(Chapter 3: The Quest, cont.)

  Aldine opened his door an hour after breakfast. Ean followed her up the stairs to the second floor of the lodge. Two Sentinels stood in the hall, guarding an unmarked door. They stepped aside to let them through.

  Ean paused in the doorway. The room was large and lit with dozens of candles because there weren’t any windows. A wooden table took up the center of the room, eight chairs around it. Six seats were already claimed. The King sat at the head of the table. He wore no finery or jewels. The only piece of gold on him was the hilt of the sword peeking out from his traveling cloak.

  Prince Leonid sat at his right hand, dressed just as plainly. The Prince’s best friends, Asali and Chadwick, occupied the two chairs beside him. Across the table sat General Roarke and the Mage’s apprentice. Aldine exchanged greetings with the others and took the chair at the foot of the table. That left an empty spot for Ean between the general and apprentice. He ignored the seat and took up a guard’s position inside the doorway, better to keep an eye on the proceedings.

  Ean saw a few curious glances in his direction, but then the door was shut and the King stood, drawing their attention. His eyes swept the room, his gaze resting a moment on each occupant. His brow creased when he looked Ean’s way. Ean wondered if he was second-guessing the decision to release him. He leaned back against the wall, a smirk tugging at his lips because it was too late for regret. A blood-oath had been signed. The King couldn’t break it any more than Ean could.

  The King turned back to the table. “I thank you all for making this journey. It is unfortunate that such precautions are necessary, but too much of our privileged information has made its way to our enemy. Just last week, Westenvale learned of our troop movements at the border, which resulted in the loss of two dozen men.”

  Ean saw Asali grimace and Roarke’s shoulders tighten. He stood up straighter. So, the rumors were true. Westenvale had a spy in Eastmere’s court.

  The King continued. “I will not lecture on the truth you already know. Our kingdom has faced a dire threat for the past hundred years, and our enemy grows in strength and power.”

  Ean rolled his eyes. The Kingdom of Westenvale had been threatening to invade for far more than a hundred years, and the people of Eastmere had been hardened to the skirmishes, raids, and assassinations that cropped up every season. In truth, more people were angrier with the Crown for using the conflict to raise taxes than with Westenvale itself. And some of the more suspicious minds thought that the courts of Eastmere and Westenvale were working together to prolong hostilities for profit.

  “The mission I charge you with today is not an easy one,” said the King. “Your spirit will be tested, your courage hard-pressed. You will face many challenges and I cannot guarantee your safe return. But if you are successful, you will not only ensure the survival of our kingdom, but you will return peace to all of Viridas.”

  That statement stank of hyperbole. Ean glanced about the room, wondering if anyone else was put-off by the obvious exaggeration, but instead he saw earnest, sincere faces. He frowned. Surely those who were raised in the court could recognize propaganda when it all but slapped them in the face.

  “Aldine will speak more on this matter, as she is more verse in history and magic than I.” The King gestured to the Royal Mage and reclaimed his seat.

  Aldine inclined her head and pulled out her pipe. She filled it as she spoke. “Our ancestors, who tamed this land and built the foundations of our cities, faced many dangers. There were dragons in the sky, giants in the mountains, and worst of all, Horned Elves in the forests. Our ancestors were not united, as we are today. They belonged to different tribes, practiced different religions, spoke different languages. They had no trust in each other. But divided, they could not stand against the might and terror of the Horned Elves.”

  Ean valiantly resisted the urge to sigh. Apparently, Aldine was going to give a history lesson before getting to the pertinent details. It wasn’t necessary. Everyone in Viridas knew about the Horned Elves. They were vicious creatures that killed for sport and consumed the still-beating hearts of their victims.

  Aldine tamped down the leaf in her pipe bowl and lit it with her finger. “But then a young man, Demos, stepped forward. He spoke words of peace and hope and united the people. He led a successful offensive against the Horned Elves and cleared the eastern country. He was crowned High King, overseeing all Viridas, and a great castle was built for him in the city of Aurelia.

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  “The Horned Elves saw that mankind was a threat to their power. They gathered a great army and marched against Aurelia. Demos and his soldiers were forced to retreat behind the city walls. The siege lasted a full year, but still Demos did not surrender, nor did the people lose faith in him. The great sorcerer Emmich was moved by Demos’ bravery, and he forged the High King a great weapon.”

