Night had settled over the Royal City of Rithmar when the enchanters of the Order of Light and Darkness gathered for an emergency council.
Lilia stepped out of the claustrophobic stairwell and inhaled deeply. She stood in a great chamber on the top level of the fortress. Arched windows lined the west and south walls. Lanterns burned on window ledges, casting gilded light across the long oaken table dominating the space. The windows were not shuttered and a cool mountain breeze whispered through the high-roofed chamber, ruffling the hair of those present. It was an open, airy hall; far different from the stark stone corridors Thrindul had led them through on the way up here.
Sixteen enchanters—members of the High Council—took their places at the table. Only the High Enchanter wore a white robe; the rest of them were dressed in smoke-grey or charcoal.
There were equal numbers of the Light and Dark, and they varied in age. Thrindul looked to be the oldest, at around fifty winters, although a red-haired woman of similar age wearing charcoal robes of the Dark sat to his right. Asher took his place near the head of the table, to the High Enchanter’s left.
Ryana entered the hall and took her place at the opposite end to the High Enchanter and his advisors.
Lilia sank into her hard, high-backed chair; she was exhausted and her belly ached from hunger. She’d hoped they would be able to have supper at least before having to explain themselves, but Thrindul had been insistent.
The council must meet immediately.
Thrindul sat upon a carved oaken chair at the head of the table. Like the staff he carried, the chair had been carved in the likeness of a stag. Great antlers protruded from the back of the chair and each armrest had been carved into a roaring stag’s head. The High Enchanter was impatiently drumming his fingers on the armrest as he waited for the rest of the council members to stop their chatter. On the back of his chair, its gleaming obsidian gaze observing them all, sat a magnificent white hawk.
Fascinated, Lilia was about to turn to Dain and comment on the bird, when Thrindul cleared his throat.
“It grows late.” His voice carried across the chamber, stilling the rumble of conversation. “We should start.”
All gazes shifted to Ryana then. Lilia felt the weight of their stares. Some of the enchanters looked upon Ryana coldly, while others glared with outright venom. To her credit, Ryana sat calmly—flanked by Saul to her right, and Dain and Lilia to her left.
“As you can all see, Ryana of Ridder Vale has returned to us.” There was no missing the animosity in Thrindul’s voice. “After ten years absence she dares to show her face here once more.”
Ryana dipped her head. “High Enchanter—thank you for admitting me.”
Thrindul’s mouth pursed. “Asher tells me you refused to divulge the reason for your visit—or why you’ve brought these three with you.”
Ryana’s gaze flicked to Asher, who was watching her steadily. “It wasn’t safe to speak of such things outside these walls,” she replied quietly. “I wasn’t deliberately being difficult.”
Thrindul huffed. “Out with it then—why have you come?”
Ryana glanced toward Lilia. “I wish to make amends for the wrong I committed years ago,” she began. “I have brought you a gift—the second half of The King Breaker.”
A deathly hush fell in the Council Chamber.
Ryana ignored the shocked looks on the faces surrounding her, and instead focused on the young woman seated to her left. “Lilia, show them.”
I have brought you a gift.
Frowning, Lilia withdrew the stone from under her shirt. As always it felt ice-cold to touch, its iridescent surface gleaming in the hallowed lantern light.
All gazes in the chamber swiveled to her, pinning Lilia to the spot. She did not like the tight, hungry look on their faces, or the gleam of their eyes. It was Thrindul who broke the silence.
“How did you find this, girl?”
“Just one moment,” Saul interjected, his voice a low drawl. “Before we continue, I’d like to make something clear. This long-lost friend of yours isn’t the only one responsible for bringing the stone safely here.” Ryana cast him a sour look, but Saul ignored it. “I found it, she didn’t.”
Thrindul raised an eyebrow. “And who are you?”
“I’m Saul, son of Reoul of Anthor.”
Another silence filled the chamber, this one sharp with tension.
Thrindul leaned forward, his gaze seizing Ryana’s. “You must know what’s happening to the south? Why would you bring this man here?”
