The Crowned Rose: Book One: a Light in the Dark Series

By Jay Hume

Eighteen-year-old Amekia Daterryan is happily living a quiet existence with her parents on the outskirts of Ernsteduntil her brother, Jorden, comes to visit after a years-long absence. Immediately after he delivers the shocking news that the king wants to hurt him, Amekia and Jorden are separated in the Old Forest during a horrible rainstorm. Now Amekia must somehow survive long enough to find her way back home.

While on a search for food, Amekias growling stomach leads her to the camp of a hermit whose past is shrouded in mystery. After Kytos, who strangely seems to know she was coming, tells Amekia she is an Elementalist with magical abilities that the king desires, she is left with no other choice but to seek refuge with a group of rebels known as the Resistance. With help from Kytos, she embarks on a long journey to find the Resistance. But when she is unexpectedly pulled into an uprising, Amekia soon realizes that sometimes it only takes one person to make a difference as her destiny rises up to meet her.

In this exciting fantasy tale, a young woman seeking refuge from those hunting her is about to discover just how important she is in a world torn by war and betrayal.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jun 13, 2017
• ISBN: 9781532025440

Jay Hume

Jay Hume was born in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, but spent most of his childhood in Truro. He holds diplomas in web development and business administration from Nova Scotia Community College. Jay is a lifelong reader and lover of fantasy novels who currently works as a freelance web/grahic designer. The Crowned Rose is his first book.

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Copyright © 2017 Jay Hume.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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ISBN: 978-1-5320-2542-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-2543-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-2544-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017909140

iUniverse rev. date: 06/13/2017

Contents

Acknowledgements

Life Is Unexpected

Swept Away

Meeting With The Hermit

A Man On A Mission

Somewhere Deep In A Maze

Leaving Home

If Only I Could Remember

Hearts Fire

Welcome To New Spire

The Pact

The Depths

Cold, Hard, Rock Bottom

My Enemy’s Enemy Is

All Good Things Come To An End

First Impressions

The Resistance

With Dawn Comes War

Unraveling the Scheme

Storming the Castle

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

Glossary

About the Author

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my mother, Ann.

She will never know the achievements I have accomplished but, I know she would be so proud.

Acknowledgements

I would personally like to thank my family and friends for, without their support, I fear this tale would never exist. Thanks to Brittany for always supporting me and for staying by my side sometimes late into the night while I wrote these pages over and over again. Thanks to Laura for taking on the monumental task of editing this book and giving me the honest insight I needed to make my words come alive. Thanks to Dustin for all of his ideas and input which helped me make many improvements.

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"Everything in life has its flaws. It is through these flaws that the light shines. Even in the darkest of places there will be light. Nothing is perfect; not even darkness.

It’s in this light, that leaks through the cracks, that life takes hold and flourishes. There is no way to stop the light. It can be hindered but, it will never be stopped for, where there is light then there is life that will fight for it.

Till the last man,

To his last breath,

For as long as there is life,

We will fight for the light,

I will fight for the light."

- Last words spoken by Queen Annabelle Rose before her execution. May the light find its way to her again.

Life Is Unexpected

T his feels too good to be true! I never thought he would return but here he is. I feel like we could almost pick things up right where we left off all those years ago. Amekia thought to herself with a mixture of happiness and anger while she ran through a field of daisies. A smile crept across her lips as she ran pushing the anger aside, back down into its deep well. The sun casted a radiant and defiant golden glow from its peak in the late afternoon sky. However black clouds fought with tooth and nail, without pause, for dominion of the sky. Off to the east, a colossal shadow advanced across the meadow as the black clouds waged their war against the sunlight. A gentle breeze, like the calm before a storm drifted as a silent observer carrying ill omens across the field. The hectically placed rows of daisies shivered from the eerie breeze; as if their afraid of the war. Occasional droplets of rain fall from the sky, like tears for the fallen, carried by the silent breeze from the battle far above.

