CHAPTER ONE: PROLOGUE

ZANDAR, SOMETIME IN THE 13TH CENTURY.

IVAN

He had battled fiercely that afternoon. Returning to the castle with young Prince Colin reluctantly in tow, Sir Ivan was more than a little saddened when one face did not greet him. "Where is Isobel?" He asked one of the handmaidens, Ann.

Ann frowned at him with obvious disapproval. "You would do well to keep thy distance, Sir Ivan," she replied. "The King's Mage has more important matters to attend to than being thy latest conquest."

"My dear lady, I would never-"

"Save thy breath, Ivan. You charmed me three dames ago, but at least I am old enough to know better. Izzy's still but a girl."

"First, I am only three years her senior, dearest Ann... Second, I mean Isobel no harm."

Ann turned up her nose to him. "You never mean any harm, Ivan, but you have left quite a trail of broken hearts in thy path. I simply refuse to let Izzy be the next."

"I only wish to check on her."

"She is busy."

He sighed before deciding he would have better luck simply searching for Isobel himself. Ann, of course, had no idea he and Isobel had been together for several months already. He thought for a moment and knew where she must be.

He found her standing before the target she'd set up in secret. Mages generally were not allowed to learn to engage in physical battle, let alone female Mages, but Isobel had desperately wanted to learn, so Ivan had been giving her lessons.

He had fallen for Isobel the first time he spoke to her. Unlike other damsels in the kingdom, Isobel had little tolerance for being spoken to as though her gender made her less worthy of respect. Ivan had made the mistake of expecting Isobel to be deeply impressed with him simply because he was a Knight of Zandar. She paid him no attention whatsoever, as opposed to the other females around the castle who practically worshipped the ground the handsome young knight walked upon. It had not been until he saw Isobel attempting to train herself to wield a sword that he found a way to earn her attention.

She had improved with a sword greatly thanks to his training, although she was far more impressive as an archer. He was quite surprised with how naturally using a bow and arrow came to her. She looked beautiful now, as she knocked her arrow and sent it flying straight at the target. As usual, she did not miss.

"Excellent!" Ivan declared, applauding.

Isobel jumped and tripped over her quiver. Ivan was quick to steady her. "I beg your pardon, M'Lady. I did not mean to startle you," he said.

"Ivan, you know better!" She scolded him.

"My deepest apologies, Fair Lady Isobel." He bowed to her.

Isobel laughed and shook her head. "Come here, you fool," she said. She opened her arms and embraced him. "I did not realize you were back."

"Clearly, or you would have been there to welcome me home."

"Perhaps, if I had nothing else to do," she said with a playful smile.

"Ah, M'Lady, you keep me humble!" It was true. Ivan could admit he had been almost unbearably arrogant when he first became a Knight of Zandar, but having Isobel treat him like anyone else made him realize he was no more significant than any of the others who served the Royal Family.

"I love you, my Knight," she told him softly.

Ivan swept her fully into his arms and kissed her before declaring, "As I love you, M'Lady."

They remained locked in an embrace as he thought about how much he longed to marry her. "You will be my wife one day," he promised her.

"You know our union is forbidden," Isobel protested.

"I shall find a way. That law is nonsense..."

"Ivan... The King is protective of me. You know he views me nearly as his daughter. He raised me for most of my life. I may not have Royal blood, but I belong to him."

"You belong to no one. You are grown, Isobel."

"Yes, I am nineteen, Ivan, and therefore, I am a full Mage of the Royal Family. I serve as their adviser and loyal magician. That is my purpose, and I may only marry when and if the King allows it."

"Then I shall convince him! Who better to build a life with his favorite Mage than his most loyal Knight?"

"This may be true, but your reputation does you no favors." She smiled at him sadly. "Prior to me, you went through a great many women of the castle. The King does not doubt your loyalties to the kingdom, however your loyalties to a wife are a different tale."

"I shall prove myself worthy of thy hand, Fair Isobel. You are the only one I desire. Our hearts share an unbreakable bond."

"They do, my love," she agreed. "Now come. We must make haste and return before they notice we both are missing."

Reluctantly, he agreed, knowing she was correct. As he took her hand and led her back to the castle, he had no idea that these were the last moments they would ever spend together.

THE NEXT DAY.

