I started running even before my brain consciously registered the danger. Khalid grabbed my hand and pushed me in front of him. The sudden change in motion caused a momentary loss of balance and I almost fell over a log in the path ahead of me. I quickly regained my physical equilibrium but my emotional state was not as easy to redeem. Something was amiss. The ominous footsteps behind us had ceased. Everything in the courtyard was stagnant and silent. Trouble was close at hand.
Suddenly, darkness descended upon us and I looked towards the sky long enough to see the large silhouette of the dragon flying overhead. The dragon’s body nose-dived and appeared ready to swoop down upon us.
I motioned for Khalid to look up with a twitching hand. I heard an unintelligible exclamation coming from his mouth as he pushed me painfully through and underneath a large hedge of hydrangea bushes.
“We’ve got to get inside that castle” Khalid said, while shaking his head in frustration. “I have to get inside and find the emancipation chamber. That is where I will find the document that proves the King granted me asylum.”
Khalid is a from Caldonian: a small kingdom located in the farthest reaches of the Ander Mountains. Caldonians are feared by my people because they possess a rare ability. They are masters at interpreting body language and perceiving subtle shifts in vocal tones. This sensitivity allows them to uncover deceit and strong emotions.
Suddenly, darkness descended upon us and I looked towards the sky long enough to see the large silhouette of the dragon flying overhead. The dragon’s body nose-dived and appeared ready to swoop down upon us.
I motioned for Khalid to look up with a twitching hand. I heard an unintelligible exclamation coming from his mouth as he pushed me painfully through and underneath a large hedge of hydrangea bushes.
“We’ve got to get inside that castle” Khalid said, while shaking his head in frustration. “I have to get inside and find the emancipation chamber. That is where I will find the document that proves the King granted me asylum.”
Khalid is a from Caldonian: a small kingdom located in the farthest reaches of the Ander Mountains. Caldonians are feared by my people because they possess a rare ability. They are masters at interpreting body language and perceiving subtle shifts in vocal tones. This sensitivity allows them to uncover deceit and strong emotions.
As a result of their abilities, Caldonians were considered dangerous and a security risk. My home of Wyndsber has a long history of war, strife, and economic calamities-- so the act of scapegoating: blaming a particular group for the kingdom's woes--was not unusual.
About ten years ago the Wyndsber ruler at the time, a ruthless man by the name of King Burrik, made a proclamation that Caledonians were a menace to society and must leave the Kingdom immediately. They were given a choice: either leave voluntarily or be imprisoned and forcibly removed—or worse. Burrik’s propaganda machine worked tirelessly to convince the public that Caldonians were evil deviants that only used their abilities to harm people.
This harsh tactic was necessary because Burrik ignored normal protocol when The High King died. Rather than sending an emissary to fetch the rightful heir of the throne he seized it for himself. He claimed the actual heir had died in battle. The Caldonians in the court uncovered the corruption, verified that the rightful heir was alive and threatened to expose the deceit. Consequently, Burrik did not want his sins to be unveiled by the intrusiveness and inconvenience of any Caledonians so he decided to rid himself of this one small problem.
Subsequently, all Caledonians were publicly executed and a proclamation was issued that demanded all other Caldonians leave the kingdom immediately or face the same fate. Any Caldonians that did not leave: whether from illness, family attachments or compulsion, were detained and placed in prison. The prison conditions were so deplorable that many died of starvation or exposure. Any who survived were rounded up and either killed on the spot or deposited in the treacherous Ander Mountains to die there.
Summoned by the Caldonians, Cantis Nuray--the rightful heir to the throne-- came back from his travels and accused Burrik of seizing the throne without proper authority. Nuray insisted that he was the next in line and he should have been notified. A brutal battle ensued between Burrik’s supporters and Nuray’s. The battle lasted three months and it appeared that Buttrik’s army would be victorious, but suddenly, hundreds of soldier’s became ill and died on the battlefield. Only Nuray’s army was immune. By the end of the month only Burrik and a handful of followers remained. They quickly took shelter within the Obsidian Forest.
Cantis Nuray became Wyndsber’s new regent and a brief period of calm settled over the weary nation. Nuray was a fair and noble ruler and during his short reign peace and prosperity descended on the land. Although King Nuray could not completely overturn Burrik’s old proclamation banning Caldonians from Wyndsber he tried to lessen the effects. Burrik’s propaganda was successful and he had poisoned a substantial percentage of the populace against Caldonians. King Nuray knew that any sudden measure to allow mass migrations into Wyndsber would result in significant uprisings.
