Page 1 of Of Storm and Emerald
Prologue
500 Years Ago...
Asflamesdwindleddownto their embers, and the screams of the injured and dying drifted into the background, the ruling members of Ixora gathered round a makeshift table of scorched rosewood and ash.
The war that had plagued their lands for five years had finally come to an end.
The Court of Sapphire Isles had been the sole ruler over Ixora for centuries, but under King Erix’s sovereignty, the realm had suffered.
Courts warred within themselves, and with others.
Plague and famine spread to every corner of the realm, taking countless lives, and still they were left to fend for themselves.
But when Lord Roan of Emerald–the largest of the mainland courts–had been murdered in cold blood and still there was no aid from the royals, his daughter, Lady Astraea, took matters into her own hands.
She spent the year following her father’s death garnering support from the other courts to lead a coup against the king–and it worked.
Nobles from every court flocked to her aid calling for justice, and after five grueling years of battle against the crown, they finally won.
“You’ve ruled without contest for long enough, Erix,” Lady Astraea proclaimed, using her power over the wind to amplify her voice above the gathered nobles.
A hush fell over the small crowd as all eyes turned in her direction, then she continued.
“For too long the people of Ixora have suffered under your rule. For too long my people—ourpeople,” she swept her arms wide gesturing to the other nobles, “Fought and died because you continue to turn a blind eye on the mainland citizens of this realm. But I say enough is enough.”
A resounding wave of cheers echoed through the field as she finished speaking.
Erix, arms bound behind his back as he kneeled in the blood-stained dirt, sneered back at her. “You thinkyoucan do any better?”
“By myself? No. No one should have unchecked power—magic or otherwise.”
“What are you suggesting, Astraea?” Lord Toran of Opal asked.
“I’m suggesting that we have a balance of power within Ixora, and that it be something everyone here agrees upon.”
There was a jumble of murmurs throughout the group before Lady Iridessa of Opal stepped up next to her father, glancing at him for reassurance before she spoke. “I only speak for myself and my people, but we do not want to rule. We also do not want to continue the way that we have been.”
A chorus of agreement followed her statement, and then Lady Zaria of Topaz stepped forward. “I propose a dual monarchy, with a system of checks and balances from the remaining courts.”
“Dual monarchy?” Confusion laced Astraea’s voice, and her brow furrowed.
“Yes. King Erix would step down, leaving his son to rule in his stead. And you, Lady Astraea, would take up the mantle of the second monarchy.”
“Me?” Astraea asked. The matter-of-fact way that Zaria proclaimed her as a ruler–aqueen–shocked her to her core, but the nods of agreement from the remaining nobility sealed her fate.
It wasn’t until King Erix’s voice cut through the noise like a hot knife that she was able to shake herself from her stupor.
“You think that I will simply abdicate?” A maniacal grin spread across his face as he laughed.
However, the sound was short lived, replaced by the unmistakable sound of a blade cutting through flesh.
Standing behind the body of the now slain king was his eldest son, Killian. She’d heard of the Prince’s shadow magic and his ability to move from one place to another in the blink of an eye. Seeing it in person was a completely different matter.
“I think we’ve all heard enough of his ramblings, don’t you?” he asked as he nonchalantly wiped his blade across his forearm. “Now, where were we? I do believe that in order for this to work, we will need a treaty of some kind. Do you agree?” His piercing green eyes locked in on Astraea as he posed the question, and it was as if a thread had been snapped between them.
She cleared her throat and nodded. “Yes, a treaty is definitely in order.”
The nobles of Ixora sat around that burned tree for hours discussing the ins and outs of the new treaty. And in the end, the Treaty of Rosewood was formed.
