Chapter 1
Eudora, 3000 years ago
The air was silent and still in the Amethyst Forest as Aurora Phoenix looked around the clearing. She listened to the birds as they chirped from the treetops. She frowned as a raven flew overhead. Something about the raven made her uneasy, but she did not have the time to search it’s mind as she heard one of her friends making an attempt to sneak up behind her.
A sly smile curved her lips as she reached back and grasped the hand before it could touch her arm. Her movements were fluid as she spun a tawny-haired teen around and pressed him back against a nearby tree. His honey brown eyes widened in shock before he flashed her a grin.
“There is just no surprising you, is there, Aurora?”
“You should know that by now, Dorian,” she chided lightly, casting a ghost of a smile at him before pulling back away.
“You should know that I will keep trying until I can.”
Aurora arched an eyebrow at him. “If you so wish it, then be my guest.” She gave him another smile as he left the tree and they moved back to the center of the clearing. Once in place, they prepared themselves for the other’s next attack. They tensed and stood straight when their sensitive hearing caught the soft sound of a door creaking open. Turning, they saw Aurora’s mother, Monique, as she stepped onto the porch of the meager cabin to shake out a rug. Aurora sighed.
The cabin had been built prior to her birth, and when she reached her fifth birthday, she was brought to it regularly to begin her training. Training that eventually led from magic to the ways of battle. Not everyone from the Cerean Clan had been allowed out to this cabin. It was created specifically for a select few.
Aurora’s lapis blue eyes glanced over the tanned back of her friend, stopping over a small, lightning bolt-shaped mark on his right shoulder. Her own shoulder bore a mark in the same spot, only of a heart. There were six of them total with unique markings . Six teens who held more power and strength than any other immortal in Eudora. They had no special name. The other clan members simply called them the Chosen Ones.
The story behind the origin of their Power was still a mystery. They did not choose the Powers. The Powers chose them. They could control the elements around them. Some could even control any animals that happened to be near by. It was said they would appear when the world was in danger. Aurora was always told they had to train long and hard as a result of being Chosen; told that if the Powers were not controlled properly, she and her friends would be controlled by them.
She watched her mother disappear within the cabin once more and stretched her neck to work out the tired muscles. Thoughts of her fate regarding the Powers always brought her back around to her other destiny. Aurora held an even greater responsibility as the future leader of the Cerean Clan. It was not something she was happy about. She understood her purpose in her life, but at sixteen, a part of her just wanted to be as carefree as the other teens in her village. Unfortunately, it was a dream that would never be hers to have.
“Okay, Phoenix, time to show me what you got.” Aurora silently groaned as she narrowed her eyes and gave a half-hearted glance over at Dorian. Sighing, she turned completely to face him once more, instinctively reaching for a wooden staff resting on a tree near her feet. She held the long staff in her hand, leveling it in front of her to ready for the oncoming attack.
“I am ready for you, Stanson,” she told him calmly, but the attack never came.
“The practice will have to wait. It is time to help prepare for dinner.”
Dorian turned and bowed to the woman who had stepped back out to call to them. “Yes, Miss. Monique.”
“Coming, Mother,” Aurora added as she returned the staff to the weapon’s rack and rejoined her friend at the porch. Dorian ran a hand through his hair and looked down at Aurora as she paused on the stairway, head lowered, eyes closed, and her hand resting on the railing.
“Something wrong?” he asked her as he reached out and lightly touched the side of her face. He had grown fond of her over the years they had spent at the cabin. They were close friends but that fact always kept him on the outside. Still, he would have rather been friends with her than nothing at all. As he gazed down at her solemn face, he saw the pain in her eyes. Pain she would never openly admit to. He may not have known what was on her mind, but he wanted her to know that he was at least there for her to speak to.
“Not that I am aware of. At least not yet,” she assured him with a tight smile before moving passed him and entering the cabin. He bowed and shook his head with a sigh before following in after her.
