Prologue

Bren Halvard played with the flames in his hands as he waited for his father, King Rhodale Halvard of Mysta, to arrive and take his place on the throne. Mysta was a country constantly clouded in mist and fog, hence the clichéd name given to it. Long ago it had gone by a different name when the land had been clear and free of fog. A name long forgotten ever since the first of the beasts called Fiara had appeared and a thick veil had enshrouded the earth. Fiara are a beast unlike any other. They kill not to survive, but kill to entertain. Their favorite prey were humans, and humans have been fighting them off for centuries which has led them to countless losses in battles and death tolls reaching the thousands.

One day, Dhari, mother of Nature, had given humans a gift. Power strong enough to match the beasts with their ungodly strength. Fire-Tamers, Air-Riders, Water-Wielders, and Earth-Shakers came forward and turned the tides of war. The Fiara had been beaten back across the country borders and a wall was constructed to keep them from invading. Although the beasts were held at bay, every millennium or so, a leader springs forth from the Fiara and surges forward to break down the walls the humans created. Each millennium gets smaller and smaller until almost every decade the Fiara would breach the walls and attack the guards.

With each passing century there were fewer and fewer Keepers. Fire-Tamers were no longer born in abundance. Air-Riders could no longer ride the winds and could only summon wisps of air. Water-Wielders could no longer summon large tides. Earth-Shakers could not create rifts in the earth or barely lift a stone. The Keepers had felt that nature abandoned them.

Fewer Keepers were born, and so people began to forget of nature's gift and instead looked for ways to keep themselves safe. Magic no longer occupied the back of their minds and new inventions sprang forth to work against the Fiara, until the Fiara began to adapt and use those inventions against the humans. They were getting smarter with each passing year. The way they fought changed from the last. The armor they wore was stronger. The weapons they held were sharper. The look in their soulless eyes grew angrier and angrier until humans knew that this was no longer about sport, but about vengeance.

No one ever thought of Dhari's gift until the year Prince Bren was born and had set his mother ablaze. The people feared his ability. Although history states that this was a gift from nature, people saw it as a danger or a slight from Dhari for forgetting her gift. Bren's birth had created a snowball effect where Keepers from each element were born.

King Rhodale then decided to build a tower where the Keepers were able to practice their abilities without harming others. Bren knew all that was hogwash. It was a prison built for the Keepers. A prison built for him. King Rhodale couldn't stand the sight of him, the one who had killed his wife, the country's queen. Rhodale could not execute Bren for fear of Dhari's retribution, so instead imprisoned him and used him as a tool for war.

Bren glanced furtively around the room and noticed the nervous looks directed his way. He extinguished the flame in his hand and tucked them behind his back. Glowering at the entrance doors, Bren willed his father forward until his brows burrowed into a frown.

He didn't understand why he had to attend a war meeting. He was sure Rhodale's second son, Rhoderick, would've been enough seeing that he was the Crown Prince. The new Queen was a snippet of a maid who had seduced the King a year after the former Queen had passed. Bren held no love for either of them. He only trusted those he grew up with, and they were the Keepers.

Fed up with waiting, Bren made his way to the servant's entrance and left. He didn't have time for pleasantries with nobles and advisors; he needed to train for the next battle. He walked into the kitchen and made his way to the back door, out into the courtyard where beyond, behind a large wall, stood a tower that seemed to pierce through the misty veil in the sky.

Bren entered the tower and stepped onto a platform to pull a lever that lifted him to the top floor to Caius' chamber. Caius Sylvain was an Air-Rider and Bren's best friend. Although born to commoners, Caius had no trouble speaking his mind to those of higher ranking than him. He seemed free; something Bren was not, and that admiration had made Caius a great friend.

When Bren got off the lift and walked through the chamber door he saw that Caius was not alone. Terra Locke and Winchell Levi were with him as well and they were speaking in hushed tones as if the walls were thin and at ground level. Terra is the Earth-Shaker and Winchell the Water-Wielder. Both were sweethearts and never left each other's side.

All three tensed when they noticed a presence in the room but relaxed when they realized it was Bren.

"Why if it isn't his royal highness!" Caius got up from his perch by the window and made his way to Bren smiling broadly. Caius was a tall man, though slightly shorter than Bren; he walked with a confidence that rivaled a noble's. He had golden hair cropped to his head and gray-colored eyes that looked as if a storm were brewing behind them. He thumped Bren on the back once and brought him over to a seat. "Couldn't stand the royal tea party?"

"The King did not even grace us with his presence," Bren grunted and propped his feet up on the table in front of him.

"Why would his Majesty not attend?" Winchell took the seat opposite Bren and looked on with concern. Terra stood behind his chair, quiet and still as a rock like always.

Bren shrugged and looked up to the ceiling. Winchell had a very calm, soothing presence. He had dark hair pulled back into a braid down his back and icy blue eyes that were as clear as crystal. Terra had dark hair as well but was cut a little below her jaw. Her eyes were emerald in color and women all across the country were envious of her beauty. She was always a steady presence, one who always saw reason and brought petty arguments to a close. Bren had thought he loved her once, though that was only a passing fancy when he found out about her love for the water boy.

"There must have been a reason for his not showing," Winchell insisted. Bren looked down his nose at Winchell and sighed. He dropped his feet and faced his comrades.

"Even if there was a reason, they wouldn't tell me," he said as he addressed them all. "I don't even know why I was there in the first place."

"You're a Prince, you're supposed to be there," Caius said while going back to his perch on the window.

"To the world I'm an abomination. We are an abomination."

"They're just jealous they can't do this." Caius stood on the windowsill with his back facing the outside. He leaned back slowly until his body floated out the window with the wind blowing under him. Bren and Winchell rolled their eyes and Terra let a little smirk appear on her lips.