ISOBEL

She knew something was very wrong as soon as she woke. Sir Ivan had already left with Prince Colin. Certain they were in danger, Isobel began casting spells of protection, praying they would keep Ivan and the young prince safe.

Suddenly, Isobel felt all of the spells she had placed upon her beloved Ivan shatter. It felt as though her own heart shattered along with them, and Isobel struggled to remain standing until she could no longer feel Ivan's spirit in this world. She let out a cry of grief before collapsing onto the ground as the force of the spells breaking finally became too much for her.

She woke much later in her bed. "Ivan..." She whispered as she opened her eyes.

"Hush now, Izzy," Ann said gently. "You need rest."

"What happened?" She asked.

"You fainted." Ann put a wet towel to her forehead, still trying to soothe her.

"Ann... Where is Ivan?" She asked, although in her heart, she knew the answer.

"Not yet, Isobel, dear."

"Ann! Tell me. Please." The desperation in her voice made Ann take pity on her.

"He is lost, Izzy. He gave his life to save the Prince."

The world shifted. Isobel was certain she was going to faint again, but she forced herself to fight it. "And Prince Colin?" She asked urgently.

"The boy is safe."

Isobel nodded. "Ann, I would like to be alone now," she said softly.

"There is more, Isobel... Something you must know."

"Very well. Tell me."

"The fact that you fainted led to an examination... Izzy... You are with child."

Isobel felt the air flee from her lungs. She was uncertain how to take more in. "With child?" She repeated as she gasped for breath.

"I am so sorry, Isobel... I know it is not your fault. He is... Was... Very charming."

Isobel struggled not to cry as Ann switched to the past tense. "He is gone..." She whispered.

"Yes, Izzy."

"He is gone, and I am with child..."

"I have heard of a mixture which can cure you of that-"

"No."

"Be reasonable, Izzy! The King will-"

"The King will not kill an unborn babe, and neither shall I... This child is Ivan's, Ann. I cannot and will not lose him, too."

"Him?"

"I think so, yes."

Ann sighed. "This is trouble, Isobel. They will be furious."

"Let me see the King."

Ann was clearly reluctant, but she sent for him. He came quickly. "Isobel, are you well now?" He asked with concern.

"I believe so, my Lord," she said. Then, she looked into his eyes and forced herself to continue. "There is something I must tell you, my Lord... I believe you may be quite cross with me, but I would never dishonor you with lies. My Lord, Sir Ivan was my beloved. I know it was forbidden, but we could not ignore our love... And it seems I now carry his heir."

The King paused, his face unreadable after a quick flash of anger. He softened after a moment. "Sir Ivan saved my son's life. His sacrifice was noble, and he was a true hero. I would be honored to welcome his child into my home."

"You are not angry?"

"My dear girl, if there is one thing I know, it is that love cannot always be dictated. Besides, sweet Isobel, you have lost enough in this lifetime. You shall not lose your home as well."

She gave in to her tears then. The King had taken her in at barely eight years old and raised her, allowing her to train with his other Mages after her father, his bravest knight, had sacrificed his life to protect the King. Her mother, a midwife, had ironically perished in childbirth, so when Isobel lost her father, she lost the only parent she had ever known. The King and his Queen had kindly taken Isobel in because she had nowhere else to go.

"All is well, Isobel. Cry as you must. We all grieve this day," he said gently.

Isobel touched her stomach. "You are greatly loved," she told her unborn son. "I promise to raise him to be as honorable and brave as you were, my beloved," she added, hoping Ivan could somehow hear her words. "And I shall love you until the day we meet again."

STONE HOLLOW, CALIFORNIA. PRESENT DAY.

ANDIE

She hadn't slept well, so she nearly inhaled a Venti Mocha Frappuccino and tried to fake being awake. "Nightmares again, Andie?" Darcy asked.

"Yeah," Andie admitted. Darcy was her foster sister. She came from the first decent family to take Andie in. Andie had been in the system for four years, but she'd only been with Darcy's family for eleven months. Prior to that, she'd been placed with six other families and spent the time between them in group homes.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Do I ever?"

"Come on. I know what'll cheer you up." Darcy linked her arm through Andie's and led her toward the woods. Andie liked being deep in nature, shielded from the eyes of the outside world. "Look what I found," Darcy said as she motioned toward a dark cave.

"We've been this way before," Andie said. "Why haven't we ever seen this?"

