Out of the Mountain (7 page)

“Hmm, where was I? Ah yes . . . after the wedding, Reinhelm flourished under their rule, and after many years had gone by, Alma became with child. The people who had gotten so used to their safety became wary. No one knew what this baby would become, you see. There had never before been a crossing of such powerful magic. Both royal lines were joined together, and there was limitless potential in such a joining.

“When their son Alaric was born, the kingdom quickly fell in love with the boy. He was a joy for all who met him, and not long after that, Prince Kieran was born. It was years later when the queen’s final attempt at a daughter was born, and he was named Farran.” Kel laughed and I smiled.

“The boys had all the magic from both royal bloodlines. Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. They could conjure and could shift into the Royal Tiger. It was a lot of magic for one to possess and they had to learn to use their energy wisely. It was a hard balance to learn to maintain and it took a lot of patience to learn to do so. As the boys grew, it became apparent to all that they were very different in character and talents.

“Alaric loved the people and the people loved him. He was compassionate and smart, and the magic flowed easily through him. He learned and perfected things quickly, and he thirsted for knowledge. He was easily being groomed into the next king. Killian even allowed Alaric to practice wielding his magic through the king’s staff. Much like the Shuni amulet, it was an object of great power passed through the ages. The staff amplified the powers of its wielder, among other things. No other was permitted to touch the king’s staff.

“Kieran was quiet and reserved. He had a hard time relating to others and was often jealous of his brothers. His older brother was paraded about and his little brother was doted on as the baby of the family . . . He was stuck unhappily somewhere in the middle. He liked to keep to himself and spent most of his time alone in the forest outside the city. He often acted as if he felt he was a cut above the company. This did not sit well with Alaric, but Farran loved him still.

“Farran was much younger than his two brothers, born years after Kieran, and he was indeed the baby of the palace. He was carefree and some called him reckless, but none could resist his charm and wit. He was the most handsome of the three.” A throat cleared interrupted the story. I looked at Dahlia and saw humor in her eyes.

“Yes, yes, sorry,” said Kel, winking.

“Eventually Kieran, who had only grown more petulant with age, withdrew into the forest completely. Many searches were made, but it was clear that he didn’t want to be found. Farran loved both his brothers and was distraught. He kept searching for Kieran, hoping to make him see reason, but he was not successful. Naturally time marched on, and King Killian decided his time as ruler was ending. He then arranged for a coronation to be held for Alaric. He was to be a young king at the age of thirty, but the king and the people agreed he was ready.

“The night of the coronation there was an attack on the palace by a band of rebel Shuni. They came in through tunnels and passages that were only known by royal family members. When Kieran was seen among them, the brothers were distraught at his betrayal. The palace was in chaos, fighting in every room. Alaric was outraged when he saw Kieran trying to steal the king’s staff from the dais. He raced through the crowds, trying to make it there first.

“When a shrill scream split the air and magic exploded into the hall, it brought everyone in the room to a halt. The brothers turned to see Farran catching their mother as she fell with blood pooling from her chest. A cloaked figure holding a dagger disappeared as Alaric ran toward his mother, and Kieran took the opportunity of his mother’s death to grab the staff and flee the palace while calling for a retreat. The rebels followed, their fight won.

“Killian ran to Alma’s side and tried to stop the bleeding, but it was of no use. Alma thrust her hand toward Alaric. ‘You must hide it,’ she whispered to them. In Alaric’s hand was the amulet of the Shuni king. Alma had managed to rip it from her assassin’s neck. She took her last breaths in King Killian’s arms.” Kel sniffled, eyes full before blinking back the tears. I furrowed my brow. Those tears weren’t for show.

“Alaric was made king, and Killian became a shell of himself. His heart was broken, and sadly he didn’t live long after Alma’s death. Alaric put a price higher than any on Kieran’s head and searched the country with a single-minded purpose. His heart was hardened from loss and betrayal. He sent Farran on a quest to hide the amulet. It was a hard year for everyone.

“The king fought many battles against rebels in his search for Kieran. He was wounded badly, and one of the guards had heard stories of a healer hidden in a valley between two mountains. It was a treacherous place protected by a dragon.”

