Kolvin Hayes always knew he was destined for a greater purpose. He believed that at a moment’s notice, life could change in monumental ways. In the meantime, he walked the halls of North Anchorage High School as a fairly typical freckle-faced fifteen-year-old sophomore with fairly typical goals for his age. Little does Kolvin know, he’s been rubbing shoulders almost daily with the very people who would bring about those life-altering experiences he was anticipating. A collision of their worlds results in mind-blowing revelations, setting Kolvin on a new and exciting trajectory toward his calling as a champion. Foreign inhabitants who call Earth their temporary home enlist Kolvin’s help to revive their community and fend off danger that their presence unknowingly brought. Unforeseen events take Kolvin to parts of the Earth he’s never seen and unlock answers to questions he’s held about life in the universe. Within these daring adventures, he goes through drastic physical and mental changes and faces inward and outward challenges. One question remains: Can Kolvin integrate the only reality he’s ever known with the Earth-defying journey that lies ahead to fulfill the duties and responsibilities he’s called into?
Kolvin Hayes always knew he was destined for a greater purpose. He believed that at a moment’s notice, life could change in monumental ways. In the meantime, he walked the halls of North Anchorage High School as a fairly typical freckle-faced fifteen-year-old sophomore with fairly typical goals for his age. Little does Kolvin know, he’s been rubbing shoulders almost daily with the very people who would bring about those life-altering experiences he was anticipating. A collision of their worlds results in mind-blowing revelations, setting Kolvin on a new and exciting trajectory toward his calling as a champion. Foreign inhabitants who call Earth their temporary home enlist Kolvin’s help to revive their community and fend off danger that their presence unknowingly brought. Unforeseen events take Kolvin to parts of the Earth he’s never seen and unlock answers to questions he’s held about life in the universe. Within these daring adventures, he goes through drastic physical and mental changes and faces inward and outward challenges. One question remains: Can Kolvin integrate the only reality he’s ever known with the Earth-defying journey that lies ahead to fulfill the duties and responsibilities he’s called into?
The crowds had gathered all around the Mevarian castle in anxious anticipation of the news. Their soft, excited chatter filled the air. Some were verbally casting their ballots to each other of what they thought the next royal baby’s gender would be. Every person in the crowd was intent on being the first to spot the colored smoke pour out from the castle’s chimney. Many young children had found comfortable seated positions on the shoulders of their parents. A few who hadn’t been boosted up were running circles around their family members, trying to kill the boredom of waiting patiently.
The majestic sound of the bells sliced through the crisp morning air to announce that the queen had given birth once again. Movement in the crowd halted, and all eyes became fixated toward the sky. Pink smoke billowed from the chimney, letting the land of Mevar know that the new child was indeed a girl. One of the women initiated the cheering as she pointed up at the smoke and excitedly exclaimed, “It’s a girl! She’s here!”
More celebratory interjections and joyous phrases popcorned throughout the crowd, sometimes rising above the thunderous applause.
“A princess is born!”
“Bless the king and queen!”
“Alistair has a sister!”
Inside the room of the castle where the baby had just been delivered, the doctor bundled up the crying newborn and placed her in the queen’s arms.
“Congratulations, Your Highness, she’s a beautiful baby girl.”
Vivienne, the queen, let tears of happiness trickle down her face as she cradled her second child. The king kneeled next to his wife and tenderly kissed his new daughter on the forehead. He then turned to the doctor and said, “Please bring in our son so he can meet his sister.”
The doctor politely bowed before the royal couple and exited the room.
“Isn’t she perfect?” Vivienne cooed over the little bundle in her lap.
Galivan, the king, nodded and smiled proudly in agreement. The doctor returned with Alistair. The little boy was barely able to contain his excitement. He had obviously been looking forward to the moment when he’d get to meet his tiny sibling. The doctor left the room to give the family some alone time. Galivan picked up his son and set him on his lap so he could get a closer look at the baby. At the very moment big brother leaned in to peer at her, she stretched out a pale, slender arm as if she wanted to greet him.
Galivan smiled and chuckled. “Look at that! She’s reaching out to you, son.”
The little boy then started to ask questions, which was expected from a three-year-old. “Can she talk yet?”
“No, it’ll be a while before she learns to speak, just like it took you some time after you were born,” answered his mother kindly.
“When can she play with me?”
“She’ll grow tall and strong just like you, and you two will have so much fun together. Just have patience.”
Showing his ample amount of patience, Alistair reached out his wooden toy train that he had brought with him, and he started rolling it up his sister’s arm. Their mother, in her quiet disciplinarian manner, corrected the boy by telling him to be gentle with the baby, while their father kindly took away the toy for safekeeping. Vivienne then looked down at the baby’s porcelain arm, and a very puzzled look spread across her face. She urgently requested her husband’s attention.
“Galivan … look at this.”
“What is it?” he asked as he drew in closer.
“There’s something strange on her arm,” she said, pointing to it.
