The Pendant of Hyacinth

By Riley S. Quinn

Prince Arael Kendall's past comes back to haunt him when the Nightmare Crisis throws his life into chaos. In a last ditch effort to make things right, he runs away from home and finds himself in the company of Hazel Redwood, a happy-go-lucky teen with their own secrets to sort out. As an odd string of coincidences begins to reveal the duo's

• Language: English
• Publisher: Riley S. Quinn
• Release date: Dec 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9780578931043

Book preview

Book One:

Awakened

A big thank you to the beautiful minds that helped me bring life into this world. Heather, Michelle, Maite, Carson-- you’re the best!

Prologue

There’s nothing like the bond between a human and their Dream. There never has been, and never will be. For centuries, every person in the Conscious has gone out beyond the comfort of their homes to seek out a Wild Dream willing to be connected with.

It’s the rite of passage that has united all three clans from the day they came into contact. A commonality amongst all of our differences. Wild Dreams are said to originate from deep within the Subconscious Forest, the neighboring realm to our own. They are massive, majestic beings much larger than a human, made of nothing but stardust and pure magic.

The tradition of sending out the youth of a clan, around their early teen years, to tame a Wild Dream into a Companion (which is a smaller, more portable form Dreams take on once bonded to a human), began in the Fantasy Clan. The Fantasy Clan itself is settled on the very westernmost border of the Conscious, made up of five main towns and many scattered, smaller settlements that lay in between. The legends that they consider to be factual recordings of their past claim that they themselves also came from the Subconscious, which is, befittingly, right next to their territory.

They are different from us. Our scientists hypothesize it is due to the close proximity to the Subconscious, which we all know is no ordinary forest. Nobody enters, and nobody leaves. Fantasies have magic in their bloodstream, the same kind that Wild Dreams are made of. This is what is thought to cause their hair and eyes to appear as some shade of blue or green, regardless of complexion; as well as the source of their enhanced strength, their agility, and the especially strong bond they share with each other and nature.

When the first explorers from Knowledge Terrace crossed what we now know as the Creativity Plains, and both clans discovered they were not alone, this tradition was taught and shared. Despite Fantasy being a culture of storytelling, Dream taming, and embracing the mystery of magic, they were kind and open to the members of the Knowledge Clan, a group reliant on information, technology, and going by the book. An alliance was born, and though the Fantasy Clan had little interest in our inventions, they took a great liking to our stories and less complex technologies, and traded with us happily.

From those trade routes came villages and other settlements, connecting the city of Knowledge Terrace to the towns of Fantasy like veins to a heart. Children born from a Fantasy and a Knowledge Terran became the third clan, Creativity. Creatives filled the homes built in between the two original clans and became the traders, mapmakers, and third clan of the Conscious.

When bonding with a Dream, one must be willing to offer something extremely valuable to them. Not expensive or rare, simply close to their heart. They must be prepared to surrender themselves to a Dream before a Dream will surrender itself to them. Once they’ve been accepted, one’s Companion is capable of both accessing and communicating thoughts as a way to interact. It is through this method that--

Okay, this is getting boring. Anyah pushed her brother’s chair back from his desk, slouching hard to display her annoyance. I learned all of this in, like, second grade! Why are you making me read it? I know who everyone is, and where they live, and what they do! Big whoop!

Arael, her older brother by three years, stood up from his bed, tapping his foot. Anyah, you said you’d help me! He pushed her out of his seat and sat down, sliding it back to the laptop that consisted of a keyboard and a hologram screen, to continue typing where he left off. This essay needs to be perfect!

Anyah rolled her eyes. Arael, if you want this thing to be perfect, I’m not the one who should be doing your proofreading. She sighed. "Don’t you think it’s majorly dumb that we have to do homework, too? Not to sound all stuck up, but we’re literally the prince and princess of the entirety of the Knowledge Clan. You’re heir to the throne. She threw her arms up.  Mom and Dad run this whole operation! We should get to sit back and, I dunno, eat grapes!"

Arael was staring at his latest paragraph, muttering about different governing styles, when he heard his little sister’s complaints. He spun around in his chair, propping his elbow on the back, and quirked his brow at her in disapproval. Princess Anastasia Kendall, you should know better. Just because we’re royalty, it doesn’t mean we don’t have to work hard. It means we have to work even harder.

