Ashuliya, The Lost Kingdom is out. It’s a romance, fantasy novella. A beautiful princess, a murder plot and an ancient, magical curse – it’s an interesting read. Here is the first chapter.
First Chapter of Ashuliya
For Princess Jaelyn, it was the end of her life as she knew it.
She bowed before her father’s coffin to pay her last respects. Pale evening light filtered down from the temple’s windows and played on the ebony casket. Tonight, by the wan light of the moon, her father would be interred in the royal crypt, next to his wife, Jaelyn’s mother.
It was time for Jaelyn, born and brought up as a princess, to honor her father’s memory and ascend the throne as the queen of Ashuliya, the magical kingdom to which she belonged.
Unfortunately, she would never live to fulfill the duty for which she had been groomed. Her father, King of Ashuliya, had been murdered. And she was the next in line to join him in the underworld.
“Jaelyn.” Itahid stood behind her. He had been her father’s oldest friend. His red rimmed eyes showed evidence of his grief at the king’s untimely demise. “The council is ready.”
Straightening, Jaelyn brushed the tears from her cheeks. She had not been able to sleep since the news of her father’s death reached her. She was tired and anxious, but it would not do to show her sorrow in front of the council. Her father would not have approved of a display of emotions in public.
“Would you speak on my behalf?” she said.
Itahid sighed. “I know you want me to, but I’ve already told you that it will not serve any purpose. Once again, I urge you to reconsider your decision to speak to the council.”
Rather than argue, Jaelyn strode out of the crypt. They had already had this discussion before. She trusted Itahid as he was her principal tutor and confidant. Still, she was not willing to change her mind. She needed to do this.
“My father’s murderer remains free. It is my duty to bring him to justice,” she said as they walked down the wide palace corridors.
Old tapestries hung on the walls, depicting scenes from age-old stories and pictures of former kings and queens. Today, the grand décor of the palace failed to impress Jaelyn. Her mind was focused; she needed to do something to find her father’s murderer.
“They will not believe you. You’ve no proof, only conjecture.” Itahid placed his hand on her shoulder and forced her to stop.
“I’ve to try. The people of this kingdom need to know the truth. I need to know the truth,” she said.
A sudden gust of wind burst across the corridor from one of the open windows. Stopping, Jaelyn took a quick peek outside. The courtyard was crowded with palace guards and officials who had come to pay their last respect to the king. In the far distance, she could see the snow-tipped mountains. It had not begun to snow here in the lowlands yet, but winter was well on its way.
They reached the massive oak doors that barred entry to the council room. No one was granted entry into this inner sanctum except council members or the reigning king or queen. This was the first time Jaelyn would set foot inside this chamber.
Squaring her shoulders, she adjusted her somber black robes. She pushed open the doors. To her surprise, the massive doors opened easily. Perhaps, they had been spelled to recognize her touch?
The council room was simply furnished. A square white granite table stood in the center, occupying most of the space. At its head was the seat of the king. On two adjacent sides were three chairs each. Seated on them were the council members. Itahid went to take his customary seat.
Jaelyn knew that she could not claim her father’s place until she was crowned queen. She stood before the council with her head held high. It was imperative that she convince them to acquiesce to her wishes.
“Princess Jaelyn, although you have been granted an audience with the council, please remember that this is an unprecedented move. No council has ever gathered without the reigning king or queen. An exception has been made for you because of your position as next in line to assume command of the council…and also because…” Tamid, one of the council members faltered as he came to the main reason why she had summoned a council meeting.
“Because I’ve suggested that my father, the late king of Ashuliya was murdered. His was not a natural death due to a lack of control over a spell, as is commonly believed.” Jaelyn finished the sentence with an icy determination.
“Princess Jaelyn!” Ajin had been one of her father’s principal advisors. “We understand how distraught you are. But you know as well as we do that that these soul levitation spells are potentially deadly.”
“For a less skilled wizard, perhaps? My father was a veteran at soul levitation spells,” she countered. It was imperative that she persuade them to open an investigation into her father’s death. They could not simply set aside this matter as if it was of no consequence.
Ajin put his hands on the table, and sat up straight. His voice was gentle when he addressed her. “The king knew that in any one of those times he could lose track of time. Once the soul is out of the body, it needs to be back before the spelled candle burns out, or else the body stops living.”
Jaelyn brushed aside his feeble argument. “Do you think he didn’t have safeguards to ensure that an error such as that never happened?”
“The spell he must have conjured to pull him back failed, or else he forgot to set one up.” Tamid joined the discussion once more.
“He was too experienced a wizard to make a mistake.”
“Everyone can make a mistake,” Tamid said.
Jaelyn took a deep breath. “So you’re not going to pursue the matter any further?”