The sky warned of heavy rain and fierce wind but Amekia and Jorden ignored the impending storm. Instead they ran spreading happiness and excitement through the field while they scooped up daisies and laughed with delight. We can’t stay much longer but I’m not ready to leave yet Amekia realized with a mental sigh. The smile slipped off her face as the anger crept back up from its well. The clouds had her on edge but it was too early in the year for a spring squall, so she dismissed the feeling once more and continued to run; there was still time to be happy before the storm. It’s those precious minutes that matter most. Not where he has been all these years or why he suddenly came back. All that matters is that he did come back. She tried to reassure herself but it felt hollow.

Amekia was just shy of her nineteenth birthright. She had long brown hair with the slightest of curls that framed her soft complexion and caressed her faint jaw line. Her passionate eyes were bright blue like looking at the sky through a crystal. She had lips that were made for smiling and laughing but it was a rare occasion to be happy of late. She stood just over a head shorter than Jorden, but she was considered to be of average height for her age. She was skinny, but fit and athletic, from the daily exercise involved with hiking through the woods. A pink ribbon tied just above her left ear fluttered chaotically as she continued to run. Her stout brown boots came up to just under her knee. Her pale blue trousers were tucked into the top along with a wickedly carved knife that she always carried with her into the woods. She wasn’t an expert when it came to the woods but, she spent so much time around them, it always felt like home.

Her father had given her the knife many years ago for protection and since then it went everywhere with her safely tucked into her boot. The knife had been in the family for longer than she could remember but, it was still as sharp as the day it was made. The handle was plain, made of wood, and carved to resemble a serpent’s tail. The blade looked like frosted steel and was crafted in the shape of a serpent’s body and head. There were old runes carved on the blade just below the hilt. A single sapphire sat near the end of the blade to resemble the serpent’s eyes. She wondered where such an expensive knife had come from, but, no one in her family seemed to remember. They shrugged off all her questions about the knife or its history which led her to believe they were lying.

Just off to her side Amekia spots a patch of yellow daisies growing from the remains of an old tree stump. She changed course and scooped up a bright yellow flower as she continued running through the field. She liked the flower because it matched the light yellow shirt she chose to wear today. Before the wind created by running had a chance to damage the pretty little flower she slipped it into the front pocket of her shirt for safe keeping.

Her brother Jorden ran beside her for the first time in years. He kept up to her with ease, not even breaking a sweat. His twenty-third birthright had come and gone a few months past. Semi-long blond hair blew in the wind as he ran and his brown eyes sparkled with delight. He had a close cut beard that framed his face which was carved with hard lines like a gemstone. Handsome and rugged described Jorden from his brown cloth shirt down to his stout leather boots.

Jorden’s short sword swayed in a natural motion with his movement. The sword was the only outward indication of his militia training besides his eyes, which never seemed to rest in one place from more than a few seconds. They came to a stop at the crest of a small hill and stood in an awkward silence while they caught their breath and watched the approaching storm.

This weather makes it hard to believe that the spring equinox isn’t until next month. Amekia said to break the awkward silence. He’s been gone for so long…what do I say? There’s not enough time for all the questions I have. Is he still the same Jorden that left so long ago? She wondered. She decided to lie down in a patch of soft green grass that gave her a wonderful view of the mountains in the distance.

She watched Jordan as he continued to look at the black clouds; there was an eerie silence, like just before a mighty storm. There were no sounds of nature today, except for the slight gust of distant winds. It gave her a nervous feeling the way he frowned at the clouds. Did he even hear me? Amekia wondered with a touch of anger. She rolled her eyes and was just about to open her mouth when Jorden met her gaze.

Yes it does he replied. His voice sounded distant as if he was lost in thought.

Not much of an answer Amekia thought but kept it to herself. Her brother’s mood was still darker than the clouds which covered more of the sky then when they had entered the field. She decided that she was going to try to find out why.

You’ve looked troubled all day Jorden. What’s wrong? Why did you come back? asked Amekia. She had a thousand more questions but bit her tongue to hold back the stream.

She watched Jorden sigh as he looked toward the ground with a slight pause, like he was thinking. You mean besides what happened at the house today?

