Chapter 16

Allie knew she faced a sleepless night and wasn’t looking forward to it. As she stowed her groceries at the back of her closet, she noticed a small leather-bound book tucked in with the protein bars. A slip of paper fell from its pages.

Allie, This history is vital to your education. I hope it will serve as a distraction on this first of many long nights. Please join us tomorrow morning when you’re able. Don’t dwell on unpleasant thoughts tonight, my darling girl. You are so much stronger than you know.

Love, Naeemah

“Just what I need.” She paced to the surround sound to sync her new iPhone. She launched the Spotify app, intending to browse the playlists Aidan made for her. She smiled when she saw the one titled “First Night Alone” with Philip Glass’ Metamorphosis topping the list. She curled up in her armchair beside the tall balcony windows. The moon was bright enough to read by, and the carefully selected book and music were a strong reminder that she was not alone.

She carefully flipped through the delicate pages of the priceless, illuminated manuscript and began to read.

Long ago, before the most primitive of mortal man existed, a mighty race of humans inhabited the earth.

In those days, the Power was pristine and the forest city of Indriell was the greatest in all the world. Governed by the beautiful Indriell Queens, the city prospered. Queen Fáelynn reigned for centuries, preceded by her mother, the Dowager Queen Alyvia and her mother, Celyn, and her mother, Ashlyn. All royal daughters of Indriell, ruling in an unbroken line of succession, stretching back further than living memory.

As Queen Fáelynn’s reign drew to an end, she prepared to pass the kingdom to her only daughter, the Lady Eiselynn, First Princess, fifth of her line.

She was a shy but powerful young woman who dreaded the day she would be coronated and forced to marry Lord Teigan. He was her equal in skill but a man she could never love.

One morning, she rode through the meadows and came upon a young farmer. She watched as he called upon the Power to plow his fields. He was not strong, but the intricacy with which he handled his task was breathtaking to watch.

She absently mimicked his simple manipulation, reaching out to his more refined touch. He saw her and inclined his head in respect but continued working. Mesmerized, her curiosity grew, and he responded to her curiosity with his own. He was confused when she fumbled with the simple chore.

As their Power mingled, she felt a jolt of surprise from the contact that was far more intimate than anything she had ever experienced. His eyes widened in disbelief when her strength bolstered his, while his delicate simplicity corrected her firmer hand.

In that moment, she reached for him, knowing he was the one she would choose—had she a choice. She could see the same realization burning deep within his silvery eyes. As their Power flowed, isolating them from the world, an unbreakable bond formed between them. It was as if they had always belonged together.

For months, they met privately, and their love grew strong. She knew Ían could be a compassionate ruler. Despite his limitations, he was capable of the most astounding feats. Somehow—impossibly—he was learning. She wanted to present him to the council as her equal, but she feared their response. As months passed, the queen grew suspicious and sent Lord Teigan to follow the princess.

As Eiselynn retreated to their special meeting place, she was unaware that her betrothed and his manservant, Tomás, followed. When she eagerly leapt into the arms of her beloved, Teigan was furious to witness her betrayal. Heedless of the bond that united the lovers, he attempted to drag her home. Enraged, Ían stepped between them and a brawl ensued.

A powerful connection formed between the angry men. Ían felt a surge of strength rise within him, but his opponent recoiled from the invasion, as if an agonizing pain reverberated through his mind. When the extraordinary link subsided, Ían rose, profoundly altered. Somehow, he had taken a portion of Teigan’s ability for his own. He swiftly brought the stunned man to his knees, thrilling at the strength that now made him Eiselynn’s equal.

As they fled, Teigan demanded his servant’s silence, but the incident intrigued Tomás. He had lived in subjugation all his life, treated like a simpleminded child, never allowed to make his own decisions while Ían had simply taken what he desired.

That night, Tomás discovered he was very much like Ían—he could learn.

For months, he practiced until he was prepared to choose his first victim. He preyed on those weaker than himself and never failed to defeat them.

Tomás took a few select individuals into his confidence and taught his secrets. For years, they worked together, traveling outside the city to select their targets, growing evermore powerful. They called themselves the “Enlightened” and were determined to usher in an Age of Reason.

