Return of the Crown Read Free

away from the doomed
ship.
    Ravyn found herself wrapped in an iridescent
globe that lifted up into the sky, zipping away from the ship. It
glided with ever-increasing speed northwest, spinning and tumbling
this way and that. Her eyes darted about trying to focus on any
spot for more than a moment; she glimpsed her parents disappear
into the inky Darkness. The Darkness wore a face belonging to her
auntie. It made no sense. Tears flowed down her cheeks.
    The Darkness shrieked in frustration, and
tendrils of evil slashed the skies for its missing quarry. Too
late, the colorful shimmering orb was miles away, and Ravyn could
only see the ocean blurring beneath her. Her stomach turned
somersaults as the globe swiveled and spun, searching for safety
and security, following the order imbedded in that last spell.
Heaviness fell on Ravyn’s eyes, and she could no longer keep them
open. Colors blurred, the sweet smell of Light magic easing her
fright, she drifted into dreamless slumber.
     
    Connor collapsed against his workbench
knowing Ravyn was safe, but Lareina had cloaked the girl in
invisibility. He sighed; there was no way he would find her with a
scrying. Her aural trail was lost to him until she came into her
own power. He struggled to push himself upright, staggering to his
cabinet of magical tools. Zelera would know the difference in the
taste of two separate magic forces.
    The King and Queen knew he was a Master of
the Light. Everyone else thought he was just a doddering ancient
adviser. It wouldn’t take Zelera long to conclude his talents. He
hurried to gather his more unusual supplies, those rare and
irreplaceable. Bending the Light about him, he draped himself in
invisibility. He hastened out of his rooms, descending the narrow
flight of stone steps. He needed to hide, until Ravyn’s sixteenth
year, some nine years away. In his haste, he nearly ran into Blade.
The boy was sitting on the cold stone steps head buried in his
hands, weeping softly.
    Blade was alone. Again. His father had been
King Bryant’s best friend and the General of his army. He was gone
a year now, victim of a terrible hunting accident. Blade’s mother
died two years before while giving birth, along with his little
brother. The King and Queen had taken him into the castle,
providing him with his necessities and an education. Ravyn was his
best friend. Now she would be gone for an eternity, the whole
summer. Blade lifted his head, sensing someone watching him. He
brushed a sleeve across his damp cheek.
    Connor had a soft spot for the boy. “Blade,
something terrible has happened. I have no time to go into details.
Even as I speak, Zelera will be looking for me. For your safety
son, you must trust me and come away. Life is going to change
around this castle, and I don’t want you here alone.”
    Blade looked around for the person to whom
the voice belonged. It sounded like Connor, though more vibrant.
“Connor, sir, is that you? Where are you?” whispered Blade eyeing
the cold brick walls.
    “Yes, son, it’s me. Now keep quiet, and don’t
draw attention to yourself. We’re going to leave this castle, you
and I. I want you to go to the stables and get two horses saddled.
Ride the first horse, and lead the second, which I will ride. You
may have noticed I’m invisible at the moment. We’ll exit the
northern city gates. If anyone asks where you’re going, say the
horses are going to pasture. That’s a chore you’ve done in the
past, isn’t it?”
    Blade nodded, wide-eyed as he continued to
search the empty passageway for Connor.
    “Wonderful, let’s be on our way. The sooner
the better. I will fill you in on the details when we’re safely in
the hills.”
    Blade’s brows bunched up like fuzzy
caterpillars as he tried making sense of what was happening. Connor
must be a practitioner of the Light Arts. Connor had always been
friendly, rarely even scolding him. In fact, he always played games
with Blade and Ravyn, teaching them about the