The anger in his voice cut through her like a sharp blade. Amekia flinched at the sound of it and she saw his cheeks go red with embarrassment.

There’s a lot you don’t know yet Amekia. It’s a dangerous secret to hold once you know. It’s just not a good time to discuss this. He said in a softer tone.

Amekia’s mind tried to work out what she was just told. What is he talking about? What secret does he mean?

What better time than now Jorden? Your home now, it has been years since I heard anything from you. said Amekia.

No! Jorden said quickly while throwing his arms up in the air with exasperation. Amekia, there’s no worse time then now! There are people who wish to hurt me; they follow me wherever I go. I caught one of them once; he told me he was paid in gold! Just to follow me and report where I go. Jorden opened his coin pouch, dumped a pile of coins into his hand, they were all gold.

Amekia gasped at the amount of coins in Jorden’s hand. I’ve never seen that much money before! Where did he get that? Could he really be telling the truth? Amekia felt a cold chill run through her that caused her to shiver.

He couldn’t give me a good description other than it was a man in a red robe, but I believed him because these coins were tied to his belt Jorden said as he put the coins back into his pouch.

Amekia’s mouth still hung open at the amount of gold she had seen. The thought of her brother in trouble horrified her. What she had just heard was so unexpected her mind just didn’t want to grasp it all. That’s awful Jorden! Who would want to hurt you? What’s going on? asked Amekia with concern.

I can’t tell you Amekia. Not yet anyways because I still need more proof. I have a damn good hunch on who it is though. replied Jorden angrily.

Can’t you report it to someone? The town guards? Or even the Rose Guard? asked Amekia.

Instead of answering her, she watched him shift his gaze back to the clouds and close his eyes for a moment.

With a sigh he answered I can’t go to anyone Amekia because, if my hunch is right, then he owns the guards, even the Rose Guard. Jorden paused for a minute before he spoke again. When he did it was in a soft voice almost a whisper. The man who I think is doing this is Michael, ruler of the Rose Crown.

Amekia’s mouth dropped wide open with shock. It was like she had been punched in the stomach. She just couldn’t make sense of what he was telling her. What does the King want with Jorden? This makes no sense…what hasn’t he told me?

What does our King want with you, Jorden? What did you do? She scolded.

It was Jorden who looked shocked this time. He turned around to stare at her. It was nothing I did! He replied angrily. I don’t know why he’s after me but, I did nothing wrong Amekia Jorden pleaded. These men follow me wherever I go. I can’t go back to Ernsted, they will be there taking rooms at the inn by now. Amekia was still so confused. It’s all so hard to believe. Why are strangers hunting my brother? Will they hurt anyone?

What about mom and dad? Won’t they hurt them to find you? Amekia asked with worry.

No, I didn’t go straight to the house. I left through the west road and looped around through the woods said Jorden.

If there really were strangers after Jorden then they will have an easy time finding out where we live thought Amekia. The town was only a few hours walk from the house, the locals were always happy to help anyone, including strangers. No secrets were kept in such a small town. Amekia hated her town for that reason. She had met Jorden on her trip to town that morning, but she was still afraid that the strangers might hurt her parents. Jorden finally sat down on the hill flattening out some of the taller grass as he begins to sift through his pack. After a quick search through his pack Jorden pulled out some dried meat and fresh bread. Here I brought some food with me and it seems like as good a time as any to stop and eat. As if to answer for her, Amekia’s stomach grumbles and causes her to laugh despite the dark mood that had settled over her.

A short fit of chuckling broke out over her noisy stomachs choice of timing but Amekia’s chuckling died off as she reached for the plate of food. She didn’t feel hungry but her stomach thought differently. Thanks Amekia said as she started into the meal. It was silent as they ate, neither one of them felt like talking. Amekia was still in shock from everything she had just been told. Her brother had only been back a day and already her world was being turned upside down. They sat and watched the coming storm instead of talking. It didn’t seem to have moved any closer since they had entered the meadow but, it was definitely closer. Amekia took a mental note of the storm. It’s always better to be careful; if not then you will be caught blind. She had learned that lesson many times and greatly believed in that bit of her dad’s advice.

