Chapter 1

Elex

Something hit my temple. I looked up angrily from the book I was reading as the instructor droned on in the roasting classroom, only to see Maalik grinning at me maliciously.

"Knock it off!" I hissed quietly.

I glared at him for a moment, wiping the sweat off my forehead before glancing up to see if the teacher had noticed. He hadn't, fortunately. I really didn't want a whipping for damaging something as valuable as a book.

It had been two years since Mitera had died, and things had settled into a kind of monotonous routine. At first we had been watched too closely to even consider running away. Later on, life fell into a more normal rhythm, and to my relief, my brother hadn't brought up the idea of fleeing to Illyria again.

Erix and I continued to hide from the other slaves. Maalik had made it clear that he would happily see us dead in vengeance for the death of his mother, but Erix and I knew the palace better than anyone else and had always remained a couple of steps ahead of Maalik's cronies. The only time we couldn't manage to avoid him was during school.

This class was for the eleven or so children of King Cyrius Alexus, both biological and legitimate. We ranged in age from three to fifteen years old and were all given an education to prepare us for the possibility that we could someday become an heir to the throne. That meant six hours of schooling during the day, then several hours of chores after school for those of us who were illegitimate.

We were seated at desks in rows in one of the classrooms. It was summer, so we were at the seaside palace. The heat could be overwhelming, but the children of the nobles sat toward the front, servants flanking them on either side, waving fans to cool them. The rest of us were seated toward the back of the room, separated from the legitimate children of the King's household by more than just space.

My stomach growled and I looked a little enviously at the juice and fruit set on the side table for the legitimate kids. Three of them were children of the King: Luke, Terry, and Cass. Excuse me, Prince Lucien, Prince Therian, and Princess Cassia. They were the children from the marriage of King Cyrius and Queen Eurymenye. Their clothes were richly made, they were clean, and they looked better fed than the rest of us. There was no reason to waste food on those of us who might end up just a slave, after all.

Ignoring my stomach, I turned back to my book, trying to focus on the boring treatise in front of me. The legit kids weren't so bad. It wasn't their fault they were treated differently than the rest of us. Luke was only two years younger than us and tended to follow Erix and I around asking a million questions. Terry was only five years old, and adorable. Cassie was three and only spent a few hours a day with us.

Luke was my favorite. He was a sweet, quiet kid and super smart. He sometimes helped me in the library with my mathematics homework, even though he was younger than me. He sat up front, Maalik lounged in a chair pulled up beside him, slave or no.

Maalik always seemed to want to be near Luke. He took every excuse to touch him, be near him, and it sickened me. Luke obviously didn't want him there, but even he feared Maalik's ire. At least in the classroom I didn't have to worry about him daring to torment Luke too much. Plus, Davidus would help if I needed it.

Of the eight illegitimate children, Davidus was the eldest of us at almost fifteen. Fifteen was the age of adulthood in Alexandria. If he made it that far, the King could declare him a human heir to the throne. Mara, Evan, and Maalik were fourteen, Zeer was six and Viv was three. My twin, Erix and I were thirteen.

Odds were that two or three of us would be Elusian, two would be Mageia, and the rest plain human. Not great odds for a throne, but it wasn't like we had any say in the matter.

Another pebble hit my cheek and I glared at Maalik again. He snickered at me and made a rude gesture. He was determined to get me in trouble today. Or any day, for that matter, but today was not a normal day. It was the two-year anniversary of our mother's death.

Erix was seated at a desk on the far side of the room writing punishment lines for having talked back to the instructor. Normally he would have been sitting beside me and acting as a buffer between Maalik and me. Since the death of Agnes, Maalik's ire had been vented more and more frequently on us.

Though we were twins, Erix and I had very different temperaments. I tended to be more reserved, whereas Erix was far more charismatic.

Another pebble hit my head and I started to rise to my feet. Just then someone moved into the seat next to me, effectively blocking Maalik's aim.

Davidus smiled at me and said, "Mind if I sit here, Elex?"

I saw my brother throw Davidus an appreciative smile. I shrugged and sat back down. Maalik wouldn't dare try and hit me with rocks with Davidus there. At fifteen, Davidus had started growing like crazy, and everyone expected him to develop his Elusian powers any day. He was the eldest of King Cyrius' children, and the King favored him almost as much as a legitimate child.

