
Poker Kingdom I

The smile of the Harlequin

V. Cervilla

All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

First published in Spain in 2015.

Poker Kingdom. The smile of the Harlequin (C) 2015, V.Cervilla

Cover illustration by Fantasyland Media copyright (C) 2017

Proofread by Wendy Clements

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Third Edition

www.vcervilla.com

# Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Ackowledgements

Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Chapter IV

Chapter V

Chapter VI

Chapter VII

Chapter VIII

Epilogue

The author: V. Cervilla

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# Ackowledgements

I discovered the kingdom of Poker by a wonderful coincidence be- tween imagination and reality. However, to make it something tangible has required help from other people.

I would like to start by thanking those who collaborated in the ma- king of this book: Judith Ruiz, for giving it visibility and support me as a writer; to my beta readers Belen Viera, Raquel Campos, Alex Jimenez, Ann Hernandez, Montse Robledo y Susana Escarabajal, for their immensenly useful feedback.; Covi Sanchez, for the text editing; and Wendy Clements for proofreading the English version of the story. Poker Kingdom has a little bit of everyone of you.

Secondly, I want to thank my mother for her support since I used to write short stories in my journal; my brother, because our complicity and common interest on fantasy worlds, dragons and medieval times have served as inspiration for this story; and my friends, for not only allowing me to live in my imaginary worlds but for encouraging me to share them with the world, too. I owe you the inspiration of every single story that comes our of my head.

Finally, I want to thank you who are about to immerse yourself in this story, because with every word you make its characters come to life.

Welcome to Poker Kingdom!

V. Cervilla

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# Chapter I

You'll find no greater honesty than in a crowd of drunks. Odin had only entered the shack because he needed the liquor to warm his insides. None of those present were pleasing to him, but he had learned how to behave among criminals since he was little. The darkness of the tavern meant he couldn't see any faces clearly and that was a good sign. It meant they couldn't make his out either. His mind was like a missile moving a mile a minute, always chasing after an idea and plotting something. Being alert had been a habit for as long as he could remember and his ability to adapt to any situation was one of his most valuable assets.

Amidst the cries from thieves and intoxicated criminals, he could make out a murmured conversation. He knew that a group of men whispering inside a tavern in the Confines was an unequivocal sign of danger. Led by his curiosity, he took a sip from his cup and stealthily approached the table where they were seated. He pulled the hood of his brown cloak over his head so as not to raise suspicion.

"It's impossible to get into the Earth Tower. We'd be killed before we set foot in the place," a gawky man said repeatedly to the other three, who were listening attentively.

"First, we would have to get to the island," the most muscular one added.

"We can't get there without going through the Domains, and then there are the warriors."

"I'll take care of them," said the giant again, tightly gripping the hilt of his knife.

There were two more short men at the table who never spoke a word but nodded and signed at each other. Odin was leaning on the wall, listening carefully from the shadows to every statement and tying up all the plan's loose ends in his head.

"Excuse me, gentlemen ... if I can call you that," he interrupted suddenly without leaving his place. "Anyone who was listening to you would say that you are planning an attack on the Queen of Hearts." The four men turned their beady eyes towards him.

"Are you lost? You have two seconds to turn around and be on your way," the giant warned, still toying with his knife.

"Lost?" He smiled. "It's interesting listening to a bunch of amateur thieves plotting how to enter the most highly protected Domain in the whole kingdom," he replied arrogantly and moving closer.

The soft light radiating from the lamp on the table illuminated Odin's long face, allowing his identity to be revealed. The bold move seemed to catch them all off guard. All, except the gawky man.

"Harlequin," he said surprised. "I thought you were in hiding somewhere."

"It's been a while since someone last called me that, Euchare," he replied, looking away.

"We are looking for the treasure the Queen of Hearts keeps inside the Earth Tower."

"You want to steal the Element?" he laughed loudly. "You?

"Enough! Who do you think you are?" the muscular man shouted at Odin, grabbing him by the neck with his huge hand. The other two silent men looked a the intruder with angry eyes so as to support their fellow thief.

"Let him go, Zeta. We don't want to make a scene," Euchare demanded.

Odin smiled mockingly. "Many stories have been told, but that is the only Element that has been located."

"Oh, I can assure you that reality outdoes any story you have been told, old friend," Odin responded, narrowing his eyes. "Knowing you, I'd think you already had a plan..."

"It might be that this encounter has turned into a happy coincidence. I want the four Elements." The determination of his words silenced the rest of the group.

"You don't know what you are saying, Harlequin. We don't have enough information for such a risky mission. Besides, might I remind you that we would have to kill the Guardians and that the warriors outnumber us. It's a suicide mission." Euchare paused. "This doesn't add up. Why? Only one Element would be enough to demand all the kingdom's wealth in return. Why the four of them? Do you want to be king now?"

Odin moved closer to the thieves until he was just a few inches away and said quietly. "Help me get the four Elements and take the wealth of the four Domains, if you want."

Euchare stared at him with his piercing eyes, as he allowed his head to make a decision.

"Think of your family, Euchare."

The cries from the outlaws that resonated around the sinister room and the drunken fights that broke out, carried on in blissful ignorance of a conversation that threatened to change the course of events. In a corner two men fought against each other and gravity, staggering every time they were hit by their opponent. A small crowd cheered as pitchers of liquor passed from hand to hand. Others slept so soundly on the filthy floor that they didn't even move a muscle when someone poured wine over their heads.

"We must get out of the Confines first. How are you planning on slipping past the warriors that patrol the borders?" Euchar asked quietly.

Odin threw down a little black velvet bag. The criminal looked inside.

"I'm listening."

A SHIVER RIPPLED ITS way under the sheets, and shuddered through Judith's body in the middle of the warm night. A bad feeling hung in the air, making her heart beat faster. Her eyes flew open in fright and she looked around her in search of a sign. The king remained asleep beside her, undisturbed.

"We are in danger," Judith whispered to herself.

She lay down with her long, bright red hair resting in a braid on her shoulder, and spent the whole night lying awake trying to ignore the premonitions that tormented her: premonitions which had been both a gift and a curse. We all have an internal voice that whispers to us from time to time in a language only we can decipher. Some people call it conscience, others intuition. Don't do it; you can't trust her; listen to me. In her case, the voices floated inside her head, becoming stronger as she continued to ignore them. It had been happening since she was a little girl. At the beginning she thought she had gone insane, but then she started to pay attention and realised they weren't there to disturb her. Everything carried on as normal while they were showing her positive messages, but she suddenly began to receive warnings, as she called them, about negative events that were about to happen. They were never completely clear but rather like an alarm that went off inside her letting her know something was on its way.

