“They are dead elders, the ancient ones, lifeless and dependent on an alternative energy source. They are disposable and will only awaken from the command of my voice with the power of this little marble. And awaken them I will, and they will obey me!” Demitri said, holding out the black marble he kept so tightly in the palm of his hand, “The powers that the world of elements can yield are unimaginable. When the time is right and the kingdom is at its weakest, we will strike and Ikarus will fall!”
“They don’t want a war. Civilians are innocent,” Rayne said.
“Don’t you see? Don’t you see what they have done to us? They poisoned our river!” Demitri growled. “We take the smallest portion of food from the only grounds that sprout nutritious plants and it so happens to be a claimed farmland! Is that what we deserve? Either starve or be poisoned?”
“It was me they were hunting, after I hurt those men. They thought that your people made an attempt at invasion. They would have never done such a thing. I’m asking you to reconsider your plans to retaliate. You must stand down. If I am your king, then that is an order,” Rayne said.
“I have reconsidered, and I’ve decided to do the same. With all due respect, my lord, the war has already begun,” Demitri said.
The mountain began to tremble.
Demitri continued, “You are one of our people. If Ikarus men were after you, then they were after us. You set the example, so you can understand that our only response is revenge, correct?”
Rayne looked away. He didn’t answer.
“Please, my king. I can bring you back,” Demitri said, holding out a small black marble, “Back into the world, where you belong. Then you can have that woman; feel her and touch her like a man should a woman.”
Rayne looked into the marble and saw her. But there was someone else he recognized. It was his father, Alexandal Duncan, and the vision began to trigger more memories. The flashback was short, but the little he did recall about him was nothing but neglect, how he yearned for his father’s love, but never received it.
“I know him. That’s my father,” Rayne said.
“Your father? Do you really think a mortal man could provide a seed strong enough to create what you are?” Demitri asked, giggling. “Let’s not worry about Alexandal, he is well taken care of and is getting what he deserves. Look at how he treated you.” He danced the marble across his fingers.
Rayne could see the tether connecting Demitri’s marble to Alexandal’s mind, controlling him. “You! You let this happen. No. You made this happen! You made Alexandal poison the rivers. This whole attack was orchestrated. It was a reason for retaliation, a reason for you to invade and when you did, you can make yourself look like a savior to your own people. I won’t let you get away with this.”
Just as Rayne finished his statement, Demitri pounded his hand on the giant turtle shell table in front of him, squashing a bug. Demitri tightened his grin. “Are they really worth all of the trouble that I promise you will have?”
Rayne calmly lifted the crushed bug and brought it closer to his face, blowing ever so slightly. The bug healed before their eyes and flew away.
“Every last one of them,” Rayne said, gladly accepting Demitri’s threat.
The morning after Anna Lott had visited her stepbrother’s memorial, she woke to an odd sound that echoed across the sky. It was a peaceful melodic tone, but it rang so loudly that the vibration shook the ground for a brief moment before it was gone.
A flurry of gossip roared in the street. Outside the castle, she saw a giant stone pillar standing upright from the ground. It was thicker than a small house and taller than the kingdom walls. Beyond the gates, she saw more, as far as she could see, all planted along the perimeter of Ikarus.
The sun climbed the horizon.
When Anna walked between the marvelous displays of architecture, she felt an amazing vibration. A team of masons was already there using ropes and rods to measure the placement of the stones. They then recorded everything in a journal. She had overheard engineers say that the pillars were an equal distance apart from one another and historians had never seen the language engraved on them before.
At the sound of her stepbrother’s footsteps approaching from behind her, Anna stopped walking to talk and admire the magnificence of the stones. “Is it true that Alexandal poisoned the crossings?” she asked.
General Indrid Cole stood beside her and stared at the stones with her. “Yes,” he said.
It was the quietest Anna had ever heard him speak in his life.
“I feel so ashamed that I let it happen,” said Indrid.
Anna looked at him. “You are not the king, and you didn’t make that decision.”
“I should be king,” Indrid said. “I ordered my men to stand down, but most disobeyed me and followed Alexandal’s orders instead. I still feel responsible.”
“You did everything you could to prevent it. It’s not your fault, so don’t blame yourself.” Anna turned back to the giant stones. “What do you make of these?”
“Well, they surround the entire kingdom. We tried to bring one down. But it wouldn’t even budge. They must weigh hundreds of tons each,” he said. “Men could not have done this overnight. No way.”
“But someone did, and whoever it was we better pray that these stones are meant to protect us rather than hurt us.” Anna suddenly thought of the attacks that had taken place just nights ago. She never got a report from Indrid. “Did you find the suspect that attacked Speaker Mongs and the fisherman?”
Indrid’s guards were walking towards them.
“I’ll have to fill you in on the details,” Indrid