"Excellent question, Sis." Darcy had latched on to Andie quickly when her parents had taken her in. She'd admitted she was reluctant when her parents decided to open their home to a troubled teenager, but they had bonded surprisingly fast. Andie usually didn't let people in, but Darcy knew how to reach her without making her want to run away screaming. She looked at Andie with mischief in her eyes as usual. "Do you want to check it out?"

Andie had to admit, she was curious at the sudden appearance of the mysterious cave, although logic told her to be suspicious and cautious. "Alright," she said because she knew Darcy would just go check it out on her own if she protested.

They walked into the cave and were almost immediately plunged into darkness. Darcy pulled out her cell phone to use as a flashlight as she led Andie deeper. To their great surprise, they came across a waterfall.

"It's beautiful," Andie mumbled. "What's it doing here?"

"Actually, caverns often have hidden wonders like this inside," a voice said, causing both girls to jump. Andie spotted a boy sitting at the edge of the waterfall as Darcy turned her phone toward him.

"Jeez, Kid, are you trying to give us heart failure?" Darcy demanded.

"Sorry... I didn't exactly expect you both to be in here, either."

"Who are you?" Andie asked suspiciously.

"Gregory Matthew Arnold, Junior... My friends call me Greg." He paused. "Or, well... They would, if I, you know, had any." He smiled apologetically.

"You go to Stone Hollow High, right?" Darcy asked.

"I do indeed," Greg replied, clearly surprised she'd noticed.

"The kid's a genius... Maybe he can help us figure this place out," Darcy said to Andie. She turned back to Greg. "So, anyway, I'm-"

"Darcy Gordon. I know who you are," Greg said. "Everyone knows you."

"My reputation precedes me. Anyway, this is my sister Andie. We just felt like exploring. Can you help us?"

"I would be honored." He stood up. "You know, it defies logic, but this structure was not here yesterday."

"We noticed that," Andie said.

"I was fascinated when I realized that, and I decided I had to explore it a bit. There's a passageway to the side here..." Greg led them down a tunnel and into the area he had mentioned.

Suddenly, a scream echoed through the cave. "What was that?" Andie demanded.

"Let's go see," Darcy said. They hurried toward the source of the noise.

"Over there!" Greg said, pointing an actual flashlight toward something.

"Scott?" Darcy asked. She rushed to the boy who'd clearly fallen through a hole several feet above them.

"What a rush!" He cried. "Darcy? What brings you here?"

"Curiosity. When did you get back to town?" She flung her arms around him.

"Yesterday. Dad's firm moved him back."

"So you're staying?" Her face lit up.

"Yeah, it looks that way. I was hoping I'd run into you, but I didn't expect our reunion to go quite like this..."

Darcy helped him stand up. "Sis, this is Scott. He was my next-door neighbor and best friend until we were ten and his dad was relocated."

"Sis?" Scott asked. "I don't remember you having a sister."

"Andie's my foster sister. Mom and Dad took her in almost a year ago."

Scott beamed at her. "Nice to meet you, Andie," he said. He tried to shake her hand. Andie automatically stepped back so he couldn't.

"You don't have touching privileges yet, Scott," Darcy said, stepping between them. "She doesn't know you."

"Sorry," Andie said awkwardly. Sometimes, she hated how hard it was for her to let people in. "I'm Andie, and it's nice to meet you, too."

"It's cool. No need to apologize. I shouldn't have assumed," Scott said with an easy smile.

"I'm Greg," Greg said awkwardly. "In case you were wondering. Actually, my name is Gregory Matthew Arnold, Junior, but, you know... Greg is fine."

"Right... I'm Scott, Greg. So, is it just me, or was there never some freaky cave here when we were kids? It looks ancient, but..."

"None of us ever saw it before either," Darcy confirmed.

"What the hell?" A new voice asked from a little further in.

"Seriously, is everyone in town here today?" Darcy asked. The four of them walked toward the sound. Suddenly, they no longer needed flashlights. A boulder was literally glowing in front of them. It illuminated the face of the fifth person present.

Great, Andie thought as she rolled her eyes.

"Pierce Lewis. What are you doing here?" Darcy asked.

"None of your business," Pierce replied. "Now get lost."

"Fat chance... What is that thing?"

"A big-ass rock. Any other stupid questions?"