She had made such a great effort to keep it all under control since taking her throne as the Queen of Hearts, that even the thought of something disturbing the established order brought a lump to her throat. Keep the balance. That had been the task assigned to her and to which she must dedicate herself until her last breath. Her attempt to rest was interrupted by Magnus.

"You are still in bed? We have business to discuss," said the king harshly from the bedroom door.

"Did something happen?"

"Do you need something to happen in order to sit on your throne? You have a kingdom to lead. Get up and start acting like a queen," he said, slamming the door after him.

Magnus was a tall and well-built man despite having been raised in Hearts, the Domain reserved for the contemplative life, which never seemed intimidating to Judith. Strength was only one of the many weapons that could be used to control someone. The queen gazed unseeing at the huge, wooden bedroom door as she thought about everything she had had to give up in order to protect the most important Element of the four. That duty had brought with it the obligation to accept her role as queen of Hearts; no questions asked, no option to consider why the gods had chosen her long before she was born, no way to turn down such a demanding mission. And with it also came the company of the king.

It was her duty to lead the kingdom alongside a king, just as the previous Guardians of the Earth Element had done before her. In her Domain, accepting any custom that came from the past was typical behaviour. The weight of the years of repetition was all the tradition needed to impose respect and remain forever. Despite the rage that invaded her body, the memory of the bad premonition pushed her out of bed. She rushed to the main hall where Magnus and her loyal protector Étienne awaited her impatiently.

"I'm glad you finally decided to honour us with your presence, your Majesty", said Magnus sarcastically as he bowed.

"I don't have time for your childish attention seeking, Magnus. The kingdom is in danger".

"What are you talking about?"

"I've heard them again. Something is about to happen, something that will change the world as we know it," Judith explained with her big, black eyes wide. "Étienne, what's happening outside the Tower in the Domains?"

"We haven't received news of any incidents, your Majesty."

The fatherly tone of Étienne stood out above the constant tension between the monarchs, forced to get along for the sake of the kingdom and its inhabitants.

"Ugh, those voices again." Magnus complained. "They had been quiet for too long, I suppose."

"We must bring in the Guardians," ordered Judith.

"Have you lost your mind?" Magnus shouted. He grabbed her by the arm and, lowering his voice, continued, "We cannot separate the Guardians from their Elements, you know that. We don't even know where they are. You know the rules. Now, calm down."

A beam of light shone through the three big windows in the room, illuminating everything. Étienne stood still, attentively observing the argument between the two top representatives of the four Domains of the kingdom.

"Magnus," he interrupted, "with all due respect, nobody knows the rules better than Judith and nobody knows better than you about the certainty of her premonitions. It may be time to listen. Your duty is to keep her safe."

"Oh, Étienne. Always coming to the rescue of the damsel in distress," Magnus mocked.

Étienne, now with deep furrows drawn on his old face, had been one of the priests at the service of the previous queen and Judith's mentor since she was a baby. They had developed a father-daughter relationship and, although she never knew who her real parents were, she never wanted for anything. Her childhood in the Tower had been strict but happy.

The thick, iron door that protected them from the interruptions of the outside world suddenly burst open. It was one of Étienne's messengers, visibly exhausted. He fell to the ground panting.

"I came as soon as I could, sir," he announced with great difficulty. "It's the Confines... there is movement... some of the exiles have disappeared. The warriors... dead," he exclaimed, gasping for breath.

All eyes were on Judith, who listened worriedly from her armchair. The blood red colour of her dress made her skin seem paler than usual, giving her a look of delicacy that didn't match the image she had of herself. A barrage of questions from all those present in the hall were thrown at the exhausted messenger, who was unable to respond to so many requests for information.

"Who disappeared?" demanded the king, grabbing him by his shirt collar. "Speak!"

"Stop!" Judith shouted as she stood up. "Can't you see he is exhausted? If you really cared about all this, you would have listened to me."

She approached the man, who lay on the floor breathless, and said softly:

"You can leave." She paused waiting for him to disappear. "We must find the Guardians."

"Are we going to jeopardise the kingdom for one single incident? The warriors will take care of the intruders."

"Nobody has ever attempted to enter our borders and succeeded in years, Magnus. We have the best army in these lands. The tiniest mistake could cost us dear, and I'm not going to let the chaos we have for so long been warned about invade the kingdom I swore to protect."

"Alright," Magnus said finally. "Have my horse ready. Keep the Council out of this for now."

BEYOND THE TOWER OF Earth, on the other side of the sea surrounding Hearts, the fierce Domain of Spades stood. It was known for being home to merciless warriors. Right after Poker was chosen to be the kingdom to house the four holy Elements, the lands were divided into Domains, each one dedicated to one task. Thus, the mission given to Spades was that of defending the kingdom from any attack and protecting its borders. It was a task to which they had to devote their entire lives.

The routine in the Domain was regulated by strict rules that were to be obeyed with discipline. Boys and girls started their training when they reached eight years of age. At that moment they were sent to live inside the Fortress, from which they could only leave as part of an exercise or at the request of an instructor. Parental visits were only allowed once a month in order to avoid distractions. The children trained for years until they reached the age of fifteen. They were then given the opportunity to prove their skills in a final exercise chosen by the leader of the Domain. Depending on the result, the youngsters officially became part of the army and were assigned a post. Those who didn't pass the test were relegated to doing heavy labour within the Fortress.

At the gates of the stone Fortress, a group of children were practicing what they had learned at the military camp. In the centre of the circle, a boy and a girl no older than twelve fought with their swords, cheered on by the rest. The shining swords clashed, drawing cries of concern for their lives from the expectant crowd.

"Take it back," demanded the girl, swinging her sword in front of her now unarmed opponent.

"I'm not scared of a girl," the boy replied, puffing out his chest against the tip of the sword aimed at him.

The crowd gave a collective gasp at his provocation.

"Let's see how much pain you can withstand."

The sound of a horse galloping at speed towards them interrupted the combat. The rider reigned and quickly dismounted right in front of the two children, forcing the rest to make way amidst the dust cloud. Instinctively, both youngsters aimed their swords at the mysterious stranger, whose face was covered by a black iron helmet. He stood still for a few seemingly eternal seconds and then, with lightning speed, unsheathed two daggers he kept at his back and began to fight the children as the rest of the group looked on, too scared to do anything.

His movements were so fast and precise that the children barely had time to twist their wrists and lift their heavy swords. The thrusts followed ruthlessly one after the other, with no regard for the youth of the two aspiring soldiers. They did what they could to resist the jabs, but they came too fast for their reflexes. The masked fighter seemed to have no intention of stopping. With one swift movement he caused the boy's sword to fall on the ground and, taking advantage of his momentary confusion, grabbed him by the neck, pulled him close and threatened to end his life with the sharp blade of one of his daggers.

