• The Other Chapters:
    Chapter 2
    Chapter 3
    Chapter 4
    Chapter 5

    Prologue

    The old man gasped, his thin chest heaving. “Quick!” someone yelled. “A scribe! The seer has something to say! And this time I think he’s going to go!” There was a frantic scrambling as several pages sprinted out of the room, trying to look dignified. “Hold on, Sir!” the voice begged the old man. “Just a few more seconds! Don’t let it out yet! We’ll get it written down and then we’ll leave you be! Oh, please!” There was a commotion near the door. “Let the scribe in! Move you dolts! We don’t have long!” A young man in an ink-stained robe rushed in carrying a writing desk, inkpot and quill. “Sit and listen! He’s not going to last much longer.”
    Lord Raven convulsed and bucked on the bed. His mouth gaped open and his white hair flew wild. His voice came as if it had been ripped free. The man had a high, thin tenor, which deepened and produced an unearthly echo.

    At the time of the half moon
    The sun shall go dark
    With the call of the loon
    Come the Lords of the Mark.

    There shall be one
    Which falls for love.
    And the other
    Shall save the Black Dove.

    With fear the world trembles,
    Falls to its knees.
    The two from one,
    Beware the maple leaves.

    He gave one last shudder. Eyes wide and staring, he looked accusingly at the sky, demanding justice from whichever deity had deigned to send him his final prophecy, ultimately sending him to his death. A smooth hand reached out and brushed his eyelids shut before taking his wrinkled hand. “I’m sorry Father. You weren’t supposed to go yet.” The young lord that had summoned the scribe sniffed and wiped a tear from his eye. Composing himself, he demanded to see the copy of his father’s final deed. “Send for the rest of the council. This is something they must hear.”
    Gradually several people in ceremonial robes entered. The prince listed them all in his head: Baron Penguin, Duchess Dove, Lady Lark, Mistress Loon, Earl Owl, and Sir Stork. That was everyone, save Raven. “I call all of you as witness to my father’s end. I beg, also, you name me as Lord Raven.” Nods all around. “Thank you. As Raven, I direct your attention to my predecessor’s final words. Scribe!” The last was aimed at the man still sitting on the floor. He scrambled up, just managing to catch his ink before it smashed into the floor. “Dirty monk,” Raven muttered. To the council he said, “What do you make of this? I can’t make heads nor tails of it.”
    The council quickly gathered close as Lady Lark read the page in her silky voice. Loon and Dove paid strict attention when their names were read. When Lark was finished, the men glanced at each other. They weren’t a part of this, so why were they here, they wondered. “Well, that was a most interesting poem, young Raven,” Earl Owl rumbled. “Perhaps since the Senior Raven is gone, you would be best put to spending your time doing more constructive things.”
    “I agree,” Baron Penguin blabbered. “There doesn’t seem to be enough doom in here for your father’s work. And we all know you couldn’t utter a true prophecy if your life depended on it. Now scat and leave us to the real work.”
    “Wait Penguin,” Stork snapped. “I think the boy is on to something. Look at this scribe here. Do you think he would have come running to hear a false prophecy from another boy? I don’t believe so, which in my opinion makes this authentic.” He nodded to emphasize his point.
    “Stork, you silly man. You believe anything anyone tells you.” This was from Loon. “Of course, I also believe this to be a sincere utterance. And in that case, we should do some investigating. Your vote. Yay or nay?
    There was some grumbling, but eventually everyone came to a consensus. The nays had it. No one would search for the “Lord with the Mark”.

