosity and surprise. “Owen told me the Queen of Nazeria found information on the Crown but...Daniel Adriel...as in Peter’s father?”

  “He wrote down what the Watchers had foreseen about the Savior’s coming. Some, I believe, Daniel himselfforesaw, but not all of them.”

  “May I read them?” Cam asked. Cole nodded. “It would be ideal, actually, that you do. Before you leave. If you know more about who is going to wear the Crown you are looking for, then perhaps finding the Crown won’t seem as though it were a wind you were aiming to catch in your own two hands.”

  Cam nodded in full agreement. Another thought surfaced. “Fiera will no doubt join as soon as word reaches the south.” It was a hope flickering in her chest. And that feeling one has when looking forward to something wonderful. “And Caleb will follow, undoubtedly.” Tyron, leader of Cinis Lumen and the small armies of Mirabelle, would become their leader, as Cam had already been told.

  “In addition,” Cole was saying, “your absence may allow time for the rebels to settle down. They may come to their senses on their own.”

  “I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t go. But there is…” Cam paused, and her father finished for her.

  “Peter.”

  She nodded. Peter would be disappointed by this

  decision and would refuse to join due to his position as one of the Gnosi Realm leaders alongside his sister Saffira. “I’ll have to tell him first,” Cam sighed at last.

  “And I will pray over your decision. Not that you make it in the way I want. But that it will be for your own good,” Cole added with another gentle smile.

  “Thank you,” Cam returned. She planted a kiss on her father’s cheek. Already, so soon after learning this man was her true father, she knew she loved him. Knew he was safe to confide in. After all, he was the one encouraging her to broaden her horizons, unlike Peter…

  “Will I seeyoutonight at theeveningmeal
inthepalace?” Cole questioned as he sank into a comfortable armchair before the open window.

  Cam wavered. “Perhaps. I need to see Peter first.” Cole nodded, his face growing solemn. “He’s been even more restless since the Apollyon ordeal has been over with. He’s...itching. There’s something inside of him that needs something else.”

  Cam agreed and leaned against her father’s chair as she stared out the window. The trees before them were bowing beneath a gusty wind. The white blossoms were clinging to the branches. “It’s like he needs something but won’t say what it is,” Cam murmured.

  “He wants to find out the truth about his father,” Cole returned simply.

  Cam’s brows furrowed. “What truth?”

  Cole shrugged. “That’s what he’d like to know.” Cam’s father foldedhis hands together. “It’s always been bad timing for him, though. And now especially so, with him the leader of his own realm and all. I think it's getting to him. The waiting around for time and opportunity to sort things out for him. His past...it clings to him.”

  Cam’s voice dropped further. “I didn’t know.”

  Cole nodded once more. “Just...don’t tell him about what we found. You see, the writings of Daniel were found in Nazeria, and I don’t think Peter is quite ready to see them yet. You should read them first. And if you chose to go with the Seekers, I will show them to him. To help him understand.”

  “Just so he knows,” Cam replied, “eventually.”

  She departed from the firelit dining room of their home and made her way to bed. It had been a long day, and a nap before seeing Peter would do her good. “You sleep all the time, Cam,” she reminded herself with a bit of indignation. But other thoughts plagued her.“This ispartlymyfault. Gettingbanished. I made a choice, and now I have to live with the consequences even if the rebels turn this whole nation against me.” Cam halted in the hall just outside of her chamber. “A rebellion could rise again. I am chasing the sparks of war. Trying to put them out before it burns everything in its path.”