"Alright, alright," said the scared girl. "What do you want from us?" The rider made to cut the boy's throat. "No, please! Tell us what you want and we'll do it, but don't hurt him."

As if the girl had pronounced magic words, the mysterious man let the boy go and sheathed his weapons.

"Soldiers must always protect each other," said Atenea as she took off the helmet that hid her identity. "The warriors of my army don't fight against each other. And the rest of you, "she addressed the other children, "you are such cowards that you didn't even lift a finger to defend those you were cheering on a few seconds ago. Is it in your hands that I'm supposed to leave the defence of the kingdom?"

The children lowered their heads in shame, not daring to lift their eyes from the ground.

"If I ever see another fight like this again, I will take measures. Understood?" They all nodded, fearful. "Go back to the camp. You two," she said to the two children. "Childish behaviour like this would have cost you your life in a battle. There will be no leaving the camp this month for you two. Join the rest."

They both obeyed their instructor. The warrior paid special attention to the children who were starting their training, perhaps motivated by the nostalgia of her own childhood. She still didn't have the support of her people, especially those who could still remember where she came from, but she had their respect thanks to her undeniable skills as a warrior, which had saved the kingdom on more than one occasion in the past. Atenea didn't have the height nor build that impressed the enemy, however, her skills with the bow as well as the flexibility she had gained in her training made her essential in the Domain.

"You are too hard on them, Atenea," said Hogier as he approached on his horse, interrupting the thoughts of the young warrior. "Stop taking your frustrations out on your apprentices. What happened to you is not their fault."

"Mind your place, Hogier," she replied offended. "This is a military camp. I must be hard. Otherwise they will keep acting like this is a game. I don't train warriors to send them to die." She mounted her horse. "Why are you following me?"

"We must go back to the Fortress. David summons you and it sounds important."

"Whatever it is, he can manage without me." She made to leave.

"It's not a request, Atenea. It's an order."

"There are too many kings in this kingdom," she muttered.

Greatly annoyed, she set aside her pride and headed back to the Fortress. In the centre of it there was a small castle, the same one her father had once defended and which had cost him his life. It was the place where several generations of other leaders of the Domain of Spades had lived. Now, it had become her prison. She hated having to obey seemingly stupid orders, just out of fear of punishment. She knew David, the current leader of the Domain, had given her more freedom to act than any other leader would have granted her, but there were still times when she couldn't help feeling limited by all the holy rules and protocols. She angrily burst through the door to the main room of the castle, startling David and another gentleman who was with him.

"Here I am, my lord, as you requested." The stress on that last word made her annoyance clear. "Magnus?" she whispered to herself as she saw who the other man was. "Why do we have the honour of a visit from the King of Hearts?"

"We don't have time for your scenes, Atenea," David said quietly to avoid giving a bad impression.

"You made me leave my training. It had better be important."

"It is," Magnus interrupted.

"Some of our warriors were murdered yesterday, at the borders," explained David, concerned. "A group of exiles have disappeared from the Confines."

"That can't be. It's impossible," she repeated, shaking her head in disbelief. "Our best warriors vigilate the borders."

"Well, it would seem they are not the best," the king interrupted again. "Whoever they are, they have entered the kingdom and the news has reached the queen, who has given the order to gather the Guardians."

"Gather the Guardians!" Atenea exclaimed. "I don't think we should be so alarmist..."

"We have reason to believe otherwise."

"It won't be necessary to resort to that, your Majesty," added David, glancing at a nervous Atenea. "We will find the exiles ourselves. We shall leave today."

David, as leader of the Domain, took responsibility for what had happened and gave his word that they would catch those who had dared to enter the borders. He accompanied the king out and closed the door behind him. The young warrior placed his hands on the door, thoughtful, as if trying to think of the right course of action to take.

"We can't tell him," said Atenea firmly.

"We might have to," replied David, looking away.

"No. We can't and you know it. First the king and then the whole kingdom would know."

"You don't understand, Atenea," David said uneasily, turning around. "They crossed the borders. We must find them."

"Thieves, most likely. Let's send Sama to find out who they are."

"I'd rather leave my brother out of this. No thief can kill our warriors. There is something else..." he said, a hint of suspicion glinting his sky-blue eyes. "The queen wouldn't give the order to gather the Guardians lightly. We can't take the risk. Our duty is to protect the kingdom."

"Do you know what we will exposed to if they find out who I am? Forget it. No."

"Enough," the warrior ordered. He approached the young woman and placed his hands on her shoulders to calm her down, "What happened to your mother is not going to happen to you, I promise. Not as long as I am here."

The sweet gesture softened the hard features of his face.

"I can protect myself," said Atenea, moving away from him and walking towards the door.

The confident expression on her face didn't match the internal struggle she was having with herself. She had learned from her father how to hide her emotions, as a good warrior mustn't show himself as an open book. Still, David was tenacious in his interactions with her.

"Fear will always be a warrior's companion, Atenea," he blurted out.

"What do you know about fear, lord of the Domain?" she retorted indignantly.

"I know what being in the middle of the battle feels like, praying to be faster than your enemy's sword and clever enough to avoid their arrows. I've seen my soldiers die..."

"Have you seen your mother die at the hands of her own people?" she interrupted bitterly. "Was your father killed defending those who killed his wife?"

Her voice, filled with a resentment repressed for too long, silenced David for a few moments.

"We leave at dawn," he said firmly.

Atenea left the room in a show of protest, although she knew it wouldn't go any further. She had contradictory feelings towards David and his role in the Domain. On one hand, she knew David valued his honour above anything else and only wanted to do what was right, but on the other hand, her personal demons were still frequent visitors. It was them that wouldn't allow her to give David a chance, no matter how hard he tried. It was David himself who had asked her to lead the Domain alongside him, even before finding out her secret. He had never told her the true reason behind that decision and she chose to stop asking. Being on the side of whoever was in charge was a smart move, so she just accepted his offer. After all, David had even protected her from the attacks of their resentful people. The last time the identity of the Guardian of Fire had been revealed rivers of blood had flowed within the castle, thus leaving her now to shoulder the weight of heavy responsibility.

Inside the hall of arms, the warrior readied herself to face the unknown. How many times had she prepared to fight inside these walls! It was a wide inhospitable area. Swords of different sizes and metals hung on the walls alongside arrows, axes, daggers and other sharp objects. The bows were on an adjoining wall, next to quivers full of arrows. At the end of the room there were other inventions designed to cause pain: crossbows, catapults that threw burning rocks, and huge wooden beams used to seal doors.

