First published by Geetha Krishnan 2025

  Copyright © 2025 by Niranjan K

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, digital, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

  This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

  Niranjan K (Geetha Krishnan) asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

  No part of this text or cover design may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any database for the purpose of training any model to generate text, including without limitation, technologies capable of generating works in the same style or genre without the author’s express permission to do so. The distributor from which this text was obtained does not retain the right to sublicense, reproduce, or use this text or cover design for the purpose of training such generative text or art platforms without the author’s express permission.

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  This text is the sole product of the author’s imagination and creativity and has not been knowingly influenced by the assistance of or generated by the use of generative text commonly referred to as artificial intelligence or large language model. The cover art is likewise the product of the creativity of the artist listed below and has not been knowingly influenced by or generated in part or in whole by any generative imagery algorithm.

  Editing by Fair Editions

  Cover Design by Cangxxe Graphics

  Formatted by Fair Editions

  Interior Graphics by Etheric Tales

  Human Creativity Logo by Conrad Altmann

  Dedication

  To pella,

  You are missed more than you know

  CONTENT NOTES

  THIS BOOK CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING CONTENT THAT COULD BE DISTURBING TO SOME READERS

  DEATH, MURDER

  BLOOD, VIOLENCE

  PREGNANCY, NAUSEA, VOMITING

  DRUGS

  TRAUMA, PTSD

  BETRAYAL

  GUN VIOLENCE

  ASSAULT WITH A WEAPON

  FIRE, BURNING

  BRITISH AND INDIAN SPELLINGS

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Epilogue

  A NOTE ON THE UNITS OF TIME

  Smaller units of time are measured as follows:

  A line would be equivalent to a moment.

  A note would equal a seventy lines.

  A piece is approximately eighty lines.

  A week has seven days in it.

  Brightday

  Darkday

  Lightday

  Nightday

  Starday

  Moonday

  Sunday

  CROWN OF ROSES

  ONE

  SYLVANIA LOOKED AROUND, making certain that she was alone, and that no one had seen her before casting the spell that would transport her to the forest glade outside their lands. The forest belonged to no one, which made it easy for her to meet Leymon there. As long as no one knew, it was fine.

  What if someone found out? What would she and Leymon do?

  Sylvania suppressed that voice. Everyone expected her to marry a Cailern, as had been the tradition. Yet, she had fallen in love with a Halvard, and that too the son of the Halvard Chief. If anyone found out…

  What if they did? She was the Queen, and there was nothing anywhere in their laws which forbade her from marrying someone she chose. Yes, the council would make a lot of noise, and there would be a bit of unpleasantness in store for her, but that was all. They couldn’t prevent her, except–

  Leymon would be the Halvard Chief someday, and what would happen then? The Halvard hated magic, and the Cailern were creatures of magic. How could they be together when neither of them could leave their respective positions? Sylvania frowned. It was something that had been growing in her mind of late. She ought to talk to Leymon about it.

  Her heart sped up as she saw him waiting for her under the tree where they usually met. She hurried towards him, her steps seeming as light as air, but he saw her and came towards her, meeting her halfway.

  “What is it?” he asked, his hand touching her cheek tenderly. “Something’s on your mind.”

  She looked at him, the concern in the green eyes, and leaned in to kiss him. He knew her so well, and she didn’t know how it was that he could read her at a glance. But she had no idea how to put in words the fears that daily grew in her. Not anymore than the way her heart seemed to swell with joy at his sight.

  “There is something,” she said. “But I don’t know how to say it.”

  “Try,” he said. “I won’t misunderstand, I promise. It’s me, Sylvania. You can say anything to me. You know that.”

  She did. He was more than the man she loved; he was her friend, her confidante, the one who knew her better than anyone.

  “I am worried about the future,” she said, taking the plunge. “Our future, Leymon. We are both supposed to lead our people, and while the Halvard and Cailern had not been at odds previously, there are always tensions between our peoples. I don’t know how we can ever have a future together when neither of us is free to leave our positions, our responsibilities.”

  He said nothing for a line, pursing his lips and looking away. She kept watching him, her heart racing and mouth dry.

  “I can’t make any promises for the future,” he said finally. “I can’t promise that our people won’t mind or that their objections are irrelevant.” He looked at her, face grave. “But I will promise you this. Whatever the future may bring us, I will stand by you, Sylvania. You can come to me with anything, for anything, and I will always stand by you.”

  The sincerity in his tone was unmistakeable, and she knew him well enough to know that he wouldn’t have spoken such words if he didn’t mean them. His words were a balm to her soul, and they soothed her. She still had her doubts and her fears, but with him at her side, there wasn’t anything she had to dread confronting. Together, they would be able to face anything.

