The Forgotten. Massacre and regicide under the orders of an unspeakably evil priesthood decimate the ranks of the honourable Galadon Knights, and destroy the Royal family who the Knights are sworn to protect. Now outlawed and despised, the Knights are forced, for four generations, 120 years, to hide in secret as they regain their strength for their final confrontation with the religious order. But their biggest secret is that they also hide the last surviving member of the Royal family. Finally strong enough, the last surviving Royal is brought out of hiding and told of her heritage and true identity. Unfortunately a key part of her heritage, a mysterious and magical amethyst pendant, is lost and without it her legitimacy to the throne can not be proven. So starts a desperate quest to search for the pendant to prove the claim of Princess Astrid who must be crowned before the first full moon after her 21st birthday. As more of her heritage is discovered so is passionate romance, bloody battles, betrayal, magic and alliances with the mysterious Elves, Dwarves, Dryads and Mrawlers of the planet. With her 21st birthday quickly approaching, the amethyst lost and the armies are moving into position for a final confrontation, this is their last chance, and time is running out.
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Prologue.
The following in an exert from ‘The Book of Faynon and Other Histories’.
Property of the University of Kothmar.
Faynon. This is what our planet is called. It is named after the God that we believe created it. Faynon. He is also the leader of the Gods and Goddesses who, together, created every living thing as well as the weather, oceans, the sun, the moon, animals, plants and many others. Their most interesting creations were named Man and Woman. The following is what we believe happened in the pasts so that we may be here today. It began before the creation of our world.
In the celestial heaven where the Gods and Goddesses lived there was a garden of multi coloured lights where stars were grown and glitter dust floated carelessly to coat everything it touched with its soft luminescence. The Goddess Vsala, wife to Faynon, often came to her garden to avoid the constant bickering of her kin. Sibling argued with sibling and parent fought with child. She picked out a star from her garden and raised it aloft, watching it rise from her hands to take its place among its brethren. Vsala gave a soft sigh and glanced about her garden to see something that had been underneath her newly risen star. Carefully, she dug deeply into the star food that surrounded the object and she pulled it out. In her hands she held a clump of something that was grey, heavy and malleable. Vsala stared in wonder at a thing she had never seen before. Breathless with excitement she took it straight to her husband and gave it to him.
Now Faynon was the wisest of the Gods and he took the gift from his wife and examined it closely with his one good eye, as the second had been lost when he brought knowledge to the heavens. From there he broke the gift into two halves and put the first half aside while he moulded the second half into a perfect sphere then commanded that it grow,. The sphere complied and quickly expanded until it was the same size as the father, Faynon himself. Pleased with his work, he glanced lovingly at his wife who caressed the sphere. In the wake of her fingers sprouted patches of green and blue. She marvelled at the colours and touched every inch of the object until the sphere was covered in blue and green masses of every colour and variety. Faynon watched this with amazement and realised that this sphere was no ordinary new plaything for the pantheon. He retrieved the second half of the grey mass and divided it evenly among the Gods and Goddesses. He commanded them to each make a thing that could live on this orb he named Faynon.
Faynon’s children and siblings went wild with creativity. They created the birds in the sky, the great felines in the forests and the fish of the sea. Vsala created the trees and the flowers, the currents in the ocean and left the wind to Shuuw, her temperamental daughter. Laughing with delight, the boy, Sun, began to dance around the orb, his shining facing giving Faynon light. Not to be outdone by her elder brother, Moon, began to copy him, her face glowing with her own softer light.
Then Faynon did do something none of them had thought possible. Taking a piece of himself, he mixed it with a piece of the grey and created two creatures. They were strange looking creatures who lay motionless on what Faynon had named ‘ground’. Carefully, he breathed upon his creations and watched them rise. The creatures stood on their hind legs and began to walk. He then spoke to them, freely giving them the gift of speech and knowledge. They then did something no other creatures had done, as faynon had not endowed them with knowledge. They began to pull down trees to make houses, and hunt animals for clothes, and food. The pantheon was further amazed as they payed homage to the God who had created them. The others began to do the same as Faynon and many creatures were newly created. Joshula created Mrawlers that were catlike. Vsala created Dryads, her own personal gardeners of the land. Her sister, Elvelya, beautiful fair haired Elvelya with delicately pointed ears, eyes a deeper green than any forest and hair of white gold, created a fair haired people she named Elves, as her husband breathed life into them so that their creation may be shared. Faynon’s son created a short and powerful people that lived under the ground, mining the precious material within the depths of the orb.
Each God and Goddess created something beloved to them and watched over their pets. It was then that Faynon’s brother, Kalash, jealous of his elder brother’s success and of Elvelya’s beauty that her husband possessed, did creep upon the sphere while the rest of the pantheon slept, and from there, with the aid his sons, he added his own creations. On the sphere they created, pestilence, poisonous insects and plants, violence and chaos. Soon, everything was corrupted with violence that spread like a plague across the creation, Faynon. Then Kalash did corrupt some of Elvelya’s creatures named after their Goddess, Elves. The Elves he stole changed as he touched them. Their skin turned as black as night and their hair became as white as virgin snow. Kalash claimed those Elves, now named Dark Elves, as his own. As the sons of Kalash burned, tore and made deserts of searing rock and sinking sands, Kalash taught the world about blood. Then once their work was done, just as quietly, they left.
Too soon, the sphere became boring and the pantheon began to bicker once again. As the Gods were arguing Vsala cried out and pointed at their pets. Their creatures were fighting and butchering each other filled with violence, jealousies and evil thoughts. The pantheon, instead of trying to fix their pets, began to lay blame. Their accusations became louder and more vehement and their creations began to copy them. They and their pets threatened to rip Faynon asunder.