A small splinter from the wooden toy must have snagged the child’s delicate skin. A small pool of golden substance was oozing from the small cut on her arm. As they continued to stare at it, the small cut healed and the substance was gone. Unsure of what they had both just witnessed, the king and queen looked at one another and shared a surprised, yet confused, look.
Meanwhile, the little boy said, “Cool!” with much enthusiasm.
“What was that?” Vivienne asked as she tenderly touched the place on her daughter’s arm where the cut had just magically vanished.
“I have no idea. Whatever it was, it just healed on its own.” Galivan paused for a few seconds to think. “Should we ask the doctor about it? Perhaps he has seen something of the sort happen before.”
“I suppose, but if he hasn’t seen anything like that before then he’s going to think we’re absolutely nutty.”
He hesitated but then shrugged. “Well, I have no explanations, so I’ll summon him.”
The king left the room briefly and returned with the doctor. They approached the queen’s bedside before he began to detail what they had just seen. When the king had finished his explanation, the doctor looked slightly concerned like maybe his highness had fallen off his rocker. Or was delirious from lack of sleep.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness, but I have seen nothing of the sort,” admitted the doctor. “I wish I had an answer for you. However, I’m willing to take a thorough look to see if I can detect anything unusual in her vitals.”
Both of the newborn’s parents indicated that they would appreciate that, so the doctor took some time to perform an examination of the child. In the meantime, Alistair had found a place on the floor to happily play with his toy train (making all the important choo-choo sounds). Unfortunately, the doctor had no such luck in finding any abnormalities to help them understand what had happened. He informed the royal couple that everything checked out well, and he, too, was baffled by the mentioned incident. Galivan thanked the doctor for his efforts, although disappointment was evident in his tone of voice. The doctor was dismissed, and it was time for the parents to decide on a name for their daughter. After a brief discussion, they arrived at a meaningful name to grace her with.
Following their agreement on a name, the king obliged to the ceremonial act of publicly introducing the kingdom’s latest addition. He carefully wrapped up his baby girl and took her to the balcony at the front of the castle. Slowly walking out with his precious bundle, Galivan carefully showcased the child to satisfy the impatient crowds below. The people cheered boisterously at the sight of the royal daughter. They were thrilled as well to get a glimpse of their endearing king.
The horn blew to quiet everyone for the announcement of the child’s name. Once a hush had settled across the people, King Galivan spoke loudly and clearly.
“This is Aurelia, of Mevar.”
Immediately, everyone returned to their former cheering and chatter; ladies’ heads were turning toward each other to voice their opinions on the name.
The applause in the air didn’t stop there by any means. Another child born to the royal family was a monumental moment for the land of Mevar. Towns near and far were abuzz about the day’s breaking news. Restaurants and town shops displayed congratulatory signs and words in their front windows and message boards outside their entrances. Brunch hour at many places even included pastries with pink cream filling, soft lavender frothed teas, and a variety of desserts labeled with It’s a girl!
- -
The king and queen of Mevar were very protective of their little girl as she grew. They would never forget the intriguing incident early on that had revealed Princess Aurelia’s unusually colored blood. Outwardly and developmentally, she was a completely normal little girl, growing and behaving quite typically in comparison to other girls her age. Galivan and Vivienne had ordered additional tests from trusted doctors within the kingdom over the next several years, but nothing alarming was discovered. While they were glad nothing unusual was ever found, they were also quite curious. They felt the need to keep what they had witnessed a secret to protect their daughter and their family as a whole — not only from their own kingdom of Mevar but from the surrounding kingdoms as well. They weren’t so much at odds with Lampor as they were with Bredane, but, even so, the last thing they wanted was for their neighbors to have knowledge of this sensitive information that could be used against them.
Aurelia’s parents felt it was necessary to watch her very dutifully in her first years of life. They erred on the side of caution and became concerned with the slightest chance of an incident that would draw her blood to the surface. And if they couldn’t personally fulfill this watchful duty (as her older brother wasn’t of age to help yet), they would call on a team of doting women, telling them that they needed some extra help from a caretaker around the clock. It was seldom that Aurelia was let out into the public eye, but on the rare occasion of an outing, they made sure that she was dressed in a way that would expose the least possible amount of skin.
Even with their overly cautious habits of guarding Aurelia’s secret, they were unable to avoid the unfortunate event that happened on her fifth birthday. Since others were unaware of her peculiar condition, she often received gifts that were unfit for her. Her parents were usually able to intercept these gifts or offer her alternatives in place of those with possible danger.
Aurelia’s fifth birthday party was a spectacular yet intimate gathering at the castle. She received many gifts that were considered “safe.” Among them were a new dollhouse, several books, puzzles, and other items that would provide quiet indoor activities. Then there were a few presents that were questionable, one of them being the gift from her Uncle Casimir. Upon seeing it, Aurelia desperately wanted to try it out. It was her first bicycle, and a little girl’s dream bicycle at that: light pink, training wheels, a little white basket on the front, colorful tassels hanging from the handlebars, and even a horn. It was love at first sight, and she pled with her parents for just one ride. Initially, they told her she could give it a whirl after all the guests had left, but the small princess gave a mighty fuss, causing her uncle to hear and chime in that she should get to try it out right away. So, her parents went and privately discussed the potential dangers of allowing her to try it out and ultimately decided that they couldn’t deny their five-year-old a ride on her new bicycle. They had a quiet talk with her about all the things she needed to be careful of while they were suiting her up in all sorts of safety equipment.