Anyah groaned. Here we go again.

It’s a privilege to be considered the most important people in Knowledge Terrace. We were born into it, sure, but we also have to prove we deserve it! That’s why we need perfect marks in every class, that’s why we have perfect attendance! That’s why we don’t just kick back and be content to let servants do everything for us!

Anyah pouted. Then why do we have so many?

Because! Arael paused to think. Because there’s a lot of room in a palace like this one, and we couldn’t clean the whole thing ourselves while we’re running the government. He nodded, to show how correct he was.

Anyah remained uncertain as she twirled her hair. But what about Sheela? She makes my bed, and does my hair, and tells me jokes, and washes my clothes, and--

Sheela is different! You know why she’s here, Mom and Dad found her orphaned years ago. She’s more like your lady in waiting than anything else, probably even an unofficial third child, and besides, it’s because she’s your age that you two get to be so close!

Anyah smiled. I like Sheela. She’s pretty.

Arael’s Companion, Jackalo, soared down from his dresser into Arael’s lap, his purple wings folding back into place on his leporine body. I don’t think she’s going to be reasoned with, Arael, his voice echoed in Arael’s mind.

The prince looked up at his sister, who was holding her dark brown hair over her face like a mustache and crossing her eyes.

Yeah, maybe not.

She’s thirteen. What do you expect from a girl that age?

Anyah uncrossed her eyes. What’s he saying?

Arael laughed. Don’t worry about it. You know what? You’re free to go, I want to get this done in peace. Go find Sheela, so I can work!

Anyah cheered and ran out of her brother’s room, already calling out for her best friend. Sheela, I’ve been released! Freedom at last!

Arael, I have to agree with her on one thing.

The prince stretched, and smiled at Jackalo. What would that be?

Jackalo scratched behind his ear with his hind paw. Your essay is boring.

The smile vanished. Arael scoffed. Yeah, right. You two just demand entertainment where information does the job. It’s fine. No, not fine. It’s flawless!

-

What do you mean, failed?!

Professor Ambrose, former Captain of the Royal Guard turned history teacher, calmly slid Arael’s grade back to him after he’d pushed it away.

I mean just that. Your essay is horrible.

Horrible? Arael stammered. I-I don’t understand! What was wrong with it?

"Mr. Kendall, your work is known to be particularly bland compared to some of your peers, but you at least do extensive research on the topic I assign, which usually makes up for it. You may be my prince, but you are my student first, so I will give you the truth. Everything about your History of Human-Dream Bonding paper was awful. You clearly did not pay attention during our Fantasy Clan unit, and you can’t make up for a lack of understanding by messily tossing in three extra pages on our own culture."

Arael held out his hands for mercy. Professor, please. I’ve never brought home anything but a perfect score. I put everything into my education. I didn’t even take the shortcut of getting private tutors! Can’t you round it up?

Round it up? Professor Ambrose laughed. You expect me to fix a 40% out of the kindness of my heart, Mr. Kendall? He stood up and held his arm out to show Arael the exit. Better luck next time, Your Highness.

Arael shrunk into his chair, his voice small and weak. Heartless.

It was a short walk from the Royal Academy to the palace itself, so Arael had to devise a plan to correct his mistake quickly. What would his parents say? This would be such a major shock; if he didn’t have an instant solution, who knew what they’d think of their only son? Come on, think, think, think! Arael’s shoes clicked against the pavement in a steady rhythm, then halted. He snapped his fingers. That’s perfect. By the time he arrived, he was pretty positive he had formulated a proposal just extreme enough to work.

Upstairs in Anyah’s bedroom, as Sheela was painting her nails, the princess vented her frustrations. Okay, but like, he’s insane! He makes study guides. For my exams! For me! He laminates them, Sheela, who does that? Oh, gee, thanks bro! I can’t wait to study in the shower! He’s always looking out for me, and it’s super nice and cool and all, but it’s like he can’t grasp the idea that maybe my whole life isn’t found in a library like his.

Sheela’s eyes glanced up from her work to Anyah’s and she smiled. He makes me study guides too. I think it’s cute.

Anyah cringed. Sheela. Ew.

What? What’s wrong with that?

