The Spade Chronicles Book 0: Eagles Rising

Sorry I haven’t written in a while, but your last letter really threw me off.

You really think that I was abducted? I didn’t mean to make you think that, honest. I can’t pretend to know what it’s like to believe your only daughter was kidnapped. If I could have prevented you from experiencing that I would have, but things don’t always turn out that way. I tried to visit you, I really did, but too many things happened, and I didn’t want to put you at risk. I know it sounds strange, but I need you to trust me. I miss you everyday, but I’m happy, and I want you to be too. Please don’t worry about me, I can take care of myself. Besides, even if I do fall down, why not let my friends help me back up?

Love from Spade,

Allie Sage.

I put the quill back in its well and moved to sit at the window to read my letter over. I sighed and gazed out the window. I opened the latch and let the cool crisp air caress my face and hair. I breathed in the scent of mountains mixed with open breeze and felt myself relax. I felt Kyrie land on my shoulder, ready for me to give her the letter to deliver to my family in addition to the letter I had written to Ms. Pendragon. I wished I could tell my mother more about what I was doing in spade more than ever, but I made a vow that I would wait until after the Festival and all of this blew over. I knew she was worried enough about me being in another world, if my father had convinced her as much. I didn’t want her to be afraid for my safety as well. The letter I had written to Ms. Pendragon was just a letter telling her the events of Lance’s trial and letting her know that her son had safely arrived in Lailoria and was on his way to becoming a Spade.

I rolled the letter together with Ms. Pendragon’s and placed it in the messenger tube strapped to Kyrie’s back. She shifted, adjusting it so it rested between her wings.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to wait until after your report?”

Ah right, I was report the events that occurred during the trip here. I was hoping that I would also ask about why I was assigned to watch Lance during his trial. It was my understanding that they were Vipers, or some other malevolent group my Eagles and I had yet to learn about. If they were Vipers, the first conclusion I would come to would be that they were following Ouroboros’ orders to kill me, but Spade, Queen Rhiannon at least, seemed to be pretty firm that they were after Lance. They didn’t seem to know much about the Vipers either, if I were to take what they said in the letter word for word. Assassins were trained killers known for eliminating their targets before their presence even became known. The Vipers didn’t seem to match that description. If anything, they were a rebel group set on causing chaos in Ivaline, and they were by no means a group of trained troops.

“I’ll be fine Kyrie, besides, I really want these letters to be read as soon as possible.”

“Alright, if you insist.” She brushed my cheek goodbye and leapt out the window, spreading her wings and banking west to swoop out of view. I stood and stretched. It was a couple of hours before noon, I was given the day off of practice both in part to my late night arrival and because of my report. I think Lance was resting as well before someone came to take him around Eagle Bastion. I heard a faint click and rustle as Belladonna opened the door and padded inside.

“Hey you,” I greeted, “Where’ve you been?”

“Playing with Peppermint in the stables, he was in the paddocks and we ran for a bit. He even let me have a bit of his apple.”

I smiled, making a mental note to visit Peppermint as soon as I could. The horses assigned as our partners as students are cared for and technically aligned with Queen Rhiannon, however, it wasn’t uncommon for horses to leave Lailoria with the students who spent their study years with them after they graduate. Those who truly bonded with their horses, like Peppermint and i, would leave together, as severing such a bond is frowned upon in all of Ivaline. There were a few who wouldn’t ride often or didn’t connect with their horse, then they would leave alone, and the horse would be paired with an incoming Hatchling. Peppermint told me that was the case for him until he met me.

“She was a nice enough girl,” he told me on the way to Pangaea. “But before coming to Ivaline she had a terrible horsehair allergy, so she was always distant from me.”