    Chapter 1

    “But Ma! Dove is for stupid people! And I don’t know anybody there!” The girl shoved her dark, coppery hair over her shoulder in anger.
    “I don’t care Haily. You have to send in an application. I don’t want to see my daughter at Raven. And I don’t want you to see Jard again. He makes me wonder how safe you really are.” The woman and Haily could have been twins though one was brilliant red with indignation and the other a serene calm. They both had a splattering of freckles across their petite noses, sparkling, sea-green eyes, and slim bodies. The biggest difference was the hair. Haily’s, a glowing copper, was long enough to sit on and hung straight down her back. Her mother, on the other hand, had golden brown locks slung over her shoulder reaching down to her ribs.
    “Ma! Jard is just a friend. There is nothing like that between us. Besides, he’s like, twenty-five. I’m still seventeen in case you forgot. Which I wouldn’t be surprised if you did.” The last part was mumbled.
    Ma gasped. “Haily! I love you! I could never forget anything about you!”
    Haily rolled her eyes. “Oh, yeah right.”
    “Don’t you take that tone with me!”
    “You know what Ma! I just did! And you know what else! I’m leaving! I can’t stand you! I hate you! Goodbye!” She spun on her heel and rushed out the door, angry tears stinging her eyes.
    Slamming the door, she ran until she couldn’t run anymore. Then, gasping for breath, she collapsed in the ditch. Only then did she pause to consider how rash she had been. But she couldn’t go back now, her pride refused to. She’d have to find a way to survive on her own. First, to find somewhere to stay. Suddenly conscious of the fact that she hadn’t paid attention to where she was running, Haily popped her head over the weeds surrounding her. What she saw undoubtedly saved her life. There was a large, Queen Anne house in a rich beige situated next to a half-painted, squat garage. The lawn was freshly mown and neatly trimmed. In an elegant curve, a driveway had been paved with white bricks and on the bricks was parked a midnight blue Ferrari. There was a ladder leaned against the garage and on the ladder was a stocky figure. “Oh thank God!” Haily cried. The figure jumped down and walked towards her. Seeing him, Haily scrambled out of the ditch and ran up the drive.
    “Haily? Wha—what are you doing here?” The man wiped his fingers on his paint-stained pants. Haily tripped across the grass and gave Jard a heart-felt hug. “Hey! It’s nice to see you too, but I’m covered in paint. Maybe hugs aren’t the best idea right now.” Sensing that Haily was reluctant to let go, Jard gently grasped her shoulders and set her back. Wiping her tears away, he exclaimed softly, “Hey, you’re crying. And you’re covered in mud and weeds. What’s going on? I’ve never seen you like this.”
    Haily snuffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve. Leaning into his shirt, she mumbled, “It’s been a long day. Can I explain later?”
    Jard looked down at her. She seemed so tiny and fragile like that. He didn’t know if it was right for him to put her up at his place, but she was asleep standing and she didn’t have a clue how to make her own way in the world. Being as careful as possible, Jard lifted her up and carried her into the house. Knowing he couldn’t make it up the stairs with her, he set her on the couch before retrieving a blanket. She wouldn’t wake for a while, so he went back out to finish painting the garage. He filled his paint tray, moved his ladder and had started up before he realized he didn’t have a roller. He turned, shaded his eyes from the sun, found the roller on the drive a few feet away, and saw a dark, sleek car in front of the house. Keenly aware of Haily on his couch, Jard jogged over. When he was nearly there, the driver’s window rolled down. Jared bent over and peered in cautiously. Inside, he found a pale cream ear surrounded by a jet black bob. Hanging from the ear was a black stone that seemed to absorb all the light that hit it. Jard watched, entranced, as the ear began to move. A perfect profile appeared and soon he was exposed to the full force of what had to be the most beautiful woman alive. The eyes especially had a magical quality. They were a deep, ocean blue surrounded by long, gracefully curved eyelashes. The perfectly formed lips moved and a voice that was like the ringing of bells emerged.
