The Exiled King

Chapter 22 - Guardian Powers

As their eyes met, a great, overwhelming power surged up in Lirya. She felt when the circlet appeared on her forehead, and her first thought was one of relief.

I have this power too! I no longer have to be a weak pawn to my father! I can be like Jason!

As she watched Taryn fall limply to the ground unconscious, the distant sound of her heartbeat and a roaring in her ears was all she heard as shaky fingers reached up to touch the cold material of the circlet on her head. Muted disbelief followed, as a single, cold tear trickled down her face.

As she gazed at the wide smile on Taryn's face as he renounced his birthright and crowned his younger brother, a bittersweet feeling squeezed her heart.

Could I... have had something like that with my younger brother, too? If I had accepted the marriage and stayed loyal to my father?

Feelings of regret, at what could have been if she'd chosen differently, welled up within her.

Her thoughts snapped back to the present when a loud horn sounded. She and the other guardians— Jason, Taryn and Altein—were standing in a semi circle facing the last guardian, a tall and lithe elven male named Jaron. She got the gist that he and Taryn were related someway, and it was exceedingly obvious that they shared both similar features and, more visibly, the white hair that ran in the Aegivyl family.

"When the horn blows a second time, try to call your power. Only when you have felt the power for the first time do you know what to search for the next time you seek the power. Our power reacts to strong emotions, most notably the negative ones—that means rage, anguish... hate... the list goes on. Try to think of a particular moment when something terrible happened to you!"

The large horn in his hand was raised to his lips and he blew deeply into the horn.

Immediately, Lirya closed her eyes and searched her memories for a moment when she'd felt that overwhelming hopelessness Jaron had described. And to her astonishment, few moments came to mind that matched Jaron's description. It was as if her life was devoid of emotions—at no time had she ever felt true joy, nor true sorrow. Her first joyful memory was of the freedom she had felt when Jason had shown her the village outside the castle walls. She struggled, but felt nothing.

Around her, gasps were heard and she opened her eyes. There stood Taryn, surrounded by beautiful but deadly spikes of sharp ice. Jaron applauded and quietly instructed Taryn to retract the ice again, before turning to face the others again. Altein's face was the picture of concentration and Jason stood rigidly, a frown gracing his features. A moment later, ice surrounded Jason, too.

Jaron strode over and asked, "Do you know what happened just now? Do you know what your power is?"

"The... power of ice, surely? Like him?" He gestured to Taryn.

Jaron shook his head and explained, "Not quite. You are a jack of all trades—gold will never master any element, rather is proficient in the use of all of them. If you apply yourself properly, you could become a force to be reckoned with... the pillar of the guardians."

He continued, "What you did was essentially imitating Taryn's ability, but to a lesser degree. That may sound underwhelming, but imagine using sapphire's ability to harness the winds to fly while manipulating the earth and attacking your foe with fire and ice! Reyneld was probably the best ability user the world has ever seen and I am proud to have fought beside him and my other companions."

Jason stared at his hands in wonder, a new light in his eyes.

It took Altein a full hour to get his power activated, and when it did, the earth shook as a massive pillar of hard packed mud rose from the ground.