Complete with a matching pink helmet atop her head of golden curls, Aurelia was wheeled by her father onto the sidewalk and let go on her own just a little way. Slowly but surely the determined little girl pedaled away, staying on the cobblestone path that led to the entrance gate. Making it safely to the end of the drive, she turned around and headed back to the group of cheering guests expecting her return. Getting close and wanting to show off for the crowd, she lifted an arm and waved vigorously, grinning from ear to ear with pride that she was doing it all on her own. Distracted from keeping her bike steady on the uneven cobblestones and not having both hands securely on the handlebars, she was unprepared for when a wheel caught. It startled her and she lost control, tumbling ungracefully to the ground. Her parents rushed to her rescue with a (seemingly) concerned Casimir following close behind.
While her father picked up the bike, her mother bent down to where their daughter had crumpled, and she looked over each of Aurelia’s limbs to check for any cuts. Luckily, she had been adequately padded down, resulting in no harm. Galivan tried to tell his brother that she was fine and that he could head back to the others, but that’s when Aurelia lifted her head and Casimir noticed the small cut on her lip that was oozing gold, not red. Noticing at the same time, Vivienne quickly reached to wipe the golden substance from her little girl’s lip when it vanished, healing the cut. There were a few silent glances among the three adults, each one paralyzed in this peculiar moment. Aurelia, of course not knowing what the looks meant, broke the silence and sweetly apologized. Then she asked if she could try riding the bicycle again. These words got the attention of her mother, who picked her up and carried her into the castle, leaving Galivan to handle his brother and the other birthday party guests.
Once inside, Vivienne gingerly took the elbow pads, kneepads, and helmet off her daughter. She conducted another scan for any other injuries she may have missed seeing earlier.
“Mama, what’s wrong?” Aurelia asked.
“I just want to make sure you’re okay after your fall, dearest,” Vivienne responded.
“I’m okay, Mama, I promise. I don’t really feel like I get hurt when I fall. My body just heals itself.”
“Oh really?” Her mother controlled her voice so she didn’t reveal her strong reaction of surprise at Aurelia’s statement.
“Yes, Mama,” continued the small child. “One time when that nice lady was watching me, I was reaching for my dolly. I accidentally bumped a lamp, and it scratched my hand when it fell. I saw a little blood … but then it healed right up!” She looked down at her hand and then animatedly showed her mom in true five-year-old fashion how she was okay.
“I’m so glad your hurt went away quickly,” Vivienne went along with the child’s excitement of this novelty. Then she asked, “Did the nice lady see it happen too?”
“I don’t know.” Aurelia shrugged.
Her mom hugged her and took her to a playroom. One of the princess’s caretakers entered the room and asked if she could be of assistance. Vivienne replied that her help wouldn’t be necessary and expressed that she would be staying with her daughter for some time. Before long, Galivan and Alistair entered the playroom to check in with the women in their family. Vivienne hopped up and beckoned her husband to follow her to a separate area for a private conversation while the children played.
“Aurelia knows,” Vivienne whispered urgently to Galivan.
“She does? From what happened just now on the bicycle?” Galivan was curious to know more.
“From an unreported incident here when she was being watched by one of her caretakers.”
“Oh, I see.” Galivan’s eyebrows furled. “Who was the caretaker? Did she see it?”
“Aurelia says a lamp fell and scratched her hand on the way down but doesn’t remember who was with her or if she saw it.”
“But Aurelia saw her scratch heal on its own?”
“Yes. And she said she doesn’t really feel like she gets hurt because her body just heals itself.”
Galivan paused to ponder, as if to try to find a missing memory in his brain. “How could we have missed this?”
“We need to talk to the caretakers to find out what they know but without revealing what we know.” Vivienne sounded worried and puzzled. “How are we supposed to do that?”
“I’m not sure. Don’t they keep a logbook of who takes care of Aurelia when?”
“They do, but there’s no way to tell when this happened unless it’s recorded. It could’ve been yesterday, six months ago, or even a year ago. We can’t rely on a five-year-old child’s recollection of time.”
“I suppose the logbook would be the place to start. And if it’s not recorded, then maybe we need to have an honest and open discussion with the team of caretakers about Aurelia’s condition. Then we can have them to sign a nondisclosure form that prevents them from sharing this sensitive information with others.”
“That seems wise,” Vivienne agreed. “Did you send the guests home?”
“I did. Everyone sent their departing well wishes with me to relay to you and Aurelia.” Galivan smiled while sharing the message. Then his smile faded as he remembered the most recent issue. “Now, the next question is what do we do about my brother?”
