“Remember, child, our only goal is to end the royal bloodline. That is how we save our people according to the visions.” My uncle’s words kept playing over and over in my head. “We must kill the king’s son. Whenever he reveals himself, you will strike. Not a moment before, do you understand me?” I understood.

  I had to get caught near or inside the king’s large house, and taken to the king. From there, I needed to kill the prince. We just had no clue what the prince looked like. In all of our shaman’s visions, it was as if the prince of Sunspire Citadel was encased in a bright shield of light. Unable to make out his face, but the visions all ended the same way. He would step forward whenever I was in front of the king and shout for his father. That was the moment I would need to strike.

  It should have been simple enough once we breached the walls. However, once we were inside I was caught off guard by the sheer size of the kingdom. I knew the giant walls had to be protecting something. From the mountain tops I could see the king’s large house, but I had never witnessed something man-made that was so… expansive. Spiraling towers that stretched towards the heavens, decorative stone that had been hand-carved by long lost crafters, and all of the people. There were more people roaming around than there had ever been inside my tribe’s village. It was almost dizzying, though my uncle’s large hand gripping my shoulder pulled me out of my thoughts.

  “Zevrith, you’re ready for this.” His booming voice was quiet as he kept it barely above a whisper. “Today, you kill for your people. This will mark you as a man, as a warrior ready to be a leader.” This was going to be different than battle. I was going to kill another in cold blood. For many of my people, this was viewed as sacrilege. To kill someone without honor, without a fight, but for the most fearsome warriors this was necessary. I would finally hold a true title, and not be considered as weak any longer.

  “I won’t let you down, uncle.” I nodded, but his frown deepened at my words. “I won’t let myself down, either.” I added, which seemed to please him even if his face rarely displayed any emotions other than annoyance and disappointment.

  This was to save my people from being wiped out. The shamans had all seen it, all of them having the same vision. The power that glowing prince wielded would bring the demise of everything. His mother once held the same power, but hers was waning. Soon she would be completely powerless, and it would all be for the prince’s taking. Mages were rare among my people, as well. Our shamans and medicine people have been touched by the Gods, though none of them held the same kind of power that this boy did. That was why I had to be the one to take his life. To prove myself, finally.

  I didn’t hesitate making my way to the king’s large house. We’d disguised ourselves the best we could, but it was hard to get clothes that looked remotely similar to what these people wore inside their walls. A large cloak to wrap around me and conceal my gear, but most importantly my clan sword and dagger. It didn’t matter what exactly I used to get the job done, as long as the prince died then I would be successful.

  It didn’t take long for my uncle and the others to start their distraction, pulling plenty of armed men and women away from the king’s home. I unsheathed my sword at the first armored man I saw, and swung. He easily countered me and disarmed me, because I allowed him to do so. Feigning that he’d overwhelmed me as he captured me and took my weapons. Just as he handed them to another, he began roughly shoving me around and leading me to where I assumed his king was. A loud bell rang as more men and women surrounded us, escorting me.

  “Where did you come from?” The man holding me asked. His voice was harsh and angry. “How did you get in here?”

  “You people truly believe your walls are so impenetrable? Pathetic.” I scoffed out as a retort. He gripped the back of my neck tighter and pressed down on me. We were nearly the same height, but he wanted me to be below him. “There’s more of us inside. More than you think.”

  “Why are you here?!” He continued to interrogate me as we walked. I smirked, glancing up at him the best I could. Yet, I didn’t answer him. “So, it’s true. You savages really are trying to execute the king and his family!”

  I had no clue where he’d heard that from. As far as I knew, the people of Sunspire had been cut off from our lands for years now. There was no possible way for them to know about our plan in any capacity, unless they, too, had a seer or a shaman. Still, I didn’t answer the man. Remaining quiet as he continued to lead me to the exact spot I would slay my target. People parted for us as I was led directly up to the king and queen, who sat on their thrones acting so high and mighty. It was hard to believe that these two people could be the cause of so much devastation. Not because they looked so pure, but because they looked so weak.

