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  Awaken

  An Alora Chronicles Prequel

  Lara Wynter

  Copyright © 2019 by Lara Carter

  All rights reserved.

  Cover design by Wynter Designs

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Also by Lara Wynter

  Afterword

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  “Hey, Callum, catch.” I pulled back my arm and threw the apple through the air. Callum turned just in time for the apple to hit him square in the forehead before bouncing to the ground.

  “You’ll pay for that princeling,” Callum waved his hands through the air.

  I spun about, not knowing where the threat would come from. Something hard landed on my head. I looked down. A red apple, larger than any I'd seen in real life, sat at my feet before fading away into nothingness.

  I pushed my mussed blond hair back behind my pointed ears. “I’ll get you for that.”

  My best friend since toddlerhood took off running through the trees, the castle just visible through the leafy branches. I watched for a moment. He was fast, but he wouldn't be able to outrun me. I possessed the Elven gift of swiftness. I kept Callum in my sights as I sped through the trees. He launched himself up and over a log, I timed my leap perfectly, grabbing him around the waist before we both crashed heavily to the ground.

  I rolled off Callum and we lay in the morning sun both panting from our exertion. Puffy white clouds drifted lazily overhead. What I wouldn’t have given to spend the rest of the day out there. Sparring with Callum or going for a ride on Thunder. As thoughts of my black stallion filled my mind, the mind link between us solidified and Thunder conveyed his approval of my plan to shirk my responsibilities. I apologised, sending him mental pictures of my dreary day in the Castle, hearing petitions from other Elves to my parents the King and Queen of Alora. Thunder replied with images of galloping through green fields and majestic waterfalls. I groaned and closed my eyes.

  “Come on Wyndelleu, we had better get inside before Argus comes looking for us. Or even worse, they send Finnan.”

  Callum pulled me up off the grass and we dragged our feet as we walked back toward the stone castle that towered over everything. My home, my duty, my life. I really didn’t see why I had to learn about becoming King now. That’s not how it worked in Alora, succession wasn’t through blood, it was through a series of challenges designed to find the Elf best suited to leadership. I wasn’t sure if I’d even have challenged for the throne if I was old enough. Those thoughts wouldn’t even matter if my father wasn’t ill with some mysterious ailment. Our people lived a long time. He should be on the throne for another fifty years at least.

  I pulled my hair back and tied it with a leather cord, before following Callum into the throne room. Queen Vashti, (my mother when we were in our private quarters) sat alone on the dais, my father’s chair empty beside her. The King must not have been well enough to attend that day. My heart grew heavy at the thought. All our hopes now rested with my Uncle Rothlyn who had gone across the ocean in search of a cure. Whatever ailed my father was sucking the life right out of him. Even Finnan hadn’t been able to heal him.

  Queen Vashti looked up and smiled at me, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. I stepped up onto the platform and took my place standing beside her. Her advisor, Finnan, stood on her other side. Callum remained on the floor to help run messages or perform other necessary tasks.

  The next Elf to come forward began a long winded story about how some bug was eating through all the fruit in his orchard. My mind drifted as the hum of voices droned on. Rothlyn should be returning soon. Will he have found something to help my father? What if he wasn’t successful? Who would become the new King or Queen? As good as my mother was at ruling, I couldn’t believe she’d want to rule without my father. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes and I blinked. Everyone had always told me I’d make a great King, but at only sixteen summers, that was the last thing I wanted.

  A commotion outside the hall pulled me back to the present. All eyes were focused on the throne room doors as they were pushed wide and several dusty, travel weary Elves strode into the room. Rothlyn led them as they came before the throne. He presented himself with a barely acceptable nod of the head, but it wasn’t the time to stand on ceremony. Did he have the cure?

  “My Lady Queen,” Rothlyn looked up, and I stifled a gasp.

  What had happened to him? He was barely recognisable as the humble Elf who had left Alora months before. His eyes glinted darkly in the light. A sense of dread filled my heart.

  Chapter Two

  Vashti stared hard at my uncle, the king’s brother. “What news Rothlyn? Did you find it?”

  Rothlyn brought forth a small dark vial from his coat pocket. “I did. It was, as we suspected, difficult to locate. But here it is, the cure for the King.” He glanced at the empty throne. “If I’m not arrived too late?” The corners of his mouth twitched briefly.

  Surely, he was not hoping my father was dead? I must have been imagining things. My Uncle may have been ambitious, but he was a loyal and true member of the court, and of our family. He would never have done us harm.

  The queen stood. “This is wonderful news! We must administer the cure at once. I’m sure you have come just in time.”

  My heart lurched in my chest, surely this would be the end of all our troubles.

  Vashti led the way through a back door behind the dais that led to our family’s private quarters. I followed them through the door, everyone else forgotten for the moment. Although, I was sure all matters were forgotten with this wonderful news. My father was beloved in Alora. I trailed along behind as we passed through our living area and into the sleeping quarters of my parents.

  Healer Darlinde got hastily to her feet as we entered. “You were successful, Rothlyn?”

