The Reversal of Tides!

The Reversal of Tides: First Chapter

That day the Queen disappeared, the river went backwards. Standing at the brink of the crumbling stone balcony, Elara focussed her gaze on the unreachable scene ahead. From time immemorial, the huge Senath River had flowed gradually northward; now it surged southward with a ferocity that hurled enormous clouds of mist skyward.

With tense white knuckles, the apprentice of the young magician grabbed the railing. When she woke up, the royal court was in disarray with the palace bells tolling in fear. Beloved Astoria ruler Queen Lydia had vanished from her bedroom late at night.

Elara felt cold down her spine as she observed the irregular flow of the river. There was no way the Queen's disappearance and this strange occurrence could be accidental. Magic well beyond her comprehension was at work, ancient magic.

From behind her, a voice cried out "Elara!" She turned to find Thorne, the Queen's Guard captain, galloping at her. His usually perfect uniform was messy, and black circles covered his eyes. " Have you seen this craziness?"

Elara nodded bitterly. "It's as though the planet itself suffers Her Majesty's absence."

Thorne's jaw became tighter. "Natural occurrence is not what this is." There have been allegations of like irregularities all throughout the kingdom. Mountains plunging into the ground, forests uprooting themselves, stars clearly seen in broad daylight." He passed his salt-and-pepper hair between his hands. The High Council thinks evil powers are active.

"The Vault Cult?" Elara murmured, calling the dark group long seeking to topple the royal family.

Thorne's stillness was sufficient. Her bone-chilled following words came from the skipper. "The Council has called Elara here. They think your particular skills could be valuable.

Elara's hand moved naturally to the pendant around her neck, a teardrop-shaped crystal pulsing with soft, silvery light. It was a gift from Queen Lydia herself, given to Elara when she first arrived at the palace as a terrified orphan endowed with uncontrollably strong powers.

But Elara objected, "But I'm just an apprentice". Surely the master Mages-"

Thorne stopped "Are all occupied trying to maintain what order they can." "Beyond that, your relationship to the Queen is unique. The Council thinks that might be the secret to her locating."

Elara gulped hard, remembering the kindness of Queen Lydia's touch as she set the pendant around Elara's neck. Her voice steadier than she felt, "I'll do whatever I can to bring her back," she said.

Thorne nodded, a sliver of approval flickering in his gaze. Come-on. We have to stop letting the Council wait.

Elara was astonished as they rushed through the royal hallways by how rapidly order had collapsed into anarchy. Servants gathered in corners, murmuring anxiously. Guard looks sad as they rushed passed. As though the old seat of Asturian authority understood the danger endangering it, even the very stones of the palace appeared to shake.

Before them loomed the doors of the High Council chamber, elaborate panels fashioned with events from Astoria's past. Thorne's hand went up to knock, and the doors opened of their own initiative.

Five people sat around a circular table, their expressions worried. Elara identified them as the most potent advisers and magus from the realm. Lord Caelum, the Queen's most trusted confidante and Head of the High Council, sat at the top of the table.

"Apprentice Elara," Lord Caelum's powerful voice rang throughout the chamber. "We have a situation unlike any Astoria has ever experienced. The disappearance of the Queen set off a series of magical disruptions threatening to split our planet."

Elara moved forward, intending her voice not to shake. "How could I serve, my lords and ladies?"

Next was Lady Vestral, the leading divinatory magic practitioner in the kingdom. "Your pendant, youngster. It is a strong relic connected to the very core of Astoria's regal legacy, not just trinket. We think it might help find the Queen."

Elara's hand reached for the crystal, which appeared to throb more fiercely now. She said, "I... I'm not sure how I would apply it for such a goal."

"That is why we are here," remarked Master Finn, an elderly wizened Mage with eyes glittering with secret knowledge. "We shall lead you through a custom from antiquity. Be advised, though, the magic we will seek is erratic and hazardous. Are you ready to risk it?

Elara considered Queen Lydia, the compassion she had shown a lost and terrified young girl. Of the house and use she assigned her. "I am," she said with unflinching voice.

Lord Caelum nodded with much gravity. then let us start. Time is of the first importance. We sense our planet's fabric fraying even now.