At that moment the new voice that was louder than their own commanded them to stop, and the pantheon found themselves unable to do anything but obey.
“Behold,” the voice shouted. “My name be Alorien and thine irrational bickering doth tire me and threaten to tears ye world asunder. Thine arrogance hath forced me to will thyself into existence to make ye all stop.”
Alorien pointed to the orb.
“Allow mine child to show ye what I command and what I can bring to ye all if thine petty quarrelling dost continue.”
Ponderously at fist, then steadily, the orb began to turn. The pantheon watched their creatures reproduce, grow old and die as new ones took their place, only to grow old and also die, again to be replaced by their own offspring.
“Shouldest thou quarrelling not stop, I shall bring my child, Tyme, into thine world where ye too shall become eld and die.”
The pantheon stopped the wrangling under the threat of something far more powerful than even they. All begged Alorien for forgiveness and to stay they levelling hand of his child, Tyme, on their pet.
“Nay,” Alorien disagreed. “My child shall remain forever in sight to remind thee to behave, and what shall happen if ye do not.”
With his final message delivered, Alorien departed and the pantheon knew not where he had gone.
Eons later, Sun did spy Alorien. The new young God, Alorien, spent most of his time asleep, still trying to recover from the effort of willing himself into existence, and creating his child. Sun called to his parents who returned to look upon the strange God, only to discover that he had vanished once again.
Every so often there was a sighting of the wilful and sometimes erratic God who did not follow the rules the rest of them were required by their mother, the universe, to adhere to.
Faynon slowly turns and still spins today as our lives and deaths remind the pantheon of what will happen to them should they fight once more. As can happen, we must suffer to be the example of their own follies.
Astrid coughed in the smoke. She sank to her knees. The air was choking her and the flames were so hot. The floor swayed beneath her. She wanted to sleep. The floor dipped and swayed again. Glass exploded all around her as the stained windows burst. Her vision clouded and she sank to the floor, not caring as the flames reached for her. A loud cracking sound signalled that the church roof had begun to collapse. Her hearing failed, replaced by a low ringing.Sigwulf ran through the burning church
Sigwulf jumped back and ran for his clothing. “Astrid,” his voice was crisp and authoritative. “Wake the women. The procedure is that all women go into the church. There is a backdoor in the cellar that leads into the forest. Do you hear me? Wake them quietly.” He pulled on his hose and tunic. “Do you have that?”Astrid nodded curtly as she too began to dress. “Wake the women quietly.
Astrid woke late that night to a light tapping on her door. She lit her bedside candle and climbed out of bed, pulling on a robe.“Who is it?” She whispered through the door. “You’re expecting some other late night visitor,” the familiar voice whispered the query. “I’m crushed.”Astrid grinned and silently opened the door. She pulled Sigwulf in and shut the door behind him. Sigwulf unexpectedly grabbed her waist and burrowed his face into her neck. She gasped with surprise and wrapped her arms around him.“I feel li
The door to Draynon’s office opened and the four people walked out. Astrid bumped into Sigwulf who was waiting outside.“Astrid?” He said softly, taking one of her hands in his. Astrid and Zela stopped.“Zela?” Astrid asked. “Can you make sure Redswift and Hengist get to the men’s wing without killing each other please.”Zela nodded. “Can I go back to your room after that?”“Of course,” she handed Zela her key. “If you get lost, any of the women will give you directions.Zela turned
“How do you manage to hide all of this from other Humans?” Redswift asked as Sigwulf led the group of eight who walked their horses to the stables.“Ghost stories,” Sigwulf replied. “Scary fantasy is our main defence. Plus we have men in all of the main offices in the Hawthorn Palace. Archives, Law, Justice and Complaints, which is my position.”“I thought Kalash Priests held those positions?”Sigwulf gave him an appraising look. “You Elves keep right on top of things don’t you?”“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. We try to keep abreas
Astrid sniffed again. “Let’s begin this meeting shall we?” She added then pulled out her pendants from under her clothing so that they were aggressively on display as she sat down. Reil, the leader of the Elves glanced at his wife, the co-leader, who was coughing in an attempt at smothering a smile as her shoulders shook very slightly with tightly suppressed mirth. Realising he would be getting no help from his convulsing wife for the moment, he took the lead for the meeting. Reil leaned towards Astrid. “At last,” he said. “An heir who can prove legitimacy.
Sigwulf sat there and stared at Astrid with satisfaction that he was finally sitting.“Did you mean what you said?” She asked softly.“Probably. What did I say?” He asked with aplomb.“When you were talking to Lakon he asked why so happy. Then you said if she goes the Galadon’s are lost. Why else. So is that the only reason?”Sigwulf’s expression became serious. “It is just one reason, but I think you can guess the main reason why I was happy. It’s just that we’ve not announced anything yet.&rd
Kemp lagged behind them, lost in his own thoughts and memories. Something impossible caught his eye and he yelled at the others to stop. Kenward walked back to Kemp and stopped in his tracks, frozen in the same way as Kemp. When the knights reached Redswift and Zela they quickly sketched out what had happened. The Elf and Dryad immediately took action and Zela led them to the Elven village. Redswift explained the situation to his leaders and the Humans were admitted entrance. Zela left to inform Heartwood of the events. The knights were given one of the treetop huts to sleep and rest in.&n
She slapped his hand away as he reached for her. To his horror she stood on the flagstone and calmly stepped onto another one. She waited for a moment, then stepped onto another, moving slowly along the tunnel in front of the arrow holes. She turned back to face him with a smile on her face. The pendant was glowing brightly.“It glows brighter and pulls me towards the flagstones that are safe. Follow me.”Sigwulf had no choice. He stepped onto the first flagstone. Nothing happened and no arrows riddled him with holes. They cautiously made their way across, Sigwulf stepping o
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