Within the dank silence of its walls, she had meditated on strategies and faced her fears. Brandishing a weapon had become second nature rather than an honourable duty. She sheathed her daggers and hung her bow, whose skilful handling had given her so many glorious triumphs in her short life.

"So this is the lair of the rebel Atenea," came a familiar voice from behind her.

"What are you doing here, Magnus?" She paused to turn around. "You already heard David. We will take care of this."

"Do you really expect me to trust your word? You have proved to be quite incompetent." He closed in on Atenea to within just a few inches and made an attempt to kiss her, which she successfully dodged. "Your respect for David is admirable, even when you don't feel anything for him. Bravo. A little too late in my opinion."

"You're not coming with us." She walked away and continued getting ready.

"You forget kings don't follow orders from their own army. We have fought together before, don't worry about me." He paused to look at her and sighed. "Stop avoiding me, Atenea. You act as if the gods had erased your memory too..."

"That happened a long time ago. We were given a different destiny."

"I haven't forgotten. I could have betrayed you many years ago, but I care about you." He moved closer again.

"I thought kings had to be intelligent. What do you think will happen if we gather the Guardians?"

"I'm the only one who can give you what you long for, can't you see?"

Atenea stared at him for seconds that took her back years.

"It's time to leave. If you don't want to die, get your weapons," she warned him and left the room.

Outside, at the Fortress gates, Atenea took the medallion with the symbol of the Domain carved on it and hung it around Hogier's neck. She whispered to him that he was in charge during her absence. The man understood the message.

"Bring her back alive," he murmured in David's ear.

The warrior climbed on "Four", her jet black horse, and David did the same, mounting his magnificent stallion. They set off alongside the King of Hearts.

"Be on guard. We might need the army," Hogier told one of the soldiers who was positioned at the door, as he watched Atenea leave.

The light of the sunset glowing on the muscular warrior's long, dark hair gave him an alluring air that all but Atenea noticed. David was aware of the challenge that leading the Domain with her was going to be, but his heart had accepted it with resignation the first time he had seen her, dressed in her warrior garb and a rebellious expression on her face that he could never forget. That same rebelliousness had built tall, thick walls around her that prevented him from getting any closer on a personal level. He glanced at her, sitting astride her horse, masking her everlasting rage with courage, and he felt powerless for not being able to comfort her.

"Are you sure you want to come with us?" the warrior asked the king.

"Don't question a king's decision. You should worry about your fellow soldier here. She looks uneasy and that can distract her from the dangers out there."

"We must hurry. It will be dark soon," David said quickly to cut the tension that filled the air.

"As you command," Atenea pronounced coldly.

At that, she spurred "Four" into a gallop, leaving the two gentlemen little option but to follow the indomitable warrior.

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# Chapter II

She walked hastily among the cottages pushing aside anyone who got in her way, not out of arrogance but out of urgency. At the end of the long row of houses, the real bustle began. Groups of merchants, mostly men, invaded the field. They were focused on their business while sweaty labourers worked hard in the quarries. She noticed how everyone stared at her whenever she appeared, something she had become used to since she was a child. She belonged to a highly regarded lineage of merchants and this fact itself was enough to demand respect. Her great-grandfather had started the family business by distributing corn and ever since then his heritage had passed onto his descendants who, one after the other, had accepted the honour of representing the family name in the Domain. And now it was her turn as first-born daughter, although sometimes the reputation was so heavy to bear that it suffocated her independent spirit.

"Rachel." One of the eldest merchants approached her.

"Not now. I'm in a hurry," she said, smiling apologetically. "I'm looking for someone called Julius, do you know where I can find him?" The man shook his head.

The young woman continued walking towards the entrance to the quarry, where labourers bustled around loading the extracted material onto wooden wagons. Some of them already knew her, and those who didn´t had heard about her. Her long, blonde, curly hair and a green and white cotton dress that highlighted her figure, didn't go unnoticed amidst the austerity of the grimy miners.

"Gentlemen, I'm looking for Julius."

Nobody answered. They were too busy, so they confined themselves to their chores.

"Can somebody tell me where Julius is? You." She grabbed one of them by the arm. "Where can I find Julius?" she asked, realising her arrogant attitude and softening her tone. "I need to speak with him."

Her father had always repeated endlessly that interpersonal relationships were the basis of any business transaction, as nobody would donate the product of long hours of work to someone they didn't trust. Workers had to feel they were treated with respect. After all, they had the control, even if they weren't aware of it. Rachel took the lessons passed on from generation to generation very seriously and so she put them into practice with the discipline of a warrior.

"You can talk to him now," said a voice from inside the mine.

"Are you Julius?"

"I am he. And I'm sure we haven't met because I would have remembered you," he smiled.

Rachel knew very well the history behind those who managed the quarries. Julius belonged to a family of mining tradition that had expanded their ventures throughout the Domain. The merchants maintained a cordial relationship with the only goal of keeping their workers' trust. That way the system would continue. For the most part, they were honest merchants who received a share of the harvest in return for organizing the chores and distributing food among the inhabitants of the kingdom. Rachel didn't normally go to the mines, but it was a small world and the reputation of a merchant always reached the ears of the rest.

"Can you explain this?" she demanded, throwing a little black bag which he caught mid-air.

"They're silver coins," he explained when he saw the contents.

"I can see that. Why are they being distributed among the workers?"

"It's much better than bartering. Think about it for a moment. If you don't have anything I'm interested in, you can give me a coin and take a sack of wheat or a hen in return. Then, you can use that very same coin to get what you need, and so on."

"My people don't want pieces of metal," Rachel replied, sceptical. "This won't feed them when they're hungry nor dress them when they're cold."

"I get the feeling you're not convinced. Give it some time and you'll get used to it. Believe me, it is more useful and faster than our current system. Here." He put a couple of bags full of coins into her hands. "Take it as a gift. I will speak to your people, if that's what you're worried about. Now, I must go back to work." He smiled and disappeared into the quarry, without giving Rachel a chance to answer back.

Julius was a man of many faces. He was known for being a magnificent strategist in business and a first class orator. He could outwit anyone to achieve his goal, even making them believe they had had the idea themselves. He appeared friendly and approachable, always open to discussing the conditions of the deal. These qualities had been quite useful to him and rumours circulated that he used them in other aspects of his life and not just those related to his businesses.

"You'll have to do better than that, Julius," called out one of the men pushing the loaded wagon. "Rachel is not one of your business partners."

"Rachel? Labas' daughter?"

The man nodded, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his dirty hands. Julius looked with interest at the young woman, who was walking around the place making conversation with the tired labourers.

"If you are thinking what I think you're thinking, forget it," the man warned him as he continued working.

"What do you know about what I think? Besides, I understand Labas is a reasonable man."

"Oh, it's not Labas who you should be worried about," he laughed. "She can take care of herself."