"Thanks," I whispered.

"No problem, adelfos," he said, grinning. "Damn, it's hot in here!"

My heart warmed at that, and I grinned back at him. Davidus called us all brother or sister, even though we all had different mothers. He would make a good King someday when he became Elusian. I let my thoughts drift a little, imagining what it would be like the day he became King, and how he would change the rules, free the slaves, and make sure we all had plenty of food and drink.

The heat was stifling, and while I appreciated Davidus protecting me from Maalik, having another person sitting next to me just made it worse.

"I just wish it would rain," Davidus said. "We need this heat to break, or we'll have a horrible summer."

"I wish there was a breeze at least," I said. "I can handle the heat; I just wish the air would move."

Being so close to the river, we normally felt at least some relief from the heat.

"I know one way to make it rain," Davidus teased, ruffling my hair, making sweat from my head sprinkle across the book.

I laughed but rushed to brush the drops from the paper. I would be in big trouble if the ink ran, and Asus saw it.

More and more drops fell though, and I heard someone gasp. I looked up to see a white vapor filling the ceiling of the classroom. The temperature had dropped deliciously, and raindrops were falling all around the room, soaking all the children. The littlest kids had jumped up from their seats and were playing in the falling water. The rest of us watched in panicked alarm.

The sudden rain inside the classroom had finally gotten the attention of our ancient instructor, Asus, who finally stopped droning and glanced around the room with a frown, then squinted his eyes in concentration. I felt a sudden sharp pain in my temple, but Davidus doubled over at his desk, screaming in pain before he began retching.

The instructor stood and sighed, a look of long-suffering sadness on his face.

"Too bad," he said, gesturing to the ever-present soldiers stationed at the door. I saw Erix was already on his feet, a look of dismay on his face as he tried pushing the guards away as they reached for Davidus. My mind remained blank, unwilling to accept what was happening.

"What's going on? Leave him alone! He's sick!" I yelled at the guards as they took him by the arms and began to drag him toward the door.

Maalik laughed evilly from his spot a few seats over.

"He's not sick, vlakas, he's Mageia," Maalik gloated.

"It's a mistake! He's not! He's the King's son!" I yelled, running after the soldiers who were dragging him away. I grabbed hold of his hand and planted my feet, trying to keep them from taking him.

"Elex, no!" I heard Davidus say, even as another wave of pain washed through him. Then old Asus backhanded me, and I fell, hitting my head on the door post. I saw stars and felt tears streaming down my face as they closed the door in my face. I heard the lock turning, effectively imprisoning us in the schoolroom. I couldn't contain the sob that burst from my throat.

Erix remained standing, his face stony with shock. Maalik just laughed and pointed at me.

"Look at the baby! Crying over another freak Mageia!" he laughed. Mara and Evan laughed along with him, but the rest of them were quiet. We all knew we might suffer the same fate someday, if we became Mageian.

I sniffed, rubbing my head where it had hit the post, my heart aching for Davidus. We knew that when someone became Mageia we never saw them again.

"Leave him alone, Maalik," Erix said, planting his feet between Maalik and I, his voice a deadly calm. He stood, his ink-stained fingers curled into a fist, eyes flashing. We were the same height, same weight, but something about Erix always made Maalik back down. Today was no exception.

Just then a hand appeared in front of me, and I looked up to see Luke, his arm outstretched.

"Just ignore him," the kid said. "Maalik's just jealous because he's not as smart as Davidus."

I took his hand and got to my feet. Luke sent a glare Maalik's way and Maalik turned back to his little group of cronies. Even Maalik wouldn't mess with a true born child much.

"Thanks, Luke," I said.

"S 'okay. I like Davidus, too," he said sadly.

"It's not fair! He wasn't doing anything wrong!"

Luke shrugged, a strangely ancient look passed over his face.

"It doesn't always matter what we do. It matters who we are," he said. Somehow that statement just seemed so…wrong.

Erix came over and wrapped his arm around me.

"C'mon, bro. You better finish your studies before the instructor comes back," he said.

"Maalik's just going to keep harassing me," I said.

"Hmph." Erix growled. "Not if I have anything to say about it."

Erix gathered his papers and quill and sat back down in his normal place, glaring pointedly at Maalik until he looked away.

"You'll get in trouble," I said.