“You know as well as we do that tracking the progress of a spell that has already taken place is near to impossible.” Tamid ran his hand over the edge of the table. “Unlike other spells, the re-creation spell is not accurate.”
Jaelyn pressed her hands together. She had hoped the council might listen to her agitated request and start an official investigation. They either did not believe her or were being manipulated by her father’s killer.
Was it possible that one or more of the council members was responsible for her father’s murder?
“Princess, may I suggest that you start preparing for your departure to the Temple of the Goddess. We intend to hold the coronation as soon as your customary thirty days of mourning are over,” Majhid, another one of the council members, suggested. His manner was mild, perhaps even timid as if he desired not to hurt her feelings.
Ignoring him for the moment, Jaelyn studied the rest of the group. Barring Itahid, there were two council members who had not said anything. Jian and Rafiat.
Rafiat was an expert spell caster as well as a master of theurgy, the art of convening spirits.
Jaelyn looked at him as she spoke. “Perhaps if we were to call on the spirit of my father…”
“Impossible!” he said, looking alarmed at the suggestion. “The great spirits of kings and queens cannot be disturbed, as per the law of the kingdom.”
There indeed was a law that protected spirits of former kings and queens from being summoned. Theurgy was a highly controlled art. It was regarded as highly dangerous magic. Anyone practicing it had to take a special license from the kingdom and was monitored to ensure that he or she did not disturb the spirits unnecessarily. Angry spirits sometimes turned on the theurgists who summoned them. Two had been killed in the past seven years.
Jaelyn did not have the necessary knowledge to perform such a feat. She was only a level two theurgist, and had left off her studies of this particular magic a good eight years ago.
“Princess Jaelyn, we understand your distress. Your father’s demise is a loss to the entire kingdom. I urge you to concentrate on your duties and leave the pursuit of this…theory. The nation needs you to be strong and wise, especially now when there have been reports that eegars are forming an army to invade the kingdoms, “Tamid said, as he leaned forward on his seat.
“The eegars have always honored the centuries’ old agreement with our kingdom. They are content to stay in the mountains. Why would they invade us?” Jaelyn had also heard the rumors that the ancient race of non-magic creatures were assembling an army.
“It’s said that they want access to the flatlands, the beach and permission for free trade,” Majhid said.
“Nonsense. They are incapable of living in a united community. They live in small tribes,” she said. “What’s more, they wish to stay away from magic people.”
“I’ve heard they have a new leader and he is organizing them into an army.” Itahid said. “If it is true, they can be a real threat, because magic will not stop them.”
Despite being non-magic, eegars were formidable foes. No magic worked on them. This made them nearly invincible when faced with witches and wizards who relied on their magic to fight a battle.
“They have no reason to attack us.” Jaelyn dismissed the claims. It was a rumor someone had started long before the demise of the king. Her father had not believed in it, and neither did she. The eegars were incapable of collaborating together as a nation. They were simple creatures, who foraged and hunted in the mountains and had lived there peacefully for centuries.
“Still, we will all feel better once you’re crowned queen and they have taken their pledge of loyalty to you,” Tamid said. “For that reason alone, we wish for you to stop delaying your entry into the temple. Your coronation is important to the nation’s sense of safety.”
Jaelyn locked glances with him. “And if I refuse to go until you start an inquiry into my father’s murder?”
He stared back at her. “A few of us have already discussed the possibility. You know that you’re the only heir to the throne, since the king had no other children. However, the council has the power to try and revoke your candidacy and appoint someone else to claim the throne.”
“You cannot–”
“We can. None of us wants that. The heirs to the great king Mianka have ruled this kingdom for centuries. You are the last of that line. It would bring great unrest to the kingdom if we were to remove you from the throne, especially as we seem to be on brink of war with the eegars. Still, if you insist on this foolish scheme of yours… We will be forced to take such a step.”
“You will never get the unanimous vote you need to do that,” Jaelyn said.
“Perhaps, we will not. Do you wish to risk that?” Ajin said.
Jaelyn glanced at Itahid. He nodded imperceptibly. With Itahid supporting her, they would not get the unanimous vote they would need for such a rash act. At the same time, she was not willing to alienate the entire council.
Once she ascended the throne, she would need their expertise and advice. It was best to retain amiable relations with them.
How could she convey to them her fear that if she entered the Temple of the Goddess, she would never come out alive?
Her father’s murderer was surely waiting for a chance to kill her, and the temple was a perfect place to do so. She would be alone there, without the protection of the palace guards.
The murderer could not afford for her to become the queen and start the inquiry, despite the opposition of the council. As queen, she would have the power to order them to do so.
Jaelyn swallowed her pride and curtsied to the council members. “Thank you for your time and consideration.” She knew she would not see them again.
She would be dead before her coronation.