I gasped, and Kel smiled widely at my reaction. Velia was said to be protected by a dragon in folklore, although I can attest to the fact that in all my years I had never seen one.

“There in the valley was something very rare, a healer bloodline. A beautiful woman named Isadora with almond-shaped eyes and skin as creamy as milk. She brought the king back from the edge of death. He demanded she accompany him on his journeys, and she scoffed at his impudence. The once-kind Alaric had grown cold. When she refused him, he left angry, but he was unwilling to force her from her home. And try as he might, he couldn’t stop thinking of her.

“When he eventually returned to tell her of this, he begged her to come with him and she agreed. Love came easily for them. Isadora softened Alaric and settled his mind. He refocused on his people and began rebuilding and reinforcing his kingdom. He ended his searches for Kieran but kept the price on his head in hope that someone would be able to do what he had not.

“Farran successfully hid the amulet somewhere no one would ever find it, but it came at a price. An enchantment that was meant to keep him from changing into his tiger was the payment.” He looked at the council with a mischievous grin. The older members of the group were sitting on the edge of their seats.

“The agreement was a riddle of words, from one trickster to another. Farran outsmarted her, and she was delighted. Instead of never being able to change forms, he could never change at all. Frozen in time at twenty-five, powers completely intact.” There was a collective gasp. I was missing something that was right in front of me.

“Farran returned to the kingdom in time for the birth of his niece.” He looked at me and my heart sped rapidly.

“She was a beauty with dark hair and icy blue eyes a bit rounder than the shape of almonds, with skin the color of milk. Even from birth her power was evident and pure, drawing all near. All who saw her felt the need to protect her, and King Alaric used that to his favor. The guards gladly took blood oaths, swearing to protect her. She was so well cared for and watched by all that the people became comfortable with the toddler roaming the palace alone. Everyone and no one watching at once.” He tsked, and I was the one on the edge of my seat now.

“When she inadvertently found the entrance of a tunnel that lead to the forest outside the city, no one saw her slip behind the wall before it shut. Everyone in the city searched high and low for the girl, and when they found her doll in the tunnel, a search of the forest began. It wasn’t long before a young boy came walking through the forest holding the girl. He handed her to a guard and turned to walk away, but the guards brought him to the palace.

“The boy didn’t speak, but his eyes were ever watchful. The girl was unharmed, and Isadora thanked the boy profusely while trying to draw him into conversation. When Alaric talked to the boy alone, he told the king that he was an orphan lost in the forest. He saw the girl and wanted to bring her back to the city. The forest was no place for a child, he said. The king felt a fondness toward the boy, whose eyes looked much sharper than any child’s had a right to be. He soon realized the boy was very smart and very quick to learn, much like he had been.

“He took him on as a sort of apprentice, teaching him hand-to-hand combat as well as sword fighting. Though Alaric knew the boy possessed some sort of magic, he never used it. He sat in on strategy meetings and often held solutions to problems the king hadn’t even seen. He knew the boy was more than he appeared.” His eyes flicked to Rowan, and mine followed. He certainly seemed to be more than he appeared to me. When our eyes met, I blushed, looking away.

“When whispers of sightings of Kieran started once more, the king restarted his search for him in earnest. Shuni and Conduits were disappearing in droves, and the people were panicking. Alaric offered shelter to all he could, banding them together as the start of what we have here in Alaris today. He and Isadora organized for the children to be taught and trained and for the older teens starting adulthood to have the option of training with the guard. The people had never felt safer than with the wall up around them and the opportunities to learn and train to protect all that they had.

“Alaric’s guards caught a rebel band trying to break into the tunnels of the palace and discovered a plot to steal his child. He instructed Farran to take Isadora, their child, and the boy into hiding. The boy agreed to take a blood oath to protect the girl at all costs, as the king’s final line of defense. Farran hid them in a cottage in the forest and warded it from sight, but he returned to the city at Isadora’s command when they heard of an attack on the palace.