Monique turned from the sink when she heard their voices. “Dorian, can I have your help in getting the fire started?”
“Yes, ma’am, right away.”
“Aurora, I need you to go down by the river to retrieve Bryant. He has spent most the day there trying to get a stronger grasp on his water technique.”
Aurora nodded and took a wooden bucket off the counter. “I will return with some extra water as well so we have it for later.”
Monique gave her a tired smile. “Thank you, and Aurora?”
“Yes, Mother?” She turned back to face her mother once more before opening the door.
“Do try to hurry back. You have been staying out later and later every night this week. With the tension between our kind and the Creperians, we cannot be too careful. Lord Theron-”
“-would do anything to get his hands on me and my power. Yes, Mother, I know. I have heard this lecture enough to know it almost better than my own name.” Aurora lowered her gaze and shook her head when Monique’s look turned serious. “I am sorry, Mother. I know my place and my destiny. I have every intention of following through. I just get tired of having it drilled into my head over and over again.” Without another word between them, Aurora slipped out the door and off the porch.
Monique sighed and turned back to the potato she was peeling at the sink. “Is it just me, or is she becoming more and more stubborn every day?”
Dorian swallowed hard and opened his mouth before thinking better of his words and quickly shut it again as he returned his attention to the fireplace.
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“Nice water twister, Bryant.” The teen jumped, his blue-green eyes widening and the water crashing back into the river, at the sound of Aurora’s voice.
“Aurora! You startled me...”
“Whatever happened to expect the unexpected?”
“I was concentrating too hard on this particular move. I can never seem to get it to look the way it should,” he explained, running a hand through chocolate brown hair.
“I think it was looking just fine.” She placed the bucket on the bank of the river and Bryant smiled his thanks at her.
“I take it, you were sent to collect me along with the water for the evening?”
“Something like that.”
He noticed the smile on her lips did not reach her eyes. “Aurora, what is wrong? You have been so distant lately. Are you feeling well?”
She looked up at him with tired eyes. “I have been okay,” she assured him with a sigh. “Merely wishing I had a different path to lead.”
“But, why? You are the strongest female to have happened to this clan in years. We need you when Dominik steps down.”
“If he steps down. You know how he is about power.”
“Ah, yes, the more he has, the happier he is. How did a man like that create a daughter as good as you?”
She frowned. “Maybe I am not as good as you think.”
He rolled his eyes. “Nonsense, I have no idea whose tea leaves you have been reading, but it is time to seek your answers elsewhere. This clan needs you.”
“He is right, Aurora,” a soft voice said from behind them. They turned and a young teen with black hair dropped from a tree. As she stood up straight, the sun caught her hair just enough to see the deep blue streaks that mixed in the black strands. Aurora caught the look of awe on Bryant’s face and turned away from them, returning to her task of gathering the water.
“Natara, I was not aware you were nearby.”
“I am always nearby, Bryant, you should know that by now,” she chided playfully, her violet eyes sparkling. She walked passed him and knelt beside Aurora. “I may not completely understand what you have to deal with, but you have to know that you are not alone. You did not ask to be one of the Chosen Ones. Just like you did not ask to be the daughter of the leader of our clan. The thing is you are both of those things. It may not seem fair, but I have heard your ideas. The clan will be better run when you take over.”
Aurora sighed and shook her head. “If Lord Theron does not wipe us out first.” She stood, facing her two friends. “I appreciate what you are trying to do. Really the only way for me to face my fate is to come to terms with it on my own. I have heard the whispers of our people. They fear me. The Power I possess. I cannot say that I blame them. I would fear me, too, if I were one of them.”
“They may fear you now, but they also respect you,” Bryant returned, calmly. “They have also said that you would be the one to keep them safe. They trust you.”
“I just hope I can keep that trust.” Aurora accepted the hug Natara gave her before retrieving her bucket of water from the shore and the three of them began to head back to their cabin.
