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Mortal: A non-magical being with a normal, human, lifespan.
Aurora: the creator of all. Imagined by some as a light energy but by most as a Goddess.
The Stygian: a dark force born to counteract Aurora’s utopian world. It’s its own entity, commonly called hell.
The Crystal Forest: A forest in The Island of Anathema. It’s made of crystals which carry Aurora’s life force that keep the realms alive.
Watchers: winged creatures assigned to care and protect Mystics. Each Watcher bonds with a specific Mystic they will go along with and serve for eternity.
Angels: created by Aurora, who made them to rule the world and watch over Mystics and mortals.
Demons: immortals spawned by the Stygian’s dark powers. The first and most powerful demons being fallen angels, who were lured by the darkness.
CHAPTER ONE
Reetah
“With all due respect, Your Highness,” the guard said. “Your father would not be pleased with you walking home.”
“Then don’t tell him,” Emmaline said, with a mischievous curl to her lips.
The guard turned to her. “But, ma’am, that—”
She put up a hand, effectively silencing him. “We’re walking, and that’s that.”
His pursed lips and twisted face conveyed his frustration. But she was the princess, and besides the King and Queen, no one could tell her what to do.
Well, she also listened to me, but only when we were away from prying eyes and listening ears. It was uncouth to be best friends with your lady’s maid.
I squeezed her arm. “I’m proud of you for speaking up for yourself.”
Emmaline smiled, patting my hand. “You’ve taught me well.”
There was a time when I envied my best friend, wishing I could be the one wearing the dresses I spent my days wriggling her into. Yearning to feel the weight of a gilded crown on my head. But the older we got, the further I walked from that notion.
Her life was stifling and even though I wanted more out of my existence, “princess” was no longer one of my pipe dreams.
Nope, my pipe dreams comprised of becoming a Mystic. A being with incredible magical powers who got to have wings and ride around on an equally incredible winged watcher. This would never happen since I was a mortal lady’s maid to an equally mortal princess.
“Reetah,” Emmaline said, snapping her fingers in my face.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness.”
Emmie, as I liked to call her, rolled her eyes. She didn’t like her best friend addressing her in such a formal way, but I always did in front of others, especially those who would run to the king and tattle on me.
He had always been kind, but he’d never treat me as his equal.
Emmie took me by the hand, pulling me along as we left Frentani’s enormous community gardens. The crowds parted to let their princess through.
Emmie’s parents weren’t the best rulers. Not because they were cruel, but because they lacked motivation. Complacent and defeated was their M.O. as they spent their days eating and drinking while complaining about the Stygian’s and the Angels’ inability to eliminate it, although mortals fought the Angels for control of the realms, only to sit on their asses and watch our world crumble.
The Stygian, the source of all darkness, was making the sun lose its potency, which brought in dark skies and too much rain. It was a serious problem, because our realm survived on solar power for everything, plus crops suffered as the sun hid behind dense clouds for long periods. The Stygian was also causing parts of the land to become sick, due to which the soil turned black and barren.
Emmaline squeezed my arm, her posture tense and weary as she squinted at the gray sky with clouds so thick they made our world bleak and terrifying.
The King had ordered the creation of artificial light as lanterns, which hung on tall posts lining each street, fashioning a soft golden glow above us.
Unfortunately, these lights were solar powered and their batteries were draining fast, as sunlight became a rarer occurrence.