Instead, he decided to grant asylum to a few trusted Caldonians he had met and befriended while abroad. Having these Caldonians was helpful to Nuray in many ways. Imagine the advantages of having advisers who can perceive the deceit and manipulations of any enemies to the throne. Eventually, when the fear subsided, Nuray was planning on opening the borders between both kingdoms..
My husband was one of the few Caledonian advisers to King Nuray. He swore an oath before the King and three of his clerics to uphold the honor of the King and to keep all revelations secret. After the ceremony they presented Khalid with an official document that outlined his asylum status. This document was to be kept within the walls of the emancipation chamber and sealed in a vault. Only two keys for the vault were made, one for the King and one for the individual Caldonian.
Caldonians were advised to keep their nationality a secret-- but if a situation arose that revealed their identity, they could appeal to the King and verify their asylum status with the document. The clerics put a charm on the document and the Caledonian so that the asylum status was ensured even if the King Nuray died. No person could kill a Caldonian with asylum status without incurring death himself.
Or, at least that’s what my husband was told—indeed what he thought, until Burrik came back.
This harsh tactic was necessary because Burrik ignored normal protocol when The High King died. Rather than sending an emissary to fetch the rightful heir of the throne he seized it for himself. He claimed the actual heir had died in battle. The Caldonians in the court uncovered the corruption, verified that the rightful heir was alive and threatened to expose the deceit. Consequently, Burrik did not want his sins to be unveiled by the intrusiveness and inconvenience of any Caledonians so he decided to rid himself of this one small problem.
Subsequently, all Caledonians were publicly executed and a proclamation was issued that demanded all other Caldonians leave the kingdom immediately or face the same fate. Any Caldonians that did not leave: whether from illness, family attachments or compulsion, were detained and placed in prison. The prison conditions were so deplorable that many died of starvation or exposure. Any who survived were rounded up and either killed on the spot or deposited in the treacherous Ander Mountains to die there.
Summoned by the Caldonians, Cantis Nuray--the rightful heir to the throne-- came back from his travels and accused Burrik of seizing the throne without proper authority. Nuray insisted that he was the next in line and he should have been notified. A brutal battle ensued between Burrik’s supporters and Nuray’s. The battle lasted three months and it appeared that Buttrik’s army would be victorious, but suddenly, hundreds of soldier’s became ill and died on the battlefield. Only Nuray’s army was immune. By the end of the month only Burrik and a handful of followers remained. They quickly took shelter within the Obsidian Forest.
Cantis Nuray became Wyndsber’s new regent and a brief period of calm settled over the weary nation. Nuray was a fair and noble ruler and during his short reign peace and prosperity descended on the land. Although King Nuray could not completely overturn Burrik’s old proclamation banning Caldonians from Wyndsber he tried to lessen the effects. Burrik’s propaganda was successful and he had poisoned a substantial percentage of the populace against Caldonians. King Nuray knew that any sudden measure to allow mass migrations into Wyndsber would result in significant uprisings.
Instead, he decided to grant asylum to a few trusted Caldonians he had met and befriended while abroad. Having these Caldonians was helpful to Nuray in many ways. Imagine the advantages of having advisers who can perceive the deceit and manipulations of any enemies to the throne. Eventually, when the fear subsided, Nuray was planning on opening the borders between both kingdoms..
My husband was one of the few Caledonian advisers to King Nuray. He swore an oath before the King and three of his clerics to uphold the honor of the King and to keep all revelations secret. After the ceremony they presented Khalid with an official document that outlined his asylum status. This document was to be kept within the walls of the emancipation chamber and sealed in a vault. Only two keys for the vault were made, one for the King and one for the individual Caldonian.
Caldonians were advised to keep their nationality a secret-- but if a situation arose that revealed their identity, they could appeal to the King and verify their asylum status with the document. The clerics put a charm on the document and the Caledonian so that the asylum status was ensured even if the King Nuray died. No person could kill a Caldonian with asylum status without incurring death himself.
Or, at least that’s what my husband was told—indeed what he thought, until Burrik came back.
No comments:
Post a Comment