Eiselynn and Ían were married and ruled together for many long years. The duel faded from memory, and Indriell prospered under their reign until the attacks on the nobility began. They immediately recognized the signs and grew nervous when murmurings of the Enlightened grew louder.

Soon, it was unsafe to walk the streets of Indriell as this influential group called for the complete destruction of the nobility, claiming it was time for tradition to die in the name of reason and logic. Time to progress into an age where those who proved capable of learning and growing could be given the opportunity to reach beyond their common birth to become more than the simpleminded servants of those born to better circumstances.

As this Age of Reason gained momentum, the city fell to the Enlightened. Eiselynn and Ían were hidden safely among their advisers, but the world was now at war.

New weapons were created with the Power, causing strange imbalances in nature. An odd illness spread among those exposed to these destructive magnetic forces.

For a century, there was little peace among the nations as the Enlightened fought for dominance in the name of their cause. Ían and Eiselynn chose to fight against the overwhelming, unnatural strength of the few Enlightened who had long ago become drunk with a Power that was not their own.

Years of war and violence took a toll, and the human race was in danger of extinction. The earth suffered greatly from the effects of such reckless warfare. Destructive earthquakes fractured the land, creating huge oceans between kingdoms. Lakes and rivers dried up, leaving famine and hunger in their wake. Even time was disrupted by the corruption of the Power that was once so pristine. The slow tranquil days of the past, when the sun traveled leisurely across the sky, were no more. Now, the sun and moon passed swiftly on their journeys, causing confusion among the living.

Tomás took the throne for himself, murdering Eiselynn and Ían in a mad display of violent executions, but their young daughter, Alísun, survived to carry on in her parents’ stead.

In her grief, young Queen Alísun led her forces to victory, capturing the remaining Enlightened and ending the Great War. She was just a child—a child who knew nothing of the Power that should have been her birthright.

Out of the ashes, the beautiful forest city of Indriell was rebuilt and life moved on, but many of Alísun’s generation remained feeble. Her advisers feared the years of violence had destroyed the gift.

On the dawn of her sixteenth year, Alísun’s Power awakened in a violent, sudden onset. A rare few of her generation suffered similarly and were limited in ways that baffled their parents, but many remained untouched by their heritage.

Alísun, and those like her, found a way to flourish despite their limitations, but the afflicted children were an anomaly, and their lives were taken before they lived a single century.

For years, the births of mortal children escalated while the births of normal children declined. Alísun feared if this epidemic were left to spread, it would eventually leave them extinct.

She chose to banish the afflicted to the furthest corners of the world, and within a few short years, the disease died out among those left behind and they finally began to grow in number.

Meanwhile, the banished mortals struggled under harsh conditions as they learned to survive on their own. Life was difficult for them, and a hatred for their Immortal brethren was born.

As memory began to fade and young mortals no longer recalled their gifted ancestors, a select few Elders vowed to keep the hatred alive.

In time, the mortal race thrived as they learned a rudimentary way to survive as hunters and gatherers. Immortals withdrew from their once great cities to live among their cave-dwelling brothers and sisters, watching over them in secret, protecting them with their powerful gifts. Those who hated the Immortals, hunted them, using their own weapons against them.

As Indriell dissolved into the stuff of legends, the reign of the Great Queens came to an end with Queen Alísun, the greatest of them all. Thousands of years have passed, and the Immortal race still thrives, despite the damage caused by one man’s misguided pursuit of Enlightenment.

The Power is corrupted and will remain so until a new generation is born with the strength of their ancestors, led by one with an unsullied, natural connection with the Power. His heart will guide him, giving him the restraint to wield his Power wisely. He will gather his equals, and together they will stand against those who persist in the corruption of the natural order. He will be strong and fierce in his beliefs and steadfast in his love. Born the second child of the seventh daughter of his line, he alone will possess the skills and the knowledge to heal what has been broken. He alone will have the courage to judge unbiased and mete out the ultimate punishment. Until the time of his birth, may we prepare the way and hope for the future of all the races of men.

—Book of the Indriell Queens – ca. 6000 B.C.E.