Rising together, the magistrates created a circle around Elara. She saw motes of light dancing at the brink of her sight as the air thickened with magical energy. Master Finn started chanting in an old dialect using phrases that seemed to fit the very stones underfoot.

Elara closed hers and concentrated on the pendant. She considered Queen Lydia, trying to visualize her face, to sense her warmth. Hot on her skin, the crystal pulsed in sync with her heartbeat.

She suddenly felt a terrible ache shooting across her brain. Elara gasped, her eyes fluttered open. But the Council chamber had disappeared. She discovered instead that she was standing in a large, black void. Stars whirled about her creating strange constellations.

And she spotted a figure there, far away. Regal even in captivity; Queen Lydia hung still in a shadow cage. Her eyes locked with Elara's wide with recognition and... was that fear?

The Queen's lips moved to make words Elara missed. She sensed them, nevertheless, reverberating through her own existence:

"The void arrives. The heart of Astoria has to not fall. Discover the Keystone, Elara. Only you ".

The vision broke as glass does. Back in the Council chamber, Elara discovered herself kneeling and struggling to breathe. The wizards packed around her, their expressions a mix of worried worry and excited expectation.

"What did you see?" Demand came from Lord Caelum.

Her thoughts whirling from what she had seen, Elara gazed up at him. "The Queen," she managed to say. She's alive, but... imprisoned some sort. She talked of the Void, then a Keystone."

A wave of discomfort swept across the Council members. The face of Lady Vestral had turned white. She spoke a murmur, "The Keystone." "It has been lost for millennia. Should the void cult search for it..."

Thorne stated forcefully, guiding Elara to her feet: "then we must find it first". "Where does our start?"

Everyone turned to Elara. Their expectations weighed her, the fate of a kingdom suddenly falling on her shoulders. A reminder of the power—and responsibility—she now carried, the pendant pulsed against her skin.

Elara inhaled deeply, straightening herself for the road ahead. "We start," she replied, her voice gaining force with every syllable, "by following the river."

The palace shook as though in answer to her remarks. They could hear the Senath River roaring in distance as it kept its irregular path. Elara knew that nothing will never be the same once their first chapter of search started.# The Flip of Tides: Chapter One

That day the Queen disappeared, the river went backwards. Standing at the brink of the crumbling stone balcony, Elara focussed her gaze on the unreachable scene ahead. From time immemorial, the huge Senath River had flowed gradually northward; today it surged southward with a ferocity that hurled enormous clouds of mist skyward.

With tense white knuckles, the apprentice of the young magician grabbed the railing. When she woke up, the royal court was in disarray with the palace bells tolling in fear. Beloved Astoria ruler Queen Lydia had vanished from her bedroom late at night.

Elara felt cold down her spine as she observed the irregular flow of the river. There was no way the Queen's disappearance and this strange occurrence could be accidental. Ancient magic was working, sorcery well beyond her comprehension.

From behind her, a voice cried out "Elara!" She turned to find Thorne, the Queen's Guard captain, galloping at her. His usually perfect uniform was messy, and black circles covered his eyes. " Have you seen this craziness?"

Elara nodded darkly. "It's as though the earth itself suffers Her Majesty's absence."

Thorne's jaw grew tighter. "Natural occurrence is not what this is." There have been allegations of like irregularities all throughout the kingdom. Mountains plunging into the ground, forests uprooting themselves, stars clearly seen in broad daylight." He passed his salt-and-pepper hair between his hands. The High Council thinks evil powers are active.

"The Vault Cult?" Whispering, Elara identified the dark group long trying to remove the royal family from power.

Thorne's quiet was sufficient. Her bone-chilled following words came from the skipper. "The Council has called Elara here. They could find your particular skills useful."

Elara's hand moved naturally to the pendant around her neck, a teardrop-shaped crystal pulsing with soft, silvery light. It was a gift from Queen Lydia herself, given to Elara when she first arrived at the palace as a terrified orphan with uncontrollably powerful ability.

But Elara objected, "But I'm just an apprentice". " Surely the master mages-"

Thorne stopped "Are all occupied trying to maintain what order they can." "Beyond that, your relationship to the Queen is unique. The Council thinks she might find her by means of this key.