  “How do you do that?” she murmured. “Make me feel better just with a few words?”

  “Oh, Sylvania.” He looked into her eyes, a smile on his face. “I would do anything for you. You don’t know what you mean to me, just how much you mean to me.”

  She could believe it; she saw it in his eyes, in the way he held her, as if she was something precious that he couldn’t let go. Even with all the famed Halvard strength, he had never even gripped her too tight. Even when they made love, he had been gentle, considerate, more focussed on her pleasure than his own. Sometimes, Sylvania had a desire to pinch herself to ensure that this was not a dream, that he was real, and that he loved her.

  That they had both been so lucky as to find each other.

  “So, what’s new with your father?” she asked.

  Leymon had a strained relationship with his father, and though he never openly expressed his actual feelings, she knew how much it bothered him. She also knew that he would never talk about it if she didn’t ask, because for some reason he couldn’t seem to understand that she could be concerned about his life and his relationship with his father.

  What a silly man! When she told him everything about herself, to hold himself back, as if he were lesser!

  He shrugged. “He’s not happy with me, but then what’s new? Feirin and Seidor are trying to keep the peace between us, but it’s not making much of a difference. My father has some set ideas in his head, and one of them is that I’m not a good enough son or successor.” Leymon’s lips twisted. “As if he even knows me. He was never there, and now he acts like I’ve disappointed him somehow.”

  “I’m sorry,” Sylvania said softly, placing a hand on his arm. “Your father is wrong to treat you like this. He should be proud of you. You’re a better man than he can ever comprehend.”

  He took her hand and turned to draw her into his arms, holding her.

  “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “It’s insensitive of me to talk of my problems with my father when you… I’m so sorry, Sylvania.”

  Sylvania could barely remember her father, though she knew what had happened to him. With most people, she pretended she could barely remember him, but here, with this man, there was never any need of pretence.

  “I miss him,” she said. “I wish I had the power to change the laws, to enable him to return… But Leymon, just because I miss my father, is no reason for you to hold your troubles to yourself. Aren’t we going to share our lives? Doesn’t that mean joys as well as sorrows?”

  “I would rather h ave you joyful and take all your sorrows to myself,” he said.

  “And can’t I feel the same way?” she asked, touching his cheek. “Are we not one now? Must we hide from each other?”

  He kissed her palm. “Never, my love,” he said. “We will never need to hide from each other.”

  Before Sylvania could respond, someone burst into the clearing. A Halvard woman, and she looked frantic, face pale, strands of hair coming loose from the thick braids around her head, and eyes full of panic. She was beautiful, even in her panic.

  “Sykis!” Leymon exclaimed. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  Sylvania stared at the other woman in surprise. She knew who Sykis was. Leymon’s childhood friend, the one who was closest to him. Sylvania had wished to meet her, just as she wished to meet Feirin. Well, she had met Feirin once, but that was before she knew Leymon, so it didn’t count. The wizard had impressed her with his acuity and perception.

  “Leymon!” Sykis panted, and her eyes shifted to Sylvania. “Queen.” She bowed. “I wish we were meeting under pleasanter circumstances.”

  She stepped closer to Leymon, and Sylvania took a few steps back to give them their privacy. Sykis was as tall as Leymon, and she whispered something in his ears. Sylvania saw his face grow pale, and his eyes turn to where she was standing. A spike of fear lodged itself in her as Leymon’s expression became smooth, almost blank. She hated it when he got like that. He did that to hide, and he had just promised that they would never hide from each other.

  He moved towards her and took her shoulders in his hands.

  “Sylvania,” he said quietly. “You should go home. You are needed there.”

  She stared at him, uncomprehending. It seemed like a stranger was standing in front of her instead of the man she knew, the man she loved, who loved her, who had promised her that he would always stand by her side.

  “Leymon,” she whispered, her fear making her breath to rush and her voice to tremble. “Leymon, what is it?”

  A look of anguish came upon his eyes for one line, and he looked torn.

  “My father,” he said, looking away from her. “He has declared war on the Cailern.”

  “What?” She couldn’t understand it, her mind refusing to comprehend the words, as simple as they were. “What do you mean?”

  Leymon said nothing, but he didn’t look at her, and his shoulders hunched.

  War. Sylvania had never dealt with war. The Cailern Queen had no armies. Each of the councillors had armies, and as one of them, she had an army, but she doubted they would be enough to hold a Halvard army at bay.