"Yeah, I've got one. .. Why is it glowing?" Scott asked.

"Scott Wu? What rock did you crawl out from under?"

"Nice to see you, too, Pierce. How's Frankie?"

Pierce's face turned colder. "Dead, you asshole."

Scott looked startled. "Wait, seriously? What happened?"

"He drowned a few months after you moved," Darcy said gently.

"Damn... I'm sorry, Pierce. Frankie was the greatest. Seriously," Scott said.

"Yeah, I know how great he was. He was my brother," Pierce snapped.

"He didn't know, Pierce. Back off," Darcy said.

"Whatever. Now, if you'd all kindly fuck off-"

Suddenly, the earth began to shake. "Earthquake!" Greg shouted. "Seek cover!"

Andie began trembling. Earthquakes still scared her, even after all of her years in California. She'd nearly been killed by one when she was six because her mother was passed out stoned and Andie had been unable to move her out of the way of their collapsing ceiling. She'd shielded her mother the best she could with her tiny body and been hit by the debris herself.

"Andie... Andie, come on. I've got you," Darcy said urgently.

It took her a minute, but Andie got a grip and focused. She let Darcy lead her out of the way of the falling stones in the cave. After a minute, the cave stopped shaking. Andie thought she must have hit her head as she thought she saw a flash of light race away from the boulder. She took a deep breath.

"Is everyone okay?" Darcy asked.

"I'm fine," Andie reassured her.

"Still alive over here," Scott said.

"I appear to be uninjured as well," Greg added.

"Pierce?" Darcy asked.

Pierce was staring at the boulder. "Guys..." He said. They walked closer to see what he was staring at.

"There are stones inside of the boulder," Darcy realized.

"That's what was glowing," Andie said.

Five stones were there now. They all instinctively reached toward them, each selecting one. The stones began to glow brighter, and Andie could feel heat coming from the pink stone in her hand. She could feel the raw magic radiating from inside of the stone, and it seemed to touch something inside of her.

"It's a rose quartz," Greg said. "Mine's a tourmaline." He showed her the blue stone in his hand. "Darcy appears to have an imperial topaz, if I'm not mistaken." Her stone was red. "Scott definitely has a labradorite." His stone was mostly black. "Pierce? May I see yours?"

Pierce reluctantly opened his hand to reveal a greenish stone. "Ah, that one's easy! It's a-" Greg began.

"Turquoise," Pierce said. He looked haunted.

"Precisely!"

"Dude... Do you know everything?" Scott asked.

"Actually, I'm a geology enthusiast, but... Well... Almost everything, yes," Greg admitted.

Andie noticed Pierce staring at the stone in his hand. "Pierce? What's wrong?" She asked. She'd never seen him look so freaked out.

"Nothing. I... I gotta go," he said. He ran off.

"Wait!" Darcy called, but it was too late. She shrugged. "We'll just need to figure this out without him." She moved her hand and a ball of fire shot out of it. Scott let out an undignified high-pitched scream, which made Darcy laugh.

"Darce... What was that?" Andie asked.

"No idea... But it was pretty cool, huh?" She asked excitedly.

"Pretty hot, if we're being technical," Greg said. "But, yes, it was quite impressive!"

"Darcy, why didn't you tell me you had superpowers?" Scott asked.

"Because I didn't... Not as far as I knew, anyway," Darcy said. "And... Um... Scott?"

Andie gasped as she realized why Darcy sounded alarmed. "Impossible..." Greg mumbled.

"What?" Scott asked. "Is there something on my face?"

"Scott... Look down," Darcy said.

Scott did, and immediately cried out, "How did I get up here?" He was hovering at least three feet off the ground. "I'm flying! Holy crap, guys, I'm flying! I'm-" Suddenly, he fell and landed ungracefully on his butt. "Owww... And now, I'm back on the ground," he mumbled.

Darcy laughed and offered him her hand to help him get back on his feet. Greg stared at him in wonder. "This is amazing!" He declared. "You just defied physics! I have to understand how this is possible…"

"Chill, Dude. I'm not a science project," Scott said. "But I agree it would be good to know why I can suddenly fly-"

"You mean float… And fall," Darcy teased him.

"And why Darcy can throw fire she somehow pulled out of nowhere," he continued, pretending not to hear her.

