The Magic Whistle
Prologue
Nestled deep within the Emerald Mountains, and hidden deep in a valley between the highest peaks, lay the Silver Kingdom. Her capital city, Glasshaven, sat across the two banks of a river known to the outside world as the Crystal River. Here, in the Silver Kingdom, it was known as the Cobalt River, so named for its deep blue waters. In some places, the water could be mistaken for black. Glasshaven took up both sides of the river; the two halves were connected by several bridges and a dirt road leading up to the single shallow ford. Houses and small shops lined the riverfront, and one could see at first glance where the class line divided.
On the western bank, the poorer folks lived in small houses; some were no better than shacks or lean-tos. The tallest homes on that bank were two stories, a very sharp contrast to the upper-class eastern bank. Glasshaven's nobility lived in huge homes made one white stone; not a one of them was smaller than three stories. Most were higher, with balconies on every level hanging out over cobblestone streets. If one followed the streets, any street, they would eventually find themselves in the market square; in the center lay a large, sprawling fountain of a man holding his cupped hands out; the water poured from them to splash at a pool at his feet. The man's finely crafted robes and the detailed crown on his head marked him as the king.
North of the village, just inside the walls of the city, a mighty castle stood. Its towers crafted of great grey stones, the castle's wrought iron gate hung open, and the brass handles waited for the guards to close them come nightfall. The courtyard inside the gate was little more than a wide open space filled with decorated plants and more fountains. The largest of these fountains stood in the middle of the yard.
The man from the city fountain, the king, stood with his arm wrapped around a woman with a kind, gentle face. His other hand rose into the air above his head; the woman, the queen, leaned against him, smiling up as water cascaded from the king's hand, and rainbows flashed everywhere.
Inside the castle, the rainbows didn't vanish. Each room was a blast of color, from rich purples to bright yellows and oranges that would hurt the eyes were they not so beautiful. One such room, the dining room, where the king currently sat with his family, was filled with contrasting colors, reds and blues and purples and greens.
A long blue carpet covered most of the wooden floor, and the mahogany table set brought out the deeper shades of red from the tapestries and stained glass on and in the walls; now, of course, the table was laid with a white cloth for dinner, but a vase filled with flowers brought some color even there. On either side of the vase sat two candles, their bright orange flames dancing merrily in the gentle breeze from an open window.
Three children, two boys and a girl, sat playing with the remains of their dinner as their parents chatted softly. A servant interrupted the quaint scene, a scared look on his face; he walked smartly up to King Caeth. "Your Highness!" he cried. "I have an urgent message!" He bowed to the king and his wife, holding out a folded piece of paper for Caeth's eyes. He accepted the message, read it, and closed his eyes when he was done. He took a deep breath and stood.
"Sorcha, children?" he asked. His wife and children glanced up at him. "Leave at once!"
Sorcha nodded and spoke to her children. "Come, children, your father must talk with the other knights." Her sons, Jarlath and Dahy, followed her out of the room; her daughter, Ryanne, stayed put. At the door, Sorcha turned and motioned for her daughter to come with her. Ryanne stubbornly looked from her mother to her father, and then back again.
Caeth looked at her and said as gently as he could, "Ryanne, my sweet angel, go with your mother." She huffed, stared at him a little while longer, but finally left the room with her mother. Another servant came in and cleared their plates away. Once she had gone and Caeth knew his family was out of earshot, he yelled for his lead general. The man entered immediately- 'He must have been waiting,' Caeth thought, grinning- and bowed to his king. "Gather my generals at once!" It didn't take Kothu long to gather them all, and soon they stood in a ring around the dining table.
Caeth pulled out a map that a servant had brought for him while the generals gathered and laid it on the table. He tapped it absently as he addressed his men. "It has come to my attention that King Cavan has decided our peace treaty no longer applies to him." The generals sighed and shook their heads. Caeth ignored this. "Therefore I see it as only fitting to attack his kingdom and annihilate him. End this nuisance once and for all!"
All the men except a small handful cheered at this; one of those who remained silent rose.
"But what about that wolf that protects Cavan's kingdom?" he asked. Another man looked at him oddly.
"Lightning?" He snorted derisively. "That fleabag doesn't stand a chance!"
"But he isn't alone!" the first man insisted. "He has a friend, Thunder."
"What can two wolves alone do?" Caeth slammed his fists down on the table; the men froze and stared at the king as he glared at each of them in turn. "Those wolves may not be strong alone, but they will bring their packs together, and they will come up against us." He sighed and rubbed his face. "And they will defeat us, just like they did before!" His generals looked around at each other, puzzled.
Another stood again. "Is there any way to stop them?" he asked.
Caeth looked up again with an evil smile. "Yes, there is".
Unbeknownst to the men, a black wolf sat in the cobblestone walkway of the back courtyard. Thunder's golden eyes were fixed to the open dining room window; he could hear Caeth talking to his men inside. Unfortunately, he wouldn't get any more chances to listen to their plans; his ears twitched. Pounding footsteps sounded from behind him. Thunder turned to see two guards and two dogs running at him.
The dogs snarled at the lone wolf; their handlers turned them loose, and they bolted at Thunder, growling and howling. 'Maybe now is a good time to go…' Thunder thought. He bolted out of the courtyard with the dogs and guards close on his heels. They stayed behind him all the way to the forest's edge, but Thunder's black pelt hid him in the shadows of the trees. The wolf vanished from sight, and the guards refused to risk death in the forest.
Thunder ignored the frustrated howls of the dogs behind him and ran deep into the forest. Eventually, he came to a halt, panting from his exertions, at the feet of a brown wolf with bright green eyes. Lightning was waiting for him. "What did you find out?"
"Caeth is going to attack Cavan's kingdom."
Lightning huffed. "When?"
Thunder rolled his shoulders in a parody of a shrug. "I don't know," he said. "The guards chased me out before I could learn anything more." Lightning sighed and walked away; Thunder followed him. They walked in silence until the rising sun's light touched their coats and his daytime warmth broke the moon's chill. They stopped on a rise outside the forest's other edge and stared down into Cavan's homeland, the Bronze Kingdom. Lightning looked at his companion.
"It will be a while before Caeth reaches here," he said. "In the meantime, we must keep watch on Caeth and his men." Thunder chuffed in confusion.
"How can we warn Cavan if both of us are watching Caeth?"
Lightning nipped his second's shoulder. "Thunder, take your pack and watch Caeth. I will go down there," he pointed his black-speckled snout at the city below, "and warn Cavan." He tore his eyes from Thunder's and looked back down into the Bronze Valey. "We must do whatever it takes."
CHAPTERS 1-6 WILL BE UPLOADED JULY 31
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