Erix shrugged.

"I doubt if old Asus will even notice I moved," he said, sending a small smile my way.

Erix was right. By the time Asus returned the temperature in the room had shot back up, drying the rain Davidus had apparently caused. Asus didn't even comment on Erix's move.

That night, after completing our chores and eating a scant dinner, Erix sat next to me in the abandoned storeroom we had claimed. He had been unusually quiet all evening.

"Elex," he said. "We need to talk."

"What?" I asked, unfolding one of the threadbare blankets we had stolen at some point. The yellow diamonds were long gone, used to purchase food, clothing, and other necessities. I was tired. It had been a long day, and my heart was still hurting at the loss of Davidus.

"Today… when Asus Suppressed Davidus…" he said. "I…I felt it."

"What?" I asked dumbly.

Erix tapped his head.

"Here. It hurt," he said, his face a little pale.

"No," I insisted. "No! You can't be—we can't be…" my voice trailed off.

"Did you feel something?" he asked me, his voice strangely hopeful.

I shook my head. Suddenly I remembered the twinge in my head when Asus has acted, but surely that wasn't because… because… No. It was the rock Maalik had thrown. It had to be.

"We need to leave," Erix said. "It's time to run."

"What if it's a mistake, Er? It could just be a headache. You could be coming down with something, not…not…" my voice trailed off. I couldn't even bring myself to say it.

Erix held his hand up and an intense look of concentration came over him. Suddenly a small flame appeared in the air over his hand.

I froze. Fire. He was a Fire Mageia.

"Erix…" I whispered.

"You haven't noticed anything… different?" he asked. I shook my head and he looked disappointed.

"I have to run, Elex," he said. "I won't let them drag me away to be some slave to their Legion."

I grabbed my brother and wrapped my arms around him. He was all I'd had since Mitera had died.

"They'll kill you, Erix," I said, my face in his neck.

"Maybe," he said. "But I know for sure that if I stay, I'll die anyway."

I was so scared I could barely breathe. This was my brother. My twin. The only person who had always been in my corner. I couldn't lose him. But I knew what happened to Mageia who ran. They were killed like rabid dogs.

"Illyria?" I asked. He nodded.

"Mitera wanted us to go there. I figure if nothing else, they can use the help of a Fire Mageia," he said.

"What… What will I do?" I asked.

He shot me a sad smile.

"Anything you want," he said.

I nodded, but I didn't really believe it.

"After dark?" I asked. I was terrified of running but was just as scared of staying.

He nodded.

"We…we'll need supplies," I began.

"I've got it covered," he said. He grabbed a bag that had been hidden behind some old shipping crates. He opened it. Inside were some clothes I didn't recognize, some dried meat and bread, and even some coins. Where the hell had he gotten coin?

"Wha— where—" I stammered in disbelief. I'd never owned so much as a single coin in my life.

He shrugged.

"Davidus. He had been planning for this for a long time. I guess he had a half-brother who was taken by the Legion a long time ago," Erix said. "He told me where it was, just in case he didn't…didn't make it," he said quietly.

My brother and Davidus had been friends for a long time. There were a lot of supplies in that bag. More than would have been needed if he had been planning for just one person.

"Was he… was he expecting us to go with him?" I asked.

Erix looked away.

"We thought we'd have more time to prepare. Doesn't matter," Erix said, his eyes suspiciously bright. "He's gone now."

"Oh, Er…" I said, wrapping my arms around him again. "I'm sorry."

He tightened his hold on me for a moment, then released me.

"C'mon. We gotta get going,"

After Mitera's death, we'd made plans, but part of me had hoped we'd never have to use them.

Since we were at the Summer Palace, the plan was that should we develop our powers while we were here we would steal a boat from the docks. There were no neighbors for miles since the king liked to ride in private and the riverbanks were too steep to bother placing guards along them. There were skiffs and other small boats docked that were used to ferry village workers across the river to the palace and back when necessary.

With a skiff, we could travel downstream and escape to one of the nearby towns. We figured if we traveled by night, we'd be able to get far enough away that no one would recognize us as being in the king's household, if we camouflaged our hair and kept the damn tattoos hidden.