“I can’t believe Casimir was right there at that moment to see that. Seriously, of all the timing! And I don’t know if I can forgive myself for agreeing to let Aurelia ride her bicycle with all those people around. They all could’ve seen!”
“Don’t blame yourself, love. We made a choice at the time that we thought was the right thing to do. Our baby girl wanted to try out her brand-new toy, and we wanted to honor that wish. How were we to know exactly how it would play out?”
Vivienne sighed and came in for a gentle embrace with Galivan.
“I’ll talk to Casimir,” he reassured his wife, although they both knew there was more discouragement than reassurance to result from Casimir’s newfound knowledge of his niece’s secret.
“Thank you, and I’ll follow up with the caretakers. But before we part ways, I think we should tell Alistair. If we don’t tell him, someone else may. It’s even possible that his sister has already shared the secret with him without us knowing.”
“That seems best,” Galivan agreed. “Let’s go talk with our children; that way, we’re all on the same page.”
They departed from their private conversation and reunited with their children in the playroom. After a successful discussion in which the royal family members spoke candidly of the princess’s condition to enlighten Alistair, Galivan left to make his way to his personal office, where he would request a meeting with his brother.
On the walk through the winding corridors of Mevar castle, Galivan let possible conversational points with his brother drift through his mind. Knowing that Casimir had seen it all, Galivan questioned within himself how the impending talk would go. Both the king and queen knew of Casimir’s tendencies to be short-tempered, greedy, and predictably unpredictable. Beyond that, they were aware he had a deep-rooted jealousy of his older brother for occupying the throne. As Galivan was approaching the door to his office, he hastily addressed his most loyal servant and chamber keeper, Hurmeitry, who was standing ready nearby.
“Hurmeitry, please bring Casimir at once for a meeting with me.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Hurmeitry jumped on the task immediately.
Galivan entered his office, shuffled a few papers around on his desk, and then found a place to pace in front of the large picture window overlooking the cobblestone path where Aurelia had lost her balance on her bike not long ago. While going over the event in his mind, Galivan heard a knock at his door.
“Come in,” he invited.
Hurmeitry opened the door and announced Casimir’s entrance to his king.
“Please, join me, Casimir.” Galivan beckoned him over to where he was standing at the window. “Thank you, Hurmeitry. We’ll have the room privately, please.”
Sometimes Hurmeitry was asked to stay, and sometimes he was asked to wait outside. The king’s request depended on the company and nature of the meeting.
Obviously, this conversation with his brother would hold information the king wished for no one else to overhear. Hurmeitry left the room with another obedient, “Yes, Your Highness.”
Once alone, Casimir sauntered over to his brother and asked in a seemingly innocent way, “What is it that you’d like to discuss?”
“I think you already know.” Galivan didn’t give any credit to his sly brother’s supposed ignorance. He turned to look again out the window, drawing Casimir’s attention to the cobblestone path down below. “We’re aware that you saw something peculiar today at our daughter’s birthday party.”
“Ah, yes. Quite interesting indeed. It makes sense now why you and Vivienne have been overprotective of Princess Aurelia. I’m very sorry to be the one to gift her the bicycle, the item that caused her little spill today. Is she okay?”
Casimir’s words came out correctly but his apology and concern for the child lacked the sincerity that would normally be detected in the tone of one who genuinely cared.
“She’s fine.” Galivan picked up on the falsity in his brother’s message and responded somewhat defensively. He continued, giving limited information about his daughter, only what he deemed necessary for Casimir to pair to what he had seen. “As you witnessed today, Aurelia has an extraordinary blood condition. This has been true since she was born, and we haven’t any answers for why it is.” The king welled up with protective father syndrome and kept his eyes as set as stone on his brother as he concluded, “This doesn’t leave this room, Casimir. Her golden blood is private family knowledge to be sealed within these walls. Don’t mention this to anyone else. Is this understood?”
“Of course.” He held his end of the uncomfortable eye lock. “Your Highness.”
Galivan knew his younger brother well enough to know he spoke in a mocking way even though others could be easily fooled by his act.
“You know, Galivan, something that special isn’t intended to be hidden, though. Imagine how you could help the people of your kingdom should you choose to explore the blood’s healing properties.”
Galivan entertained the idea just to see where Casimir was going with his comments. “How would it help them?”
“You know what happened in Bredane. It would be terrible if ever a deadly, incurable disease were to spread through our land and our leader didn’t do all he could to help. You’d be ridiculed if people found out that their beloved King Galivan of Mevar rigidly sat on the one solution to saving them.”
Galivan understood where Casimir was coming from, but that didn’t make his words any less threatening. Galivan was aware of the troubles of illness and unrest in Bredane. However, the two kingdoms were at such odds with each other that King Galivan had drawn a strict boundary around his land to keep his people safe inside and the rampaging disease outside. He had done all he could to keep the enemy out, avoid war, and keep peace within Mevar. Now, his own brother was overlooking all the good Galivan had done and was instead warning him against a widespread, deathly problem that seemed unlikely under his wise rule and control.