I didn’t really know where I was going after my study years, but Sylphia told me that we would go more into that matter once we were Wyverns, when they would tell us what careers were available and what would be the right path for us. We would spend our Dragon year receiving training for that particular job. If that job was that of an artist or athlete, they would spend the years under the tutelage of the Art Masters residing in the palace. If not, instructors for any trade was brought in from across Spade to teach a student. At the Gate of Spade, it read that the Spades were wealthy, and if anything was a testament to that fact, it was the way the students lived. As I pet Belladonna’s head, I looked to the fire I had lit in the hearth, and wondered what I would become after I completed my years of study.

There was an authoritative knock on my door, causing me to jump. In a few strides I opened it to see a maid.

“You are to report to the Queen now, Hatchling Sage.” she told me in a gruff voice, and lead me out of the dorm hall without waiting for my reply. I followed her, expecting to arrive at a conference room to talk to some officer. Instead, to my shock and befuddlement, the maid opened one of the massive double doors leading into a Cardinal Corridor. The Spade royal palace was divided into two parts, the Outer Palace, where I lived and learned, and the Inner Palace, where Queen Rhiannon ran the country. The Inner Palace was the most secure place in Ivaline.

It was also forbidden to students.

The only ones allowed in the Inner Palace had to get clearance, even those working as servants and messengers. The only time we would be allowed in would be if we were under attack. There were four ways into the Inner Palace, and they were called the Cardinal Corridors, one for each direction on a compass. Given that I lived in the North Wing, we walked down the North Corridor. It was dark, only lit by sand by the maid in the as we came up to them and dimmed them again as we past then, so I only saw a few feet in front of us. Of what I did see, the ceiling soared so high above us the light didn’t touch it. Under my feet was made of lapis lazuli, bordered with white marble. After an eternity of walking in silence, we came across another door, she went in first, and I stepped into the Inner Palace.

In contrast to the North Corridor, the room beyond it was bright. It was a parlor, with tapestries and stained glass windows even more intricately detailed than those in the Outer Palace. I could barely get a glimpse as we walked through it, going through an unfamiliar set of winding hallways until she came to a stop in front of an silver set of double doors emblazoned with a dragon and inlaid with jewels. I hesitantly knocked on the door.

“Come in.” Said a gentle, but powerful voice. I walked in to see a massive oak desk with piles of paper held down by inkwells. The woman behind the desk was middle aged, elegant woman wearing a gold breastplate with a deep purple sleeves. She had white blond hair, and fine facial features. Her hair hung loose around her shoulder in loose curls, and fell below her waist. What was most striking about her were her eyes. A bright yellow that was a more distinguishing feature than the eagle shaped amulet resting of the top of her brow. She looked up from the paper she was reading to gaze at me.

“Ah, Allie Sage, our new blade making prodigy. Have a seat.”

“Queen Rhiannon.” I breathed, sinking into a chair numbly, I had expected to report to some run of the mill secretary, an instructor at most. It was quite a shock to come face to face with the Queen of Spade herself.

“No need for formalities, Allie.” She said with a smile. “Call me Rhiannon. Now I want to hear of what happened during your assignment. Was there anyone interfering with Lance Pendragon’s trial?” I nodded, and told her in detail exactly what happened and how we got through to Lailoria so quickly.

“A dragon you say?” She mused, “Fitting.”

“Is there a reason why Lance was being followed? There were at least ten different groups scouring the Forest of Trials for us, and we both spent our childhoods on Pangaea, so why would we be targets for people on Ivaline?” I questioned, curiosity burning. She leaned back in her chair and regarded me thoughtfully.

“You did exceedingly well, especially for a Hatchling with little tactical training. You managed to evade and outwit multiple hostiles as well as guarding someone else. There many who would have balked when faced with such a daunting task, but you faced it without hesitation. You are to be commended.” She stood and walked to the window.

“It’s true that you and Lance both grew up on Pangaea, but Lance was born in Spade, and he has chosen to come back to us all of these years.”

I nodded, and waited for her to continue.

