Alfirean Age Book 1 - Inheritor of Strength

Hidden Past

Alf's heart caught in his throat, and without thinking, he crouched and launched himself with all of his might.

Dirt swirled around his feet, and the air popped as he blasted off the ground and rocketed into the sky, shooting past Olivia. In desperation, Alf twisted his body back around and dived after her as she fell.

Seconds before they hit the ground, he caught her in his arms and wrapped himself around her, protecting her with his own body as they crashed down.

They bounced and rolled until his back came to rest against a solid tree. Ignoring the pain and cuts, he opened his arms and gazed down at her. Olivia's hair had changed back to its normal color; her skin no longer glowed, and all traces of her wings had vanished, though Alf couldn't help but notice how her dark tresses now had soft golden highlights running throughout it.

He shook her gently, hoping she would wake-up, but her eyes remained closed, and she laid unmoving in his arms. Fear rose in Alf's heart, and he began to pray under his breath as he pushed himself to his feet and carried her through the jungle and back to the courtyard.

Halfway there, Harold met him.

With his eyes pinched in concern, Harold motioned for him to lay her down in a small patch of grass. Several yards away, the newly formed crater served as a glaring reminder of the reason for Olivia's comatose state.

“Is she okay?” Alf asked as he lay Olivia before Harold, his tone fraught with anxiety.

His mentor held up a finger, signaling for him to wait. 

Kneeling at Olivia's side, Harold's gray eyes shined blue as he used Ra’avah to examine her.

After what seemed like an eternity, Harold leaned back and breathed a sigh of relief. “She’s fine. She just used too much energy.”

“Thank you, heavenly Father,” Alf said and collapsed to the ground. As he stared at his childhood friend, the questions which plagued him earlier came rushing back in.

“Harold, why didn’t you tell me she was a holy user?” he asked, a slight note of censure in his voice. Harold had helped take care of him since the day he was born, and he'd always assumed his butler had held no secrets from him.

Harold looked away. His shoulders hunched forward, and his face sagged with weariness. "Some secrets are not ours to tell."

"But...," Alf began to say, then fell silent as he thought about it. Harold was right; some secrets belonged to others. "But how could I not notice all these years?" he asked. "She never showed a sign of it. Not even once."

“That’s because, until tonight, her holy magic was sealed away," Harold mumbled. "As to why she broke the seal, I am uncertain.“

Alf drew back. “Sealed away? Who would do that?”

Harold didn't answer.

"Harold?"

"I did it,” the butler admitted.

“But... why?”

“Because your father asked my colleagues and me to do it.”

Alf jumped to his feet. He couldn't believe his father would do such a thing. It just didn't make sense.

"I don't get it," he said, voicing his thoughts. "Why would he do that? Holy magic is the rarest, most special ability to have. Why would anyone, especially my father, have that sealed away?”

Their eyes met, and Alf flinched at the deep, dark sadness inside his friend's eyes.

“Harold?” he asked softly.

The butler drew in a shaky breath, “Alf," he said. "If he hadn't, she would have been taken away. She would've been claimed by one of the nobles or the Emperor, pressed into s*****y, and eventually...."

Harold swallowed. "And eventually taken as a concubine."

He looked up at Alf.

“Your father knew he couldn't stop this. So before they found out, he had me and several trusted healers seal Olivia's powers away.”

“But my dad was a High Lord," Alf argued. "Surely he could've stopped them.”

Harold smiled—a sad, forlorn expression—and shook his head. “No. No, he could not have.”

“Surely he…”

The butler rose to his feet, cutting off Alf's statement. His brow wrinkled, and he gazed into the distance as if he wrestled with an important decision. Finally, he laid his hand on Alf’s shoulder. “I've never told you this, but I was once in love, and we were going to marry...”

Harold choked, “But it was not to be. On the day she turned eighteen, as a birthday present, your father opened her magic. He was still young then, and she was the first person he helped achieve Patuah. We were all amazed and overjoyed when she lit up like Olivia, and the first magic she cast was holy magic.

“But the other nobles found out, and they demanded that your grandfather hand her over. He flat out refused, saying that she was a free human being and no one was going to own her. It did not go over well, and things quickly took a turn for the worse.”

Harold gazed at the ground with tears in his eyes. “It was only a week after her magic had been opened that it happened.”

“What happened?” Alf asked.

The butler lowered his hand from Alf’s shoulder, and kneeling beside Olivia, said, ”Algerian Thattinan Ritilion, the first and sixteen of his elite bodyguards came through the teleportation stone and assaulted the manor.

“Their first attack destroyed the front door and injured a maid. Your grandmother and grandfather were having breakfast in the dining room at the time, so they were the first ones at the door when Algerian and his men came through it. Like a brute beast, Algerian demanded they turn the girl over.

“Your grandparents refused, and they,” Harold paused, his words catching in his throat. “They killed them, Alfonso. They murdered them in cold blood.

“Your grandmother, she was a strong woman, and she tried to defend herself and your grandfather, but she was no match for all of them at once. The little bit of fight there was only lasted seconds before she and your grandfather lay dead in the main hall. We..."

Streams of tears rolled down Harold’s face as he whispered, "We heard them yelling for us to run as they died."

