Children of Camelot Exclusive First Chapter!

Chapter 1

     Only a few well-hidden trails remained which led to the outer side of the mountains surrounding the island of Avalon.  The long climb was steep and treacherous—not to mention forbidden—but the view from the other side was worth it if you were brave enough to accept the challenge.

     Arynn Pendrgon knew the handholds and footholds of the familiar paths almost by heart.  She had to, because much of their climbing was done under the light of the moon.  To go during the day would be to risk getting caught, and besides – they wouldn’t see the mysterious twinkling lights on the mainland by day.  The mysteries of the shore only revealed themselves under the cover of darkness.  And so, they risked it whenever they could sneak out, which wasn’t often.

     Much of the route was a beaten down path once used by the dwarves, or at least that’s what the legends said.  Rockslides over the centuries had thrown boulders and debris in the path that was impossible to pass, necessitating climbing in parts.  To be honest, Arynn had always thought the climb was part of the fun.  Malik had taught her how to navigate the path like a master.  He’d shown her where to put her hands and feet, how to look out for the next placement, how to measure her breathing and keep her attention on the moment.  Basically, how to stay alive.

     Unfortunately, at the sight of the vast ocean on the other side of the mountains, her attention lapsed for just a moment.  It was long enough to loosen a stone from the rock face she had reached to pull her up.  She cursed as a handful of debris rolled past her in what seemed like slow motion.  A few feet down, the largest stone bounced once and rolled to the edge of the small ledge where Malik was standing.  He lifted his foot and stomped on it.  The imprint of his boot sunk into the gravel, the stone buried under it.

“I’m sorry.” Arynn exhaled as she jumped down, carefully this time, to face the ocean.  A sea breeze whipped up and around them, throwing the auburn hair she hadn’t tied back all over, and turning her breath to white puffs of mist.  Malik reached up, pulled her hood over her head, and tightened the strings so the hood surrounded her face.

     “No big deal,” he told her, but he was being kind.  One small pebble falling the wrong way down the mountain could cause big trouble for them.  Worst case – a rockslide into the ocean below, taking the cliff they stood on with it.  But even if it didn’t cause a rockslide, Arynn and Malik couldn’t get caught.  There were a million reasons they weren’t supposed to be on the ledge, but since they were children, they’d always been drawn to the lights that twinkled on the far-away, forbidden shores of the mainland.  Since the first time Malik had found the trail that led to the outer side of the mountain almost ten years ago, they hadn’t been able to stay away.  He’d showed the route to Arynn, and since then it had been their secret.

     Malik held out his hand and helped Arynn onto the ledge as he’d done a million times before.  It was the end of the trail, or at least it was now.  Once, they assumed it followed a path down the mountain, but now it ended at a cliff where there was a small cleft in the mountain and a rock overhang to give them shelter and a place to hide.  Malik sat down and scooted over carefully to make room for her.  Aaryn drew her knees up to her chin and let out a deep breath.  The air was cold but fresh, with the faintest smell of the sea and smoke.  She imagined the wind carried the secrets of the lights over the ocean, if only she could understand them.  She tucked a loose curl that had escaped back under her hood.  Her hair was always escaping where it was supposed to be.  Malik would say matched her personality, but it matched his better.  His own black hair was short and tousled. 

     They sat in silence for a while, watching the lights on the shore twinkle.  Sometimes they imagined the lights weren’t fires at all, but some kind of magic.  Those words were spoken in hushed tones, as the Knights forbade both talk of magic and of the mainland.  Arynn wondered, though.  The lights seemed to travel farther than the lanterns they used on the island, as if propelled by some unseen force.  Magic, maybe.  She believed such things were possible, even if she hadn’t seen them with her own eyes.  The world was so much bigger than their little island, and Malik was itching to explore it.

     “That one, right there.”  Malik pointed to the far right, where a small bluish white flame licked the skyline.  “It’s a magician, cooking up a magic potion.”

     “What will the potion do?” Arynn settled in.  Guessing what the lights meant was a game they’d played since they found this place.  No one else knew about it except for the dragons, but that couldn’t be helped, and they could be trusted to keep a secret.