"If I have been able to convince the Domain of Diamonds to use my coins for trading, I can convince Labas to join my... projects. How do I look?" Julius asked, opening his arms wide so that the man could see his outfit.

"Completely mad. I wish I could be there to see it..." the miner laughed again and disappeared into the tunnel.

The Domain of Diamonds was one of the biggest ones in extension along with the Domain of Clubs, but Rachel had wandered along its paths so many times that it held no mystery for her. Business wasn't going very well lately. The harvest hadn't been good and it was complicated to make sure everybody had enough supplies to survive. If the farmers didn't harvest enough, they wouldn't have anything to exchange with the rest and the stockbreeders' and quarry workers' patience was starting to run out. Trust, she repeated to herself over and over. She had to stay calm and give the impression of someone who had everything under control. Hope was an infallible emotion to ensure the workers loyalty.

As she briskly walked to her father's house, she thought of the silver coins. Maybe it was better to set aside her stubbornness for the sake of her people and accept that this could be a way to end the problems of bartering. The idea was still dancing around inside her head when she saw someone outside her father's door. She could only see his back, so she couldn't recognise him, but it seemed strange as her father had stopped running the family business some time ago. His health wasn't very good and, even though he still showed interest in how everything was going, he had given way to his daughters to take charge. After all, they had learned from the best.

The young man who was standing there kept knocking on the door. Then that she noticed the small amber ring on his little finger.

"What are you doing here?" she asked surprised and startling Julius, who hadn't noticed her approaching.

"I'm looking for Labas and, if I haven't been misinformed, this is where he lives."

"And what do you want to see my father for?"

Julius had no time to reply, as an old man with a grey beard opened the door.

"Father."

"Labas," the young man said. "Sir, my name is Julius. I would like to..."

"I know who you are. Coins, eh?" The old man looked him up and down. "Come on in. I'd like to hear your idea."

Rachel was confused. She still wasn't quite sure what she thought of Julius. He seemed like someone who was hard to read and the simple way he dealt with things gave him a certain charisma she couldn't comprehend. However, her father had shown interest in the young merchant's idea, so maybe she should give him a chance too. Although they had never met before, Julius wasn't a complete stranger after all. His reputation as a business strategist preceded him. The people from the Domain of Clubs held him in high esteem and, even though his ambition was at times too much, they trusted his leadership.

Labas gestured towards a chair and poured a cup of wine for them both. Then he realised Rachel was also there and raised the bottle enquiringly. The young woman shook her head, turning down the offer; a detail that did not escape Julius' attention.

"Thank you, sir, but I don't drink when I'm doing business. It's one of my rules," the merchant explained, masking his words with a friendly tone.

"I'll be honest with you, son. I am quite sceptical about all this with the coins."

"Hmm, I guess that's a family thing," Julius said with a half-smile, glancing at Rachel. "I understand this is something new and it's going to take some time to adjust. All new ideas need time. We can always go back to the old system if it doesn't work, but, sire, if you speak with the farmers they will tell you how this is solving their problems." He paused to stare at the old man. "You know better than anyone about the difficulties that are arising due to this year's bad harvest."

"I don't mean to be negative but, what will happen if those who have more coins decide to stop doing their tasks? We cannot afford the stockbreeders and quarry workers to leave their work," Rachel explained, turning her light-coloured eyes to those of her persuasive visitor.

"That won't happen. Everything will balance itself out. It will create a flow between them and, eventually, supply and demand will dictate what everybody has."

"Does the Council know about all this?"

"Not yet, sir."

"Hmmm," Labas muttered and sipping from his glass. "There's no better way to prove a theory than by experimenting." He looked for approval in his daughter's eyes.

"Anyway, sir, that was not exactly the purpose of my visit." He caressed his cup nervously. "I came to let you know that it would be an honour to have your permission to take Rachel as my wife."

The proposal took both father and daughter by surprise, although the disbelief was more visible on her.

"But who do you think you are?" she exclaimed offended, and jumping to her feet.

"You see, Julius, I have raised five daughters and if there is something I have learned is that neither you nor I have any power of decision in a woman's life, even if it seems the contrary. I'm afraid only my daughter Rachel can respond to that question."

Julius shot an almost involuntary glance at the young woman who stood stock still with her arms folded.

"You aren't serious, are you? This morning was the first time I have ever exchanged two words with you. What kind of woman gets engaged to a man she barely knows?"

"Most of them."

"Well, not me."

"I understand your concern and I can assure you that my intentions are honest," Julius replied, using his famous charisma.

"That's a predictable response from one clever merchant to another."

"Alright, son. I think it's wise to know when to withdraw an offer," Labas said, standing up and putting an end to the conversation.

"I'll work for you," he suddenly blurted. "I understand that you don't feel comfortable with someone you just met, so I will help in your father's business for as long as you deem necessary," he addressed Rachel. "If after that, your answer is still no, I will accept defeat and never bother you again."

NIGHT FELL ON THE HUMBLE Labas' cottage along with the autumn breeze. Rachel fanned the fire nervously with one hand and bit the nails of her other at the same time. She was hypnotized by the dancing flames that bathed her pink skin in a red and orange glow.

"I'm glad I'm not that piece of wood," her father joked from the doorway.

"It's a strange feeling being the reward of a stranger."

"Daughter, tell me if I have made a mistake by giving Julius a chance," the old man said kindly, sitting next to her. "You have the last word in this. It's your life, your future. It must be your decision. There's nothing else to discuss if the answer is clear in your heart. You are my daughter."

Rachel could see the sincerity in her father's warm gaze.

"Why do I have the feeling you know something I don't, father?" she asked with a mischievous smile.

"It may be because of the grey hairs in my beard," he said, rubbing his face. "Let Julius go with you to Clubs tomorrow."

Rachel nodded. The old man stood up and made to leave.

"He is a clever merchant, but his heart is humble. Let's see what happens," Labas said. He turned and left Rachel, absorbed in the crackling of the fire.

THE WAY TO THE DOMAIN of Clubs was easy up until the stone bridge. There, a heavy wooden fence flanked by warriors from Spades welcomed them. They were dressed in dark leather clothes and their faces were obscured by iron helmets that left only their eyes visible. Not everyone was permitted to enter every Domain. People from Diamonds and Clubs were the only ones who could come and go as they pleased, for obvious reasons, since the distribution of supplies to the rest of the kingdom would be impossible otherwise. However, the warriors were limited to defending the borders from intruders and were only allowed entrance if there was an imminent threat or to fight in a battle. The Domain of Hearts had the strictest rules. If you didn't belong to the Domain you could not enter and, likewise, if you lived there you were not allowed to leave, especially the queen. Her post came with a number of conditions that she had to accept from birth. Being the guardian of the Earth Element, the most important of them all, involved responsibilities beyond leading the four Domains.