  The king may have once been a warrior, but he’d gotten weak in his age and it was clear. The queen, once a powerful mage, was now physically ailing. They needed all of these armed people to protect them, as they were incapable of protecting themselves. To me, there was nothing more pathetic than a person that could not properly defend their own life. Still, as I stood there before the pair, there was something… unsettling about the air. It felt thick and wrong. Whenever I looked at the king there was an uneasy pit that formed in my stomach.

  He was near — the prince. Each time this vision was told to me, he always revealed himself in the same manner. The man that had held me claimed I was an assassin sent by the savages and then the prince stepped out from the crowd that was encircling me. As soon as I heard the words spoken, my eyes darted around trying to find the boy.

  “Father, stop! Don’t listen to that — creature!”

  I heard those words echo out and I knew that was my sign. I reached back and gripped the man holding me’s wrist, twisting it around with my entire body as I turned to face him and forced him to let go of me. The man that took my weapons was too far away from us, so I quickly kicked the one I was now holding in the side of the leg as hard as I could and brought him to one knee. From there, I let go of his wrist and grabbed his sword, hitting him in the throat with the side of my hand as if it were a knife. The strike sent him backwards, where he stayed on the ground as he struggled to catch his breath.

  With his sword in my hand, I turned and charged forward. Tackling the boy that had spoken to the ground and bringing the sword above my head. Whenever we locked eyes, however, I hesitated. Was this truly the blinding prince from all of the visions? The one that wielded power so strong it was going to bring ruin to my people and all of our lands? The mask that was covering the bottom portion of his face was sparkling in the flame-light. His eyes were like the brightest emeralds I had ever seen, shining as he stared up at me. The mess of curls upon his head looked as if pure gold had been spun from the finest thread, but that feature matched his father. Similarly, his skin was so sunkissed that it was covered in spots, particularly right where the sheer mask rested across his nose and the tops of his cheeks.

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  Underneath me, he felt so tiny and fragile. There was no way that he was close to entering his sixteenth year as had been predicted, unless all of the children of Sunspire were as puny as he was. We couldn’t have been that close in age, unless he had truly never known a life where he’d had to raise a sword. For just a moment, doubt flashed across my mind. Was this truly the right thing to do?

  It had to be. I’d do anything to save my people, and to finally become someone among the others of my tribe. No matter what it took. Even if it meant taking the life of this child under me. So, I stabbed the sword down. Anticipating the kill. The kill that would bring an end to all the suffering we had endured due to this cursed family line that had continued to lead Sunspire. I would end him before his power was truly realized; I would end him before he could end us. Just as the tip of the blade touched his chest, I felt my body go rigid. The boy had tears spilling down his cheeks, and I couldn’t drive the sword down any farther.

  “Why… why can’t I kill you?” I grunted out, feeling myself begin to shake as I continued to try and bare down with all of my force. I could feel my body being pulled backwards, and my hands being raised as the sword was pulled away from his chest. I wasn’t doing this. As I was forced to drop the sword to the side, I could see the faint golden glow. This wasn’t my doing, this was a mage’s doing. There was relief on his face, but that quickly morphed into something else as he reached up and grabbed me.

  My face was suddenly pulled down to his chest, as he wrapped his arms around me and switched our positions. He rolled on top of me, keeping hold of me and pushing me down onto the ground. I was overwhelmed by how sweet he smelled. Like honey and flowers, both warmed by the sun. I heard his father call his name: Soleil. It was fitting, if I were honest. A radiant name for such a radiant boy.

  I could see behind Soleil as he continued to hold me, and I saw the man that had captured me swinging his sword. Had I just been saved? Was the boy I had intended to kill really protecting me, and willing to lay his own life down for mine? Surely that wasn’t the case. These were selfish and cruel people, and the prince was no different.

  “ENOUGH!” The king’s voice boomed out from where he stood. Like a whirlwind of force, it shot out and crashed into everyone and everything in front of him. The flame-lights flickered from the air that gushed, nearly going out, before they came back to life and the room was illuminated again. The sword was mere inches from the back of the prince’s neck. Blade gleaming, only emphasizing just how sharp it was and how close he came to losing his head.