Aurora kept slightly behind her friends, watching as they spoke quietly back and forth between each other. She envied their carefree nature. Her gaze drifted away when she caught his hand lightly brushing over Natara’s. The touch was slight, but it said more than words could have ever expressed. She remembered having a love like theirs once; just once.
A small path appeared to the right of them and Aurora hesitated near it. It was a path she knew well and traveled often; a path to holy ground. She gave her friends one last look before silently turning down the path and disappearing into the trees.
“Hey, Auro…ra…?” Natara stopped speaking when she turned to realize her friend was no longer with them. “Where did you go?” she whispered softly. She felt Bryant’s hand tighten in hers and looked up. He nodded toward the path.
“The burial ground,” he said in a voice of tight control.
“Syrus?”
“It is possible, and it would explain a lot,” Bryant told her with a nod. Syrus was their sixth member. His mark and Power had been that of Fire. His loss two months ago had hurt the Chosen Ones strength, but no one took the loss harder than Aurora.
A powerful bond had formed between the two Chosen Ones early on in their training; a bond that set them apart from any other pairing within the clan. Natara remembered sharing laughter with their friend, Sapphira, as they watched the two taunt and test each other. It was thought, at first, that they despised each other, but as time moved forward, it became obvious that more was behind their constant battling.
Natara and Bryant slowed in their approach of the burial field. They looked toward the far corner where a glimmer of the top of Aurora’s golden head shone in the fading sunlight. Suddenly, they felt like intruders on a private moment as they watched her slowly fall to her knees before a tiny cross and bow her head. She remained silent as she looked up and tenderly let her fingertips float over the name carved onto the cross.
“Syrus,” she whispered softly. Aurora closed her eyes and felt the tugging of her mind; the memories of her lost friend begging to be released. She remembered hating how he taunted her, then realizing it was his way of testing her. She remembered the fire she felt in her heart every time he was near her. A shiver ran over her arms as she remembered the gentle feel of his embrace. Her lips quivered at the memory of their first innocent kiss. Tears filled her eyes once more and this time, she did not stop them as they fell.
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“What is going on?” Aurora asked her mother as the sound of horses pounded through the village. People were running and screaming, some were creating a line in the middle of the village to stand against a man with long, flowing white hair.
“A battle, Aurora, get back. You are not ready to become involved in this yet.”
“But I want to help,” she insisted. Monique turned to a man with jet black hair and teal colored eyes.
“Syrus, please, get her away from here.” He nodded and took her arm. She struggled against his grip.
“Let me go, I want to stay!”
“Go, Aurora, now!” Monique ordered. Syrus placed a hand over Aurora’s mouth to silence her as he attempted to drag her from the street. Once out of Monique’s sight, Aurora dug her feet into the ground, preventing him from taking her any farther.
“Aurora, please, do not fight your mother’s order this time,” he pleaded with him. She shook her head.
“We have spent all our years preparing for just such an occasion as this. What good is all our training if we cannot make any use of it?”
“She is right, Syrus.” The couple looked up into ruby red eyes.
“Sapphira, they do not want us to get involved this time. It… it would not be a good idea for us to.” Syrus looked back at Aurora, his eyes attempting to convey a hidden message to her. Aurora looked away.
“Syrus, people are going to die, you and I know this,” she told him as she turned a determined look back at him. “Why should we sit back and allow it to happen?” Syrus sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair, closing his eyes. A feather light touch came to his hand and he opened his eyes to be lost in a sea of lapis lazuli.
“You know I am right,” Aurora pressed once more.
“I know.” Syrus’ chest heaved and he wished for once she did not have the control over him that she had. He took her hand in his and pulled her tightly to him. Aurora blinked and hesitated before returning the embrace.
“So are we going in?” Sapphira’s voice broke into his thoughts and Syrus gave a quick look up at her as she pulled her black and red hair back away from her face.
“Yes, Sapphira, we are going in.”