The warriors had been trained since childhood to distinguish the origin of every man, woman and child who intended to cross the Domain's borders. Rachel and Julius were frequent visitors in Clubs, so they didn't have much trouble in gaining access. Behind the fence, the majesty of the ploughed fields stretched before their eyes. The peasants worked the endless acres of land with discipline. Women and men moved in unison under the warm, early sunlight, as though it was a carefully rehearsed choreography. The foremen conducted them like an orchestra in which each one had been assigned the right note to play. Rachel was always amazed at the tenderness with which they performed their tasks and the respect they professed to the land, the plants, the animals, the water and the sun with every movement. She observed that Julius contemplated the scene with a nostalgic expression, trying to take it all in.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

"I haven't come to this part for a long time. Most of my businesses are in the quarries, you know."

Rachel took her new partner to one of the fields. Normally, she went for a walk around there and chatted with the peasants to find out how everything was going. She knew working in the fields was hard and felt everybody was somehow indebted to Clubs, so showing interest was a gesture that was appreciated. Julius seemed genuinely enthusiastic about everything Rachel told him about her businesses. Suddenly, a couple of children came running and yelling for Rachel at the top of their lungs.

"What's going on? Why all this shouting?" the young woman asked worriedly.

"Lot needs you. It's urgent."

Lot was an old family friend and one of the strictest foremen in the whole kingdom. He repeated time and again that working in the fields demanded discipline that not everyone had. Rachel had no memory of him ever complaining about anything, not even the year one of the shepherds lost half a flock of sheep. If Lot required her, it had to be a serious matter.

"We have lost most of the harvest. It's very strange," Lot explained, showing them a corn cob. "I don't understand. We've done what we had to do." He shook his head in disbelief.

"Could it be a plague?" Julius asked, examining the corn closer. "I'm Julius," he clarified.

"It doesn't look like any I have seen before."

"It's as if it were rotten," Rachel added.

Lot was a short, thin man, but with surprising strength for his advanced age. His face, wrinkled by years working in the sun, always held the same serious expression, as if he was eternally upset. A crowd of uneasy peasants had congregated around the two young merchants, hoping they could provide a solution. Rachel knew about business, but her knowledge of the fields was limited.

"I'll speak with my father, Lot," she promised. "I will go before the Council myself, if necessary. Carry on with the work until I find out what's happening."

"Alright. But hurry up, my lady. We can't lose another harvest."

The fresh early morning breeze turned into a freezing gale and clouds covered the sky rapidly. One of the peasants who was still picking corn, raised her eyes to the clouds and, guided by something nobody else could feel there, left cautiously, trying to go unnoticed. She dropped her basket and advanced quickly until she was out of the field. Then she held up her skirts and began to run fast towards the forest that separated them from the Domain of Spades.

Very few people dared to enter the forest of Clubs; even the inhabitants of the Domain were reluctant to walk through the shady nooks formed by the twisted branches of its ancient trees. It was rumoured that the gods had released wild beasts in it as a way to prevent intruders from entering the kingdom through it. Despite all the stories she had heard since childhood, Argine, for that was her name, never felt scared of the forest. She had always had a special sensitivity towards understanding nature. It was as though she could hear the words the trees whispered when the wind slipped through their leaves. This time she had the feeling that the freezing wind didn't bring good tidings.

She went deeper into the darkness of the forest, negotiating the branches that snagged on her dress and made the path even narrower. Pushing through the tangled bushes, she reached the place she was looking for: a small lake of crystal clear water that reflected the hanging plants and was refuge to exotic, colourful birds, insects and other creatures. Suddenly, she stopped. The prevailing silence was not a good sign.

"What's happening?" she shouted to the forest. "Answer me! I know something is wrong!" She remained silent, waiting for a response that never came.

Sometimes the flutter of a hummingbird was enough information, but the forest didn't seem willing to talk. She spent the rest of the day hidden in that magical place that had seen her grow up. Even though she didn't know her origins, there was a force, like a powerful impulse, that drew her towards this spot when she needed answers. That day, for some strange reason, the forest had fallen silent and a mysterious aura surrounded its spirit. Nature never reveals itself without a good reason. It reacts to what's done to it. Argine was aware that something was happening to the harvest. Could it be that this was the only way the fields had of asking for help? The wind that accompanied the clouds sounded in her ears like a cry for help, but without no clue to point her in the right direction, it was complicated to decipher what was going on.

She headed back home, lit only by the moonlight and accompanied by the singing of the nocturnal insects. She stealthily approached the back of the little house where she lived with Lot and the rest of his children. She couldn't stop thinking about the fields, the loss of part of the harvest, the helplessness of not knowing what was happening, that bitter wind. She knew it didn't bring good news, but she couldn't interpret the message. Her sixth sense and complicity with nature had failed her today. Everything was suspiciously silent, like a little child planning to do mischief. From outside, she could make out a dim light coming from the main room of the humble cottage. She assumed Lot was still awake, probably trying to find the solution to the problems of his lands. If he saw her arriving at that time, she would have to face a long interrogation. Although Lot wasn't her biological father, he had raised her as though she were his own daughter, and that included displaying the neurotic and hysterical need that parents have to know where their children are, with whom and what they are doing.

"Where are you coming from at this time of night?"

The unexpected question startled her. She spun around to see who was talking.

"Ssshhh," she urged. "Lower your voice, Alex."

The boy came closer to whisper to her.

"I saw you running away from the field this morning. Where have you been?"

"That's none of your business. Are you spying on me now?"

"Lot is not going to like knowing you left on your own," he insinuated. "Come on, I just want to know."

"Blackmail? Huh! Curiosity killed the cat, you know?" Argine threatened gently.

"You are lucky it's late and I have to get up early tomorrow to feed the animals," Alexander smiled. "Good night."

"Go home, Alex," she said gently.

When the boy had gone, Argine glanced back at the window of the small cottage. Lot seemed to have some company. She could hear a deep voice from a second person. She hunched down under the window and put her ear against the wooden wall.

"Lot, we've known each other for a long time. It seemed fair to warn you. Whatever you do from this moment on is up to you."

"How could you let them in? Where were your men?" the angry man demanded.

"I wish I could answer that question. This was the only thing we found." He showed him the same black bag Odin had given to his fellow criminals. "My soldiers had their throats cut."

"I've seen that before," Lot said, holding the bag in his hands. "This is the new payment system the merchants want to impose."

"Listen, my friend. Your time to fight is at its end."

"I will protect her." Lot said with determination.

"You are not strong enough to protect her anymore. What Gaia gives, Gaia takes."