Ryana’s expression turned pained. “Lilia refused to make the journey without Saul and Dain’s protection.”
“She didn’t trust you to protect her?”
Ryana’s mouth thinned, and she shook her head.
“With good reason, it seems,” Dain muttered under his breath. Lilia could see that, like her, Dain wasn’t impressed by Ryana’s blatant attempt to ingratiate herself with the High Enchanter. It now seemed that Ryana had played them all in order to get a pardon from her Order.
“Thrindul.” Asher leaned in toward the High Enchanter. “Is this why the days have grown dark? Why the shadow creatures have grown so bold?”
Thrindul tore his attention from Ryana. Watching him, Lilia saw alarm flicker in his dark eyes. “Excuse me?”
“Both parts of The King Breaker have been found—and at the same time one piece travels to this city, the weather changes and the attacks begin. It could be a great coincidence—but I think it’s more than that.”
Thrindul’s gaze widened, and he gave Asher a long, assessing look.
“Does The King Breaker wield that kind of power?” Ryana asked.
Thrindul’s mouth thinned. “No one knows the true extent of what it’s capable of,” he replied. “It was created for one purpose only, to lock Valgarth away.”
“So it could ‘wake up’ those who once served The Shadow King?” Asher pressed. “Could it smother the sun?”
Lilia’s throat closed at these words, and she curled a trembling hand over the stone around her neck. She’d always thought of The King Breaker as a force for good, but Asher made her wonder if this stone’s true nature was far more uncertain.
The High Enchanter sighed before running a hand over his craggy face. “Who knows? But you’re right—it’s too great a coincidence to simply ignore.” Thrindul shifted his attention back to Saul. “And where did you find the stone?”
Saul, who had been listening intently, folded his arms across his chest. “The Gordi Isles. Monks had been protecting it for centuries. I retrieved it, just before The Shade Brotherhood landed on the island.”
The High Enchanter’s gaze narrowed. “How did it end up around the neck of this girl?”
“Saul carried the stone away within its iron casing,” Ryana answered just as Saul opened his mouth to speak. “He gave it to Lilia, not knowing of its power.”
“I wasn’t speaking to you.” Thrindul’s dark gaze remained riveted upon Saul.
“I escaped the isles just ahead of the Brotherhood,” Saul continued, “yet they followed me. Once I arrived upon the Isle of Orin, I left the stone in safekeeping with Lilia—they’d never think to find it around the neck of a gullible village girl. I was hoping to come back for it once things had quietened down. I returned a few months later, but The Brotherhood tracked me there. The four of us barely escaped the island. They’ve been hunting us ever since.”
Gullible village girl. Lilia clenched her jaw and glared at Saul—however, he ignored her.
“The Brotherhood followed you here?” Thrindul pressed, alarmed.
“Most of the way, yes. Luckily for us, shadow creatures attacked their camp on the Eastern Road—and slaughtered them.”
Thrindul digested this information, his expression hawkish. “Why would you bring it to us?” he asked finally. “Surely, your father awaits his prize?”
Saul favored him with a slow, arrogant smile. “Let’s just say I can’t resist a lady in distress.”
Thrindul’s lip curled. He leaned back in his carved chair, drumming his fingers on the polished surface of the table before him. Watching him, Lilia’s belly twisted. The man was scheming, she could see it. She fervently wished she hadn’t listened to Ryana. It had been a mistake to come here. This Order were not the benevolent protectors Ryana had made them out to be. She felt as if she’d stumbled into a predator’s lair.
The High Enchanter glanced Lilia’s way once more. “You know what the stone does to those who bear it?”
Lilia nodded. “I do now. Shortly after Saul gave it to me, I was unable to remove it. And not long after that my shadow came to life. When we’re alone, it speaks to me.”
Thrindul’s mouth thinned. “Really? What does your shadow say?”
“It mocks me mostly. Occasionally, it warns me.”
“What are we going to do with her?” A man—the youngest of those seated at the table—spoke up. He had a chubby, boyish face and floppy blond hair. “She won’t give it up willingly. You don’t want to force her.”