They washed their meal down with water and put away the plates. They stayed sitting and resting for a little while longer. I think that storm is moving faster than it looks. Amekia said finally breaking the silence. Her home was well over two hours away through woods she knew pretty well. Much of the walk would be through thick forest and, it would be dusk before they were half way home. Looks like we’re getting wet thought Amekia. Being in the storm didn’t bother her but at night didn’t seem like fun. This was not the day to be in the woods she realized.

I guess we can’t sit here all day then. The sooner we leave the less of that storm we have to walk in. replied Jorden. He grabbed his pack and stood up while Amekia gathered her thoughts. She stood up and slung her pack over her shoulders then remembered… My flower! I hope its ok? Amekia took a second to check on her flower. It was still safe in her shirt pocket. At least there’s one bright thing about today she thought to herself. They began their walk home on an easterly course. Above them, the storm waits patiently for its prey, to step into the trap it laid.

They walked for almost an hour, through fields and grassland towards what was a small river barely knee deep earlier in the day. Amekia’s mouth fell open with a gasp. It was now a good sized river with mud brown water and a strong current. Bits of grass, leaves, and small trees could be seen swept along the river.

I’ve never seen a storm bring so much water so quickly! Amekia said in stunned shock. Her mouth gaped open as she surveyed the flooded river. It was now at least thirty or forty feet across, more than double the width from before. It was too murky to tell but it looked to be waist deep now. She had heard stories about this being a vast river once, but in all her years, it had been dried up to only a shallow river. In the summer it dried up almost completely, becoming just a muddy bottom with a shallow stream. Now the old river was back to life, filled up to its original banks, and flowing angrily downstream.

Amekia had heard of flash floods coming from the mountains. She had been warned by her father on multiple occasions. She had never thought to see anything like this. With shock and horror in his voice Jorden said The current is too strong to cross here. Let’s follow the water down to the old bridge. Maybe we can cross there. He turned to follow the raging water that ran along the edge of the meadow and down into the woods. It would still bring them closer to home in a roundabout way. How are we ever going to cross this? The bridge was old and almost never used. There hasn’t been a need to fix the bridge in many years thought Amekia.

Are you sure it’s even still there? Have you ever seen so much rain? What if it’s broken? Or washed away? asked Amekia.

With a sigh Jorden answered I don’t know Amekia. What else can we do? We have to cross this river somehow and it’s only going to get darker. They soon reached the sparse forest at the edge of the meadow. With night closing in it would be even harder to find a crossing. As they walked down into the thicker woods the river seemed to grow angrier.

They began to see more trees flowing down river uprooted from the intense current. The river had been shallow for so long, the forest had taken over much of the old river bed, but now it was reclaiming what it had once owned. They walked for what seemed like hours as the storm gradually brought more rain, wind, and full dark upon them. Amekia was starting to think that there was no way across the river. So far they hadn’t seen the bridge and she knew of no other way around this particular river. She was frozen and soaked to the bone; her legs were sore from walking. They finally came across the road leading to the bridge. Jorden stopped to look at the old wagon tracks that led towards the old bridge It looks like it’s been a long time since it was used but, it’s still here. We should cross now while we still can! Jordan said.

Amekia strained to look out across the water to see if the bridge went all the way across. It was hard to tell without the light of the moon. They heard a loud creaking groan from the bridge. We better cross now! We might not find a better place to cross. That bridge doesn’t sound like it will last too much longer. Let’s get going then. I don’t like the sounds coming from that bridge. We better get across it quickly. Amekia said.

Agreed replied Jordan.

They made their way carefully down the road. The water had started to spill around the bridge over the road. They made their way through the knee deep water. They were both thankful the current wasn’t as strong but, they still had to watch their footing. Amekia realized there wasn’t much time. She could feel the wooden bridge under her feet but water was starting to rush over the top. Their boots splashed as they rushed to get to the other side. There were trees and other bits of debris stuck against the bridge. Some brushed against Amekia’s face causing her to flinch.