“That’s not likely to happen here. I’ve put strict measures in place to make sure our people aren’t affected by Bredane’s issues. Also, I remain on good terms with the leaders in Lampor and still have support there should something unforeseeable happen. You don’t need to worry that the worst will happen. We’re safe and prepared.”
Casimir oddly stated, “It’d be a shame if a king as good as you were dethroned.” Again, right words but strange inflection. He turned to head out of the room and added, “But it’s your move.”
Galivan watched as his brother exited the room and knew what had been implied in the lingering parting statement. When they were younger, they would often play a game together called Trimeechi. It was a two-player game that involved a triangular board and eight pieces each, consisting of a king, queen, prince, princess, and four loyal subjects. The goal was to move the king successfully through the three battle zones to reach the goal at the top and wear the “crown” of all three kingdoms. By the luck of the roll of dice in the battle zones, one player would get to send the other’s piece to the dungeon at the bottom point of the board. From there, the player who lost a piece would have to decide whether to sacrifice another piece to “save” the imprisoned.
Galivan assumed Casimir had just communicated his harbored intentions of “capturing the princess” and somehow crowning himself King of Everything.
After Casimir’s exit, Galivan went to talk with his wife again. He shared everything with her: the conversation with his brother, the threatening and insincere language, and his own worries that had come from their exchange. The royal couple put their heads together to figure out next steps. With his brother’s words still reverberating in his head, Galivan knew it was “his move” to continue to protect Aurelia by any means necessary. Neither he nor his wife felt their daughter was safe, but they wanted to provide her with a life that was mostly normal. Instead of just locking her up in a fabled dungeon, they came to the conclusion that they would build a separate comfortable abode for her, like a castle within the castle.
Within a short amount of time, the inner courtyard was transformed into Aurelia’s own private living quarters. It had full, large windows in the ceiling and a plentiful number of amenities and space. It was a place where she could still see the sunshine and go about her daily indoor activities just as she had before. The only difference was that she wasn’t allowed visitors from outside the castle, and she was protected around the clock by means of extensive security. It was designed in a way that would make it impossible for any intruder or unwanted visitor to see her or come near her.
Without the ability to have much socialization with others outside of her family members and servants, Aurelia sunk herself into many hobbies and interests as she grew up. Among these was singing and playing musical instruments. Her singing was so incredibly gorgeous that it would attract birds of the air to come and land on the tree branches overlooking her picture windows. She had a natural talent that she continued to build upon. Although she had become a skilled musician and excelled at playing a variety of instruments, her favorite of all was the harp. Never had there been music so beautiful and intoxicating as when she would sing along to the soft plucking of her harp.
Once quite a bit of time had passed that no one outside the castle walls had seen the princess for a while, rumor spread through Mevar that she was no longer living due to a tragic accident.
- -
A full decade had passed since Casimir had discovered Aurelia’s secret. In that amount of time, there was an ugly turn of events. The leaders of Bredane had reached out to Lampor in a plea of desperation. Their civilization teetered on the edge of survival, so they entered into a treaty with the Lamporians to gain access to their help and resources. Unfortunately, while providing aid to the Bredanians, the people of Lampor became stricken with the same deadly illness. Both sectors tried to reach out numerous times to the leaders of Mevar, imploring them to take down their barriers and join them in the fight. After several failed attempts in contacting the Mevarians, King Galivan, Queen Vivienne, and the upper court of officials finally declared they would offer the assistance of their most brilliant scientists. The world was in peril as the disease spread through two thirds of it — how could Mevar stay stagnant and not be willing to at least try to prevent more from perishing?
In the valiant effort to put aside differences and do their part, the land of Mevar also contracted the devastating illness that swept through their third. A pandemic of a novel virus had never rattled the Mevarian kingdom before. Their civilization was quite overwhelmed and afraid. They tried to respond as fast as possible to get on top of the new threat and protect their own.
Through those ten years, Casimir’s craving for power greatly increased, and he became an uncontrollable threat. For the most part, he had stayed in the background, quietly stewing in bitterness. However, he found this to be an opportune time to reassure the people that the princess was alive and well and unleash the secret of her golden blood. He had never forgotten what he had seen that day when she’d crashed on her bicycle and the revelation from his brother that followed. Casimir thought perhaps Aurelia was the answer to healing many dying people.
While his intentions of saving people from this disease seemed honorable, his true intentions were only for himself. He thought that he would be able to gain the approval and trust of the people of the land and they would want to dethrone his brother and crown him king instead. By revealing the once-unknown fact of the princess’s golden blood, Galivan’s despicable brother caused a massive uproar among the people. Under less dire circumstances, others may have scrupulously questioned Casimir’s claim to his niece’s whereabouts and supposed secret. But, as the population saw their family members suffer and die, they became desperate to find a way to stop the awful disease. They clung to any piece of hope offered, even if it sounded outlandish.
Angry mobs of grieving citizens gathered at the Mevarian castle demanding to know the truth:
Was Princess Aurelia alive?