“Lance is the son of the former King of Spade, Orion, and because of this he has become a target for certain rebel groups which have been dormant for some time now. Although we don’t yet know how, word of his return spread all throughout Ivaline a few moments after your return. Unfortunately at this time I can’t reveal any details to you.”

She turned to me and looked me in the eye.

“Although that may change in time. You are dismissed, although I would request you keep the details of your encounter with me little known outside of your trusted friends. There is a big change in winds coming to Spade.” I contemplated letting her know about the Vipers, but I still didn’t know who Ouroboros was, and since we send all letters on their way all we have are Kennedia’s copies, which I doubt would be convincing. I put my right fist to my heart and bent slightly at the waist, the Spade version of a bow, and opened the door.

“Allie, I almost forgot, come back here for a moment.” I went back to her desk as she opened up a drawer and pulled out a compact mirror.

“I heard from Sylphia that you weren’t able to see your parents at the Gathering and Lance told me that you weren’t able to visit during your trip to Pangaea either. So I thought you might want a way to see your parents.” She slid the compact over to me, I picked it up to open it. Instead of a mirror, it looked like it was filled with a silvery liquid, miraculously contained within the sides of the compact, slightly quivering when I moved it to get a closer look.

“It’s called a calling compact, it’s used to contact people from other worlds, you just enter a name and the world the person it in and it calls them. We have already one to your parents, and the image can be projected on any mirror or reflective surface by placing the compact in front of it. Your friend Daedalus should be able to help you if you have any questions or concerns. I hear he’s showing promise in mechanics.”

As I was walking out of the North Cardinal Corridor I caught sight of Sylphia, who was waiting for me in from of the door that led to the dorm halls.

“Allie, you remember Atalanta taking you around the palace to get you settled in? I want you to do the same for Lance before dinner, okay? Have fun you two!” She said before walking off and disappearing through the very door I had just emerged from.

“So,” I began, “ What do you want to learn about first?”

Lance rubbed his neck, thinking, then looked up at me, eyes sparkling.

“My mom would always tell me about how the Arts were the heart of Spade, can we go look at those first?”

I spent the rest of the afternoon showing Lance around Eagle Bastion, bringing him to the headquarters for the Dancers and Flock. We made it to four out of five of the Arts before the bell signaling the start of dinner sounded.

“Any favorites so far?” I asked Lance, bumping my shoulder into his gently as we walked toward the dining hall.

“I like the Muses, but I want to see them all before I make a decision, the Flock sounded good to though, I’m not sure I’ll be able to pick just one.” He responded, bumping my shoulder back as he looked around the halls at the tapestries and stained glass window the palace was so famous for.

“I’ve heard of people choosing more than one,” I reassured him. “Although I would wait until you’ve graduated to choose that route, just pick one that you feel you would have the most fun in, and if you don’t like it, you can change it when we become Fledglings.” I finished as we walked through the archway leading into the dining hall. It was as noisy as ever, everyone chatting amiably to unwind over a meal before heading of to the common room for hot chocolate or tea. I lead him to the line of buffet tables and waited for him to finish as I scanned the room. As I thought, my friends were waiting at our usual table by the corner window. I lead Lance over as I weaved through the tables to join them, smiling and waving as people turned in their seats to say ‘hi’.

“Welcome back Allie!” I heard from someone at the back of the hall.

“See you Friday night!” said a boy sitting to my right,

“Someone’s popular.” Lance noted, walking slightly behind me.

“Yeah, well, you’d be surprised how easy it is to make friends here.” I mumbled, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Lance hang his head.

“She’s being modest,” Daedalus said as we sat down, he leaned in toward Lance conspiratorially. “Everyone here thinks she’s the greatest thing since ironworking.”

I swatted at his head. “Don’t listen to him Lance, Daedalus is just messing with you since you’re new.”

“Hey!”

“You seem to adjust to your notoriety very well given your social situation on Pangaea.” Lance noted, his tone careful, like he was trying not to offend. He didn’t exactly succeed in that department.