“Sweet,” she purred as a soft red glow covered her hand and a maroon colored staff appeared in her palm. Footsteps sounded behind them as Natara, Dorian, and Bryant appeared, ready for battle.
“You would not dare to count us out, now would you?” Dorian asked them with a playful smile. A long sword gripped in his hand gave off a soft blue light.
“Yeah, it would not be fair to hold all the fun to yourselves,” Bryant chided them as his own staff appeared in a flash of pale green light. Natara gave them a demure glance as she stood between them. A blue and purple cloak flapped behind her in the breeze as she prepared her own weapon. She was one of the best archers the clan had ever seen. Her mark was always on target, no matter her distance.
“Just point us in the right direction,” she told them with a soft and steady voice. Aurora pulled back from Syrus and raised her hand. A flash of white light revealed her staff with a crystal rose-shaped top and a dagger’s point at the handle’s end. Syrus drew his weapon and leveled it before him. In wordless agreement, the Chosen Ones all placed the tip of their weapons upon his and looked solemnly at each other.
“Just be careful, all of you,” Syrus told them. They nodded and broke apart, each going their own directions.
The battle was fierce and the ground was quickly painted red. Aurora and Syrus did not have time to look around as people fell on both sides of them. An explosion sounded nearby, causing the ground beneath them to tremble. They heard a shout and a cry. When they turned, they saw Sapphira standing frozen near what was left of her home. Gasping for breath, her weapon fell to the ground and disappeared. She never saw the Creperian soldier making his way to her at a deadly pace, his spear raised high.
“Sapphira, look out!” Aurora sprang into action tackling her friend to the ground as a spear pierced the spot she had once been. Syrus circled the building checking for any signs of life.
“They are gone. Aurora, they are gone,” Sapphira repeated in a choked voice; her hands clinging to her friend’s arms.
“Sapphira?”
“Sweet Ra, they are gone…” Ruby eyes were locked open, unable to even blink at the shock of what she had just witnessed. Syrus approached toward them, pain etched on his face.
“How many?” Aurora asked him, looking up. She did not need to ask the entire question. He knew what she meant.
“Four, her parents… and mine.”
“Syrus!” Aurora’s eyes snapped open wide and her breath hissed in. Sapphira clung to her, body shaking uncontrollably.
“I will take her out of here,” Natara told them as she came near. With effort, they disentangled Sapphira from Aurora. She and Syrus watched as Natara wrapped one of Sapphira’s arms over her shoulders and forced her to run into the shelter of the forest. Once they were out of sight, Aurora turned to Syrus. A mixture of pain, hurt, and rage glowed in his eyes.
“Are you going to be okay?” He barely registered her words. Fire flashed in his eyes as his grief turned to rage.
“That tyrant will pay for this,” he vowed darkly as he turned from her and stalked back into the battle.
The wind whipped around her and she steadied her staff. A growl sounded behind her and she spun in time to block an attack from a man with dark hair and night black eyes.
“Panther,” she seethed, feeling her feet slide on the ground against the pressure of his attack.
“Hard to believe Dominik would leave his little girl out in the open like this,” he taunted in a smooth voice. Sword and staff clashed together, sparks flying as they moved.
“He does not control me,” she returned coldly, forcing him back once more with a force of white lighted wind as she raised her hand to him. Panther’s face lost the teasing look, replaced by shock as he lost his footing and fell to his back. The daggered end of her staff stopped mere inches from his neck.
“You cannot kill me. You have not the heart to be so cold.”
“We shall see how cold I can be,” she told him lifting the staff in preparation to strike. Her attack was halted when Bryant’s shocked voice reached her ears over the roaring fires and other screams of her people.
“Oh, Ra, Devona!”
Aurora shook her head angrily and stomped her foot into Panther’s stomach before spinning toward the voices, leaving him curled in a ball on the ground. Her eyes widened in shock once more when she caught sight of Dorian and Bryant crouched over the limp body of a young woman. Her blond hair was splayed out under her, quickly becoming a deep shade of copper.
