CHILDREN OF THE SUN AND MOON
BY
P.D STEWART
a World Of Melarandra novel
Book 1
Copyright © 2015 P. D. Stewart
Revised Edition
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without written permission except in the case of brief quotations included in critical articles and reviews. For information, please contact author.
FIC00900 Fiction/Fantasy/General
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
“In their sixteenth year, the twins sun and moon
shall be separated by betrayal but shall
be found in the light. Only when the night
is restored will the evil be destroyed.
United they will return the night but it
must be done with the power that is sun
and moon or chaos will overpower all.”
As told by Kaleneve Aldea, Head of the Magik Prophets, in the book Prophecies of Magik's
Never give up on your dream. It is never too late to try! Thank you to all who helped me believe I could do this.
PROLOGUE
Olrond Traug is a very even-tempered, composed man. It was this quality, in his mind, which had allowed him to be promoted to the rank of general two years earlier. He was a man to whom the moment you looked upon you were very aware he was military. At six foot two, he was as tall as most soldiers, but his build stunned many. Most wouldn’t call him slender, but he wasn’t largely built like most of his men. Should you think he was easy prey, one would just need to watch him move. His muscles were honed so tightly you could see them moving under his clothing. He was the youngest soldier to receive the rank of General in the Order of Maget. In the time since, Olrond had become the head of this order he had learned many hidden truths, but nothing had prepared him for the news he had just received.
Queen Elizanne was in labour, a fact that would be unimportant if it wasn’t for one little detail in a prophecy. Her very pregnancy had been the course of one rumour after another, one of which implied the queen was carrying twins. Like all the other whispers he had heard, he tried to block the rumour of the queen’s condition. Truth be told, he couldn’t bring himself to believe the king and queen of the Central Lands were going to be part of a prophecy, which, to the Order, meant the end of the world. To make matters worse, he had also been informed that Gillock, the king’s trusted adviser and teacher, may possess magic. Too many negative things were happening at once.
He had already prepared to dispatch two Magima, testers for the Order of Maget, to Castle Klayhern, but he was hoping it would be for nothing. He didn’t know what he would do if it were true. What if Gillock, whom the Magima had long thought to possess magic, really did? What if the queen does indeed have the twins foretold in the prophecy? Olrond knew he would have to act as he had in the past, send those who possess magical abilities to the Tower to be dealt with. He couldn’t help but wonder what it would do to the Central Lands if their own king were keeping a wizard in his castle, or what it would do to the king and queen if their children were to be terminated. It was far too much to think about. King Jeremy was an old friend and thinking this way bothered Olrond greatly. Unsure of what the night was going to bring, Olrond thought it wise to go to the castle and see how everything was going with the queen.
Jeremy paced outside the birthing room, seeing the looks the servants gave him as they passed. He knew what they were thinking. The queen had gone into labour too soon, and there were usually only two reasons for that. Either something was wrong, or she was carrying more than one child. Moving over to the window, he glanced towards the garden, and saw Brin, his oldest daughter, playing with one of the servants. Having enough of the stares, he decided to go join her. Someone would find him when he needed.
“Push,” shouted Marina. “You need to push!”
Elizanne, exhausted from the hours of labour, gasped, “I cannot push anymore.”
The midwife sighed, understanding the queen's issue.
“It’s almost over, your majesty. You need to give one more push.”
Giving it all the strength she had left, Elizanne pushed. “It’s a boy, my lady,” exclaimed Marina.
Elizanne allowed a smile. “His name will be Eric, after my father.”
Suddenly, Elizanne’s face contorted and she screamed. “I still have to push!”
Marina passed the baby off to one of the other servants and ran back to Elizanne. “Get me another towel and some more warm water. There’s another one.”
Elizanne could hear the fear in Marina’s voice, but she pushed with all her might. “This one is a girl, my queen,” she stated, her voice low and sombre.
Elizanne began to cry. “Why did it have to be twins?”
Marina tried to smile. “What will her name be, my lady?”
“Koral, after Jeremy’s mother.”
Marina, not wanting the others to be a part of what may come, began to clear everyone out of the room. She walked over to try to calm Elizanne down. The queen grabbed at her gown and whispered, “Get me Gillock.” Marina just nodded at the queen and made her way to find the advisor.
When Gillock arrived, Elizanne had dozed off. Not wanting to wake her, he went over to where the children lay sleeping. “I knew this would come to pass. Now we just have to see if the world is ready for what is to come.”
“They are the children from the prophecy,” came Elizanne’s voice from behind Gillock.
Gillock went over, sat on the bed next to her, and held her hand. “Yes, my dear, they most certainly are. However, does not fear, the Magima will not find anything. They don't realize it will take a few years before their magic begins to take form.”
Elizanne smiled. “Jeremy will not be pleased with this news.”
“You are right, I am not pleased at all,” said the king, coming into the room. There was no doubt he was king. His every movement showed he was royalty, his every order obeyed. Bordering just over six feet, Jeremy was a tall man. He had a full head of black hair, which was complimented by stunning green eyes, and should you find yourself in their gaze when he was not happy, you were left feeling very small.
Gillock stood and faced him. “I told you she was going to have the twins. The prophecy has been set into motion. Their training must begin now.”