  Rothlyn held out the vial. “Indeed.”

  Darlinde gasped. “You have saved us all.” Her hands trembled. “You’d best administer it Rothlyn, I am afraid I might spill its precious contents.”

  My eyes turned to the still form lying in the bed. His pale hair lay flat and lifeless against the plump pillows. His skin had taken on a translucent, glassy look, and his breathing barely lifted the blankets that covered him.

  Mother sat on the bed at his other side and kissed his forehead. “Wake up, my love. It’s time to make you well again.” A single tear dropped down onto the king’s cheek and my mother hurriedly brushed it aside. Not one to show outward emotion, it showed how much my father’s illness had affected her.

  My father’s eyes opened and some colour came into his cheeks. I breathed out. He was going to get better, this ordeal would finally be over. Mother helped him into a sitting position.

  “Rothlyn, my dear brother,” my father’s voice was weak, “how can I thank you for risking your life to save me?”

  Rothlyn sat on a chair beside the bed, his expression inscrutable. “No thanks are necessary Ormond, I would do it all again without a thought.” He took the stopper off the vial and lifted the glass to my father’s lips. My father drank eagerly from the bottle. A drop of dark red liquid, the only visible sign of the cure, beaded on his lips before he licked it clean.

  My father rested his head back against the pillows, a smile made him look almost normal. Mother held tight to his hand, she looked at pea
ce. The stress of the last few years forgotten.

  Rothlyn stood. “I’ll leave you to your recovery. I need to rest and recover after my long journey.”

  “Of course,” Vashti smiled at him. “Our home is your home. Anything you want is yours.”

  Rothlyn smiled the first genuine smile I’d seen since he returned. He bowed from the waist. “Thank you. You are too generous.” He backed out of the room.

  I turned back to the bed. My heart light, and full of love. “Father, I’m so glad you’re going to be alright now. These last months have been…difficult. They reminded me I still want to have time to grow and learn. Your position is one of great difficulty and I respect and honour you for your dedication to Alora.”

  My father smiled. “Wyndelleu…my son. I love you. You have been a blessing to both of us, and I want you to know, whatever happens, I am proud of the young Elf you are becoming.” He extended his hands toward me, and I reached forward for his embrace.

  Releasing him, his eyes closed again. “Go, enjoy the sunshine. Take that horse of yours for a run before he storms the castle. You should enjoy the blessings of youth.”

  I looked toward mother. She smiled and nodded her head. I smiled as I left the room. The nightmare was over, I could relax and gallop with my dearest friend in the world, my horse Thunder. The mind bond we shared had made us closer than anything I’d ever known.

  Chapter Three

  I woke up to chaos. Feet pounded back and forth outside my bedroom door. Shouts rang out through the cool morning air. Stopping only to pull on my pants, boots and shirt, I strapped on my knife belt and grabbed my fighting stave as I rushed out my bedroom door.

  One of the security Elves was just passing. I reached out and grabbed his arm. “Deverio, what is happening?”

  His eyes opened wide. “Wyndelleu, you must find Argus or Finnan. Go.” He turned and fled back along the hall.

  Ignoring his advice, I headed the other way toward my parents’ chamber. Whatever was going on, I needed to hear it from them. Had someone attacked the castle? The Onvyr Elves from across the ocean were our greatest threat.

  I reached the main corridor. Argus grabbed my arm and pulled me into a small study, seldom used. “Wyndelleu, where have you been?”

  Fear filled my heart and chilled the blood in my veins. “I’ve been asleep.”

  “Sleeping? You’ve always slept so lightly. How could you sleep through this?”

  I shook my head. “I feel…like I’m still half asleep. My thinking is fogged and unclear. What has happened?”

  Argus, the toughest Elf I knew, blinked rapidly and took a hold of my hands. “I am sorry to have to be the one to tell you this. The King, your father, is dead.”

  I gasped and fell to my knees on the cold floor. There was sharp pain in my chest. “No, that can’t be right. I just saw him last night. He was getting better, I know he was.” I looked up imploringly. “You must be mistaken.”

  “Worse than that, Rothlyn and a group of dark Elves have taken over the castle. The Queen has tasked me with seeing to your safety. You must leave Emmellion City. Rothlyn will see you as a threat and will imprison you or worse.”

  “What about Mother? She must be devastated. Has she already escaped?” I found it hard to believe she would have left without me, but I needed to know she was safe. My chest felt like it was being crushed, and I wasn’t sure how I’d have the strength to get through this. I reached out to Thunder through the bond. His reassuring presence helped calm my troubled thoughts. I got back to my feet.

  “Vashti cannot leave right now, Rothlyn has her confined to her rooms. It will be a miracle if we can get you out of the castle undetected.”

  I ran my hands back through my hair trying to process everything at once. “I can’t just leave her here.” I spat out the words through tightly clenched teeth.

  “If you want to follow her orders as Queen of Alora, you will leave now.” Argus’s voice was fierce, leaving no room for further opposition.