  “Soleil, let go of that boy this instant.” His voice was stern and commanding. I watched as the prince cracked one eye open, peeking down at me as if to confirm we were both still alive and uninjured. “You two, bring him here at once. The rest of you shall clear the throne room unless you’re my wife, my son, or one of my advisors.” The king glanced around as he noticed everyone was hesitating. “NOW!”

  The prince’s mother came over and pulled him away from me. Almost immediately, the man that had captured me once again grabbed hold of me and hoisted me up from the ground. I watched as the queen fawned over her son, patting all over his chest and even pulling his robes open to be sure his injury wasn’t too severe. When she was satisfied, she reached up and cupped his face with her hands. Placing a kiss to his forehead as he smiled at her. It was a strange exchange, but it seemed to be normal between the two. My mother had stopped checking my wounds by the time I could properly hold a sword and I could fend for myself.

  As everyone else left the room we were in, more armed men and women came dragging my uncle and the others inside. Now they all knew that I had failed, and I could see the disappointment on all of their faces as they saw the prince still alive and in his mother’s arms. Finally they were fully restraining me, and clasped heavy, metal cuffs around my wrists that had chains attached to them. The king looked at my uncle, examining him, and sizing him up.

  “Judging by the braids in your hair, and what little I know of your peoples’ culture, I believe you’re the leader here.” The king spoke to my uncle, who only held up his hands defensively in response. “Would you care to tell me why this boy here attacked my son with the clear intent of killing him?” Once again, my uncle didn’t speak. He only glanced over at me and then shrugged. “Very well, since you have nothing to say… How old are you, boy?”

  I looked at the king, held his intense gaze, but also did not respond. His skin was tanned like his son’s, and they both had the same golden curls upon their head, but their eyes were different. The king’s eyes were dark blue, like the depths of the ocean. “You have nothing to say, as well?” The king asked me, and then looked back to my uncle. “I suppose, then, since this child is the only one who truly committed a crime, that he’ll receive the maximum punishment for it.” It was as if my uncle and the king were having a silent standoff. Waiting to see who would concede first. “The punishment for attempted murder of a royal family member is death. However, if this child is truly not an adult, then I will not submit him to our capital punishment… so, boy, what is your age?”

  “He’s in his seventeenth year.” My uncle spoke up. His gruff voice filled the room, leaving little place for others. “Though he has failed to prove he is a man.” He practically spit the words out as he glared over at me. “He cannot lead, he cannot fight, he cannot kill… he does not deserve such a punishment. This was not his plan, it was mine.”

  “Seventeen…” The king’s voice trailed off as he seemed to be pondering something. Perhaps my fate. “That is not an adult by our culture’s standards, either. I will spare him from death, but he must still be punished.” He turned his head to the side, as if he were listening to someone speaking in his ear, but no one was near him. “Yes, that is truly what I want to do. He can still be made into an example, but without true bloodshed.” He responded to someone, but once again there was no one that had spoken. “Why don’t you show yourself to them? So we can move on with this.”

  With a wave of his hand, all of us watched as a cloaked figure shifted out from behind the king. There had been no one there, and then suddenly it was barely hovering off of the ground right at his side. “If this is what King Caelus wants, this is what we shall give…” The figure spoke, but its words were like hisses. It reminded me of the snakes we had out in the wilds, hissing whenever you got too near them.

  “This is what I want. The boy’s punishment shall be to remain at Soleil’s side, causing him no harm and making sure no harm befalls him. Am I clear?”

  “As clear as crystal, King Caelus. You shall remain at the young prince’s side, unable to stray too far away. Unable to bring him harm. Always protecting him. If you fail this, you shall experience… pain.” The creature hissed the words as it came closer to me with a boney, grey-skinned hand outstretched. Once its hand touched me, and it finished speaking, I felt the most excruciating pain in my life. As if I was being torn apart and set ablaze all at the same time, stabbed over and over my entire body with the pain stemming from where the cloaked figure had touched my chest. It brought me to my knees, and then from my knees I fell over completely to the ground. Unable to stand, unable to think, unable to even breathe… until darkness overtook me.

  The last things I heard were my uncle shouting at me to get up, and the prince yelling at his father to make it stop.