"Either way, there was a reason you were called to that meeting," Winchell continued. "Shouldn't you have stayed a bit longer and see what might happen?"

"You just want to know what it was about, don't you?" Bren grinned playfully at Winchell. Winchell gave a guilty nod and turned to the window.

"That's enough, Caius. Come back inside." Caius gave a howling laugh and shot his way back into the room.

"I don't know how you guys can stand being on the ground," Caius said as he shook his head laughing, face flushed from his flight outside.

"Earth has its moments," Terra said coolly. All three heads turned in her direction.

"Did you just crack a joke?" Caius asked disbelievingly at Terra. She gave a small smile and shrugged. "It's the end of the world!" Caius threw his hands up and was rewarded with a pebble thrown at his shoulder.

All four were enjoying their time together until the door to Caius' room was slammed open and three guards stepped into the room. They lined up by the door and stood at attention while a figure came strutting into the room.

Bren stepped forward and bit back a growl. "Rhoderick, why are you here?"

"Just wondering what you freaks were up to," Rhoderick said in a bored tone. "Father was upset that you had left before he had arrived. He had a surprise for you."

Bren only glowered and made his way back to his seat. Caius stood off to the side with a grin that suggested he was up to something. Winchell stayed seated with Terra still, behind him.

"Whatever it is, I don't need it." Bren waved him off and pulled out scriptures from under his cloak. Rhoderick ignored his biting remark and moved towards Terra.

"Terra, you look as lovely as ever." Rhoderick moved to touch Terra's hand but she moved it and gave him a rare look of disgust. Rhoderick paused and then pulled back. "Well, I see I'm not welcomed here."

He made his way back to the entrance only to turn back to address Bren. "Although you may not want what father has to give you, but he doesn't want it either. I wonder what we should do with it then, hmm?" Rhoderick walked back and forth slowly in front of the door. "Should we kill it instead?" Bren looked up sharply from his scripture.

"Kill?" Winchell had gotten up from his seat and walked towards Rhoderick. Terra stepped forward with balled fists.

"Oh, did I not mention that it was a living thing?" Rhoderick chuckled darkly. "I'm sure you would take a liking to it since it is just like you aberrations." Rhoderick snapped his fingers and a figure was pushed onto the floor by another guard that had stood outside. Rhoderick left while laughing, but his laugh was cut short with a grunt.

"No one leave's my place laughing like a maniac but me." Winchell gave Caius a disapproving look and knelt down by the figure unconscious on the floor. "What? I only tripped him. Not like he'd know I did it."

"That's not important now, Caius. Rhoderick had said this person is like us, a Keeper. Meaning-"

"Meaning she holds an elemental ability." Terra stepped up and knelt beside the figure as well. Bren shot up from his seat and hurried towards the person on the ground. Terra turned the person and held them on her lap. When Bren was close enough to see what the person looked like, his eyes widened.

It was a woman, but she was bruised and bloodied and her breathing was ragged. Her clothes were torn to shreds and her hair was shorn and matted and covered with grit and mud. She groaned slightly when Terra had shifted to feel her bruised ribs.

"She has a broken rib," Terra stated and felt her head, "and a fractured skull. These bruises look days old. Whoever did this kept her tied up for a while judging by the rope burns on her wrists."

Bren looked at the battered woman and knew immediately that it was his father who had done this. He knew that the King did it to show Bren what power he held over him despite his lack of magical ability. To Bren's own kind, the King beat and tortured her in secret like he wished to do to Bren but couldn't due to circumstances.

How cruel, Bren thought angrily as he stood over the woman's broken body. Bren's breathing grew heavy and his skin began to glow. Cold washed over him as billowing steam rose from his skin. He looked down at his wet clothes, surprised.

"Cool down," Winchell said without looking up from the woman's battered body. His hands passed over her head, torso, arms, and legs, closing any channels that may have been ruptured. Humans being made up of mostly water helped Winchell see more about the human anatomy more so than a trained physician.

Bren closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He knew he shouldn't have gotten worked up so easily. It was just what Rhodale wanted, an excuse to put any of the Keepers into solitary confinement indefinitely.

"Will she be alright?" Bren asked as he knelt beside Winchell.

"If we had waited any longer she would have died from internal bleeding." Bren inhaled sharply. "But she'll be fine now," Winchell finished. "Help me lift her to the bed."

Caius stepped forward and lifted her effortlessly without so much as disturbing her. He kept the wind-level steady and placed her on the bed. Terra inspected her clothes closely and frowned.

"What is it, Terra?" Winchell asked as he wet a piece of cloth and dabbed the woman's forehead.

"Her clothes," she replied, "I've never seen anything like it." Caius rolled his eyes and walked to the bed.

"Woman and their fascination with fabrics." Terra glared in his direction and Caius put his hands up while backing away.

"Caius, Terra is right," Winchell said, "Her clothes are very strange. This kind of weaving, no fabric-weaver can do this."

"What's so special about it?�� Caius walked closer to inspect it. It was all black. Caius touched the fabric and it felt smooth, even smoother than silk. He tugged at it and got his hand slapped away by Terra. "Geez, I wasn't trying to undress her! I just wanted to test the durability." Terra only glowered and turned back to the woman.

"Seems she isn't from here," she mused.

"Then where is she from?"

"We're going to have to ask her when she wakes." Terra got up from her place and left the room.

"Where's she going?"

"To the greenhouse to gather some medicinal herbs," Winchell answered while checking the woman's pulse. "She seems to have stabilized and her breathing has returned to normal. She'll be waking up soon."

"So we'll be able to know where she's from?" Caius asked.

"As well as know her element," Bren added as he looked down at the foreign person before him.