PROLOGUE
In the darkness, he felt Siah stir, and Severn was awakened from a deep sleep. No Siah, not enough time has passed. Please go back to sleep, he implored her.
For Severn, enough time to heal his wounds would never pass. He was content to rest within the safe abyss of his mind, forever if need be. In sleep, he could pretend the horrors of their past were just nightmares. Yes, it was best they stay asleep, but Siah persisted, and soon other voices joined hers, some in agreement, some only angry at being awakened.
Stubbornly, Severn blocked them all, determined to return to his slumber, but Siah refused to be ignored. Her thoughts stabbed his mind like human spears, bringing back painful memories. Yes, my love, of course I remember what you have sacrificed, he assured her. You are right, it is my responsibility.
From the bottom of his soul, Severn heaved a great sigh. One could only hide from the past for so long. In the darkness, for the first time in a long time, his large amber eyes opened, their vertical pupils adjusting to the inky black.
CHAPTER 1
For Kael of Renwick, it was to be a morning of many feelings. As he ran freely through the valleys of his father’s land, the rising sun warmed his back, fresh grass crunched beneath his boots. A smile spread across his face, but it fell away swiftly as the ground suddenly rose up to meet him. Grass and dirt now filled his nostrils. Sneezing, Kael sat up. Studying the area around him, he frowned. Kael would have sworn he had been tripped. Approaching footsteps thudded behind him. Cursing, Kael tried to quickly pick himself up, but felt his brother’s hands land on his shoulders, pushing him down again. Keaton leapt over him before sprinting off, laughing his irritating maniacal laugh.
He looked back at Kael long enough to yell, “Lucky for me twins aren’t identical in every way!” and threw a rock back in his brother’s direction.
Dodging it, Kael now felt annoyed. He needed to catch up to his brother or he would have to listen to Keaton gloat for the rest of the day, his twin was insufferable when he won! Determined to make a strong last attempt, Kael found his legs and jumped up. Taking off at a full run, he soon forgot about his inopportune tumble. Keaton and Kael loved to race. This was a rare time they were able to spend on their own without having to be watched over. Their father hadn’t been letting them out lately. “Trouble brewing,” Lord Graydon would say as an explanation and leave it at that. Their father was a man of very few words, which was probably for the best since most often his words weren’t kind. While Keaton had grown bored and taken to pulling pranks on the staff, Kael didn’t mind the time at home so much. It gave him a chance to train with his horse, practice his archery and have time away from Keaton. He got along with Keaton, mostly, but he sensed distance growing between them lately. Since birth they had been inseparable, but at age fourteen they were beginning to differ in interests. After having just been knocked to the ground, they were starting to differ in maturity as well. Before entering the forest trail, Kael inexplicably came to a halt. Far ahead, Keaton whooped like a mad man. The wind rushed by forcefully, bending the treetops, their branches complaining. Leaves rustled loudly nearby, and the back of Kael’s neck prickled. For a moment, the path pulsed with his heartbeat. Then everything stilled. Cautiously, Kael stepped onto the path. Shaking off his apprehensions, he picked up a jog. His chances of catching up had shrunk significantly and not wanting to take another fall, he slowed down. Scanning the trail ahead for potential hazards, Kael caught movement among a cluster of bushes. Now walking, he stared hard at them as the swaying continued. Only animals large enough to do him harm could make bushes move like that.
The rippling along the shrubbery’s edge suddenly ceased and along with it, Kael’s breath. He stopped and focused on a darkened area where he was sure he had seen something shift. Gradually, a slight shadow emerged between the leaves. The forest was quiet. Kael watched the shadow for so long; with no further movement, that he began to feel a little ridiculous. He started to chuckle but choked it back when the shadow turned to him. Kael stood frozen in place, eyes wide, as a rustling began moving towards him. He opened his mouth, but no sound would come out. From what seemed like miles away, Keaton called, asking him if he had given up.
“Keaton. Keaton!!!” Kael tried to shout but it was only a strangled whisper. The appearance of black, shiny eyes peering through the leaves, broke this hold over him. Shrieking like a little boy, he ran wildly down the rest of the trail, desperate to find his brother. Snapping noises behind him told Kael he was being pursued so he pushed on. There! There he was!
Kael could see Keaton by the road with his back turned to him, he was looking up at something. Kael panicked! Had the creature made it to the road before him? Would it now eat his brother? A small part of him hoped that it might at least take a bite- Keaton deserved it! Mind and heart racing, Kael ran to Keaton’s side and with his stomach churning, he saw it wasn’t a creature that his brother was looking up at. No, to Kael, it was something worse. Setting aside that he had just been chased by a monster, Kael struggled to appear calm and arrange his face into a nonchalant smile. For there on the road, seated upon his stunning midnight black stallion, was Bladen. The proper, the polished, his own long, black hair shining in the sun; Bladen of Arrington.
Inwardly Kael seethed; Bladen was his rival for the attention of Lord Raine’s daughter, the lovely Letana. He was also Keaton’s best friend. What bothered him about Bladen was he was hard for Kael to dislike. He was genuinely a good person, and Kael felt guilty for resenting him. Still, Kael’s eyes narrowed, he would need to be on his toes when dealing with Bladen, he was quite charming.
Seeing Kael’s pale face and shaken demeanor caused Keaton concern. Eyebrows knitted together; he looked past Kael into the forest but saw nothing. Recognizing this wasn’t the time to address it, he decided to make light of the situation, which is usually what Keaton did. He would, of course barrage Kael with questions later.
For now, Keaton grinned as he watched Kael greet Bladen awkwardly. He knew of his brother’s feelings for Letana, and that Kael became irritated whenever Bladen was around. Keaton spoke to his friend. “Bladen, you recall my older brother Kael? He came out of the womb first, you know; that makes him the older one,” he said in his most serious tone.
Kael pressed his lips together, vexed; Keaton always had to tell people this and of course Bladen knew him! Keaton ignored Kael, which was another thing he usually did. The brothers were fraternal twins and while they looked much alike, Keaton had a mind of his own. It was dumb having a rivalry over a girl. Even for the lovely Letana, which is what the entire kingdom of Ryk seemed to call her. Keaton determined he had better things to do than pursue girls. Before taking on duties from their father, Keaton had plans. He wanted adventure, to fight and to see the four corners of Ryk. Basically, he wanted to muck about for as long as possible before being forced into a lifetime of responsibilities. Keaton watched these lords as they got older. They grew grumpy and bitter, like their father.
Kael was the opposite, he wanted to get married. Kael had skills with the sword, even more with a bow, but these weren’t priorities. Winning Letana was. Since Kael had first seen her at a joust when they were twelve, she had never been far from Kael’s thoughts- or Keaton’s ears. Looking at Kael and Bladen now, Keaton held back a chuckle. That was an awful grimace Kael was making.