Was there a way to stop the incurable disease?
Day after day, King Galivan would try to comfort the people and dismiss them from the castle, but it was no use. No matter how much he promised them that his most senior advisers were searching day and night to find a cure, the suffering people weren’t satisfied. Week after week, the irate crowds grew and became even more persistent in their questioning. They loudly and recklessly demanded answers and help.
Casimir continued with scheming how to get to the princess, steal some of her precious blood to heal the sick, and gain the affection of the people. His plans were to figure out the makeup of the blood and have it mass-produced so it could be distributed to everyone.
Since the royal couple knew that Aurelia’s uncle was not to be trusted, they had banned him from entering Aurelia’s quarters for fear that he would do something to harm her and jeopardize the well-being of the kingdom. Unfortunately, Casimir was too cunning and found a way in. He had been traveling about, speaking to the weary people as if he were their friend and generously offering a solution to their pain. By doing this, he had gained a loyal following that was hanging on to his every word, slowly turning them away from their institution’s leaders, who they believed hadn’t delivered proper help.
Casimir called upon two of his most loyal followers to do the dirty deed he couldn’t accomplish on his own. He carefully constructed a plan for these two strong men to overtake the guards, get past the security, and gain access to Aurelia’s private chambers. They successfully made their way in unnoticed and forcefully pinned the princess in order to draw a vial of her blood. Aurelia was helplessly left in the aftermath of the traumatic event as the two men attempted to get away and deliver the vial to their crooked leader. Much to their chagrin, one miscalculation in the plan led to their capture and the recovery of the vial.
Obviously, the head royals had one top suspect when this situation was brought to their attention. Casimir openly denied any involvement in this unspeakable mischief and then privately dealt with his frustration and disappointment that his plan had gone awry. Vivienne stayed suspicious, though, and took measures to prevent a repeat of harm to their daughter. She kept firm possession of the recovered vial and vowed to not leave Aurelia’s side.
Galivan’s team of scientists wasn’t any closer to developing a cure, and he was unwilling to use his daughter as an experiment. He greatly cared for his kingdom and its people, but he loved his family more. With his options exhausted, it was the king’s last resort to consider leaving. He had been secretly working with another group of people, er … creatures, rather. The knowledge of the existence of these little mythical creatures was passed down from ruler to ruler within Mevar. They were called miglies, and they lived beyond the bookcase that led to corridors beneath the castle. King Galivan’s dad had told him about the miglies when he was of age to be entrusted with the valuable, and nearly unbelievable, knowledge. Once his parents passed and Galivan took over the throne of Mevar, he divulged information of the miglies to his wife and his own son. Aurelia was the only one who didn’t yet know of them.
With the state of trouble up above, Galivan had been talking with the miglies extensively to try to see if they had any additional usable information. They didn’t know how to develop a cure, but they did know about astronomy. Galivan had been in contact with the migley leader of technology and space travel, Tritan. The creatures were little and appeared to be simple folk, but they had some genius brainpower in certain topics — and — an unmatchable work ethic.
Galivan had only ventured down there one time before. When he had initially decided he needed help from the miglies, he accessed the secret corridor to their inner crust dwelling. Since their first meeting, Galivan asked Tritan to visit with him up above in the king’s room. Together, they came up with ideas, drawings, plans — then Tritan would take the plans back down to his team, and they’d get to work on what had been devised.
Galivan hadn’t considered the “flight plan” until it seemed there was just no other option … it signified a lot: leaving home, leaving the kingdom, leaving his people. It’s one purpose? Survival. And even then, Galivan didn’t know if safety on the other side was guaranteed.
After extensive deliberation, the king found himself and his family to be in such a dangerous situation that circumstances required he make the decision to utilize the “flight plan” that he had developed with the miglies. He didn’t know where exactly his family would end up, but he did know that it was supposed to deliver them to a different destination. His family couldn’t even seek refuge in another sector; the other sectors were experiencing similar crises. As the uproar outside the castle walls intensified and threatened their safety, it solidified Galivan’s decision that it was the appropriate time to get out.
Galivan hurriedly penned a note and left it on his desk in a sealed envelope. Then he gathered his family members and asked for their trust in what he was about to do. They didn’t question him or hesitate — it was the four of them in it together. He asked them to each pack a small bag with essentials that they would need for a journey and then said they’d all meet back in the study.
Once they had come back together with the items they wanted to take, Galivan turned to the bookcase and began touching certain book spines in a rhythmic motion. There was a click, and a small tune played, and the large bookcase gave way to a passage on the other side. The dimly lit stone corridor was none too pleasing to the eye. It was cold and lifeless. Everyone clutched their packed bags and followed the leader. Staircase after tunnel and tunnel after winding staircase, they plunged deep below the castle until they arrived in a fairly dark and chilly room.
A little voice squeaked through the semidarkness. “Welcome, Master. Can I help you with your bag, sir?”
“Yes, please. Is that you, Tritan?” Galivan asked.
