I opened my eyes and quickly shielded them from the sun. Looking around, I saw Elysia at the wheel. She glanced at me and smiled. "You know, I don't know how boats work where you're from, but here, you have to steer them where you want them to go."

  I felt a slight panic and jumped up and looked around. Most of what I saw was water, but there was an island in the distance, rapidly approaching. "It's okay. It seems that while we were asleep, the boat just went in circles. When I woke up, it was still dark, but I could tell where we were by the stars."

  A sense of relief washed over me.

  "I'm sorry," I said. "I guess I didn't think about it much. I was so tired I just kind of passed out."

  Elysia nodded. "I did too. That fight took a lot out of me."

  I turned my gaze toward the island. Looking back at Elysia, she just nodded and said, "That's Stormpeak," smiling as she looked ahead. "That's my island."

  I made my way over next to her. "So, what's the plan?"

  She thought for a moment. "Well, I need to check in with my people first. I've been gone for a while, so i'm sure they think I lost the duel. They're probably deciding who my successor will be."

  "Then we need to get you some training. You need to get better with that spear." She glanced down at the spear I had taken from the soldier. "I need to get the smith to make you another one," she added, making a face, clearly unimpressed with the one I had.

  "After that, I need to talk to my second and plan our battle strategy for the fight against the Warden." She looked at me again. "I don't like sacrificing soldiers needlessly."

  "Sounds like a plan," I said. "And thank you again for agreeing to do this."

  Her face turned a bit serious, and she looked directly at me. "I'd be getting executed right now if you hadn't helped me. Until you give me a reason not to, you can always count on Stormpeak as an ally."

  I smiled and turned to see a big mountain in the center of the island, growing larger as we got closer. I could understand now how it got its name. It looked like a tropical volcanic island, with a perfect cloud ring around it just below the peak. I watched as it lit up every few moments with a crackle of lightning.

  "Looks like it might be storming on your island," I said, and I heard Elysia chuckle a bit.

  "That cloud is always there. The legends of Stormpeak say this is where the god Thaldrak blessed the Stormkin and gave us the ability to wield lightning."

  I watched the lightning for a few moments. "Do you believe that?"

  She thought for a moment before answering. "I do. I pray and ask for his protection before every battle."

  I just nodded. She looked at me with curiosity. "What did you have to do to become a chosen? Did you spend a previous life in dedication to Luxarion or something?"

  I turned my gaze to the deck of the ship and thought for a moment. "No, I didn't do anything."

  I looked up at her, and she just stared at me with a hint of confusion.

  "In my previous life, I was powerless. I tried to help somebody, but..." I paused, thinking for a moment. "I think now I was just lashing out. I attacked somebody, and they killed me. When I woke up, I was in a black void. Luxarion spoke to me and offered me a chance to live again, but with power. I agreed, and then I woke up here."

  She just stared, her brows furrowing a bit. "Hmmm," she said, looking back at the island. "That makes sense."

  I turned and looked at her, a bit shocked. "Please, help me understand, because it doesn't make any sense to me at all."

  She smiled. "You tried to do good. So Luxarion knows you will use the power he gave you to do good. That's why you were chosen."

  I crossed my arms in front of my chest. "Do you think the Warden is good?"

  She shook her head. "I think the Warden may have started out with good intentions, but power is just as much a poison as it is a blessing. It corrupts people and feeds on their pride and desire."

  I thought about this for a bit as she continued. "Just remember, true power lies not in domination, but in service."

  I nodded, pondering this for a moment. "Step back," she said, lifting her hand in the air. A bolt of lightning shot from the cloud around the mountain and straight into her hand with a loud boom. I stared, stunned, for a moment as she put her hand back down.

  "We're almost there. Just follow me, and I'll get you sorted out," she said.

  I looked at the island, and we were approaching the beach quickly. "What the hell was that you just did?" I asked.

  "I was just letting them know I was back," she said, watching the beach.

  I looked back and saw a group of soldiers gathering at the shore. We soon arrived, and they ran into the water, helping to pull the boat onto the shore.

  These soldiers carried a spear and shield strapped to their backs, just like Darian's men. Instead of robes, they wore simple shirts and pants, and their leather armor was darker in color, though it still covered the same vital spots. The handful of guards seemed ecstatic at Elysia’s arrival. They cheered and patted her on the back as she dismounted the ship.

  "It's good to see you, Elysia," one of the soldiers said as they all patted her on the back. She smiled and greeted them.

  I followed and dismounted, but one of the guards put his hand on me, stopping me.

  "Who is this?" he asked, examining me closely. The lightning in his eyes grew more intense.

  Elysia quickly turned around. "Hey! Unhand him," she commanded. The soldier quickly withdrew his hand.