  “I should go,” she said, stepping away from him, her body missing his warmth, her soul missing the concern in his eyes. “You’re right, I’m needed back home.”

  Leymon looked at her, and he looked devastated. He opened his mouth, but no sound came. Sykis placed a hand on his arm.

  “You’re also needed back home, Leymon,” she said quietly.

  Sylvania turned and walked away, holding her tears at bay with sheer force of will. There would be time for tears later. For now, she had a war to plan for. She was the Cailern Queen, and she had to lead her people.

  She didn’t know what the future held for her anymore, and a part of her whispered that it didn’t matter anyway.

  TWO

  BRESSON SIGHED AS he stared outside. “I’m bored,” he declared, to no one in particular.

  Emond shook his head. “You’re always bored,” he said. “I don’t even know why you bother to attend all these parties if you’re not interested in them.”

  “My father won’t let me out of them,” Bresson said, which was only half a lie.

  His father certainly insisted, but he had never forced Bresson to do anything against his will. Fact was, Bresson attended most of these gatherings in the hopes of catching sight of their queen.

  It was hopeless, this passion that he harboured for her and he knew it, but he was not ready to give up hopes. After all, someday the Queen must marry, and if Bresson was extremely lucky, she might just choose him. But she would not choose him if she was not even aware of his existence, so he attended these parties and made conversation with her whenever he could.

  She recognised him now, knew his name, smiled at him whenever they met, whether at a party or at the council which he had taken to attending of late. As if he was a friend, and Bresson–

  He would take that over being a stranger, but he hoped that someday, she would allow him to court her. Being the Queen, even the courting had to be done with her permission, so he would have to wait till she announced she was ready to receive proposals.

  The sound of the alarm made him startle. It wasn’t a sound he had ever heard before, a call to arms, something that had not been used in the memory of any Cailern now.

  “Is that what I think it is?” Emond asked even as he hurried outside, and Bresson kept pace with him.

  “Why would the council use the alarm?” Bresson demanded. “What could have warranted this?”

  He hadn’t even known there was a council meeting today. His father had not told him of it, and he hadn’t looked anything other than his normal self in the morning. Bresson was anxious as he rushed along with the rest of the Cailern to the council hall. The hall had an enchantment placed on it that enabled any number of people to be inside it without it becoming crowded. Even so, Bresson had an impression that the hall was more crowded than usual, which was quite likely.

  He pushed to the front of the hall to see his father and the other councillors standing there, flanking Sylvania. She was wearing her ceremonial crown, the intricate design of roses visible on it.

  The Crown of Roses was rarely worn by the Cailern Queen. Only for her coronation, marriage and state occasions. Of course, no one knew what the State occasions were any more. Sylvania had worn it on her visit to the wizards immediately after her coronation, and once a few weeks ago, when a delegation from the wizards had visited them. On all other occasions, she wore a simple circlet with a design of roses on it.

  “I have grave news to impart,” she spoke, standing straight and regal, every inch a queen. Her voice was steady and clear and carried in the still air. “The Halvard has declared war on us. The Halvard Chief names unspecified wrongs as the reason for this. We have sought mediation from the wizards, but in the meantime, I would have us all prepared for a war. Our armies must be ready, and our people as well. The Halvard have no magic, but equally, they are immune to magic and magical spells. Therefore, attacking them with magic might not be an option for us. However, there are spells we can use, spells we can modify to use against them, and we would all need to be ready to defend ourselves, our borders, and our way of life.”

  Bresson heard the words, saw the gravity on his father’s face and those of the other councillors, but none of it made sense to him. From the murmur of conversation around him, he understood that the others were equally lost. Equally in shock.

  A war was something none of them had ever faced, or trained for, and a war with the Halvard even less. While the Halvard and the Cailern had never been friends, they had never been enemies either. Bresson doubted if they could afford to be, being two of the three magical races in their world.

  What if the humans found out? What if their war spilled over their own borders and attracted attention from them? What would happen then? Bresson didn’t know much about humans, but the wizards had always been very categorical in their assessment that the humans were a threat that none of them were equipped to deal with. Personally, Bresson didn’t see how a race with no magic could be a threat to races of magical beings.

  Well, this was his chance to find out. In some ways, fighting the Halvard would be like fighting humans, except humans wouldn’t be immune to magic. This would need a lot of thought, and Bresson didn’t even know what they could do. He hoped that the wizards would come up with a solution.

  Slowly, the Cailern started leaving, but Bresson stayed. His father said something to Sylvania before he too left, not even looking at Bresson. Bresson waited till he and Sylvania were alone.

  “Sylvania,” he said. “Are you okay?”

 

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