    “Hello. I seem to be lost. Could you point me in the right direction?” A pause. “Um…are you listening? Hello?”
    Jard started. “Oh, uh, yeah. Where you headed?”
    “The Lake Fate. I went followed the River Bell, which my map said led to the lake, but it didn’t, and now I don’t know where I am.”
    “Ol’ Lake Fate? Boy are you off track. That lake is more than four hundred miles from here. I think the map you’re using is a little outdated. Look, it’s getting dark, and I don’t think you should spend the night out there by yourself. How about you stay here?”
    “Are you sure? I’d hate to intrude. Well…if you’re absolutely certain? I guess it wouldn’t be a bad idea. Thanks. My name’s Envri.”
    Jard opened the door for Envri. “I’m Jard. Do you have any bags?”
    Envri stepped out. “No. All my things are at my cabin.”
    Shutting the door, Jard decided to lend her some of his things. He led the way through the house door, studying Envri. The woman seemed nice enough, but…she was so beautiful, it was hard to think. He heard a gasp and then, “Oh dear. I’m sorry. You already have a guest. Maybe it would be better if I left.”
    Jard thought hard. Guest? What guest? He turned and peeked into the living room. Oh crap! he thought. I totally forgot about Haily! What to do?! “Um…She’s…Uh…I think of her as a sister so sometimes she comes over for a couple days to hang out. I’ll let her know you’re here later when she wakes up. I’ll make sure she doesn’t disturb you.”
    Envri hesitated. “Well, all right. But I hate doing this to you guys.”
    “It’s no problem. Haily’s a good girl.” He led her up the stairs and past several closed doors before opening one towards the end. “Here’s your room. The bathroom is two doors down and to the left, and my room is just over there if you need anything,” he said, pointing. “I’ll make some dinner and get you some clean clothes. Anything else you need?”
    “Um…no, I don’t think so.” Jard started to turn, but stopped when she called out. “Wait. Since I’m going to be here for a while, you can call me Ri. It’s easier to remember.” She nodded like she had remembered everything she had wanted to say. “And thanks, again. I really appreciate it.” She watched as Jard left. He’ll do, she thought. He’ll do very nicely. I just wish I didn’t have to use this disguise. She went in to inspect the room. Hmm. Very plain. Twin bed with very ugly brown sheets. A beat-up dresser. A closet with only one door. This is definitely going to have to change. She glanced in the cracked mirror over the dresser. There were reflections of several different people. She pointed her finger at one and moved it to the side, guiding it with her finger. She did the same for the others until there was only one in the center. It was a large demon with jet-black hair. From the hair stuck two little horns that were cherry red. The figure did everything she did, marking it as her true reflection. She started at the thin gasp behind her. Whipping around, she caught a glimpse of copper light. Snarling, she sprinted out of the room in time to see a girl, really a young woman, trip down the stairs. The girl tumbled head over heels several times before coming to an abrupt stop against the front door. She lay there, groaning and gasping in pain. There was a door squeak and running steps, and Jard came into view. He ran to the girl, and lifted her up, whispering softly to her. She responded, with a look of horror on her face. Ri looked down the stairs and strained, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t here a single word that was said. She did a double take when she saw through the hole in Jard’s shirt. It was just over his left shoulder and it was pale orange. She concentrated on it and it became clear. It was definitely a maple leaf. Exactly what she had been looking for. She had found one of the Lords. The girl glanced up the stairs and shrieked. Ri backed away quickly, disappearing before Jard could see her. She retreated to her room. Whew! That was close! Too close. I can’t lose that man, especially not to that girl.