  "This is Ryker, and I wouldn't be alive if not for his help. He is a great warrior and is now part of our family."

  The soldier nodded, then looked back at me, inspecting my armor. "Is he one of Darian's men?" he asked.

  Elysia smiled before answering. "He is not. He wears the armor of one of the many of Darian's men he killed yesterday."

  The soldiers all cheered at this, and the one who had been inspecting me smiled and patted me hard on the back. "Welcome, brother," he said. I smiled back and nodded.

  "Thank you."

  Elysia motioned for me to come closer, and I quickly moved up to her. We made our way up the beach, passing several small farms and wooden huts. Everyone was standing outside, greeting Elysia as we passed. She smiled and greeted them back, calling each of them by name.

  We approached a giant wooden wall with poles, similar to Darian's island. Before we reached it, soldiers were already opening the gates to let us in. Inside were several huts similar to the ones on the beach, but these appeared to be the homes of soldiers. Most of the men weren't wearing armor and were with their families, greeting Elysia as she passed. She greeted everyone as we made our way to a large cathedral-like building carved into the stone of the mountain.

  We ascended the stone stairs, and two soldiers guarding the entrance smiled and greeted Elysia as we passed and entered. It was dark inside, but illuminated by several torches lining the walls. We continued down a long hallway and up more stairs into a large throne room. There were at least 30 soldiers standing in formation, with one standing in front wearing armor similar to Elysia's with golden lining. He was well built and I wondered if this was her second she spoke of. As she approached, he bowed his head slightly and stared at her with a straight face.

  They stared at each other for a moment, and Elysia smiled before hugging him. As they embraced, he inspected me over her shoulder before turning his gaze back to Elysia as they separated.

  "Elysia, we thought you were dead. Preparations were being made," he said.

  She just smiled and announced, "It took longer than expected, but I return to you victorious."

  The soldiers cheered, and the man turned around, nodding. The soldiers filed out of the room in a single line, welcoming Elysia back as they passed. She greeted each of them, and as the last soldier left, the man went to close the giant doors before turning around to face us.

  He stood close to me, inspecting me, then turned to Elysia. "So, who have you brought to us?" he asked.

  Elysia placed her hand on my shoulder. "This is Ryker. He is a Chosen." She then looked at me. "Ryker, this is Boltar. He is my second in command."

  The man's left eye twitched a bit. He looked at her, then me, then back at her. "What were you thinking, bringing him here?" he asked.

  Elysia’s smile began to fade as she continued, "Darian did not honor the traditions of a duel. He had his men imprison me and killed the escort." She leaned her head in my direction. "Ryker saved me, helped me escape, and gave me a fair duel with Darian. I won the duel, and we left."

  She then leaned toward Boltar and whispered, "I would be getting executed at this very moment if not for his help."

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Boltar's face remained stern. "What did you promise him in return for this?" he asked, clearly suspicious of me.

  Elysia shrugged her shoulders. "I told him we would sail with him to the mainland and help him fight the Warden."

  Boltar put his hands over his face and began rubbing his eyes. Elysia turned toward a large table at the side of the room. It had bottles of wine and various foods laid out on it. She poured herself a drink, sampled a few things off the table, then turned back and motioned for me to join her.

  I nodded and hurried over to join her. I hadn’t eaten in days, and I was worried I wouldn't be able to stop until I exploded.

  Boltar waited for a moment before speaking again. "Elysia, the problems of the mainland are none of our concern. Would you really use us as pawns so this chosen one can become ruler?" She continued chewing on a large slab of meat.

  "I would never use any of you as pawns for anyone, Boltar. You know that."

  He just shook his head. "Then help me understand why we are doing this. Is it because you feel like you owe this man?" he said, pointing at me.

  Elysia turned and looked at him, staring for a moment. "Why do you have so little faith in me? Have I not always put the people of Stormpeak first?"

  Boltar seemed to be getting angrier by the second as the lightning in his eyes grew more intense. I stopped eating and turned around to see him standing there watching me intently.

  "I will explain everything to you in time, but for now, please let me eat," Elysia said, still chewing.

  He turned his gaze toward me. "Why do you need a war with the Warden?" he asked as he walked slowly toward me.

  I looked to Elysia, she was still chewing.

  "The Warden is at war with the elves," I said.

  Boltar shrugged his shoulders. "We know that. I still don't understand why that has anything to do with us."

  I continued, "I have friends who mean a lot to me hiding in the forest with the elves. If I do nothing, he will continue to grow his forces, build his strength, and destroy them along with the elves."

  He shrugged his shoulders again. "I still don't see how this is any of our concern."

  He continued walking closer to me. I could see the lightning in his eyes intensifying with every step.

  "I think you just want to rule in his stead, and you're too much of a coward to face him yourself."

  I felt my fists ball up, Elysia interrupted.