“No. Not until we are sure they are the twins told of in the prophecy,” replied Jeremy.
Gillock’s expression suddenly changed. “General Traug is here to see you both. He has some Magima with him. They will be taking me along with the children for testing.”
When the general entered the room, he knew they had been discussing the chance that these children were the ones from the prophecy. “King Jeremy, Queen Elizanne. I assume you know why I’m here with the Magima. The children need to be tested.”
Jeremy nodded. “We understand, general. You may take them whenever the midwife says it is okay.”
“Thank you, your highness. We will take our leave.”
All three watched as General Traug and his two Magima left the room. Jeremy turned to Gillock, “They will not find anything will they?”
“No. The children will not show any signs for at least two years and I will be getting tested as well so we will not have anything to worry about.” Turning back to Elizanne he said, “Nothing will happen to your children.” Smiling, he walked out, leaving the two alone.
Jeremy looked at Elizanne and could see the fear in her eyes. “Maybe they are not the ones. Brin has shown no signs of possessing magic.??
?
Elizanne nodded, but she knew the prophecy had been set in motion. She also knew if the children failed the Magima’s tests, she would never see them again. Now all the king and queen could do was wait. “This must have been how my parents felt,” muttered Elizanne to herself.
Traug was feeling just as uneasy about the entire situation. Pacing and staring at the door, he kept thinking about the chaos, which would ensue, should the children fail. While he was in mid thought, the door opened. Slowly, the general turned to face it.
“They passed the test,” stated Gillock, holding the children. “As have I.”
Traug let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good news indeed, Gillock. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. You may take the children back to their parents.”
“Thank you, and it was no inconvenience. This must be done to ensure our way of life.”
“Thank you for understanding my position,” replied General Traug.
Gillock nodded and left to bring the king and queen their children.
Jeremy was in the same state as General Traug. When he saw Gillock come through the door with the children, he collapsed into a chair. “They passed!” he exclaimed.
Gillock just smiled and placed the children in their sleeping baskets. “I told you there was nothing to worry about, my king. Now, their training must begin.”
“No,” yelled Jeremy coming to his feet. “We do not know for sure they are the children from the prophecy. If they are to be trained, it will be in sword fighting and other tactics. They will not learn magic.”
Gillock let out an exasperated sigh. “They are the children. You’re in denial if you believe otherwise. If they don’t receive the proper magical training, they may fail.”
Jeremy paced back and forth. “I am sorry Gillock, we must uphold the law. They will not be trained in magic.”
Gillock knew by the tone of Jeremy’s voice the matter was finished. “Very well, but know this, you may have doomed us all.” Giving Elizanne a kiss on the cheek, he turned and left the room.
Jeremy went over to Elizanne. Stroking her red hair, he stared into her deep blue eyes. “It is for the best. We do not even know if they are the ones.”
Elizanne just smiled. “Yes, we will just have to wait and see,” she whispered and fell back asleep, happy her children were all right.
There was much excitement around the castle. Twins had been born to the king and queen, and with the announcement they had passed the tests, a great holiday was declared. Today, being the Festival of the Moon was normally reason enough to celebrate, but with the declaration of a royal holiday, it became an even grander event. Many people were running about making all sorts of preparations. With all the bustling, about no one noticed a boy slip away from the castle and disappear into the village.
Payton didn’t know why he was heading into the seedy part of town, he just felt overly compelled to go. He also appeared to know exactly where it was he was going. As Payton neared his destination, his pace slowed. He stopped at the entrance to the alley, but didn’t see whom he was supposed to meet. So strong was his need to be here, he just stood there and waited.
“You are late,” said a voice from the shadows. Payton turned to face the voice and saw what appeared to be a man in a long cloak, hood drawn.
“I'm sorry. The castle is full of people. It was hard to leave unseen.”
The figure stepped closer. “And the news?”
Payton gulped. He just stared at the figure, trying to see a face, but all that greeted him was unbelievable darkness. “Twins were born to the king and queen,” he stammered.
The cloaked figure did not make a move. “And were they taken care of?”
Payton again gulped. “No. There is said to be a wizard guarding the children.”
This news caused the figure to shift uneasily. “Gillock,” it hissed and then disappeared.
Payton shook his head and looked around. He had no idea why he was in this area of town or how he even got here. Looking about, he decided it was a good idea for him to go back to the castle. They probably needed him to help with the Festival preparations.
A few alleys away, the figure reappeared and drew what appeared to be a mirror out of its cloak. “My queen,” it spoke to the mirror.
The image which appeared in the mirror, was that of a strikingly beautiful woman with jet black hair and unusually deep blue eyes. “Yes, Moray, what news?” she asked.
“Elizanne has had twins. They were not disposed of. Gillock is with them.”
Queen Malena smiled. “It is not a problem, my loyal servant. This will work in our favour, that I am sure. Now, return to the castle. We have much to plan.”
Moray nodded and in a wisp of wind, disappeared.
Lakin let his scrying pool cloud over. Things were finally starting. For many years, he had been preparing in the Tower, waiting for this day. Now all he had to do was wait sixteen more. Smiling to himself, he set about writing the daily lists for his Magima.