Unexpectedly a board broke under Amekia causing her to flail and fall with a splash onto the bridge. Amekia! Here let me help Jorden called out loudly. She didn’t realize how loud the water was, but she could hardly hear him. He reached out, found her hand, and pulled her to her feet. He took hold of her arm and pulled her with him as they rushed ahead. She was pretty sure they were almost across but then they were both thrown from their feet. A loud crack ran through the air, drowning out the sound of the water. The bridge shook violently then, lurched at an angle as water gushed over the side.

Hold on! Jorden yelled, but his voice was quickly drowned out as another loud crack filled the air. Amekia felt the boards under her twist as the bridge was being forced off its supports. The rushing water swept her across the bridge; she hit the side rail painfully. She wrapped herself around it, holding on for dear life as water washed over her. Seconds later she heard one last loud crack then, the bridge broke and was ripped clear from its supports. It flipped over violently, spilling her down into the muddy water. She couldn’t see up from down in the murky water, her lungs were burning for air, so she picked a direction and swam.

She reached the surface and tried to gasp for air only to be pulled back under with water filling her mouth. She arose again a short time later flailing, choking, and trying to stay above the surface. The current was so strong, she felt helpless. It was too dark to see much of anything. She could just make out part of the bridge not far from her. She swam towards it as best as she could. The water kept taking her under but, she managed to make it to the debris. It was bigger than she thought, big enough to lie on, so she pulled herself up onto it. She laid there shivering and gasping for air. After a few minutes she got up and called for Jorden hoping to hear him. I hope he’s alright Amekia thought to herself with panic. He wasn’t anywhere in sight but, it was hard to see anything at all. Hopelessly she looked ahead into the darkness trying to see where she was headed but, all she could see was the blackness of night. Feeling helpless, she sat on the debris as it sped down the river. She hugged herself while she shivered from the cold.

Swept Away

S uddenly, she was flying through the air. This is an awfully funny dream… Amekia thought. She woke up with a fright as she came to realize the truth. She had just enough time to hit the ground and awkwardly roll, luckily, without injury. Idiot! She scolded herself as she stood there gasping for air, still trying to wake up. It’s daylight out now! I must have fallen asleep on the debris last night. The debris had hit the ground shortly after first light throwing her off. It had come ashore along a grassy meadow allowing her a soft landing. She looked out at the river rushing past hoping to see Jorden, but there was still no sign of him. There’s nothing I can do now but keep moving. She found the bright spot in the dark grey clouds which must be the sun and started to follow it.

I wonder if I made it across the river. Amekia thought and couldn’t help but sigh at the irony of it. Maybe there will be some luck in me still. Then again, maybe only so much can go wrong at once. There was nothing dry in sight as Amekia headed through the woods. She was soaked to the bone from the night before; the rain still fell in buckets. She had lost her pack when the bridge broke and, therefore lost her jacket, and all her supplies. To keep warm she decided to jog at a slow pace through the meadow and into the sparse woods. The ground squished every time she stepped on it. The heavy rain created streams everywhere since the water had nowhere else to go. It wasn’t long till she had to go back to walking because some of the streams could be quite deep, and everything was slippery.

I’ve never seen this much rain! I really hope Jorden is okay. There’s no way I’m going to be able to find him after last night. I hope he heads for home! This storm seemed more like a dream than a reality, because so much rain had fallen over night. There were lakes and ponds forming in all directions. She had to back track constantly, weaving her way around the flooded ponds and streams. When she couldn’t go around them she went through the flooded areas cautiously. She thought she recognized the landscape but it was hard to tell. She made her way towards where she thought home was. Sometime later she wasn’t sure how long she finally came within sight of a pass. She could not think of any passes around Ernsted. I’m nowhere near home! She sighed sadly.

The river had washed her deep into the Old Forest. I could have been swept out to sea! Where does this pass lead too? She wondered. The pass was really just an old wooden rope bridge suspended between the sides of the river. She suspected it was the Old Ernsted River which wound its way through the Forest. I must have passed right through Hearts Lake, past Ernsted