  "Enough, Boltar!" she said, glaring at him. "Do you think the Warden will stop with the elves?" she asked as she walked toward him, clearly annoyed.

  As she approached, he backed away from me but his eyes still flickered with lightning.

  "The Warden grows more powerful every day. After he destroys the elves, he will come for us."

  "You don't know that!" Boltar yelled, as Elysia continued closer to him.

  "I do know that!" she shouted. "Every day we wait, he grows stronger, and he clearly wants to claim land that does not belong to him. If he wants it he will take it by force. Once he finishes with the elves, he'll look to us, and by that point, he may be too strong to defeat."

  Boltar looked down, thinking for a moment. Elysia lowered her head to meet his gaze.

  "I am doing this for Stormpeak. I'd rather fight him now than wait until he's too strong."

  Boltar turned away and started pacing a bit. "He's already strong. He is probably capable of defeating all of us single-handedly at this point."

  Elysia smiled and pointed at me. "We have our own chosen to put against him."

  Boltar looked at me, dismissively waving his hand. "Psssh."

  Elysia continued, "I need you to help me come up with a battle plan, and we need to train Ryker. It won't take long for him to grow strong, and together we can defeat the Warden and guarantee the safety of Stormpeak for years to come."

  Boltar shook his head and headed toward the main doors. "You're going to get us all killed, Elysia," he said as he opened the doors and slammed them behind him.

  Elysia turned to me. "He'll be alright. Grab a plate and follow me," she said. I quickly grabbed a plate, filled it with different meats and vegetables, then grabbed an entire bottle of wine and followed her. She led me to a room beside the throne and opened the door. It was beautifully decorated, with a huge, comfortable-looking bed and an armor mannequin next to it.

  I turned to Elysia. "This is where you will be staying," she said. "My room is directly behind the throne, and Boltar is on the other side." She looked behind us for a moment before continuing. "Best to come to me if you need anything, not Boltar," she added.

  "Go ahead and rest a bit, eat, and meet me outside at about mid day."

  I nodded and took a seat on the bed. I didn’t know if I was just really hungry or what, but I felt like this was the best food I’d ever eaten in my life. The meat was tender and flavorful, the vegetables were cooked but still crisp, and the wine was out of this world with flavor. I ate until I had my fill, then laid back on the bed.

  I laid on the bed for a while and even dozed off briefly. When I awoke the sun looked a bit lower in the sky than mid day, I got up and headed out the door. Some neatly folded clothes and armor were laid outside. I brought them back inside and put them on. It was the same style of armor that Elysia’s men wore, but with golden-trimmed lacing around it, similar to Boltar and Elysia's armor.

  As I finished strapping it on and examined it, I felt a bit unworthy. Still I grabbed the spear and shield I had taken and made my way out of the stone building. Several soldiers were just outside, doing training drills. I noticed Boltar was supervising and coaching them as they sparred.

  "Keep that shield ready, or you won’t survive long enough to see victory!" he commanded as one soldier was knocked back. He then noticed me and turned his gaze toward me. He inspected me up and down before giving a disapproving look. I made my way to him, and he continued to stare.

  "Elysia asked me to give you these," he said, walking toward a small wooden armory. I followed him, and he pulled out a spear,sword and shield, handing them to me. He took my old spear from me, snapped it over his knee, and threw the old shield on top of the splintered weapon.

  I inspected my new weapons. They looked almost identical to Elysia’s. There were a few differences in design, but they were still very similar. The shield depicted a mountain with golden lightning surrounding it, while the spear was crafted for durability with a golden tip. The sword had a wooden handle with gold lining and the blade was newly forged with a gold tip.

  "Thank you," I said as I fastened them into the holsters on the back of my armor.

  "Let’s see what a chosen can do," Boltar said, turning to walk back toward the soldiers in the courtyard. I followed him, and as we approached, he stopped the soldiers.

  "Listen up!" he commanded. "We are all very lucky." He turned his gaze toward me. "A chosen has graced us with his presence today." His tone was sarcastic. "If you pay attention, maybe you all can learn something from this mighty warrior."

  He unsheathed his spear and shield and started toward me. Before I could react, he thrust his spear at me, and I barely managed to move in time. I quickly unsheathed mine and got into a defensive posture. He came again, fast and hard, with a spear thrust followed by a bash with his shield. I barely avoided the spear but was quickly knocked back by the force of his shield.

  "Don't go easy on me, chosen. We all know you're better than anyone here," he said sarcastically, and I felt my anger boil. I thrust hard with my spear, but Boltar avoided it and countered with a bolt of lightning. It knocked me onto my back, and as I tried to stand, he jumped on me, pinning me to the ground with his shield. I struggled a bit as he glared at me.