“Mom, hang on, please hang on,” Dorian pleaded as he gripped her hand tightly. She could not speak. Blood poured from the slashed wound on her neck. Bryant tried his best to do what he could to stop the flow of blood, but Aurora’s keen eyesight saw Devona’s light fade. Dorian closed his eyes and struggled to breathe.
“Get out of here!” Aurora shouted, as she turned toward another attacker. She dispatched him easily and in seconds her staff had the man in pieces at her feet.
“Impressive.”
The world froze around her. She no longer heard the screams of her people. She saw the flames, but they held no sound. Slowly, she straightened herself and turned to face the man with flowing white hair and silver eyes. Her breath caught as she looked up at the handsome face of Lord Theron. Her pause was brief, however, as the reality of the battle began to sink into her mind once more. Her eyes narrowed and she placed one foot behind her to steady herself as she leveled her staff between them.
“So we finally meet face to face, Theron.”
“I am honored that you know me, my dear.”
“I make it a point to never forget the man whose army is killing those I love.” Aurora hated the taunting smile he gave her as he drew his sword. A sliver of fear pierced her heart and her lips parted slightly with quickened breath. She knew he was stronger than any she had ever met before. A small voice in her mind screamed at her to turn and run. She stopped and held her ground when she heard familiar footsteps come up and stand behind her.
“It will take more then a handful of teens to even begin to slow me down.” Theron chuckled before he lost his smile and darted forward. Aurora’s staff barely had time to rise in defense as their deadly dance began.
Bryant and Dorian covered her when Panther rejoined the battle, leaving her to face Theron on her own. The sword and staff clashed several times, each blow fiercer and more determined than the last. Each step took them through the town and soon the battle around them ceased as the villagers and his army all turned to watch their struggle.
“You are stronger than I thought,” Theron mused as he pressed her back.
“You have no idea what I can do,” she returned through clenched teeth.
“Then I shall have fun learning.” He laughed as she was forced to leap a short distance away from him, landing on one knee. She could feel the fatigue beginning to take her body and saw her hands trembling on their hold of her staff.
“Aurora, no!” The shout startled her and she turned her head to see Dominik holding her mother back from the fight. Aurora slowly got to her feet.
“Never should have taken your eyes off of me, child,” Theron growled. She turned sharply to see Theron raise his sword, the handle aimed at the sky, a dragon’s head on the handle beginning to take on a dark aura as the black crystal in it’s mouth began to glow. He raised a hand and a large sphere of black, electric light rushed at her.
Aurora never had the chance to react. Instantly, she was knocked off her feet and cradled tightly within a protective circle of strong arms. She gasped and her eyes snapped wide open when she heard Syrus’ agonized cry. His grip on her tightened and she felt his face twist into a grimace when he pressed it near her neck, shielding her as best he could. Her back struck the ground with bone crushing force. They rolled several times before finally sliding to a stop.
“Perhaps you should teach the future of your clan a little better,” Theron sneered over at Dominik and Monique. “Maybe then, they will not be so easily killed.” He raised his arm to signal the end of the attack and his army retreated back into Oscuro Wood.
Aurora remained motionless under Syrus a moment before she reached gingerly around to hold him. Slowly, she sat up, shifting so she could cradle him in her arms. He reached over and grasped her hand. His lips moved, but no voice could be heard.
“Syrus?” Her voice was barely above a whisper as she gazed upon him. His once tanned face was pale and his normally bright, teal eyes had lost their shine. She felt his fingers tighten in her hand as he looked up at her. He coughed and a trickle of blood could be seen from the corner of his mouth. A crowd gathered around them and Aurora leaned closer as he made another attempt to speak.
“Aurora,” he whispered lightly. She swallowed hard as he closed his eyes a moment. “Aurora, it is all you now. You have to protect them.”
