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Prologue
“We won’t leave you!” Prince Edillon choked on his words. His younger brother pressed into his side and nodded
vigorously.
“You will!” King Valladen thundered in a voice that left fading echoes throughout the garden. His older son realized
that he never looked so regal before, or so sorrowful. Would he truly never see that again? His father’s golden hair
shimmered like the sunlit prairie, and his sea blue eyes stirred with the power of a thousand storms.
In the back of his mind, the son wondered if he could ever be that extraordinary. But right now, he desperately prayed
he would never have to find out.
“You will go now, my sons. You have a chance. Meet your guards and do not tarry for they will be upon you.”
“No!” The older son dropped to his knees. “I can’t think of life without you!” His throat ached with strangled words
that he could not force out. This was too sudden! This couldn’t be real! His mother stole his crying eyes. She too was
weeping, but there was no panic on her face, only sadness.
The younger brother rushed forward into his parents’ arms. “I thought you said they were gone! They couldn’t–”
His father cut him down with a glare. “Never did I say that, son. Never think that or you will not know who has slain
your family.” The brothers flinched.
The eldest pounded his fist against the ground. “Please! We’ll all run. If we can make it, so can you, Father…
Mother, please! They’ll never find us!”
Their father smiled ruefully. “I wish it could be so.”
The son’s tears burned his cheeks. “Give them the kingdom, it’s not worth this. Please.”
Valladen rested a hand on the head of his heir. “They would not stop with the kingdom, they care nothing for it.” He
pulled his hand back. “You will succeed. Your duty, the responsibility of the crown, is to protect and save our people.”
The crown prince bit his lip so hard that he tasted blood. He finally nodded.
His mother moved in front of him. She spread her hands out before both her children. “I pray that your lives are
eternal and full of love and joy.”
The eldest remained kneeling and lowered his face to hide his shame. His voice was surprisingly low. “I accept your
blessing, Mother.”
“Go, my sons.”
He rose and took his place beside his brother. “Must–” He bit his tongue. “We shall.”
“We love you,” Valladen whispered.
“We love you too.” The youngest hastily dashed forward and buried himself in their arms, just as a small child hugs
a pillow against a nightmare. Valladen and his wife pushed their second child away.
“Forever will you sing the first songs,” they said the traditional farewell.
“Forever–” the brothers’ unified voices faltered at the same time. Their words hung helplessly in their open mouths.
“Do not tarry with farewells, go.” Valladen swept his arm wide to the brilliantly white archway.
They bowed low and long before turning away. The eldest did not look back.
Alone in the garden, the lady sagged against her husband. “Oh, my love, this is all they’ve ever known.”
Her slender frame seemed so fragile to him. “I know.” He buried his face in her hair and held her tightly. They did not
have long to wait before the sun’s warmth faded from their skin. The once vibrant air chilled to a damp, slimy feel.
Shadows lazily stretched and bloated while spreading to abnormally huge proportions. Valladen looked heavenward
where the sun still shone, but the light looked as though a greasy film had been pulled over it.
Then the world faded to gray, like the gray between dusk and absolute darkness where the colors just leached away
from the world. The storm-readers’ light. As all the stories said to see it was to die.
He glanced around the muted garden. His heart beat mournfully as he thought of how the gray light defiled this
scintillating, laughing place.
A voice sliced through the oily air, smooth as silk but it felt like a whetstone scraping against the king’s delicate ears.
“You give your own lives freely.”
“We couldn’t run. You know why.”
The voice chuckled. “Oh, I know. We will kill your offspring. You only bought them time.”
“You speak with confidence.”
“You die without purpose.” The voice was sweet with venom. “Love is a weakness that cost you what you did not
have to give.”
“Our children live freely.” The words hissed through Valladen’s teeth. The polluted air drew the very breath out of
him. He held his beloved wife closer.
“Until we find them,” the voice replied tartly. “Our king said that our victory is well deserved. You know, we earned
our immortality, unlike you – and you never treated us as your equals in your jealousy.”
“Your rise to immortality was a horrendous sin,” the king snapped. “Now, stop gloating and do what you came to do.”
The queen took her husband’s hand and Valladen dropped his crown to the ground. It rang loudly in defiance. His
wife kissed him. In that kiss, he was not sure of the exact moment he unnaturally expired.
“We won’t leave you!” Prince Edillon choked on his words. His younger brother pressed into his side and nodded
vigorously.
“You will!” King Valladen thundered in a voice that left fading echoes throughout the garden. His older son realized
that he never looked so regal before, or so sorrowful. Would he truly never see that again? His father’s golden hair
shimmered like the sunlit prairie, and his sea blue eyes stirred with the power of a thousand storms.
In the back of his mind, the son wondered if he could ever be that extraordinary. But right now, he desperately prayed
he would never have to find out.