Don’t you know it’s illegal to like my brother? He’s super weird. Besides, there are so many better options. You’re so cool, please don’t waste your potential.

Sheela laughed and stuck out her tongue. Don’t worry, I won’t let your brother get in the way of my devotion to you, My Princess.

Anyah blushed and turned away. Shut up, that’s not funny. She smirked. It should never be a joke that I’m the most important.

Sheela leaned back to examine her handiwork. Speaking of My Prince, shouldn’t he be back from school by now?

Anyah shrugged. Maybe he’s somewhere else in the palace? I don’t know. Don’t care, either.

Sheela popped up excitedly. Then let’s go find him!

Anyah made a face, batting her eyelashes and pursing her lips. Why, so you can gaze into his dreamy eyes and tell him how you really feel?

Sheela was indignant, and crossed her arms over her chest. Now it’s your turn to shut up! They both knew that she was way too shy, and that Arael, at sixteen, was way too old for her twelve-year-old crush anyway.

Anyah laughed as Sheela swatted at her. Fine. Let’s go find him.

Meanwhile, in the throne room, Queen Song and King Naell Kendall were listening to their Parliament debate the issues of that day. King Naell’s eyelids were beginning to droop. It had been hours, and all the discussions were becoming monotonous. How did Song have such a superhuman attention span? Would she get angry if he just fell asleep on her shoulder and let her handle this? She was better at it anyway.

As he was considering how well such an action would go over, one of the large doors to the room swung open, and their son came barreling in with a crazed look on his face and panic in his eyes.

Mom! Dad!

Everyone in Parliament turned and stared at him. King Naell perked up, grinning. He needed to give his son a pat on the back later for rescuing him from this agonizing monotony. Queen Song... didn’t seem quite as pleased. Um, sweetie? We’re working right now, can it wait?

Surprisingly, Arael shook his head no. The unspeakable has happened, and I need to fix my mistake.

A blonde in a pink jacket leaned forward with a warm smile. Oh, honey, it can’t be that bad. She was instantly hushed by a coworker who pointed angrily at Arael’s parents, sitting frozen and astonished.

What’s so unspeakable? Song asked her anxious son.

Arael looked around at all the adults in the room. Can we talk in private? Song hummed to herself. Arael was her son, and he was clearly troubled, but being queen was a very important responsibility, she couldn’t just--

Naell stood up. Alright, everyone, meeting’s over! See you later, people, let’s go, let’s get ourselves moving, see your families, grab a bite! Take a day off, we all need it! He beamed happily as confused diplomats walked out the doors, murmuring about what had just transpired and stealing glances at Arael. Him? Something unspeakable? They doubted it. The boy was a saint.

Naell was thrilled to stretch his legs, and he practically slid all the way down the banister to the center floor where Arael was standing. What’s got you down, buddy? What’s the deal? What’s the trouble? Who’s raining on your parade?

Arael sighed dejectedly, not matching his father’s enthusiasm. I am. I’m raining on my parade.

Song, who took the stairs, walked up to her son and husband and placed a hand on Arael’s shoulder. What happened?

Arael closed his eyes and hung his head. I failed an essay, and now I’m an embarrassment.

Naell and Song stared at each other, incredulous. Is… is that it?

Arael nodded, devastated. Because I didn’t know enough about Fantasy! That’s pretty much our only ally, and I didn’t know enough about them! He thinks I didn’t pay attention, it was that bad!

Naell almost wanted to laugh. And that’s it?

Arael gasped. Don’t you realize how horrible that looks?! I’m going to be king, I can’t be pulling this kind of thing! This is without a doubt the most humiliating thing I’ll ever do in my whole entire life!

Song and Naell shared a look. Teenagers. Okay, well, you are clearly upset. What would you like us to do about it? Hire a tutor?

No. That won’t be enough. I need to go big. I need to… I need to go to Fantasy myself!

His parents sputtered. Across the Conscious? Yourself?

That’s a bit of a hike, isn’t it?

For a few weeks, that’s all I ask! I’ll keep a journal while I’m there. It’ll be so good for me! Please, please, please?

Goodness, you sound like your sister.

Arael clasped his hands together and dropped to his knees. It’s important!

Naell turned to Song. They gazed at each other in silence, then sighed. Fine. You can go. But guards will escort you there and they’ll come to get you when you’re done.