“Oh, that’s right, you up-abovers can’t see in the dark. I forget. Don’t be afraid, sirs and madams with Great King Galivan. Orgretta, hit the lights! We have visitors!”
A few dangling lights popped and flickered — it was obvious they didn’t get used much. The family’s eyes began to adjust, and they could make out the dwelling space they had entered. It was partly paved and built with materials but mixed with some exposed inner crust. Their heads almost scraped the ceiling. They could also start to see the looks of the creature who was speaking to them. And as they glanced around, they saw a lot more of them, about two to three feet in stature.
“Forgive us for our lack of manners, Your Highnesses. If we had known to expect you today, we would’ve tidied up and had the lights on!” The little fella quietly took his hat off his head and held it at his chest.
“Who are you?” Aurelia curiously asked the little creature.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I should have led with that. I’m Quado.” The pleasant creature put his hat back on his head and then placed one slightly webbed hand with four appendages onto his chest and extended the other to Aurelia. She bent down on one knee to be at the same level, and they shook. Quado then shook with the other three.
Galivan returned the warm welcome. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Quado — Triton told me about you.” Then he gestured to the others of their kind in the room. “It’s nice to meet all of you. As you already seem to know, I’m King Galivan of Mevar. And this is my lovely wife, Queen Vivienne, and our children, Prince Alistair and Princess Aurelia.” He stepped back as if to give the others a chance at a formal greeting, and as he did, there was an uproar of applause from the crowd of miniature creatures.
“It is our honor to finally meet the royal family.” Quado took a half-bow, showing reverence. “The whole migley community is thrilled by your presence as well.”
“Migley community?” Aurelia asked.
“Yes, madam, we are miglies,” Quado responded with an obvious sense of pride and delight in his species’ existence.
“How long has your kind lived down here?” Aurelia asked.
“Thousands of years, Your Highness. Our existence goes back as far as yours. We keep to ourselves, though, and never have a reason to come up to where you live. We’re content inner-crust dwellers. However, one of our ancestors was visited by one of the kings of Mevar long ago. It was at that time that the secret corridors were built.”
“What was his name?” Alistair asked.
“King Drafus.”
“He was my great-great-grandfather,” Galivan said as he got a look of nostalgia on his face thinking about stories he had heard from his parents about past generations. “Are you all doing okay down here?”
“We’re doing fine, sir! The migley community doesn’t have needs from surface dwellers. We’re content and thriving down here … We can see in the dark; our food is provided in these walls … ”
Just then, a creature very similar in stature to Quado, except female, came bustling out to greet them in a tizzy. A couple even tinier miglies that must have been their children followed her over. “I’m terribly sorry; I’ve been so rude … I was busy fixing lunch and just heard that we have company.” She took a bow, continuing to hold the kitchen pot carefully so it didn’t spill. “Can I interest you in staying and dining with us?” She took the lid off the pot and revealed something that looked like worms in barbecue sauce.
“Oh, no thank you.” Vivienne peered into the pot and politely stifled a gag as she stepped backward.
“Sorry, I wish we had time to stay and get to know you all better, but we need to be on our way.” Galivan referred to the current pressing matter up above. “You see, things are severely bad where we live, and we need to protect our family from the chaos. I’ve been working with Tritan to come up with an escape plan to use in case of such an emergency, so that’s what led us here. I don’t suppose you’d know where we could find him?”
“I’ll take you to him. Follow me!” Quado cheerfully guided the family through the dark, narrow corridors to find the migley they were searching for. As they ventured, the quaking from the mobs up above caused little pieces of earth to fall on their heads, reminding them all of the urgency of fleeing for their safety. Before long, they all entered Tritan’s place of work.
Galivan thanked their former inner-crust navigator and transitioned everyone into Tritan’s care. “Quado, it was lovely to meet you and your family. I wish you all the very best. Tritan, we’re all yours. Has your team finalized construction of the travel accommodations we designed?”
“We certainly have!” Tritan confirmed exuberantly. “Consider your Plan B now your Plan A. These beauties are ready and fully operational. In fact, we were able to make two hundred more at your request.”
Galivan walked around the spacecraft, admiring its sleek form. From the outside, it didn’t look much different from a giant, reflective marble. It was hard to even tell where the entry point into the sphere would be until Tritan opened the spacecraft’s door to show off the inside, where all the features shined.
“This is brilliant.” Alistair’s eyes were taking in every minute detail. He couldn’t help but ask, “How does it work?”
“Yeah, we eat worms,” Tritan said, “but our species is also pretty handy at engineering. This is the four-seater model. Each vessel is built to sustain long-distance travel. The outer shell will rotate much like a tire gripping the open road, except it will be gripping the gravitational super-highway system through outer space. Opposing magnetic forces between the outer shell and the inner shell will keep your heads from spinning off. The outer layer will be rapidly rotating to take you approximately 1.4 million miles an hour, while you guys stay nice and comfy inside the cabin, where the inner shell won’t move — thanks to weight stabilizers in the bottom half of the inner orb.”