“It’s not like I didn’t have any friends.” I responded coldly. “In fact, before you showed up, I was quite popular.” I had been, as difficult as it was to believe, in middle school, I had always been surrounded by my classmates, always organizing parties and get-togethers almost every weekend. I was even elected student council president in my eighth grade year.

Of course thinking back at all I had reminded me of what I lost during freshman year. It had started innocuously enough, but then people began to whisper about me, and someone set up an anonymous social media account and began to spread rumors and bash me with it. At first my friends were supportive, but one by one they would spend their lunchtimes at other tables, finding excuses to decline my invitations, until finally I was alone. By winter break, I had deleted all of my accounts and took to reading books instead, finding refuge in the sanctuary poetry and prose provided.

Shaking my head, I came back to the present.

“Anyway, these are my friends now, everyone, this is Lance.” I introduced, sweeping my hand over the table and then toward Lance in a welcoming gesture.

Everyone introduced themselves eagerly before asking Lance all sorts of questions about his life on Pangaea and his Trial. After a while, Atalanta spoke up.

“So how much does he know about the Viper situation?”

“He’s pretty much up to speed,” I responded. “He helped me out with a few Vipers when I first landed and Pangaea, so that took some explaining.”

“Well, I’m sure you can tell us all about it in the common room.” Kennedia said as she stood and stretched.

“Actually, I was going to take Lance to stop by the Guild first, it’s the only one he hasn’t seen yet.” I explained, tapping Lance on the shoulder so I could point to where he was to drop his tray.

“Well than I see no reason why we can’t join you.” Robin responded, taking Kennedia’s arm.

So we all ended up walking to the silver door together, lead by myself and Lance.

“Here’s the place to be if you’re one for visual arts, sculpting, you name it.” I said while opening the door. The rom was mostly dark, but the Guild Master was down in the forge section of the massive chamber.

“Hello?” I called, and he looked up from where he was pounding away at a blade.

“Come on down!” He called, and we made our way down the winding stairs until we were in front of him. Lance looked around the room, eyes wide.

“What can I do for you?” The Guildmaster, putting his project in a trough of water to cool.

“I’m just showing Lance here the Guild before he chooses which Art he’ll join.” I explained, placing my hands on Lance’s shoulder and pushing him to face the massive Guildmaster. He chuckled.

“This place is more lively when the sun shines I promise, besides, Hatchlings usually prepare for bed this time of night.” It was no sooner had he finished his thought that Kennedia yawned and leaned on Robin, who wrapped an arm secure around her shoulders.

“We’ll head back.” He said, then tried to get Kennedia to walk with him, when she drowsily refused, he just sighed, picked her up, and left the room.

“Ahh to be young and in love.” Sighed the Guildmaster wistfully, drawing attention back to himself. Lance, who had been previously letting his eyes roam around the nearly empty room, finally spoke up.

“I’d like to work in the forge. Is that possible?”

The Guildmaster blanched, taken aback.

“Certainly. Although I haven’t had a young Hatchling down here in years. It’s hard work at the forges, boy, there will be countless mornings when you wake up with rubber arms. But I’m not one to discourage, just so long as you know what you’re getting yourself into first. Are you sure? You could start with sculpting first to ease into it.”

Lance let his eyes sweep across the room again, his eyes finally focusing on the crystal night clear beyond the skylight.

“Absolutely.”

Daedalus and Atalanta said they wanted to spar a bit in the underground sleeping hall before heading off to bed, so I walked Lance back to the dorms, letting him peek into classrooms and showing him the common room before coming out into the gardens above our rooms. I spoke up when we were overlooking the ocean that lay just beyond the palace. We stood at the northernmost part of Eagle Bastion

“So,” I began. “How does it feel to be a Spade?