"This isn't a work of Gaia."

"If they find her and discover who she is, they will kill her." The warrior warned.

Those words gripped Argine's heart, as though someone were squeezing it in their fist. Was that what the wind was trying to say? She didn't know what was happening, but her life was in danger, and with it, the lives of those who tried to protect her. This warrior had made it very clear. Whoever "they" were, they were abroad somewhere inside the Domain now and she knew very well what could happen if they found her. She took a deep breath, like soldiers do before going into battle, closed her eyes, and thinking of Lot, ran away towards the forest. She couldn't put the family in danger. Staying in the Domain was not an option. There was only one thing she could do.

Argine knew how painful would be for Lot to lose yet another loved one. He didn't talk much about his late wife, but Argine had heard some stories. Lot told her Ditte --that was her name-- had died when Allen had been born, but others in the Domain talked about sorcery, something magical that had taken her away. Whatever it was, it took a long time for Lot to recover, if he had ever done so, and he had mentioned so many times how much Argine resembled Ditte that she was sure her running away was going to hurt him deeper than any knife.

It wasn't the first time Argine had gone into the forest at night, but she still knew she had to be careful. She knew most of the creatures that inhabited it very well, however, she also knew that in its depths roamed others with darker intentions. When she reached the lake, she stood still for a moment, looking from one side to the other, and once she had made sure she was all alone, she placed a foot on the water and walked over it as though it were solid ground. Then, a rustling from the bushes caught her attention. She remained in complete silence, focused on heightening her senses. The creak of a branch gave away the intruder who was in the trees behind her. She turned around and made out a silhouette hidden among the underbrush.

"Make him come out," Argine said loudly to the forest.

Alexander shot out from the leafy pines, tripped and fell to the ground before the girl.

"What are you doing here?" she exclaimed furiously. "I told you not to follow me."

"That tree... just pushed me," the peasant stammered shocked, pointing towards the pines with his finger. "You... what are you?" he asked the girl, who was still standing on the water.

Argine took a deep breath and replied with resignation:

"I'm a Guardian. She paused. "And now you are, too."

"Wait a minute, a Guardian?" The peasant stood up.

"We don't have time for explanations. I must take the Element out of its shelter and leave for the Domain of Hearts. We are no longer safe here."

"A Guardian..." he repeated, wide-eyed.

Argine, realising her young friend was going to need a couple of minutes to take it all in, slipped over the lake to a small waterfall. She passed through the curtain of water and came back in seconds that felt like hours. The water touched her timidly, not daring to wet her skin, outlining her silhouette. It was as if it were part of her. She hurried out of the lake. Alexander was still observing the scene in amazement.

"We must leave. Quickly."

And as Argine said that, the water stopped pouring from the waterfall, the night insects fell silent and a deafening thunder rolled across the sky. The young girl grabbed Alexander by the hand and started running in the opposite direction of the fields.

"Where are we going?" her friend asked as he tried to follow her and avoid the branches hanging from the trees.

Argine kept running faster and faster, ignoring the incessant questions from the peasant. The crashing of the thunder felt closer. Suddenly, lightning struck a huge tree in front of them, forcing them to change direction.

"It's angry. It knows we have taken it out of its resting place," Argine murmured.

"Who? What have we taken out of its resting place?" He pulled her arm and grabbed her by her shoulders. "What's going on, Argine? I won't move from here until you explain to me."

"We don't have time, Alex. We must leave the forest. Trust me. Once we are safe, I will answer all of your questions. I promise."

Suddenly, everything fell silent again. Both of them looked at each other disconcerted. From out of the foliage, a flock of birds suddenly took flight as if they were being chased by the devil himself.

"Alex," Argine said following the birds with her eyes. "Run."

Argine grabbed his hand again and they both ran almost as fast as the birds. The sound of roaring could be heard following their footfalls on the undergrowth. They simply ran and ran, ignoring whatever the furiously howling beast might be. After what felt like hours, they came to a path that led them out of the protection of the thick vegetation. They walked under cover of night until they reached a hill where they sat down exhausted on some rocks.

"Are you going to explain what that was?" Alexander asked, breathing fast.

Argine paused to find the right words and, hesitating, she said:

"I'm the guardian of the Water Element. Nature protects all of us in its way. It protected me..." She began to explain.

"So I didn't imagine it. That tree pushed me."

"Nature never attacks; it obeys its instinct, unlike humans, who silence it as time goes by, masking it with so-called progress. We Guardians must keep our duty in secret. You shouldn't have followed me, but you are so stubborn. Now you have become part of this."

"What do you mean?"

"Two Guardians will protect each Element from those who threaten the balance of the established order." She glanced at the boy who listened in bewilderment. "You just became a Guardian of the Water Element."

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# Chapter III

The thickness of the fog and the clothing that covered their faces became the perfect guise to go unnoticed. Odin led the pilgrimage from the border entrance down into the Domain. Euchare walked next to him whereas Zeta and the two dishevelled men, who never uttered a word, lagged well behind. The darkness of the night protected them from prying eyes.

"What's the plan, Odin?" The question escaped from Euchare's frozen breath.

"Find someone who's willing to talk. We only have the time this night will last. The peasants will recognise us at dawn and the warriors will come after us."

"Who in their right mind would reveal the secret identity of a Guardian?"

"We'll find someone. No one can keep a secret. We have a need to brag in front of other people about the things we know and they ignore."

Suddenly the sky began to roar as if in rage and an orchestra of ferocious thunder claps halted the conversation.

"Perfect. A storm," Zeta exclaimed with his distinctive, booming voice.

Odin stopped and looked up at the sky attentively.

"No humidity. It's not a storm." His mouth split into an evil smile. "Well, someone is furious. Look for a missing person," he ordered, walking faster. "The Guardian has beat us to it."

"And how do you expect we do that? House by house? They'll know we are not from here."

"These people will only answer to a warrior," Zeta added.

"For once I'm happy to hear you, friend Zeta," Odin said, his face alight. "What's wrong with those two?" He glanced at the quiet men. "Cat got their tongue?"

"Something like that..."

The five exiles continued walking briskly along the dimly lit path. The clouds were blocking out the starlight. Odin sped up as if the direction he should take were obvious. He came to a halt in a clearing where there were some cottages.

"Hide and wait for my signal," he told them.

The gang of villains obeyed, crouching down in the bushes near the cottages. Odin walked confidently up to one and knocked on the door. A few seconds went by and nobody answered. He repeated the gesture, this time knocking harder. Whoever lived there was probably asleep at that time. His cronies watched the scene both in anticipation and concern about being discovered. Steps approached the door. Still rubbing his eyes sleepily, a little boy appeared. Odin only needed milliseconds to lose his original appearance and turn himself into a carbon copy of a warrior from the Domain of Spades.