     “To defeat his enemies!”  Malik threw his arms up dramatically.  Arynn punched him in the ribs.

     “Then he probably wants to do it in secret, eh?” she joked.  “Not much use lighting up his workshop so all his enemies can find him?”

     “That’s called hiding in plain sight.”  Malik rooted around in his bag and pulled out a couple crusts of bread.  He handed one to Arynn and took a bite of his own.  He spoke with his mouth full.  

     “I read about it in a military text I found in the library.”

     “Oh, Malik.”  She rolled the bread between her hands and lay her head on his shoulder.  Her head bobbed up and down as he ate, but she didn’t eat hers.  The mention of military tactics made her worry about Malik being drafted in a few short months, and she lost her appetite.  Malik was forever sneaking off to read about battles and military strategies – things they didn’t teach in school – to be ready for the war, just in case.  

     The island of Avalon was under a thousand-year truce, separate from the war that the Knights told them was raging on the mainland, but upon the end of schooling, many of the students were drafted to fight. The thought gave Arynn a chill.  Even though she knew she would be staying on the island due to her uncle’s position, most of her friends would be going.  She tried to learn all she could about the war, but there wasn’t much information.  She only knew the Knights had taken an oath to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves, and it was something they didn’t take lightly – or answer many questions about.

     “I think it’s a wife, waiting for her husband to return.” Arynn pulled a stray fringe on the sleeve of her cloak, watching the lights twinkle in the distance.  Their different colors invited any number of explanations, each more outrageous as the next.

     “From where?”  Malik asked.  He brushed crumbs from his sleeve.

     “From the war, of course.  Maybe he’s on a ship and she’s promised she’ll keep a light on for him, and every night she paces back and forth and watches for him, but he’ll never return.”  She thought of Malik away at war, and her heart sank a little.

     “That’s dragon dung.” Malik spit to the side. 

     “Malik, it’s a war.  People die.”

     “How do we know that?” His voice rose, and she lifted her head.  The colors from the lights and the night sky reflected in his eyes, turning their usual brown almost golden.          

    "All we know is what they tell us.  How do we know that’s true?”

     “The war has been raging for hundreds of years.” She recited straight from their textbooks, but her voice was blank.  “It’s split families and ravaged the mainland.  Killed thousands.”  She shivered again.  “Only the wealthiest families can afford to send their children to the safety of the island.  We’re lucky to be here.”

     “Arynn,” Malik said softly.  They’d been over this before, so many times, but no matter what they believed, they had no proof at all.  They had nothing but what the Knights told them, and the lights on the shore.

     “I know.” She cut him off before he could admonish her for believing them without question, but she had plenty of questions.  It was just that there was no one to answer them.  No one on the island, at least.  No one who would tell them the truth.

     “If we could only steal a boat and see for ourselves,” Malik said.

She brushed dirt off her pants.  “You know that’s not safe.  No matter what they tell you about the mainland – it doesn’t matter.  At least we’re safe here.”

     “For now,” he replied though clenched teeth.  “And that’s no way to live anyway.”

A cloud slipped over the moon and put them in shadow.  The lights on the far shore burned brighter in response, reaching tendrils of flame over the ocean, where they reflected in the water.  Malik stood up abruptly.  

     “We should go,” he said, begrudgingly offering her an arm.

     “Did you ever think that they’re right?”  She climbed to her feet and considered the lights one last time. Arynn thought they looked like the glistening tears of a thousand different races.  “The Knights, I mean.  Maybe they’re right and the lights are just fires.  Maybe the mainland is burning with war and misery?”

     “Maybe.” He shrugged.  “But if you have your way we’ll never know.”

     He took off down the path without looking back, but his steps were slow and measured, and he waited until he knew she was following.  There was still a chance he wouldn’t be drafted.  Some students simply went on to occupations on the island.  Though Malik was capable of far more than shoveling dragon dung, Arynn secretly hoped for that, because the alternative was that she would lose him forever.