The Elementalist: Sky City (Book One)

Chapter One: Fallen Kingdom

"What could it be?" the queen asked as she ran to her husband, baby in her arms. That the horns signaled an attack was all-too clear, but the idea of an attack from any of the other kingdoms seemed unfathomable. War between the Elemental Kingdoms had not come in decades.

"I don't know what it is," the king growled in determination as he collapsed the front of his breastplate into place. "But I'm going to find out."

Grabbing his sword sheath last, the king thrust the sword from its grasp, a fluid motion that brought his mind back to the days of glorious battle, before family and patience had been instilled in his mind. There's a sharp, slick noise as the blade effortlessly slid from its container. Despite the years, it was still razor sharp.

"Stay here."

"But I can fight," the queen replied defiantly, as she went to her own armor displayed on the other end of the room.

The king reached to grab her. "I know, believe me I know all too well, but right now you need to keep him safe" he looked down at his infant son.

Looking down at their baby, the queen nodded. Before he left, the king grabbed her wife's arm, holding her as he kissed her gently.

"It's probably nothing," he tried to say comfortably and unconvincingly as the horns continued to sound from near, amid the fury of the storm that accompanied it. "Don't worry."

With a look of concern and faux comfort from the queen, he ran to the chamber doors, slamming them open. Past the winding staircase leading to the royal common rooms, he wound down two more corridors, making two turns, until arriving in the royal courtroom. From there, the king throws open the large doors that lead to the great hall. His heavy, armor-clad footsteps echo in the great hall as he reaches the entrance to the palace.

Two sentries ran toward the king. Their missing presence in his bedchambers to warn both he and the queen of impending danger boded ill-fortune and troubled the king further in its implications.

"What is it?" he asked severely, not breaking stride as they followed him to the outer doorway.

"We don't know sir."

The king noticed their grogginess and assumed they'd been asleep on the job, something these two guards were known for, but there was an exhaustion beyond that on their faces, one of fear.

"Go guard the queen," he ordered. "Keep her and the prince safe, no matter what happens."

They nodded and turned to obey.

Before the king could reach for the gold handles that opened to the outer city from the palace, they burst open from the raging storm outside. Thunder flashed before his eyes, along with rain cascading powerfully from above.

Normally it would have been foolish to fly in such conditions, given that a strong gust of wind could throw one like a ragdoll. Many Sky Kingdom citizens had been known to attempt such feats in the past with bad and often painful results. The king had no time for worry of broken bones though.

Gritting his teeth, he felt his body begin to lift from the ground, gravity leaving him. As a young child he could remember the magic of his first flight, the joy of being born a part of Sky Kingdom with powers so freeing, that the world could be laid bare for one to be a part of—the sky being a home rather than a dream. Such feelings were so strong and vivid that years and years later, on this day, he could still feel the echo of all the pride of his youth and the power of his abilities. The armor he had may have weighed him down and the wind could attempt to further throw him back to the marble steps of the palace, but the king had trained for this, both in body and in spirit.