“I don’t think there’s a word for it.” He mused. “I feel like all of my life I’ve lived under water, you know how it muffles everything around you? It’s like I wasn’t really living on Pangaea, just waiting to come here. Now that I actually get to be here, I’m actually motivated to be a part of something. I want to spar and learn how to use magic and explore the palace. I feel so exhilarated when I think about it, but also overwhelmed, I don’t know if it will ever sink in.”

I patted his shoulder. “Just take it one day at a time.” I left him to gather his thoughts and went up the stairway leading to where Hawthorne was watching us from his vantage point.

“Beautiful moon out tonight.” He said in way of greeting.

“Hey Hawthorne.” I replied, walking over to the edge of the tower. I looked over to where Lance still leaned against the railing. I put my hand on the parapet.

“What do you think about Lance?” I asked him as I felt the pressure of his talons press into my shoulder guard.

“He seems like a nice enough Hatchling, thought I haven’t had a chance to interact with him much, why do you ask?”

“When I lived on Pangaea, I was relentlessly bullied,” I began, and I felt his gaze turn on me sharply. “Mainly, Lance and another person would be the ones responsible, although one could argue that Lance was a bit less aggressive, usually only teasing me whereas Rose would try to do me physical harm. Anyway, when I got back to Pangaea and was ambushed, it was Lance who helped me out, and he told me way he treated me the way he did. I don’t want to be his enemy anymore, but I don’t know if I should hold him accountable or just bury the hatchet. I’m not really angry, but it seems strange to just let go of all of the misery I felt for the past few years.”

“And this is the boy you guarded during his trial.”

“Yes.”

“After spending time with him, do you think that he would act in such a way in the future?”

I thought back at our time together for a moment.

“No.”

“Violet, you don’t have to force yourself to feel a certain way just because it seems like the right thing to do. If you feel like he’s redeemed himself, then you should trust your instincts.”

As usual, whenever I listened to Hawthorne’s advice I felt calmer. I yawned, bade him goodnight, and went down to my room. I was just reading a book to unwind when my eyes found the compact the Queen gave me sitting on my vanity. It was glowing and vibrating, giving me a start. I had meant to call my mom tomorrow, but know it seemed I might not have to. I opened the compact to see my father’s face fill the screen.

“Allie? Is that you?”

“Yeah, what’s up? It’s a little late for a call.” I heard a rustle and the sound of footsteps.

“Timothy? That’s Allie’s voice, where is it coming from?” I saw my mom come into the frame. They were in the living room, with my father sitting on my favorite armchair and my mother coming to stand behind it. When she saw me, tears started to form in her eyes.

“Allie? Sweetie is that you?”

“Yeah Mom, I’m here.” I said, voice shaking as I felt tears well in my own eyes.

“Oh Allie, I’ve been so worried about you! Are you hurt? Are you doing well? Do I need to hurt someone? What happened to you, I was so worried!”

“I’m sorry Mom! I didn’t want to leave without telling you! I promise!”

“I know sweetie, but why can’t you come home?” My chest hurt and I felt a familiar pit form in my stomach. I had to do something I didn’t want to.

“My place is here. I can’t just leave my friends, I have a home here.”

“But what about us Allie? Will I even see you again?” The weak sound of her voice made me feel like the ground was being torn from beneath me, but I pressed on.

“Of course you will. I’ll come to visit again as soon as I can, but there are some things I have to do first.” I yawned, feeling my eyes start to droop.

“Vanessa, maybe we shouldn’t interrogate her right now, she seems exhausted.” I heard my father intervene, and while I loved talking to my mom again, I felt like I was going to drop soon.

“I guess you’re right. Allie, why are you so tired so early? It’s seven. Are you being overworked? Are you ill?” I waved off her concerns.

“It’s nothing like that, it’s just late, it might be seven where you are but it’s eleven here.”

“Oh well, I’ll let you go then, call me tomorrow.” She insisted, and I nodded.

“Love you, Mom.”

“Love you too Allie, sweet dreams.”

As soon as the connection ended, I placed the compact on my bedside table, dimmed the lights, and fell off to sleep.