Prologue

*Prologue*

The sand was cold after the sun dipped down low in the sky, casting a gray haze over the desert. The sand had been creeping into my boots as I walked. I had not planned this trip well, my horse, St. Marge, was not accustomed to the desert. She stumbled and tripped in the sinking sand, and I decided to leave her in the port town with the rest of the weary travelers. I wanted to go on this trip alone.

When I spotted the hut, I was greatly underwhelmed. When I had heard rumors of the blind magical artisan who lived in these sands, I pictured a great castle in which he lived, with many magical servants and guards to keep the trespassers out. Instead, I was faced with a hut made of sticks and tree bark, lined on the inside with dried mud. There was no door, just a small open rectangle cut in the front. There was no floor either, just more sand.

“Not even the lizards venture near me, young king. What you seek must be great,” There was a female voice, coming from the corner, where there was a small wooden bench. Sat on the bench was a woman. She was old, with a sagging face and eyes completely white. She had dark skin, covered in ink. The tattoos on her were beautiful patterns, perhaps runes. Her head was wrapped in an orange and brown cloth, and she was dressed in loose orange and brown robes. There were coins on a string wrapped around her headscarf, that jingled while she moved.

“Greetings. I have come to ask for your blessing, and a new symbol for my kingdom,” I informed her. She clicked her tongue.

“What kingdom do you hail from, young king? It is certainly not this one, for you would know not to trespass on my land,”

“Across the sea, my lady. There was a civil war raging for twenty-six years. There was a marriage alliance. I united the kingdom again. We forged a new name, Osmore,”

“A kingdom plagued by war? How long has that story been told? The same one, over and over again. You know young king, there is a reason I live in the middle of nowhere, with nobody by my side. Humans cannot help themselves. They must fight,” she rose quietly from her bench and came to stand by my side.

“I want to make a difference, my lady. I want to end the fighting,”

“They all say that, before plunging headlong into another war of little importance,” She continued walking, past me, and to a small rectangular table on the far side of the hut. The table did not fit in with the rest of the hut, it was beautiful, and elegantly carved, with bronze handles for two drawers underneath the table itself. “Young king, I was once a Mage to this very kingdom in which we stand. I was an advisor, and with my advice, we lived for so long with no war, so long with a perfect economy, dedicating our time to helping the people that made the lifeblood of our kingdom. Then, my brother, the King, was killed by a stray arrow in an active warzone. I told my niece, no, do not retaliate, become a kind and just ruler as your father was, but what did she do? She commanded me to forge the first sword made in our kingdom for a hundred years and used it to declare war on the neighboring empire. We could never have won, with a fighting force so weak, a people not used to violence. She still rules over the waste you know, Queen Katoli,”

I exhaled deeply when her story was over. I knew she was powerful, and with her skills, Tura could have easily won the war.

“And why did you come out here?” I asked her.

“I told you, young king. To avoid war, because humans can’t help themselves. They have to fight. They have to kill, because, for some reason, that is what makes them human,”

“No, it is not, Great Mage, I promise you. I am making a new start, no more war, no more hate,”

“That is what they all say, young King,” The mage opened a drawer in the little wooden cabinet. It was old and worn and took some wiggling to open, but when the mage cracked the drawer open, she pulled out two stones.

The first one was a black diamond, perfectly cut and polished to a shine. The second one was a shiny round white stone. She held one in each hand and offered them to me.

“Choose one,” she said, raising her eyebrows.

“What do they represent?” I asked her, eyeing the stones.

“Whatever you want them to. Good and evil, day and night, sun and moon. Whatever you think,” It was a trap of some sort. If I chose wrong, she might conclude that I was just like rulers of the past, and condemn my kingdom to death. Good and purity, in her former kingdom, were represented by dark colors, black and navy, while evil was represented by white and grey, lighter colors. Only, maybe it wasn’t about colors. Maybe it was about shapes. I had no idea what kind of shapes represented what in her old kingdom. Maybe she was reading my mind and wanted me to choose based on what peace meant in my country. If I chose wrong, she would never give me any sort of blessing.

“Young King, you are thinking too hard. Chose what your heart wants, not what nonsense your brain spews,”

“That one,” I pointed to the black diamond. She handed it to me.

“Quartz is used as a conduit by powerful mages, who have too much power flowing through their veins. Diamond is used to block out magic, to stop it. It is a shame the stone is so rare. The colors, the shapes, they meant nothing, young King. You chose the diamond. In your heart, I believe you want to stop the wars and the hate and the killing,” she smiled, when I handed the diamond back, she shook her head. “It is yours now,”

“Does this mean you have chosen to give my kingdom your blessing?” I asked her earnestly. She pursed her lips.

“I cannot give you my blessing, but I will give you a curse,” she told me.

“What do you mean?” I asked the tone in my voice getting sharper. Was she threatening me, or simply being cryptic?

“If your kingdom should ever fall into war, anyone from your bloodline will be cursed. Your descendants will wander the earth followed by death and depravity until you bring peace to Tura, to Osmore, and to the great raging sea. Be on your way now young king. Your people await your success,” She told me, bowing her head to me. All I could say was:

“Thank you.” I began walking away from the old mage and her little hut in the desert. When I turned, there was a giant castle in the place of the hut. There were huge emerald arches and golden pillars, and giant walls made of marble. I laughed quietly to myself.

“She tricked me,” I said to nobody in particular, smiling to myself.