When a biological child of the king was born, we were all tattooed on our right shoulder blade with the outline of the sun and stars symbol of the king of Alexandria. If we became Elusian the design would be filled with gold. If we became human, the symbol would be filled with blue. If we became Mageia, it was filled in black, essentially blotting out our lineage.

"Shit. Wish we'd had more time to prepare," I whispered.

"We deal with the world as it is, not what we wish it were," Erix said.

"Who said that?" I asked, teasingly.

"Me," he said, grinning.

Night fell and we waited for the summer palace to settle. In the early morning hours we would sneak from our storeroom hideout.

When we ventured out it was surprisingly quiet. Unlike the city, which never seemed to really get quiet, the summer palace had a certain tranquility to it. So far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, I often had a hard time sleeping without the constant background noise of thousands of people going about their lives around us.

We both carried an empty box in our hands and kept our heads down as we walked. One thing we'd learned early in our lives was that slaves with empty hands were the ones who got questioned.

The summer palace was shaped like a square, a large courtyard on the interior, with wings leading off in all directions. Unlike the palace in the city, the windows and doors were built wider to catch any wind coming off the river. There were slave quarters along this part of the river, presumably because the smells of fish and other effluvia were too much for the noble palate.

We had electric lights, but the solar panels tended to fade the later it got into the evening. This late in the night, most of them were dim.

We walked down the hall that led to the docks, nodding at the guard on duty there. I knew his face but had no idea what his name was. Hopefully he didn't know ours, either.

We walked down to one of the barges and moved out of sight of the guard. Erix moved to the skiff he had selected earlier in the day. It was a small raft, designed to move individuals across the water. It wasn't one of the transport ships or ferries that brought the supplies needed for the palace.

Erix jumped on board, and I handed him the bag with our supplies. He roped it around his shoulder, then began gathering the long poles that would let us move soundlessly down the river.

I tried to step forward into the boat but felt frozen. I couldn't seem to make my move to take that final step.

"C'mon, El," Erix said, reaching his hand out to me.

"I…" I tried to breathe, but it was like I had a fist around my chest. "I want to, Erix… I'm just…" I was so scared. How could I say that to my brother? He was always so brave. Nothing frightened him.

Erix looked around anxiously, his eyes catching on shadows of movement.

"El, we gotta go, now!" he hissed.

"I— I can't, Erix," I said. How could he be so casual about leaving everyone and everything we knew? "I want to… but I can't!"

Erix's face looked stricken.

"You won't go?" he asked, incredulous.

I shook my head. The look of betrayal on his face would haunt me forever.

"Fine. Coward." He hissed. "Go back inside, maybe someday Daddy will make you a prince."

I stepped back from the skiff as he angrily pushed away from the dock, tears falling down my cheeks in the darkness, his words cutting me to the quick. I didn't want my brother to leave, and I certainly didn't think my father would make me a prince. I just couldn't wrap my mind around the possibility that Erix and I were both Mageian. It had to be a mistake.

I stumbled my way back up the stairs in the darkness. I could just see the skiff pushing out to the middle of the river, moonlight shining on my twin's white hair as he poled toward the middle of the river. I realized with a start we had forgotten to use the hair dye that would darken it.

Just then, a door opened a few feet away from where I stood. It led into the slave girl quarters. I heard the sound of quiet sobbing coming from the room, and I watched in horror, the anxiety building in my chest as I saw Maalik come out, tightening the belt to his trousers.

Even though all the slaves were supposed to be reserved for the King's pleasure, Maalik had been visiting the slave quarters for over a year now. Male or female, he didn't care. He just enjoyed causing them pain. He was truly his father's son.

One of the slaves had complained to the Overseer about him taking liberties last summer, but she had disappeared without a trace. The other slaves were now too afraid to tell anyone about his visits.

He whistled as he shut the door behind him, and I leaned back further, trying to fade into the darkness and avoid his notice.

Some noise on the river must have caught his attention because I saw him look out across the water.

I saw the moment when he spied Erix and heard a whispered exultation of "I've got you now, you fucking bitch," and then he was running down to the docks. Without thought, I chased after him.

"Guards!" he yelled, his newly deepened voice booming in the darkness. "Escaping Mageia!"

"Maalik, no!" I yelled.

He must have been loud enough for Erix to hear him because a fireball the size of my head flew towards Maalik from the river. In the golden red glow I saw my twins' face, eyes narrowed in concentration.

