Chapter Two
7 years later…
Fallon sat beside her father in a silver throne smaller than his. Well, 'sat' is a bit of an overstatement. She was napping while her father and mother dealt with the House council. Her legs hung over the arm of the chair, her head resting on one arm. Her brown hair had escaped the braid her mother inflicted upon her, and her silver Heir circlet had slipped to the side. Of course, she was the Heir now, now that Nessa was dead. She found it a lot more boring now, at age 17, than she had 7 years ago. Her mother discreetly pinched her, and she jerked awake, the circlet tumbling off her head and landing at the feet of the Head Councilman. Fallon turned pink, then ran to retrieve it. Her long, fashionable dress got in the way; it was an awful thing, all puffs and ribbons and lace. A nightmare to get into, and, in Fallon's opinion, not very functional. She preferred her usual trousers over this thing any day. But, on Council days, her mother insisted she wear ceremonial dress.
"As I was saying…" the Head Councilman continued, shooting Fallon a glare, "The Great War is over, this is true, but, my liege, you cannot deny the lasting effects it still has on the Roe citizens. They live in constant terror of a second attack. And, while House Verona claims to have mended their ways, one can never be sure. I advise, My Lord, to delay the start of the Warriors' Guild at least another winter. Some-" he looked pointedly at Fallon "- may not be ready for such a responsibility." Heir Urgan contemplated this for a moment before conferring with his wife. Danaë murmured something in his ear and her father straightened and addressed the Council.
"Council members, I have reached a decision. We have postponed the Warriors' Guild long enough. We cannot live in fear. House Roe is not the only House growing…" Urgan shot a careful look at the House Verona representative- "impatient. The Warriors' Guild will continue as planned. We will send the Future Heirs off within a fortnight. House representatives, please inform your Heirs of this change. Council dismissed." As the councilmen bustled out of the throne room, Fallon turned to her father. "Father, am I really going to the Warriors' Guild in only a fortnight?" Urgan turned to her and gave her a look that wasn't entirely reassuring. "You'll be fine. Now go pack."
Fallon enlisted her favorite maid, Adelphia, as her companion for the day-long trip. The remote mountain range that housed the famed Warriors' Guild was notoriously difficult to reach. As Adelphia packed her bags, Fallon paced the room nervously.
"Miss Fallon," Adelphia said softly, her brown eyes sympathetic, "your father would not send you if he were not sure you could succeed." Fallon walked faster.
"But that's the whole point, Delphi! I wasn't his first choice. I wasn't good enough the first time! What happens if I fail now?" Fallon tripped over a wayward shoe and tumbled to the ground. Adelphia sighed and helped her up.
"You have worked hard to earn your title, Miss. And in the extremely rare case that you do fail, you are still his daughter. He will love you no matter what." Fallon looked unconvinced.
"I hope so. I'm all they've got left."
The airship left at seven. It was a pitiful thing, all wobby aluminum and terrifyingly flimsy walls. Fallon, who had been in airships once or twice with her father, was not bothered by the frailness of the ship, but poor Adelphia clutched the armrests, white-faced.
"We're coming up on the Nizulu mountains," the pilot called over the roar of the engine. Fallon looked excitedly out the window as the blue-black Nizulu mountain range came into view. Immediately she was struck by their mystical allure. Adelphia even came out of her airsick reverie to see the mountains. She shivered and looked away.
"What is it, Delphi?" Adelphia turned nervous brown eyes to Fallon's blue.
"In my culture, these mountains are cursed." Fallin rolled her eyes. Adelphia was a daughter of the Imorites, a tribe under House Roe that held many uncommon and illogical beliefs. Fallon tended to ignore them. This, however, was slightly intriguing.
"Well, who cursed them then?" Adelphia's caramel skin flushed with excitement as she spoke.
"According to our legends, when the First Heir created the four great Houses--river, plains, ocean, and forest--, he created a fifth House- a mountain House, called Ender. The First Heir named the Future Heirs for the Houses, then disappeared. For years, the five Houses lived in peace, until House Ender grew angry with the other houses. You see, House Ender was isolated, trapped in the Nizulu ranges. So when the House Council met, they excluded them from their votes. House Ender became a Zuli House." Fallon wrinkled her nose.
"What's a Zuli House?" Adelphia's face turned serious.
"In our native tongue, 'zulu' means cursed. When a House becomes usurped by another House, its resources are taken advantage of, and the House crumbles from within. So was it with House Ender. It seemed that it would fall, when suddenly the First Heir reappeared after a hundred years! He saw the greed in the other Houses for the wide territory and resources of House Ender, and spoke with the Ender Heir in secret. Even now, we do not know what words the First Heir said. But whatever happened, the next year, House Ender vanished. Disappeared. No one ever saw another Ender citizen or Heir again. It is said in our legends that the Ender live here still, in secret, and that the First Heir cursed the mountains so that no one but the Ender may stay here. It was the only way to keep them safe. And that is why-" Adelphia shuddered slightly- "I would prefer to stay in the airship when we land." Fallon laughed. Adelphia smiled weakly.
"What a tale, Delphi! I should let you tell them more often. But calm down. There is no curse." Adelphia nodded quickly.
"Of course, Miss."
The airship landed with a jostling of metal. Adelphia shut her eyes until the craft was still. Fallon kicked open the door and breathed deeply. The fresh mountain air cooled her lungs and filled her with energy. She carried out her trunk and satchel, dropping them by the wooden platform that served as a docking bay.
"Bye, Delphi!" she shouted as she ran to catch the next shuttle bound for the Warriors' Guild.
"Miss, wait!" Adelphia called after her. She tiptoed cautiously out of the aircraft, wincing every time her feet touched the ground. Fallon stood, surprised, as the handmaid darted over to her. Adelphia pressed something cold and hard into Fallon's palm.
"It's an amulet. To keep you safe." Then she squeezed Fallon's hand and sprinted back to the ship. Fallon waved goodbye before looking at the thing in her hand. It was an onyx-like crystal strung on a thin silver chain. Fallon smiled and slipped it around her neck.