“That night the forest began to burn. It was an unnatural fire, consuming all in its path with a single-minded purpose that was fueled by blood magic. The cottage caught fire, and when they escaped the flames, a woman was waiting. Isadora told the boy to take her daughter and run; she sacrificed her life to save them. That very same night, Kieran killed Alaric using the staff during the battle at the palace, using unnatural power that radiated evil. It knocked everyone to their knees with the sheer force it expelled. Kieran was mad with power, and Farran stole the staff from his brother’s hand as he stood over Alaric’s dead body in victory and then disappeared.

“Farran returned to the forest and found the boy and the child hiding up in the canopy of trees. He told the boy to go back to the palace. Kieran had fled, and the people had retaken it and were trying to pick up the pieces. They needed the boy’s knowledge and guidance. The boy refused to let Farran take the child. He was blood-bound to protect her. He wanted to go with her.

“When Farran refused to allow the boy to come, he shifted into a young lion. His limbs were lanky, his mane patchy, but his eyes were fierce . . . he was yet to grow into the magnificent being he would surely become. Farran had never seen a lion Shuni. The line was supposed to have been destroyed more than a century before. When the girl saw the lion, she clapped and laughed, reaching her hands toward it with glee. The boy returned to his human form, angry that the girl hadn’t been afraid. Farran used that to his advantage and swore to the boy that he would take her somewhere she would not be found until the time was right. He told him to return with news of their deaths to keep them safe. The boy agreed that it was the best plan.

“Farran took the girl and left her in the protection of the twelve monks of the mountain, placing a block on her powers and a ward around the valley where she remained until she showed up at my cottage, escorted by the boy yesterday evening.” Kel finished with a clap of his hands, having brought the long story full circle. My mouth was hanging open, and my eyes felt as if they were about to pop out of my head. I could feel the blood rushing to my brain. Surely I wasn’t going to faint? My eyesight started to dim.

“Head between your knees,” Rowan barked, and I complied, taking deep breaths. I needed to process all the information I was just given. Over two generations had been covered by his tale and his abrupt ending left my head spinning as his story merged with my reality. Details, I needed to focus on each detail. I took deep, steadying breaths.

“You’re my uncle?” I looked up at Kel warily.

“That is true.” He smiled.

“Why did you give me a fake name?” I asked angrily.

“Onkel . . . Uncle . . . it was a shameless pun to be sure, but I couldn’t resist, and I didn’t want to spoil the story. Look at you! Ha! It was so worth it!” He laughed as if it were obvious all along.

“And you are the boy.” I looked at Rowan, and he nodded, face unreadable.

“And I am the girl,” I said slowly, and Briony laughed. I had forgotten she was even here.

“Yes. You are Princess Vivienne Cosette Reinhold of Alaris,” Mauve barked loudly, her patience clearly diminishing. I blinked slowly.

“Maybe she needs time? We had much more time knowing she was still alive, and I still can’t believe it,” Dahlia suggested with humor in her eyes.

“Yes, I suppose you are correct. Briony, take her to her room and help her get cleaned up. The feast is being prepared as we speak,” Zoran said kindly. I flinched when Briony put her arm around me. I still wasn’t used to being touched so easily and so often. Especially by someone I didn’t know. She let go, putting her hands up as if in surrender.

“Sorry,” I said crossing my arms.

“No problem,” she replied, giving me an odd look before walking in front of me. I glanced back to see Rowan was gone and Kel—or should I say Farran—was waving with a smile. Farran, my uncle. This was going to take some getting used to.

Briony led me up the right side of the grand staircase, and I followed without seeing, trying to collect the facts in my mind. I was a princess. I had an evil uncle who wanted to kill me and another who didn’t age, and we all could turn into tigers. Ha! Just thinking it sounded insane. Still no parents, though . . . but at least I knew who they were now. My mother and father may have been royalty, but even more important than that is that they were good. My parents were good people.

I looked at the pictures lining the hall that must have been my ancestors. It was odd to feel like I should know them when I didn’t. Crown moldings fitted to the ceilings and the floors were shiny marble. Everywhere I looked in this palace was covered in intricate detail.