“Syrus, no; you can beat this,” she insisted in a shaky voice. Tears filled her eyes and began to fall as he shook his head.
“You know what must be done.”
“But I need you, Syrus, you cannot leave me here. Syrus-”
“My time is done, Aurora,” he interjected.
“No.” She closed her eyes, attempting to shut out his words. She felt his fingers lightly touch her chin and she opened her eyes again.
“Aurora, I will always be near you. My spirit will always be around.”
“It is not the same…”
“I know, but it will have to do. Aurora, be strong. Do not give up, and remember-” He was stopped by another fit of coughs, his grip tightening in hers once more.
“Remember what, Syrus?” Pain filled his’ gaze. Pain and another emotion Aurora could not quite recognize. Slowly, she felt his grip loosen in her own and she felt her breath halt.
“Remember that… I love you.” His whispered words stopped her heart as his hand fell from hers, his eyes closing, never again to open. There was a brief moment where his body took on a red-orange hue; then all was still. Aurora knew then what the second emotion had been. Regret.
Gentle hands reached to pull her away from the empty shell she cradled in her arms. She cried out and struggled against the arms holding her still. She watched helplessly as Syrus’ body was taken to rest with the others who had fallen. Again, she fought against the arms holding her. Bryant’s soft, but strained, voice spoke near her ear as his grip became stronger.
“He is gone, Aurora.” She spun around to face him, shaking her head defiantly, denial holding her gaze.
“No! He cannot be!” She insisted. “He cannot be gone!” Tears fell from her eyes and soaked Bryant’s shirt as he held her tightly. “Please, sweet Ra, he cannot be gone. Syrus come back, please…” Her words continued to repeat themselves as her voice fell to a whispered plea for Syrus to return.
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“I never had the chance to tell you,” Aurora whispered as her eyes opened and she gazed forlornly at the cross in the ground. Their parents had often spoken of an arranged marriage between them, to keep their powerful line pure, but they cared not about the betrothal. What they had felt went far deeper than mere duty to their people. They would have given up everything for each other. In the end, Syrus gave up his life for her.
Silent tears fell to the ground once more as she remembered the vigil her village had held for those who had fallen. Too many had been killed in that battle. Those who had survived demanded vengeance. Aurora was among those who kept her anger in silence when Dominik refused them telling them it would do more harm than good for such an act.
“I promise you, Syrus, Theron will fall for what he has done.” Her voice shook with emotion. “I will see to it.”
“It will not be easy,” Natara reminded her softly as she and Bryant cautiously made their way closer to her.
“We are a chosen one short,” Bryant added.
“The new one is still out there,” Aurora told them. “I watched the spirit of the Power leave Syrus’ body. I can still see the power active in my visions. Another has been chosen. We only have to find the one who has been branded with the mark of the Eternal Flame. Once we have the new Chosen One, we can be stronger. Then we can do what we were meant to do.” She stood and turned to face them, her face dark and grave. “Destroy Theron and place this country at peace once again.” She said nothing more as she moved passed them and began home once more.
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King Sidel paced back and forth in front of his throne, a worried expression on his brow. His wife, Marian, watched him move around the room from her chair and sighed. The days had been long and hard for him as he faced off against his brother for control over Eudora. Their army was wearing thin. Their people fatigued and quickly reaching their breaking point. Outside assistance was desperately needed, but the king and queen had no idea where to go or who to turn to.
“Sidel, please, your constant pacing is beginning to make me dizzy,” Marian said softly as she stood to place a sleeping baby in it’s cradle beside her place on the throne. She gently tucked a small blanket around the babe before going to her husband.
“I am sorry, Marian,” Sidel said with a sigh as he held her tightly to him. “I just wish I knew what had gone so wrong.”
“You know your brother has always wanted his place on the throne. He could never accept that he would have to submit to his younger brother the rest of his days.”