“You will go now, my sons. You have a chance. Meet your guards and do not tarry for they will be upon you.”
“No!” The older son dropped to his knees. “I can’t think of life without you!” His throat ached with strangled words
that he could not force out. This was too sudden! This couldn’t be real! His mother stole his crying eyes. She too was
weeping, but there was no panic on her face, only sadness.
The younger brother rushed forward into his parents’ arms. “I thought you said they were gone! They couldn’t–”
His father cut him down with a glare. “Never did I say that, son. Never think that or you will not know who has slain
your family.” The brothers flinched.
The eldest pounded his fist against the ground. “Please! We’ll all run. If we can make it, so can you, Father…
Mother, please! They’ll never find us!”
Their father smiled ruefully. “I wish it could be so.”
The son’s tears burned his cheeks. “Give them the kingdom, it’s not worth this. Please.”
Valladen rested a hand on the head of his heir. “They would not stop with the kingdom, they care nothing for it.” He
pulled his hand back. “You will succeed. Your duty, the responsibility of the crown, is to protect and save our people.”
The crown prince bit his lip so hard that he tasted blood. He finally nodded.
His mother moved in front of him. She spread her hands out before both her children. “I pray that your lives are
eternal and full of love and joy.”
The eldest remained kneeling and lowered his face to hide his shame. His voice was surprisingly low. “I accept your
blessing, Mother.”
“Go, my sons.”
He rose and took his place beside his brother. “Must–” He bit his tongue. “We shall.”
“We love you,” Valladen whispered.
“We love you too.” The youngest hastily dashed forward and buried himself in their arms, just as a small child hugs
a pillow against a nightmare. Valladen and his wife pushed their second child away.
“Forever will you sing the first songs,” they said the traditional farewell.
“Forever–” the brothers’ unified voices faltered at the same time. Their words hung helplessly in their open mouths.
“Do not tarry with farewells, go.” Valladen swept his arm wide to the brilliantly white archway.
They bowed low and long before turning away. The eldest did not look back.
Alone in the garden, the lady sagged against her husband. “Oh, my love, this is all they’ve ever known.”
Her slender frame seemed so fragile to him. “I know.” He buried his face in her hair and held her tightly. They did not
have long to wait before the sun’s warmth faded from their skin. The once vibrant air chilled to a damp, slimy feel.
Shadows lazily stretched and bloated while spreading to abnormally huge proportions. Valladen looked heavenward
where the sun still shone, but the light looked as though a greasy film had been pulled over it.
Then the world faded to gray, like the gray between dusk and absolute darkness where the colors just leached away
from the world. The storm-readers’ light. As all the stories said to see it was to die.
He glanced around the muted garden. His heart beat mournfully as he thought of how the gray light defiled this
scintillating, laughing place.
A voice sliced through the oily air, smooth as silk but it felt like a whetstone scraping against the king’s delicate ears.
“You give your own lives freely.”
“We couldn’t run. You know why.”
The voice chuckled. “Oh, I know. We will kill your offspring. You only bought them time.”
“You speak with confidence.”
“You die without purpose.” The voice was sweet with venom. “Love is a weakness that cost you what you did not
have to give.”
“Our children live freely.” The words hissed through Valladen’s teeth. The polluted air drew the very breath out of
him. He held his beloved wife closer.
“Until we find them,” the voice replied tartly. “Our king said that our victory is well deserved. You know, we earned
our immortality, unlike you – and you never treated us as your equals in your jealousy.”
“Your rise to immortality was a horrendous sin,” the king snapped. “Now, stop gloating and do what you came to do.”
The queen took her husband’s hand and Valladen dropped his crown to the ground. It rang loudly in defiance. His
wife kissed him. In that kiss, he was not sure of the exact moment he unnaturally expired.
| This book is dedicated to Thomas Szott, who convinced me that these stories were worth writing. Author: Dalton K Reed Editor: Thomas Szott Cover Art: Ashlee Barkley and Skye F Saldana Copyright 2010. Dalton K Reed. All Rights Reserved. This work’s copyright has been registered with the US Copyright Office. ISBN: 978-0-578-04916-8 Second Edition, printed January 2010 www.allthingsimpossible.com No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means without express permission from the author. The only exception is the fair use doctrine. No one may acquire this novel in a digital form for free and distribute it in any form for profit without documented permission from the author. Just so everyone knows: This is a work of fiction. None of it is real or based on real persons, with the single exception that one of the characters is named after a dearly departed friend of mine. Other than that, there is no intentional correlation between what is written here and any other works of fiction or events and persons in the real world. |
PROLOGUE
Chapters:
Prologue, One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten,
Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen,
Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty One, Twenty Two, Epilogue
Prologue, One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten,
Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen,
Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty One, Twenty Two, Epilogue
Copyright 2009 Dalton K Reed. All Rights Reserved.