Deal! Arael jumped up and hugged them both. Oh, thank you so much, Mom, Dad!

They hugged him back with pensive smiles. We’ll discuss it more at dinner, okay?

Okay! Got it! Thank you! He ran out, his heart light and a spring in his step. On his way out, he passed Anyah and Sheela, who had been eavesdropping outside the door. Anyah stopped her parents on their way out, catching her mother’s skirt.

Mom, Dad, can I go on an adventure too?

When you’re older, Anyah. And stop eavesdropping, honey, it’s not a good habit!

-

It was all arranged rather swiftly. Arael packed his bag, adjusted his schedule, and gave everyone he was close to a goodbye. The trek across the Conscious began, a royal guard on either side of the prince as they traversed Creativity’s plains and headed in the direction of Fantasy. His Companion, Jackalo, of course came along for the trip; that was an obvious detail. Companions went everywhere with their humans.

When the grasses turned an incredibly lush shade of green, and knee-high geodes of every shade in a summertime lake cropped out of the earth, Arael knew he’d arrived, and cheerfully bid his escorts farewell. He sucked in a deep breath of the sweet, fresh air, and took in the gorgeous view as his Companion settled on the sunlit top of the closest geode for a nap.

Wow. This is… I’m here. Arael laughed incredulously. It’s beautiful! Look at all this grass! And… stuff!

Jackalo didn’t share his excitement, already pretending to doze off.

Arael huffed. Alright. Suit yourself.

Since Jackalo was nodding off, leaving him no company, Arael decided this was the perfect time to start writing the first log of his journey.

Entry One- My Arrival

I’ve made it! The trip out was only a few days, not even a full week, which was a very nice surprise! I can already tell this is going to be so educational, everything out here seems new, and I haven’t even gone into town yet. The sun is starting to drop though, so maybe I should soon. But truthfully, I’d rather not. I love how peaceful it is right where I am! There’s nothing to bother me out here, nothing to stress me out. It’s just me and Jackalo under the blue sky, surrounded by green grass. No city noises, just the gentle breeze rustling through the flora, and the beautiful laughter. Sounds nearby!

Arael paused his writing and stared at the last two sentences. Laughter? He stood back up, having leaned contentedly against the smooth side of the geode, and looked in every direction. He’d heard laughter. Someone else was here.

After a few more moments of searching, he saw who had unwittingly joined him. His eyes widened as he dropped back down into the grass, fumbling with his pen and hurriedly flipping his journal back open.

She’s a Fantasy. Will update shortly, going to attempt contact!

He slammed the little book shut and shoved it in his bag, startling Jackalo awake. Ay, watch it!

Arael didn’t bother apologizing; he was preoccupied with his current mission. He scrambled to his feet and straightened his clothes, from his shirt, to his boots, to his visor. He had to look as professional as possible.

As he got closer, he realized she was with her Companion, too distracted by how its emerald feathers caught the sunlight to notice his approach. And he also noticed that she was about his age. Arael’s heart fluttered a little, but he was too excited to pay any mind to it.

It was true. They really did have the most gorgeously peculiar hair Arael had ever seen. No sort of dye could ever begin to create anything like that. The mint green ringlets on this girl’s head looked almost luminous in the sun.

He stopped a few steps away from her, and opened his mouth to speak. He realized he wasn’t sure what he was going to say. Well, of course, you doofus, greet her like a gentleman, you don’t want to seem like a creep. He took a quick breath, and--

She turned around. Her Companion had noticed him, clearly, and told her human about it. Arael was evidently not ready for that stunning of a face. His brain went blank when eyes like pools of jade, contrasted against smooth dark skin, locked on him. She seemed a little startled, too, but then she just tilted her head in confusion as she looked him over, analyzing him intently. She’d never seen someone dressed in clothes so outrageously purple.

He tried to get himself together. U-uh, excuse me? Wow. Hi! It is-- oh my goodness. I can’t believe it. I’m so happy to see you!

The girl stared at him in astonishment. They’d never met in her life, had they? Not that she recalled. And why was he so nervous if they had?

Sorry! That sounded weird. I mean, I’m not from here, obviously, how would we know each other? Not that I’m not happy to see you, you are just as striking as they said you would be! He froze and went red. I mean, your hair. Your eyes. The, the Fantasy genetics! Are what I’m referring to, not your face. Not that there’s anything wrong with it! I’ve never seen anything like it!