  It felt like I was being torn in two. How could I leave my mother here with Rothlyn? But, all my training told me that in this sort of situation, following orders was paramount. My Queen had ordered me to leave and as much as it hurt me, I would do as ordered…for now, anyway.

  Taking in my surroundings, I headed to the tapestry along the back wall and opened the secret passageway that I knew was there. Pushing open the hidden door, I turned back to Argus. “What about Callum and Finnan? Surely they are in danger from Rothlyn as well?”

  A muscle twitched in Argus’s clenched jaw. “They are looking for you. We must hope they have time to escape when they realise you’ve gone.”

  I contacted Thunder again to let him know he must make Finnan and Callum leave if he saw them. I then told him to escape the castle grounds and meet me by the river. From there, we could swim out under the bridge and leave Emmelion without having to fight our way out.

  I stepped into the dark passageway with Argus close behind me. Summoning up a flame on my palm, I used it to light my way through the dark twisting and turning passageways. Elemental magic didn’t last long and as my flame extinguished, Argus conjured one of his own. As a light source it wasn’t ideal, but we didn’t have time to collect any provisions. At least I had my staff and my knife.

  My mind could not comprehend that my father was dead. I pushed the thought aside. I couldn’t process any of that at the moment. My grief would have to wait. At least now I could understand why Rothlyn looked so different. He must have accepted the dark magic and become a dark Elf. Something not seen in Alora for hundreds of years. It was the only thing that made sense. And so, as much as I didn’t want to believe it, what other choice was there? We were totally unprepared for an attack from within. Especially with my father so ill for so long… Our defences have never been so weak. My uncle obviously thought he could take advantage of our weakness. But he wouldn’t get away with it, I wouldn’t let him.

  Chapter Four

  I stopped at the door. We needed to leave the passageways here. Placing my ear against the wooden panelling, I listened for any sounds. Hearing nothing, I pushed open the door. I was right, this exit was in an unused part of the castle. It had been a few years since I played in the secret passageways with Callum, but that time was serving me well now.

  I jumped lightly over a stack of crates that blocked my way, luckily for us, they weren’t stacked against the secret door.

  Argus stepped past me toward the exit. “I’ll go first.”

  Instead of arguing like I wanted to, I held my staff in a defensive position and followed him through the door. The corridor was empty. Good. As we trod softly along the corridor, I heard the sound of staves colliding up ahead. I pushed past Argus and ran toward the sound.

  “Wait!” Argus yelled as his footsteps pounded behind me.

  But I couldn't wait, this was my home, these were my people, it was time to act. As I turned the corner I was confronted with a scene I never thought to see in my own home. Elves fighting each other. And not just that, some of them I recognised from both sides. An Elf with reddish-brown hair caught my attention. Callum was fighting two of the dark Elves in the melee. I sprang into action. I wove my way through the fighters until I was in a position to sweep my staff in a low arc, taking out one of his opponents at the knees. It was a dirty trick, but one I was not opposed to using under the circumstances.

  “Well met,” Callum greeted me while still fighting. I could tell he was avoiding using my name, no need to alert everyone to my presence. Sensing something behind me, I spun and held up my staff just in time to block a hard blow that left my arms aching. I spun to the side using my own speed and agility to get inside my opponent’s defences. He managed to block, barely, before I twisted away to come at him from the other side.

  This was the first time I had ever fought a real opponent, not just a mock battle. But I was taught by the best and despite my smaller build, I managed to hold my own against the Dark Elf.

>   I thrusted and blocked, matching my opponent, looking for a weakness. He was a skilled fighter, his arms crisscrossed with scars. His eyes held a darkness within them that I was beginning to recognise as a sign of the dark Elves.

  He thrust the end of his staff straight at my head, an illegal move in sparring. I dropped to the floor and rolled, coming to my feet behind him where I thrust my own staff into his back. I heard a sickening crunch of bone as he fell to the floor. It seemed wrong to leave him there, but this was war and I could show no mercy.

  To my right, Callum's opponent dropped to the ground. The sounds of fighting grew more distant as the other fighters moved further down the corridor.

  I spun around checking the fallen Elves. They were still all down. “Where’s Argus?”

  “He’ll catch up, let’s go.”

  It felt wrong to keep abandoning my friends like this. “We can’t just leave him here.”

  “We have our orders and they are to get you out, Wyndelleu. We stop for no one.”

  I grimaced. Shame filled me as I ran down the hall behind Callum. If I wasn’t so sure of Argus’s abilities as a strong fighter, I don’t think I could have done this. But I’d been drilled on the importance of following orders my whole life, and even though it pained me I’d do it.

  We made it to the door that exited the castle near the kitchens. It was the way I had hoped to come by, it was closest to my secret way out of the castle grounds. Callum, of course, knew exactly which way to go. We used to go that way when we were younger and wanted to escape from lessons. Seeing no one, we passed through the formal gardens and into the denser trees. The castle exterior seemed deserted, those within were either fighting or fleeing. My feet slowed. I should have been fighting. Maybe it wasn’t too late and running wasn't necessary…