    “Haily! Oh, will you please just shut up!?!” A hand flashed in front of Haily’s eyes. She blinked and realized she was screaming, or at least trying. Her voice was completely raw. She cut off the croak that was coming out with a click of her teeth. “Oh thank God! Here, drink the rest of the water that I didn’t slosh all over you trying to make you drink earlier.” Jard sounded exasperated and she couldn’t figure out why. She also couldn’t figure out why she had been screaming. After she fell asleep in Jard’s arms outside, she couldn’t remember anything! “Now, will you tell me what was so wrong that you yelled for over a half hour?”
    Haily spluttered. “A half hour!” she rasped, wiping the water from her chin. “Why in the world would I do something that crazy!?!”
    “I was kind of hoping you would tell me.” Jard’s voice was dry. “Did you know, you have the most piercing shriek I have ever heard?”
    “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” She sat up carefully, abruptly aware of what felt like thousands of bruises. “What happened? I feel like I got run over by a truck.” Jard laughed, tears on his cheeks, and hugged Haily tight. “Ow! Jard! That hurts!”
    He released her, but kept hold of her hand. Suddenly he wasn’t laughing anymore. “I was painting the garage when a car pulled in. The lady driving it was lost and I didn’t think she should go out there in the dark because she didn’t know her way around. She’s staying upstairs at the end of the hallway. Her name is Ri. I want you to be very nice to her.”
    “Ok. I can do that.”
    “Now, you have to tell me why you came here. And I want the whole story.”
    Haily sighed. “All right. But can we find somewhere softer to sit? Please?” Jard stood, and helped her up with the hand he was holding. They moved together into the parlor to sit on the couch. Jard waited expectantly. Haily took a deep breath and released it explosively. “Ok. Here goes.” And she told him the story. Sending applications for colleges, where her ma thought she should go, getting mad, like always, and running, ending up in the ditch across the road, and falling asleep in his arms. “That’s all I remember. Waking up, going to the foyer, screaming. I can’t remember any of that.”
    “Hmm. I think you fell down the stairs. Does your head hurt?” Haily shook the aforementioned body part. “Huh. I thought maybe you had hit it and had a concussion or something.” He snapped his head towards the door and lifted his nose as if sniffing something. “Oh no! I forgot about the food! Wait just a few minutes. I’ll be back.”
    He sprang up and sprinted back through the foyer to the kitchen. Haily sat back and sighed. She snapped back up when she recalled Ri. She should introduce herself. Wincing, she pushed herself off the couch into a standing position. She hobbled through the lavish parlor, and into the foyer. She stopped. That was a lot of stairs. She took a deep breath, put her hands in her pockets, and felt something connect with her right palm. Curious, she pulled out a little paper square. It was jet black with a bright silver seal. The seal was stamped with a large bird. Haily leaned in close in order to see it better. Suddenly the paper was getting larger. She could see now that it was an envelope. She carefully broke the seal and opened it. She read the sprawling words written in silvery ink. After the first sentence or two, she shoved her fist in her mouth to keep from whooping with joy. She folded the letter again and strode through the oak furnished dining room, suppressing her occasional winces. She walked proudly into the richly scented kitchen and called for Jard.
    “Yeah! What’s up?”
    “I just got the most amazing letter ever! You want to know what it is?”
    “Cool. Hey? Will you come stir this for me?”
    She wandered over to the stove and exclaimed, “How much are you making!?! There’s like maybe three people in this house! Unless you scheduled a party and didn’t tell me?”
    “No no. I don’t know what Ri likes so I thought I’d give her a variety.”
    “Oh.” Haily’s shock melted, replaced with dejection. “Um. Actually, I was just going to grab a snack. Do you have any fruit?”
    “Yeah, just over there by the fridge.” She walked over but couldn’t find any. Jard was definitely distracted. And he definitely didn’t want to hear what she had to say right then. He was obviously thinking about Ri. Oh well. I didn’t really want any food. And I guess I won’t tell him. Her shoulders slumped. The letter wasn’t so cool anymore. She trudged back to the parlor and sat. Her head dropped into her hands and she couldn’t stop the tears. She lay down, rolled so her back was to the door and closed her eyes when she heard footsteps. There was light breathing behind her. She stayed as still as possible until the breathing left. She cracked her eyes open. The lights had been dimmed and the door was shut. Wanting to see who had come in, she took a deep breath and quietly got up and tiptoed to the door. She cracked it and peeked out. She scanned the hallway, but couldn’t see anyone. Carefully, she closed the door and leaned against it. Her eyes started to droop. Yawning, she crept back to the couch and lay down again. Before long she was fast asleep.