When she still just looked at him like an alien, he realized he hadn’t even given her his name or his purpose for talking to her. Hello! Sorry, I’m not myself today. You know how travel can be! I think. My name is Prince Arael Naell Kendall of Knowledge Terrace! I’m here to learn everything I can about your culture! He faltered. Still nothing in reply but staring. ...Do you speak English?

She squinted, her lips pressing together and her nose crinkling in total bewilderment.

Hello? Arael was determined not to let this be for nothing. Even if their conversation had to be in broken scraps of a language he barely knew, so be it. Language. Words. You speak…? He gestured through the air with his hands.

She smiled, but it was an uncertain one.

Arael was growing frustrated. He threw his hands up. What do you speak? He signed to her with his hands, making sure she could hear him.

She covered her mouth and stifled a giggle.

Arael facepalmed, but when he pulled his hand away from his eyes, she’d vanished.

Huh? Oh, no. Where’d you--?

A hand tapped his shoulder. Hi.

Arael may or may not have screamed, resulting in terribly amused laughter from behind him. He whirled around. So you do speak English!

She snickered mischievously. Seems I do.

Arael was surprised to hear her voice. Somehow it was exactly as he’d pictured it would be. Well then, why did you pretend not to understand?

She stuck out her lower lip at the accusation. I just wanted to see how badly you wanted to talk to me. She giggled. But then it just became kinda funny to watch you flounder. I’m Thalia. She stuck out her hand to shake. Nice to meet you!

After some hesitation, he took it in his, caught off guard by the callouses on the palm. Someone so seemingly delicate with callouses? My name is--

Arael, right? I think you mentioned it. She smiled and winked.

He smiled back, feeling oddly giddy.

Well, Arael, if you’re here to learn about the Fantasy clan, you’ll need a tour guide, won’t you? She pointed back at his bag. I’ll be happy to oblige! Go ahead and grab your stuff, you can come meet my family.

Arael paused. You’re just... going to take me in?

Thalia nodded. I don’t really think you’re a threat, you’re too… pretty. Besides, I already like you. It’ll be fun to have a new buddy around! You see a lot of the same people around here.

Arael went to gather his things as Thalia had instructed, but decided to take a moment to write something down. He looked back at her as he opened the journal, and she waved. He smiled and waved back.

We’ve conversed. She says she likes me.

I believe I’ve taken a liking to her too!

Thalia continued to be an amazing help. She gave Arael so much to work with just by talking about her day, and showing him around her hometown, Eos. Her parents, two knights, which seemed to be an oddly common profession, were also happy to give him any information he asked for. He learned about their apprenticeship system of learning, the occupations of caretakers: people who took in Companions that had just lost their humans and were grieving before returning to their wild form until they could bond again, or sometimes looked after Companions that had knight humans who were off training. Often, Thalia would give him all of this information under a willow tree she claimed to be her favorite spot in the world. Soon, it was their favorite spot in the world.

Actually? Anywhere Thalia went became his favorite spot in the world.

Entry Four- Thalia

She’s taught me so much! Knights, healers, storytellers, caretakers, she’s shown me everything. I didn't expect to meet anyone I'd bond with like this. I've really only got one or two real friends, the rest of the people I know being more like acquaintances, or just completely neutral to my existence. But Thalia seems to fit the description. We like talking together under the willow, lying down and looking up at the branches! We get more off topic every time. I don't know how it happens. I asked about what she wants to be when she's older, and she told me about how she's in the running for this really important job. Guardian. I guess it’s like... a sheriff of some sort? There's only one in every Fantasy town, did you know that? They’re in charge of keeping things running and making sure everyone is safe, happy, etcetera. I wanted to know more about it, but then she changed the subject and next thing I know she's told me all about her plans for her life. She has to finish her knight training under the current Guardian, then she’ll compete for the position. But she also wants to travel far away and go on adventures, but still be at home sometimes; especially if she gets that job.

She says she'd like to get married too, she supposes. I know I'll be married one day, probably to some Parliament member or a diplomat's child. But to her it's such an unimportant thing. She's got her own life going on before she starts fantasizing about who to share it with. Honestly, I find that incredibly cool. I hope I still know her then, I’d hate not to see how her life evolves. She’s destined for greatness, I can feel it.