The young man’s words caused Lilia to stiffen. Next to her, she felt Dain shift in his chair. A moment later, his hand reached for hers, and he gave a reassuring squeeze. Glad of his support, Lilia clung to Dain’s hand as if it was a rope to safety in a churning sea.
“I’m aware of that, Brand,” Thrindul rumbled. His gaze never left Lilia as he spoke. “I’m considering all options—but for now, the girl’s our guest.”
Lilia swallowed; she didn’t like the way he kept referring to her as ‘girl’, making clear she was little more than an annoyance that would have to be dealt with. “Your guest? What does that mean?” she asked.
“You will have guards posted outside your door at all times, and will be escorted by at least two enchanters whenever you move around this building, or the city beyond.”
Lilia drew herself up in her chair, squeezing Dain’s hand so tightly she felt the bones in his fingers creak. However, he didn’t utter a sound of protest. “It sounds like I’m a prisoner here.”
Thrindul cocked his head, favoring her with a cool smile. “The talisman you bear is as dangerous as it is valuable. I will not lose this piece of The King Breaker as we did the other. If that means we must watch you, so be it.”
“Surely, we should let the king know we have it?” Asher spoke up. “He made it clear should we ever find the second half of the stone, we should bring it to him for safekeeping.”
Thrindul brushed away Asher’s words as if they were annoying moths fluttering into his field of vision. “I shall seek an audience with King Nathan in a day or two,” he replied, “but first I must think on things—form a plan.”
“Thrindul,” the auburn-haired woman seated to the High Enchanter’s right placed a cautionary hand on his sleeve. She possessed a chiseled, austere beauty made even more evident by age. “Asher speaks wisely, we should take this to the king at dawn.”
“Enough, Irana.” Thrindul was starting to look annoyed now. “Nathan can wait.” His penetrating gaze shifted from Lilia to Ryana.
Watching the woman, Lilia was impressed by the regal way she sat in her chair. She showed no fear, despite that it was clear her future didn’t look promising.
“Stand up, Ryana,” Thrindul ordered.
She did as bid, tall and proud, her golden hair rippling in tangled waves down her back. Not for the first time, Lilia was struck by Ryana’s striking looks; she was no classic, delicate beauty but there was something about her that held your gaze.
“Can you explain why you gave the stone to The Shade Brotherhood?” Thrindul asked her.
Ryana inhaled deeply. “None I suspect that would satisfy you. I only wish to ask your forgiveness. I came here to put things right, to make amends for the past.”
Thrindul’s mouth twisted. “Do you think it’s that easy to atone for what you did?”
“No, but it’s a start at least.”
“It doesn’t even begin to repair the damage you caused. Thanks to you, Nathan has reduced our yearly stipend by a third. The king now forbids me from his private council—and our Order no longer has any say on matters of rule.”
Lilia saw Ryana’s throat bob. She continued to face Thrindul although tension now emanated off her in waves.
“I was tricked into betraying you,” she said huskily. “Not a day has gone past I haven’t regretted it. I could have joined The Brotherhood, but I didn’t. When the chance came to bring the other half of The King Breaker to you, I took it.”
The High Enchanter rose to his feet, in a single fluid movement. Lilia drew back in her chair, surprised by his agility. The rest of the chamber appeared to collectively hold its breath. The hawk perched on the back of his chair flapped its wings.
“Arrogance was ever your failing, Ryana,” he growled. “It’s time for you to pay for it.”
Thrindul gathered the Light so quickly that Lilia wasn’t even aware of what he was doing until a whip of fire shot across the chamber. He had gathered it from the lantern nearest, burning on the window-sill behind him.
Ryana cried out and stumbled back, raising her own arm to ward him off. However, she was not fast enough. A cord of flame spiraled around her torso and pinned her arms against her sides.
“Morten, Hamil.” Thrindul barked. Two male enchanters of the Dark seated halfway down the table rose to their feet. “Take this woman down to the Vault and lock her away.”