  "Stay out of my way and know your place. Chosen or not, you will not put my people’s lives in jeopardy."

  I managed to roll his shield to the side, and as I tried to overpower him and get to my feet, he answered with his spear at my throat. I paused, and he continued.

  "We will not fight your war for you. Tomorrow morning, I expect to see you on a boat heading back to where you came from."

  I stared at him for a moment, not showing any sign of wavering. "Try it," I simply said, and the lightning in his eyes began shooting out intensely. He started to pull his spear back for a finishing blow but was stopped when Elysia arrived.

  "What do you think you're doing?! Stop this at once!" Elysia yelled. Boltar didn't move and instead stayed where he was. I quickly threw a punch, landing on the side of his face, and he fell back. I jumped to my feet and readied myself. Boltar quickly recovered, clearly furious, his eyes almost glowing at this point. He started to charge again but stopped when Elysia stepped between us. She stared at Boltar.

  "I said stop!" she commanded. It took him a moment, but he finally holstered his weapon. I did the same. Elysia spoke again.

  "You are not bound here, Boltar." She then looked around at her men. "None of you are bound here. You are all free men and free to come and go as you please."

  She then looked at Boltar intensely. "But while you are here, you will obey my orders, or I will handle you in a duel."

  The men and Boltar were silent.

  "Do you understand me?" Elysia said. Boltar just stared at me, then back at her, before turning his back and heading into the stone building.

  Elysia motioned for me to follow, and we made our way out of the compound and to the beach. She sat down and gestured for me to join her. I sat and waited as we simply took in the view. I thought about what Boltar had said and then turned to her.

  "You don't have to help me if you don't want to," I said. She turned to me, a bit puzzled. I continued, "I mean, if you don't want to fight with me against the Warden, I would understand. I don't want you to feel like you have to."

  She lifted her hand, motioning for me to stop. "Our interests align, Ryker. I was the one who first proposed this deal to you. I meant what I said: if the Warden is not stopped, he will continue his campaign to the Fractured sea."

  I nodded in agreement. "Thank you," I simply said.

  Elysia continued, "I don't know what Boltar’s problem with you is, but give him time, and he will come around."

  I turned my head, feeling my anger flare up again. "I will do my best," I simply said.

  We sat in silence, watching the sunset for a while before making our way back to the stone building. We ate another delicious feast that had been prepared. Boltar joined us but said nothing the entire time. Afterwards, we made our way to our respective rooms and retired.

  I was able to drift off to sleep here and there but had trouble staying asleep. I woke up sometime in the middle of the night, tossing and turning, and decided to go for a walk. I made my way out of the stone building and started heading toward the beach. The two moons were bright and beautiful in the sky, and I spent most of my time just looking up at them as I walked.

  I turned the corner, exiting the giant gate, and headed to the shore. The water was solid black, and it was a bit eerie how silent it was, with only the gentle waves rolling in. I sat down and stared out for a moment, thinking about Harald and his family.

  I wondered how I would know if the Warden was attacking or not. Fear came over me at the thought—what if he was attacking already, and I had no idea? I then remembered how Darian referred to the men I had attacked on the beach as messengers, and I wondered if Elysia had some of her own. Maybe they could travel back and keep updated on the situation with the elves. I needed to ask about that tomorrow when everyone was awake.

  Just then, I noticed a few men with torches approaching from my side. For some reason, unknown to me, my instincts told me I shouldn’t be seen. I quickly made my way to a small fishing hut near the water and hid behind it. I watched as the men continued walking and stopped where I had been sitting.

  "I thought I saw someone here," a voice said, and I immediately recognized it as Boltar’s. I was glad I had made myself scarce and considered making my way back to my room. If he saw me out here, he could try to use it to convince everyone that I was up to something, and that was the last thing I needed.

  He turned to the other two. "So, how many have agreed to our cause?"

  One of the other men spoke. "Well, it’s divided at the moment. It's hard to get an exact number but I'm sure afterwards most will be in our favor."

  My heart stopped for a moment. Boltar spoke again.

  "That will have to be enough. If we pull this off, the others will have to join us or die. Gather the men and tell them to form up inside the gates and await my arrival. I will take care of the chosen, then bring Elysia outside. If she agrees to step down, we will spare her. If not..." He didn’t say anything more, but everyone knew what he meant.

  The two men nodded, then turned and started heading in the opposite direction. Boltar made his way past the hut I was hiding behind. I waited for a moment, watching as he walked back up to the big gate and went inside.

  I slowly crept around the buildings, managing to make my way back inside and into my room. I checked around before letting my guard down, then hurried over to the armor rack next to my bed. I put the armor on quickly and grabbed my weapons, securing them. I needed to warn Elysia.

  I hurried toward the door, but was stopped as I saw the handle turn, and the door began slowly opening.