At sixteen, I became the youngest lieutenant in the Royal Guard. I was recognized for my part in keeping the amulet out of enemy hands, despite my failure at protecting the royal family. At seventeen, I became the youngest Commander of the Royal Guard. It would have been more impressive if I hadn’t been the only one willing to step into the role. Uncertain times had made our men feel less than optimistic about the future of our people, let alone our army.
At eighteen, I negotiated a treaty with the Gorum that allowed my people to live in peace in the Rionian forest. The peace treaty had been easier than I’d expected it to be. We had expected to be at war with the Sideon. We thought we’d have to fight off the Gorum far more often than we did. Instead, they patrolled the perimeter of the forest, preventing us from leaving. I didn’t understand why we were still alive. Not that I wanted to die, but it seemed strange that the Sideon hadn’t sucked the life out of us, in the absence of the powerful talisman they sought. It almost seemed as though they had no interest in us.
We’d rebuilt a quiet civilization within the Western Wood. We lived underground. The Outliers had created a complex tunnel system that had enough room to support the surviving citizens of Almandine. More survivors from the villages in the outlying country had trickled in through the months that followed the fall of our capitol city. Not a day went by that my heart didn’t yearn to return to the family bakery in Almandine.
At nineteen, I knelt before Chancellor Tilda to become the youngest soldier to join an ancient order. The Knights of Riona have been the elite force behind the protection of the throne for centuries. It was an honor to be chosen as one of their number, but it felt like an empty formality. Since the death of the royal family, there was no throne to protect. Everyone knew it, but no one wanted to say it. We sat together around a table that once stood in Godfrey Tower, waiting for the Chancellor tell us why we had been summoned.
“Taeren, this is your seat.”
I took my spot next to Lonzo, a knight nearly fifteen years my senior. His blonde hair was cropped close to his head and his blue eyes sparkled with youth. While I was never certain if he blamed me for the death of the royal family, we’d put aside our differences long ago. Lonzo had been instrumental in the treaty we forged with the Sideon. It didn’t give us much freedom, but it allowed us to live a semi-normal life. Our enemies knew we had the stone somewhere, but we weren’t going to tell them where. We’d come to an agreement that allowed us to rebuild our society away from them so long as Riona continued to give them the power they craved for survival.
“Welcome to the Knights of Riona.”
I grinned. “Thank you. It’s an honor to be here.”
“We haven’t had a meeting since the royal family died. There must be something big going on if Tilda has gathered us together again.”
As if on cue, the woman strode through the door. Her chocolate colored hair was peppered with gray; she had aged much in the past few years. She approached the table with grim confidence; she was going to deliver bad news.
“Riona is dying.” Chancellor Tilda uttered the last words we expected to hear.
She was right. Even though I’d kept the Bloodstone with me all these years, the magic seemed to be draining from our world. I was certain it had to do with the Sideon who had spread through Riona like a fungus. They’d allowed the Gorum to remain in Riona as their slaves; they were almost worse than their masters; they were dirty, destructive and wasteful. It was no surprise that Riona was rejecting their presence.
“It does us no good to fight the Gorum or the Sideon. Even if we eradicate them from our world, we would still be facing an apocalyptic end.”
“Then what should we do?” Lonzo asked.
Tilda stared blankly at the knights around me. She had taken on the duties of the Queen, but refused to be called by the title.
“The time has come for me to tell you something Queen Isadora told me long ago. In order for you to help me come up with a viable solution, you need to understand why this is happening.”
Even with all the things I had accomplished, I didn’t think I was worthy to protect the citizens of Riona. I worked harder and tried to find more ways to redeem myself for the death of the royal family. When I wasn’t engaged in my duties to the kingdom, I spent my time reading and re-reading the journals and log books I’d found in Godfrey Tower. I studied the maps and learned everything I could about Earth, desperate to reassure myself that Delia was safe.
Everyone thought I kept to myself because I was traumatized by the deaths I’d witnessed, but that was only partly true. To keep Delia safe from further pursuit, I told everyone she was dead. After her disappearance, we grieved the royal family and honored them as though they had perished at the hands of our enemies. For all I knew, that could very well be true; but privately, I held on to hope. I couldn’t tell anyone my secret.
“Taeren, I know you still have the amulet and I appreciate that you’ve kept it safe. However, the Bloodstone is only one piece of the puzzle. Without Delia or Isadora, Riona will die.”
I furrowed my brow, “But, they’re both dead. So, you’re telling us there’s no hope at all.”
“Yes.”
A few quiet gasps escaped the men around me. Through all the challenges we’d faced, we had never given up hope that we could reclaim Riona from our enemies. I could hardly believe that Chancellor Tilda was encouraging us to do just that. She took a deep breath and plopped down in the chair that should have been occupied by the Queen. Her body radiated defeat.
“I can tell you what I know, but I’m afraid it won’t be enough to explain. All I truly know is that the Bloodstone must be worn by a blood relative of the alchemist who created it.”
“So, Queen Isadora was a blood relative of that alchemist?” I wasn’t sure if I should be interrupting, but I needed clarification.
“That would be the likely conclusion. With that being the case, we have to assume that the only other living person that could rightfully wear the amulet was Delia. But, since they are both gone, Riona will die.”
I pondered her words. Now that I had that bit of information I knew why Queen Isadora had insisted that I keep both Delia and the precious stone safe. If something happened to her, she wanted to be certain the two would be together. The depth of my failure was now evident to me; I had been too focused on the amulet to keep Delia safe and because of that, an entire dimension would soon perish.
“What are we going to do?” Lonzo asked.
Tilda gave a sad shrug. “That’s why I’m here. You are the protectors of Riona. We’ve lost so much, I’m not sure what else there is to lose.”
“Is there anyone else related to the alchemist?” The question came from one of the other Knights.
Hot anger rose within me. “You mean just replace our royal family? Do you really think it’s that easy?”
Lonzo’s calming voice brought me back to the present. “Taeren, no one is suggesting that we replace Queen Isadora. I think Erasmus meant that finding another relative may save Riona.”
I shouldn’t have lost my head, I shouldn’t have displayed such anger to the men I was supposed to lead. “I’m sorry.”
I sank back into my chair. My fellow knights stared at me with a mixture of concern and compassion. Most of them thought they knew the reason for my mercurial reaction, but they really had no idea. My internal struggle went far deeper than they could imagine.