“But that is the thing. He has never had to submit.” Sidel turned away and shook his head. Marian motioned for a nearby servant to care for the baby before she followed after him. He stopped when he reached the balcony overlooking the kingdom. “He has never been mistreated by our father or me. It just does not make any sense.”
Shake her head was all Marian could do as she gave another soft sigh. Ever since his father passed on, the kingdom had been concerned over which son would gain power of the throne. Being the eldest by mere minutes, Prince Theron was the proper choice. However, the royal council had concerns about the rumors they had heard of his dealings with the Creperian immortal beings of Eudora. Dealings that went against the order that had been set by kings before him.
Eudora was a large country with sparkling rivers and lakes, lush green trees, and plenty of wild game on one side, while the other was shrouded in shadow. It was for their protection from the mortal world that all immortals resided there. But like every country, there were immortals who brought trouble to the peaceful country. They were given the Creperian title and exiled to the darker half of Eudora known as Oscuro Wood. It was there in the shadows where Sidel’s brother had rejected his royal title and assumed his place as Lord Theron, ruler of the Creperians. It was there that the difference between the light and dark immortals truly began.
All immortals in Eudora were born with special gifts, or powers, some had more than others. Most used their gifts for the good, while some used them to their advantage to gain riches and a name that those weaker would fear. As Marian stood in silence, she recalled another group of people within the Adurian half of her country; a clan of immortals who were stronger than the others. Fearing their own strength and powers, they broke away from the main village, opting to live outside the palace walls in peace. As she remembered the stories of this clan, Marian felt a sliver of hope enter her heart.
“Sidel, may I offer a suggestion?”
The king turned to look closer at her. It was a rarity that she would offer insight of her own when it came to such matters of war. He wondered what idea had come to mind for her to speak up. “Of, course, my dear.”
She took a breath and brushed a strand of hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. “Do you remember the band of people living outside the palace gates? The one that suffered a brutal attack by Theron’s army just a month ago?”
“The Cerean Clan?” He asked after a moment of thought.
Marion nodded. “Yes, that is the one.”
“What about them? They have kept their distance during this whole war. They have made it clear that they want no part in this.”
“Perhaps, but, that was before they lost nearly half their own kind. Our men are tired and weak. As Theron’s army grows stronger we need all the help we can get. If we can convince Dominik and Monique to change their minds, we can get that help. What is more, is that help would come from people more powerful than Lord Theron.”
Sidel took a moment to think over his wife’s words and nodded. “All right, I will send for a messenger to bring Dominik and Monique to the palace. Be sure Adair and Adam are prepared for this meeting. They need to be there for this as well,” he told her.
Marion frowned at his request. Adair and Adam were their older twin sons. Sidel had never requested them to take part in meetings concerning the war before. “But… why?”
He looked down upon his wife’s face and gently brushed her teal colored hair from her eyes. “We may be immortals, but even immortals one day are called to the afterlife. The boys need to be prepared just in case.”
Marian nodded and her aqua-marine eyes turned softer. “I understand. I will go to them now, then, and let them know. Adair could use a small break anyway. Poor thing has been in his study all morning practicing spells with Manus and his fencing skills with Sol.”
Sidel arched an eyebrow. “And Adam?”
“Last I saw of him, Silas was chasing him down the hall after another of our son’s famous pranks.” Marian chuckled softly and Sidel shook his head with a smile.
“I only hope he is at least learning something in between those tricks of his. The Elders have been kind enough to offer their assistance to our sons.”
“Considering their original position in keeping the Creperians in line, yes, it is a great deal for them to take the time needed. Do not worry, my love, the boys learn quite quickly. Adam knows what he needs to know and is progressing in his studies well. Adair just pushes himself harder to prove himself worthy of the throne for when his time comes.”
“I know, Marian. I just cannot help but worry. My brother is a ruthless man. I just want to know my sons will be ready.” She gave him a small reassuring hug before turning to reenter the main hall.
“They will be, my dear. They will be.”
To Be Continued....