Galivan quickly calculated some math in his head like a genius and proclaimed, “At that rate, we should reach our destination in only about thirty-six hours … not bad.”
As the four of them loaded themselves and their luggage into the spacecraft and settled in, Tritan continued narrating an explanation of the vessel they were boarding.
“Your accommodations inside look much like the interior of an airplane used by you up-abovers. You’ll stow your luggage, take a seat, enjoy preloaded snacks and beverages, as well as have access to a restroom. After takeoff, feel free to move about the cabin. The cabin will be pressurized, providing you with conditioned air through the nozzles above your seats thanks to the inner and outer shell being porous, much like an egg’s shell. The best part of this whole design is that you can see out from the inside, like a one-way mirror. You’ll be able to take in unobstructed views of space through the clear windows surrounding you.”
The family got seated and buckled. While they were still exploring the interior with their eyes, Tritan gave some final words before takeoff.
“Once your spacecraft enters the atmosphere of your destination, a parachute will deploy, lowering the orb safely and slowly to the surface. And, on a side note, don’t worry about being discovered as aliens once you arrive. These vessels are designed to be biodegradable once they reach the surface — your personal spacecraft will disintegrate within a day of landing, and your means of travel will go undetected.” Then Tritan walked over to Galivan with a delivery in hand. “Sir, one more thing I want to give you before you go … I think this may be of use to you all. It’s a rough prototype, but use it how you wish.” He handed over a sleek, wearable device that appeared to be much like a wrist gauntlet. “It’s equipped with a ‘night eyes’ feature from our species.”
“Thank you, that’s very kind,” Galivan said as he accepted the gift. “And one more thing from me, Tritan. I left a note at my desk up above and left the bookcase to the passageway ajar. I wish for others who meet certain qualifications to have access to the other spacecrafts you built and be able to travel away from here as well. The note lists those qualifications, and please notice that my nefarious brother is, without a doubt, excluded from this opportunity. He is certainly not welcome where we are going. But I believe there are many who will be seeking a better life and will benefit from using this method of travel.”
“Very well, Your Highness.” Tritan understood the assignment and reiterated Galivan’s wishes. “We’ll welcome anyone who ventures down here. If they meet the qualifications, we’ll send them on their way after you.”
Still fuzzy on the destination, Aurelia decided to directly ask. “And we’re going to … ?”
“Earth,” Tritan responded.
“Did he say … Earth?” Alistair whispered to Aurelia.
“How far is that?” Vivienne asked.
“Roughly fifty-two million miles,” Tritan stated factually. “Safe travels!”
And with that, the mighty little migley rolled down the exterior door, making sure it was tightly shut and locked, pressurizing the cabin.
“There are living creatures there, right?” Aurelia tried to recall what she had learned. “I think that’s what I was taught.”
“Yes.” Her brother agreed that seemed correct. “Space exploration has shown signs of current life on that planet.”
“I thought we would just go to like another area on this planet.” Aurelia shared her worry. “What if they don’t like us there?”
“They might kill us as soon as we arrive.” Alistair played into his sister’s worry and then directed a question toward their parents. “Are we going to live?”
“This is our best bet at survival at this point.” Galivan expressed positivity as he reached out for Vivienne’s hand. “But Tritan is right. This is going to be quite a journey.”
“Let’s do this.” Alistair reached for his sister’s hand to embrace the journey together.
Kolvin Hayves and the Journey to Mevar by Stacy Stephens is an imaginative, clever coming of age story which combines normal, everyday high school life with an adventure of galactic proportions.Kolvin appears to be a normal sophomore; he’s always dreamed of bigger things, but even he couldn’t imagine what was about to happen to him. The tension between the known and unknown is captured perfectly here, as Kolvin finds himself embroiled in a mission that will determine the fate of the universe.
The story starts on Mevar, setting up the history and characters, but everything kicks into high gear on Earth, when Kolvin discovers that his school friends are not what they appear to be - they have their own agendas and secrets, and those secrets might affect Kolvin and everyone he cares about. The story never slows down from that point on, keeping the reader entranced in a whirlwind of revelations, secret missions and intergalactic discoveries. It would be easy to lose track of Kolvin or simply use him as a pawn to keep the story moving from point to point, but Stephens keeps everything balanced and moving at the right pace.
Kolvin starts out simply assuming that his life will be great because he’s owed it somehow, but as the story continues he grows into a person who really deserves greatness. The issues he grapples with - questions about autonomy, morals and who to believe among others - will have readers trying to make up their own minds and eager to see what decisions he makes. Occasionally there just is no good answer, but Kolvin always does his best, which is great to see.
The descriptions are imaginative and so clear it’s easy to visualise everything, from the Earthly settings to the more alien landscapes of Mevar. It makes the plot easy to follow. Each of the characters has strengths and shortcomings that work well together to form a compelling group.
Anyone who likes to mix high school drama with unearthly adventures should read this book. This is absolutely for you if you liked The 5th Wave or Percy Jacson!