  “The Eld Sword!” Flora exclaimed, like she was in a schoolroom trying to answer before the other students.

  Aldine nodded. “Emmich gifted the Eld sword to Demos, and when he swung it, he had the power to wield lightning. With an army of men behind him, and a magical sword in hand, Demos defeated the elves. He drove them back into the Aternemus Forest.”

  Ean frowned. He’d always thought the story of the Eld sword was more legend than truth. Was Aldine suggesting it was real?

  “That’s when the first Golden Age started,” the Prince added.

  Aldine tipped her head to him. “Precisely.”

  Ean silently scoffed. Sure, it sounded impressive, but the Golden Age only lasted three generations. Then the usual politicking and in-fighting began, and several provinces seceded from the kingdom. If he remembered correctly, the Glass Isles were the first to split away, followed by Sudala and Bormoor. Eastmere, Westenvale, and Nor’dell stayed together the longest as the Central Kingdom, but Nor’dell eventually fell in the Dragon War and was reduced to ash.

  Aldine took a pull of her pipe. “Eastmere and Westenvale were united longer than any of the other kingdoms, but it wasn’t always a happy union. During the Dragon War, the people were taxed heavily, and the young men were conscripted into service. King Midos came into power after the war. His advisors took advantage of him and ruled the kingdom to their liking. They kept the taxes high to grow their own coffers and passed royal decrees that increased their power.”

  Ean raised his eyebrows, surprised at Aldine’s candor. She was speaking openly about the sins of the court, and in front of the royal family, no less. But the King and Prince didn’t seem surprised. If anything, they appeared in agreement, nodding along with the story.

  “King Midos had many children,” Aldine continued. “The eldest was Hieron and he learned greed from his father’s advisors. With their help, he overthrew his father and issued even harsher decrees and taxes. When wiser members of the court protested, he hung them over the gates of Aurelia. When the people could not meet his demands, he imprisoned them. When rebellions broke out, he sent the royal army to suppress them. He killed or imprisoned all his siblings, all except his brother, Lykos.

  “Lykos was kinder than his brother and loved by the people. They followed him into battle against Hieron. In the fight, the great city of Aurelia was destroyed. Hieron fled west with his supporters while Lykos was crowned in the east. Lykos spent his reign unifying what we now call Eastmere. He rebuilt the capitol city and named it Balucia.”

  Aldine paused to puff on her pipe. “Midos, though history judges him harshly, had one great moment of wisdom. Before Hieron overthrew him, he hid the Eld Sword.”

  Asali spoke up. “Legend says he sent it to Sudala, for the royal family to keep safe. But there was a storm and the ship that carried it sank in the straits.”

  It was an old rumor, but the fact that Asali repeated it lent it more credence. Asali had been born into the royal family of Sudala. She wasn’t in direct line for the throne, but her family was royal enough to carry a title. They’d been exiled during the coup twenty years ago.

  “That was the story Midos told his advisors,” Aldine agreed. “He knew that if Hieron had the sword, he would turn it against his countrymen, even his own family. But Midos also feared a time when the Horned Elves would rise up against Viridas, so he had the sword hidden. He left clues to its location, but Lykos never sought the sword, nor did his daughter Queen Celina, and so it faded into myth.”

  Ean leaned back against the wall. He understood what the mission was now. They were to find the Eld sword—if it actually existed. He wasn’t entirely convinced it did.

  Aldine took another pull of her pipe, and then sighed. She gave Asali a gentle look. “Midos did not want his descendants to use the sword against each other, but Westenvale has begun searching for it. The attack on Sudala twenty years ago was not just to remove a king sympathetic to Eastmere. They dredged the Sudalan Sea and the Stone Straits. They were looking for the shipwreck.”

  “They sacked our cities and burned our villages for a sword?” Asali’s voice went tight with anger. Her father and brothers were currently fighting to reclaim control of their kingdom. It was no secret that Asali wanted to join her family but had been ordered to remain in Eastmere. She had joined the King’s Guard shortly after her family had left.

  The Prince reached out and placed a hand on her arm. Chadwick squeezed her shoulder.

  Ean revised his earlier assessment of the existence of the sword. If it was worth a coup, it likely was real.

  “It is more than a sword,” Aldine said. She looked at Asali and held her gaze. “It is a weapon capable of destroying an army of Horned Elves. What do you think it can do to an army of men?”