His voice trailed into silence, and Alf's heart ached for the secret Harold had harbored all these years. Kneeling beside him, he wrapped his arm around his old friend.

Alfonso’s father had rarely spoken of Alf’s grandparents, other than to say that they were amazing people. Now he understood why.

Eventually, Harold cleared his throat and said, “Your grandfather, grandmother, and five other healers died that day trying to defend her. Your father and I would have died as well if she had not given herself up to have the chance to heal us.

“I lost almost everything that day: my love, my teacher, my master, and nearly your father as well. And,” he drew in a sharp breath,  “the Emperor did nothing.

“This! this is why your father sealed Olivia's magic away.”

Alf drew his arm across his eyes, wiping away the tears as they welled up. “I understand,” he whispered.

As they remained motionless, the sounds of the jungle slowly returned, and the moon broke through the treetops, illuminating the depths of the crater.

“Whatever happened to her?” Alf asked.

Harold looked at him, and with a sad smile, said, “She died giving birth to Algerian Thattinan Ritilion the third.”

Alf scrunched his eyebrows in puzzlement. “I thought he was a pureblood noble.”

Harold nodded. “Those who can use holy magic are thought to have the blood of angels, and when the women have children, they only pass on the father's traits. While I seriously doubt the angel part, as a master healer, I can tell you, scientifically speaking, whatever gives holy users the ability to use holy magic, stops women from passing on their genetic information. For this exact reason, all of the Emperor's mothers have been holy users to ensure the preservation of the royal line's dragon blood.

“All of which means Algerian Thattinan Ritilion the third,” Harold's voice cracked, and he stared into the night sky. “Looked exactly like his father and nothing like, like Elena. So yes,” Harold clenched his fist. “He was indeed a pureblood noble.”

Pain struck Alf as he watched Harold struggle to say the last sentence. To experience such heartache was unimaginable. He closed his eyes and swallowed, unable to stop himself from thinking how he would feel if Olivia vanished from the world without a trace, only to be replaced with someone like Algerian the third. The thought almost ripped a hole in his heart.

One of Harold's tears dripped onto Olivia's cheek, and she stirred.

As she regained consciousness, Harold lovingly stroked her face and said, “She's like a daughter to me. Promise me that you will protect her.” His eyes flickered meaningfully to the courtyard where Drakovian had just left the gate. They could see him standing at the edge of the tree line, looking into its murky depths.  “You are the only one strong enough to keep her safe now.”

Alf wiped away his own tears, straightened his back, and with his fist clenched, declared, “I promise you. I will protect her with my life.”

A small moan interrupted their conversation as Olivia awakened.

Yawning, she stretched, and her eyes fluttered open.

Alf’s attention drifted from the prince back to her, and he gasped. Olivia's once dark brown eyes had transformed into an exotic cinnamon gold.

***

As Olivia awakened, Harold turned away and wiped away his tears. He didn't want Olivia to notice he'd been crying.

However, his efforts proved in vain. As Olivia lifted her hand to her cheek and felt the dampness on her face, she realized where the water had come from.

“What's wrong?” she asked in alarm.

Her eyes widened, and Harold noted they had changed color. It must have been the Holy magic. I wonder how the awakened cells affected the melanin and pigment of her eyes?

"Harold," she repeated, "what's the matter?"

Harold hesitated, knowing she would not be happy with him. It was the one thing she had never wanted Alf to know about. He sighed. There was no hiding it from her now. “I was telling Alf about Elena.”

Olivia sat upright. “Why would you do that?" she demanded. "His father said he never wanted him to have to worry about such things.”

Harold pointed past her and raised his eyebrow, “Because of that.”

Olivia stared out past the trees and into the shadowy depths of the crater. “Oh. Did I do that?”

“Ya, you did,” Alf said with a giant grin on his face.

As if to punctuate his words, lights flickered to life in the basin, revealing some of the more adventurous students as they clambered into the crater. Reaching the bottom, one of them threw his hands up and shouted, “Man, this would make a great swimming pool.”

“More like a lake,” his companion called back as she slid down towards him.

“She's right,” Olivia mumbled. “That could be a lake.” She turned to Alf. “Are you certain I did that?”

Harold rubbed his chin, holding back a grin, as Alf nodded his head up and down.

Calling upon her holy magic, Olivia raised her hands and gazed at her fingers. Tiny flickers of golden light danced in her eyes, reflecting the energy jumping around her fingertips. Her lips curled in a soft smile, and Harold felt the iron band of fear and worry around his heart loosen. Maybe her decision would not end in disaster. Heavenly Father, he prayed silently, protect my child. Keep her safe from harm and from the evil snares of the world. For though she is not my flesh and blood, she is more valuable than life itself to me. 

Something tugged on Harold’s pant leg, and he suppressed the urge to jump as he looked down to see a silent, shifting shadow at his side.

Putting his fist to his chest, he bowed and whispered, “Sire?”

“The students are restless. You should address them as soon as possible,” the shadow stated and faded back into the night.

“Understood,” Harold straightened up. “Alf, Olivia, I believe we should see ourselves back before one of the students decides to fill the training ground with water.”

“I might just join them,” Alf laughed as he helped Olivia to her feet.

Olivia dusted off the leaves and twigs on her backside and said, "That doesn't sound like a bad idea.."