Greg nodded. He touched one of the cave walls as he seemed to consider their options. Suddenly, the earth around him began to vibrate. Dirt and pebbles began to float around him and a hole formed beneath his feet. Greg let out a cry as he fell through it.

"Greg!" Darcy shouted.

"Oh, crap, man… I liked that kid, too. He was smart, and right now, we need smart," Scott said.

Andie heard him let out a cry for help. She got on her hands and knees and reached into the hole. "Hang on, Greg!" She shouted. She reached toward him along with Darcy and together, they pulled him up. Scott helped them get him onto solid ground, then looked at Andie.

"How come you touched him?" He asked.

Andie pulled her hand away quickly. "He was falling to his doom," she said. "That sort of calls for breaking my no touching strangers rule."

"My arm…" Greg mumbled. It was bleeding.

"He needs first aid," Darcy said.

Andie touched his arm on instinct and noticed the blood began flowing slower. She pulled away in shock. He began to cry out in pain again. Cautiously, Andie put her index finger beside his injury. His pain seemed to go away, and he began to relax. She placed a second finger on his arm and the bleeding slowed again.

"Andie… You're doing that, aren't you?" Darcy asked in amazement.

"I think so," Andie said. She was deeply confused. How was any of this possible?

Soon, Greg's injury was barely a scratch. Andie finally pulled her hand away again. "Thank you," Greg said softly.

"No big deal," Andie said, trying to hide how much this entire thing was freaking her out.

"You created that hole," Darcy said. "It was you moving the earth. It reacted to you, Greg."

"You are correct, although I can't understand how," Greg said. "This is all highly unusual… We need to investigate."

"Wait… If we all have powers now… What about Pierce?" Scott asked.

"We're going to have to track him down tomorrow," Darcy said. "For now, I think we should get home… Do you guys want to come over for dinner?"

"Hell yeah! I miss your mom's cooking," Scott said with a grin.

"I can't," Greg said sadly. "My grandparents don't like me going to the homes of people they haven't met… And they insist I spend dinner with them each night. Thanks for the invitation, though… That was… That was nice."

"You don't get many invites, do you, Dude?" Scott asked.

"Honestly? I don't get invited places at all. I don't exactly have any friends."

"You do now," Darcy said. "Right guys?"

"I'd say finding these stones and developing superpowers connected us, so, yeah, Man. We're your friends now," Scott said.

"Yeah," Andie agreed. Whatever was going on, she knew they needed to stay together to figure it out.

AMBER BEACH, CALIFORNIA.

IVAN

He was standing in the kitchen waiting for the next order to take out to the hungry masses when something hit him in his very soul. Isobel, he thought.

He hadn't let himself think about her much since escaping from being trapped inside of a monster and becoming a Power Ranger. He had duties to focus on, and he was loyal to his team. Their battle was over, but he still remained with them. They were his family now. After all, everyone he had ever loved had died long before.

He'd discovered he had a descendant, which meant that somehow, he'd left behind an heir. He assumed this meant Isobel had been pregnant when he vanished, something that made his heart ache. He had loved her so deeply. Knowing she had lived and died without him centuries ago was incredibly painful. Although his descendant Zach thought they were cousins, they had gotten close, and Ivan really enjoyed having at least one connection, however vague, to his lost beloved.

Now, however, he could not get his mind off of her. It was almost as though she had touched him herself. She's touched magic, he realized. It had occurred to him that Isobel might have reincarnated somewhere, but he had never tried to find her. He hadn't felt her until now. Something had changed, however, and his beloved had come in touch with magic once more.

"Ivan? You okay?" Koda asked.

"Yes, my friend," Ivan replied, snapping back to the present.

"You have lost look on face," Koda informed him.

"My apologies. I was distracted for a moment."

"You talk to Koda?"

He smiled. "That is kind of you, Koda, but I fear I must work through this on my own." He picked up the order he was meant to deliver to the hungry patrons at the corner table and walked away, trying not to obsess about what he had felt.

That proved to be impossible. After he placed the order down on the table, he hurried off so he could sort out his thoughts. Somewhere, his beloved Isobel lived, and he needed to find her. He longed to be reunited with her once more. He knew in his heart that it was time to begin searching for her. Somehow, he would find her again, and their story could finally continue.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you for reading the first chapter! I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are always appreciated. There's plenty more to come.