Elara gulped hard, remembering the kindness of Queen Lydia touch as she set the pendant around Elara's neck. Her voice smoother than she felt, "I'll do whatever I can to bring her back."

Thorne nodded, a sliver of approval flickering in his gaze. Come along. We have to stop letting the Council wait.

Elara was astonished as they rushed through the royal hallways by how rapidly order had collapsed into anarchy. Servants gathered in corners, murmuring anxiously. Guard looks sad as they rushed passed. As though the old seat of Asturian authority understood the danger endangering it, even the very stones of the palace appeared to shake.

Before them loomed the doors of the High Council chamber, elaborate panels fashioned with events from Astoria's past. Thorne's hand lifted to knock; the doors opened on their own initiative.

Five people sat around a circular table, their expressions worried. Elara identified them as the most potent advisers and magus from the realm. Sitting at the head of the table was Lord Caelum, the most trusted confidante of the Queen and Head of the High Council.

"Apprentice Elara," Lord Caelum's powerful voice rang throughout the chamber. "We have a situation unlike any Astoria has ever experienced. The absence of the Queen has set off a series of magical upheavals that might separate our world."

Elara moved forward, intending her voice not to shake. "How could I serve, my lords and ladies?"

Next was Lady Vestral, the leading divinatory magic practitioner in the kingdom. "Your pendant, youngster. It is a strong relic connected to the very core of Astoria's regal legacy, not just trinket. We think it might help find the Queen."

Elara's hand reached for the crystal, which appeared to throb more fiercely now. She said, "I... I'm not sure how I could apply it for such a use."

"That is why we are here," remarked Master Finn, an elderly wizened Mage with eyes glittering with secret knowledge. "We shall lead you through a custom from antiquity. Be advised, though, the magic we will seek is erratic and hazardous. Are you ready to risk it?

Elara considered Queen Lydia, the compassion she had shown a lost and terrified young girl. Of the house and use she assigned her. "I am," she said with unbroken voice.

Lord Caelum nodded with much gravity. then let us start. Time is of the first importance. We sense our planet's fabric fraying even now.

Rising together, the magistrates created a circle around Elara. She saw motes of light dancing at the brink of her sight as the air thickened with magical energy. Master Finn started chanting in an old dialect using words that appeared to speak to the very stones underfoot.

Elara closed hers and concentrated on the pendant. She considered Queen Lydia, trying to visualize her face, to sense her warmth. Hot on her skin, the crystal pulsed in sync with her heartbeat.

She suddenly felt a terrible ache shooting across her brain. Elara gasped, her eyes fluttered open. But the Council chamber had disappeared. She discovered instead that she was standing in a large, black void. Stars whirled about her creating strange constellations.

And she spotted a figure there, far away. Regal even in captivity; Queen Lyria hung still in a shadow cage. Her eyes locked with Elara's wide with recognition and... was that fear?

The Queen's lips moved to make words Elara missed. She sensed them, nevertheless, reverberating in her very nature:

"The void arrives. The heart of Astoria has to not fall. Find Elara the Keystone. Only you can ".

The vision broke as glass does. Back in the Council chamber, Elara discovered herself kneeling and struggling to breathe. The wizards swarmed around her, their expressions a mix of eager expectation and concern.

"What did you see?" Demand came from Lord Caelum.

Her thoughts whirling from what she had seen, Elara gazed up at him. "The Queen," she managed to say. She's alive, but... imprisoned some sort. She referred to the Void, and... a Keystone."

A wave of discomfort swept across the Council members. The face of Lady Vestral had turned white. She spoke a murmur, "The Keystone." "It has been lost for millennia. Should the void cult search for it..."

Thorne stated forcefully, guiding Elara to her feet: "then we must find it first". "Where does our start?"

Everyone turned to Elara. Their expectations weighed her, the fate of a kingdom suddenly falling on her shoulders. The pendant pulsed across her skin, a reminder of the power—and obligation—she now carried.

Elara inhaled deeply, straightening herself for the road ahead. "We start," she replied, her voice getting more forceful with every syllable, "by following the river."

The palace shook as though in answer to her remarks. They could hear the Senath River roaring in distance as it kept its irregular path. Elara understood that nothing will never be the same as their first chapter of search started to open.