Days melted together when he was around her. Arael eventually forgot to keep writing down all he was learning, and Thalia was forgetting to teach him. They just started to enjoy each other’s company. One day, as they were resting under the willow, Thalia laying down and Arael sitting against the trunk, she said something out of the blue that surprised him. When do you leave?

Huh? Why?

Thalia fiddled with the grass. It’s been a week already. It’s going by fast.

Arael counted on his fingers. I have about two more to go.

Oh. She didn’t say much else for a minute. I’m going to miss you. You should come back and see me again.

Arael looked over at her. She was already staring at him when he did, and he got a good look at her face for only the second time since their first meeting. His eyes were often on his page, admiring the scenery, or closed in laughter, and it struck him once more how beautiful Thalia was. I would… He was going to say he would love to, but his mouth felt funny and his brain forgot how to make words. His hands wanted to tremble, and suddenly his legs felt weak. He could feel his body temperature rising the longer they maintained eye contact.

I… He clutched his stomach. It felt like it was turning over. Sorry, one second.

Are you okay?

He held up a finger. Yes. Fine. Give me a moment. It’s just a little nausea.

A few days later, Arael got his journal out again to record that the so-called nausea had only worsened.

Entry Five- I May Be Falling Sick...

I suspect I'm becoming ill. Perhaps it's simply the change in environment. Or the food, or water. Or maybe it's the high atmospheric magic quantities... I'm not sure. My body just isn't used to it I guess. It started a few days ago. I found my head fuzzy. I couldn't focus. Talking to Thalia, I realized I wasn't grasping anything she said. I knew she was talking, but I was just... I don't know, distracted? Out of it? My mind refuses to function properly, all I can think about is Thalia. But even still, I can't pay attention when she talks to me?! I think she's taken notice. Yesterday she asked me if I was alright again. It’s been days. She said I looked odd-- well I FEEL ODD. My heart thumps out of my chest every time she walks towards me, my face becomes flushed, my hands shake and I feel strongly inclined to fidget with something. I told Thalia about this and she seemed equally perplexed, but I sense she knows exactly what's going on because she won't stop smiling at me when she thinks I'm not looking.

It's frustrating! Today she didn't want to go to the willow. I asked why, because we'd been doing that every day for two weeks now. She said if I felt so sick, maybe we should stay in and just talk to her parents. She suggested it might be interesting to talk to some Fantasy adults, and I agreed to it. I will update later today.

...

We didn't talk about being a knight, or growing up in Fantasy.

Thalia didn't mention anything about it.

Neither did her parents.

Thalia just told them I was sick, that maybe I should be sent home. They were concerned, and I made to protest, but they asked for my symptoms first. I explained to them, the blankness, the one track mind (I didn't mention it was only Thalia I could think of, that would've made it weird), fluttery chest, shaking hands, loss for words-- and they LAUGHED AT ME.

They looked at Thalia and each other and LAUGHED. Thalia practically fell over.

What?! What did I do, what's so funny? I don't like feeling out of the loop.

Arael, buddy--

You're not sick.

They all started calming down.

That's perfectly normal at your age.

I panicked. Normal at my age? Did some weird disease plague all Fantasy children around my age?!

And then they were laughing again.

Thalia spoke to me. Arael. You're not sick, those aren't symptoms. You're just in love!

…Oh no.

Arael wasn’t sure how many times Thalia prodded him to tell her who it was. It was horrible torture.

Is it a boy? A girl? What’s their name? What’s their favorite color? Come on, Arael, I probably don’t know them! Gimme a hint! Are they cute? What do they like to do? Do you think they like you back? You should ask them out!

It was getting to be too much. He could hardly handle it. How did she not realize? If she asked even one more time, he didn’t know if he could take it!

Entry Eight-

I told her the truth. Out of frustration with both of us. I needed it off my chest, I’ve never been in this kind of situation! Liking someone?! Never! I’m ME! Besides, she’d become convinced whoever it was, they were a boy, and I was getting tired of being teased about my Prince Charming.

It was an outburst! I’m sorry, Thalia, but of course it was! She was taken aback, but you won’t