Maalik saw it, too. He thrust his hand out… and the fireball dissipated before it hit us.

"Yes!" Maalik exclaimed in delight, pumping his fist as he Suppressed my brother's power.

He held his hand out again, this time focusing on my brother, his white hair a beacon in the darkness.

I knew what I was seeing. Maalik had developed the Elusian ability to Suppress Mageia abilities, and he was using it on my twin. I saw Erix double over in pain, then saw his body pitch forward onto the skiff, rolling toward the water.

"No!" I screamed, running toward Maalik, and tackling him from behind. Desperate to break his concentration I began striking him, over and over. I had to keep him from Suppressing Erix's abilities, or my brother would drown.

Maalik was older than me, and taller, but I had always been the better fighter; and at that point, I had nothing to lose.

Sometime later the guards, summoned by Maalik's screams, pulled me off Maalik, but I knew it was too late. I struggled for a view of the water as they began to drag me away, peering into the darkness, but the skiff was empty, and I had lost sight of my brother. I barely felt it as they held me for Maalik while he beat me with his fists until I finally passed out.

They threw me in a storeroom for the rest of the night, two guards posted outside. They refused to answer questions about my brother, no matter how I begged. When they came to escort me to my father in the morning, they chained my wrists in front of me before taking me to his office.

I'd only been in his room a handful of times before. Large bay windows looked out over the river. My father, King Cyrius Alexus, sat behind his desk, his face impassive.

The guards walked me in like I was some kind of criminal. Which, I probably was. Helping a Mageia escape was illegal, and punishment was harsh.

"Your Majesty," one of the guards said.

The King just nodded, dismissing the guards, who quietly stationed themselves by the door.

He looked much the same as the last time I'd seen him, that night Agnes had struck Mitera. In the light of day his hair had a little more silver. Maybe there were a few more lines at the corners of his eyes.

We shared the same eye color, a piercing blue. His currently looked as hard as ice as he surveyed me. I realized I was looking him in the eye and shifted my gaze to the floor. I'd seen slaves get whipped for less.

"I understand you tried to help a Mageia escape," he said.

It wasn't a question, so I didn't respond.

"And you injured the new Crown Prince," he said, looking down at a piece of paper on his desk. "Assuming, of course, he passes the DNA tests. You injured him rather severely, at that."

My heart shriveled within me. Of course, Maalik was a prince now. He had developed Elusian powers. Shit.

"Too bad," he said, standing to move in front of his desk. He leaned against it casually, the gold trimmed black linen coat he wore falling open. To a thirteen-year-old, he looked the very vision of adult power and control.

"I had high hopes for both you and your brother," he said. "Erix had… such a fine mind," he said, shrugging and walking back to his chair.

I couldn't keep my voice steady.

"Is… is he okay?" I asked, hope choking me. "Is he going to the Legion?"

The King turned back to look at me thoughtfully before saying, "His body washed up downstream," he said coldly. "I told the sailors to dump it out to sea."

It felt like my stomach dropped to the floor, then the world was spinning around me.

"No!" I screamed in agony.

Around me glass shattered, books and papers began flying and furniture slammed against the walls. I could hear the guards yelling as they struggled to reach me through the maelstrom, but I didn't care.

"How? How can you not care!" I demanded in a booming, echoing voice I didn't recognize as my own. The wind lifted the King and slammed him into the ceiling, then the floor, then the ceiling again.

"He was your son!" I screamed. "He was my brother!"

I let him drop to the floor again as I stood, fists clenched and chest heaving as the King was on his knees in front of me. There was something terribly satisfying in that, but I couldn't analyze it through my grief. All I knew was that I had lost the only person in the world who meant anything to me.

I saw him lift one hand to wipe a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth, then he smiled at me, his eyes cold and unyielding.

"And I… I am your father!" he roared.

Suddenly I felt a piercing pain ripping through my head, and nausea clamped around my gut. For a moment the maelstrom of anger and pain within me pushed back against that vise, struggling to keep the piercing pain at bay. For a moment, it seemed to lift.

His eyes widened for a moment in surprise, then narrowed in anger, as if sensing my resistance and roared, "I am your King!"

I found myself doubled over, unable to see or hear much of anything through the pain in my head. In mere seconds I felt a blessed darkness overtaking me. Then there was nothing.