Excerpt: Kalevala: Wizards of the Sky, Book One

(Continued from last excerpt.)
Raewyn had only entered the throne room once, and that was when she was given a tour of the palace when she’d first arrived. The room was large and had the air of royalty in it. Her steps became nearly silent as she entered the room and stepped onto the tiled floor. Seven empty golden thrones sat to her left. Above them was a balcony with two staircases that went both ways down to the floor.

Standing towards the middle of the room were two men. One she recognized as the King’s advisor of sorts. Though Raewyn had only been near him a few times, the man sent an eerie chill down her spine. That chill, however, was nothing compared to the fear that moved through her body when she looked over at the king, who was speaking softly to his advisor.

King Cerberus stood tall, his shoulders broad and his chest decorated with various jewels. He had a graying beard that matched his gray eyebrows and dark eyes that were unreadable. His head turned as Eiran led Raewyn into the room, and they quickly stopped speaking.

Eiran stood in front of Raewyn and bowed deeply to the king and his advisor. Raewyn stepped to Eiran’s side and imitated the bow, keeping her gaze directed to the floor.

“Ah, good, Captain, you’re right on time,” the King greeted. “And this must be Raewyn.”

It was only when her name was spoken that Raewyn looked up at the King. “Your Majesty,” she said softly.

“Raewyn, did Captain Valerius tell you why you were asked here?” the King asked.
“No, sir.”

“I was watching you today while you were in the practice yard, and I was impressed by your skills,” King Cerberus began. “As I understand it, you have improved greatly since you first came here.”

Raewyn felt her cheeks rise in color as the king spoke, but didn’t say anything for the moment. I wonder where he’s going with this, she thought.

“It is because of this that I would like to offer you a promotion of sorts. It’s not much, but I think you’ll enjoy it, and I believe you can do the job. My daughter Coralia is in need of a bodyguard, someone that she’ll be able to trust to look after her. She does have other bodyguards of course, but since you are female I think that there is more of a chance of her trusting you enough to watch after her when they cannot,” the King finished.

Raewyn looked at the King in surprise. Had she heard right? He wanted her to protect one of the princesses, a future heir to the throne?

“I . . . do not know what to say, Your Majesty,” Raewyn said. “I would be honored to take on the responsibility of protecting your daughter. Thank you.”

The King nodded pleasantly, “It’s settled then. Your duties will begin starting tomorrow. Princess Coralia has a fairly simple daily routine, so it shouldn’t be too hard to watch over her. I am placing her in your capable hands.” Finished, the King looked away, but not before casting a cold glance toward Raewyn. Its message was hard to miss and made Raewyn want to shrink down to the size she was suddenly feeling: do not fail.

Raewyn swallowed hard, trying to ignore the hardened look on the ruler’s face and push it to the back of her mind. She nodded slowly. “I won’t let you down, Your Majesty.”

Captain Valerius bowed to the King and his adviser before turning on his heel, indicating that Raewyn was to follow.

Once the Captain and Raewyn were out of the throne room, they came to a sudden stop as Eiran turned to look at her.

“Congratulations on your promotion, Raewyn,” he said. “This will be good for you. Your father will be proud.”

Raewyn smiled softly and nodded, “Thank you, Captain.” She thought about her father for a moment. She hadn’t seen him in at least a year now. Would she go home to tell him the news? Of course you will, she told herself.He’s your father. Besides, it was because of him that she was even a guard to begin with. Yes, she would tell him.