Page 117 of Echoes of the Raven
And so I did, for seventy years.
Until Morwen the Mistwraith sprouted out of nowhere.
That’s when the true trials began.
As her name suggests, she came like a phantom in the night, unknown and unseen. With a viciousness that augured a deranged mind, she began instigating old rivalries between neighbors, causing accidents, terrorizing villages with clandestine attacks, and more. During every onslaught, she seemed to spring out of the air when least expected to quickly disappear in the same fashion.
We searched for her, using every resource available to us, but she eluded us at every turn, disappearing like fog in the presence of the sun. It was the first time The Eldrystone was powerless against a foe.
Thirty-five more years crawled by, and my kingdom remained haunted by her ghostly presence. To the north, war festered like a plague sore, erupting between two feuding clans, one Galen called his home—hence his misguided attempt to steal The Eldrystone.
The penalty for his actions would have been death. It is what the council advised, but in the end, the decision was mine, and I chose exile. He had been my friend, almost family.
Our troubled existence continued for thirty more years after his departure.
Needless to say, I had my hands full. Marriage was not something I sought, rather it was thrust upon me. The Royal Mate Rite had to take place. I had reached my two hundredth birthday.
Females came to the capital from all around the realm. It is our way for males to find a mate at this age, and the king is no exception. On the contrary, I was to choose a queen from amongst my people and thus keep our blood diverse, strong.
Worries about the war gnawed at me, threatening to break my concentration from the rite, but it was Saethara’s presence that proved far more distracting and pulled my attention from what really mattered.
Saethara.
When I close my eyes, I can still see her beautiful face, her devastating, sensuous body. From the first moment all the candidates were presented,it was she who drew my complete attention. I went through the motions, meeting with every candidate, waiting for a turn with her. There were banquets, dances, private meetings, and tests.
It was these tests that worried me. I feared she might fail them, and then I would be heartbroken because I was in love with her. Each female received a different test, but they all consisted of giving the potential brides access to The Eldrystone. Or more accurately… a replica of it.
Greed to possess the amulet has corrupted gods know how many people since its forging. It is part of the rite for kings in my family to ensure that the final candidate is free of such covetousness.
A few of the females were tempted and took the fake amulet, but Saethara… she showed absolutely no interest in it. It was all the proof I needed. I had found the perfect bride.
We were wed immediately. No male in the realm was happier than me. Then, on our wedding night, after I thought I had reached the Glimmer in her arms, she stabbed me in my sleep and took the amulet. I only survived because my innate magic helped me heal. She left me for dead while Tirnanog still celebrated our marriage.
Mad with grief, I grabbed my sword and went after her. She had fetched Loreleia, her childhood friend and Valeria’s mother. They had come together to the rite from a small village called Nilhalari. Saethara had dragged Loreleia with her. As I confronted them, I thought them accomplices. I thought they had planned the deception together, like hungry spiders lurking in their webs.
“Saethara, why?!”I demanded.
She was surprised to see me on my feet, healed. Yet, she was not afraid—not with The Eldrystone in her possession. Releasing a cackle that froze the blood in my veins, she revealed her true self, her contempt for me.
“You fool. You weak fool. You do not deserve to be the keeper of such power.”She held the amulet aloft. It glowed with her evilintent, but I did not care. The possibility of death only seemed like an escape from the ravaging aching in my heart.
Oblivious of any danger, I roared and rushed toward my treacherous wife, sword held high. A chilling vision flickered before my eyes—a twisted tableau of us both dead, intertwined in a final, gruesome embrace. A fitting end for our blackened hearts.
But Loreleia, taking advantage of Saethara’s distraction, snatched the amulet from her hand. Saethara fell to her knees at the force of my blazing rage, a plea on her lips. I could have stopped, I think, but I did not even try. Instead, I gritted my teeth and ran her through with my blade.
It was not enough. My fury was not satiated. They had come from far away to deceive and betray me. They were harpies, born from malice and bred to be pure evil.
“I will destroy every trace of you,” I swore. “I will raze your wretched village to the ground along with every person who lives there. Nothing good can come from a place that spawns such monsters. Everything and everyone responsible for fashioning such vile creatures will meet its end.”
“No! You are mad,” Loreleia said, her voice trembling.
“Give me back my amulet!” I demanded.
She shook her head and retreated.
I meant to kill her, too. She deserved the same death I had devised for Saethara, and it would have been so if not for Vonall, my best friend. He intervened, giving Loreleia the chance to escape, to run and search for refuge in the human realm.
Yet not even Vonall could hold me for long, and I caught up with Loreleia. She had crossed the veil already and had encountered Simón Plumanegra. What transpired afterward... two decades of torment, a life sundered in half.