"My apologies, child," Odin said. "We have been informed of a disappearance. Are all your brothers inside?" The boy nodded reticently. "What about your father?"

"Who's there, son?" Lot asked as he moved the child away from the door. "May I help you?"

"There has been a disappearance in the Domain. We are checking every house. Are all your children inside?"

"Yes. They all must be sleeping at this time of the night." He kept silent for a moment, suspicious. "Who could have gone missing? There are warriors everywhere."

"Father!" the child said, pulling at his sleeve. "Argine is not home."

"She must have fallen asleep somewhere. Go back to bed."

The child obeyed his father.

"Who is Argine?"

"She is my youngest daughter. She was probably overtaken by fatigue at the stables. You had better carry on with your search. There's nobody missing in this house," replied a distrustful Lot, as he made to close the door.

"I don't think so," Odin said, pushing the door open and holding his sword blade against the old man's throat.

"The advantage of being old is that you stop being afraid, "Lot said. "I have been ready for this day since I found her. I promised to protect her and I will."

The elderly man stepped forward defiantly towards the point of the sharp metal. Just then, Odin's accomplices showed up, brandishing their swords and just in time to join in the questioning.

"You were taking too long to call us," Euchare said. "We thought you might need some help."

ODIN PACED NERVOUSLY from one side of the stable to the other and the horses became restless and unsettled too. Tied to one of the pillars Lot, soaked in sweat and exhausted, clung to his last breath. His eyes looked impassive and calm like those of a person with a clear conscience and ready to surrender to whatever fate had in mind for him.

"I've heard about you, Harlequin."

"Yes, I believe the Council has made sure my name is known throughout the whole kingdom."

"Condemning you to exile turned out to be a good decision, although too benign a punishment, if you ask me." Odin fixed his eyes on the old man with a look of savage rage. "Wherever you go, chaos will follow."

"If that's the case, the chaos is about to take over everything you know, old man."

Lot challenged him with a smile and remained silent. Odin turned around and left.

"He won't tell us anything," he said over his shoulder.

Euchare took the withdrawal as carte blanche and began to untie the man, who looked at him in confusion.

"What are you doing?" Zeta asked, already waving his knife.

"We don't need to leave a trail of death. The warriors are trained for that, but the people from the kingdom..."

Lot held tightly the thick rope that suffocated his hands and a swift memory of her wife Ditte crossed his mind. Protecting Argine could send him back to her side at last. Ditte would have been such a good mother to Argine; they were so alike even when they didn't share any blood.

"Do you think he won't report us? Move away." Zeta grunted, pushing Euchare with his enormous hand.

"At least give the old man the chance to fight."

Upon hearing this, Lot gathered what little strength he had left and charged in vain at the gigantic Zeta. The crook twisted his body and lifted his weapon. The old man's body hit the ground, spattering the decayed wood with blood.

THE EARTH TOWER REMAINED in a deafening silence that assaulted the uneasy queen's ears. Locked up inside the temple of the Tower Judith started to feel desperate, unable to do anything other than stare at her cards, waiting for answers. This sacred place was her only door to the outside world. In one corner, hidden next to a window from where she could climb to the top of the building, there was a little fountain. Next to it, the queen turned over one card after another, hoping for a sign.

"I haven't seen those since you took the throne," Étienne interrupted from the entrance, which was flanked by columns.

"I never understood what they were for. I can't decipher them," she complained. "What's the point of blank cards?" She threw them on the ground furiously, defeated.

She took a deep breath.

"You used to make up your own games when you were little. You always had a wild imagination."

"Sometimes I wonder what it would happen if my parents were here... I can't just wait. I have to do something." She glanced at Étienne, as though begging him to utter the words that would dispel her desperation.

"My lady, I'm sure the warriors have everything under control." He placed his hand over hers. "What about the voices? Don't you hear them anymore?"

"They aren't telling me anything new. Not even the water in the fountain is showing me anything. I feel completely isolated." She fell silent for a moment. "What would the previous queen have done? Would she passively follow the rules without defending her kingdom?"

"That's what she did until the day she died," Étienne replied. "There's a reason for all these rules, Judith. The Council must ensure the divine law is adhered to and leaving the Tower will only make things worse for the kingdom you so wish to protect. We can't jeopardise the Element."

"And what are all these rules for?" she cried helplessly. "We've served the gods with devotion, followed every rule strictly, and we have failed. It may be time for new rules."

"Unfortunately, it's not up to us to make that decision." He paused and then sighed. "My queen, out of everybody, I certainly know what feels like to lose your freedom for a greater purpose. I tasted it once."

"Maybe I should gather the Council and explain it to them myself. I accepted this imposed charge with resignation for the sake of my people and this queen will be in the front line of the battle if need be." She stood up determinedly.

"Your majesty," the older man appealed softly as though talking to a spoiled child. "The Guardians swore to protect the Elements with their lives and so they will. You must be kept safe inside the Tower and wait. Talking to the Council will only spread fear. All in good time." Étienne fixed his tender eyes on hers. "There is a reason for all this and the time you long so much is coming, my dear queen. If you don't trust the Gods, trust the wrinkles on my face and the grey hair in my beard."

She would have liked to use her title and leave the Tower at that very moment, but deep inside she knew Étienne's reasons were partly right. He had been her mentor and guide since she was a little girl. He guarded his past jealously. Judith knew he had been one of the priests of the temple, but sometimes she had the feeling he kept a deeper secret under lock and key. She knew very little about the members of the Council. They spent their time locked up in the great temple, translating the gods' wishes and ensuring they were obeyed. She was scared of making the wrong decision. One false move could unleash unpredictable consequences and there was too much at stake. She had been raised to fulfil her duty in the kingdom and understand how her decisions could affect the course of events. Somehow, she felt that fear had been her actual guide. Then, she had an idea.

"If I can't leave these walls, someone must do it for me and keep me informed," she demanded.

"My lady, you have always had informers at your disposal," Étienne said with a smile as he placed the cards back in the disconcerted young monarch's hand.

JUDITH WAS NOT THE only one who began to question the regulations established by the gods. Atenea remembered well the exact moment when she had decided to play by her own rules. The gods were strict in their instructions and for that reason they had bestowed the Domain of Hearts with the mission of ensuring they were followed. Those who had been chosen from birth for that task were sent to this Domain. This was the most sacred Domain of them all, the most valuable Element was hidden in it: Earth. This Element contained all the rest; it guided and preserved them. Whoever was chosen as the guardian of the Earth Element would have heightened senses, including the sixth sense, which referred to their intuition. Likewise they had distributed the other three elements of Water, Fire and Air, among the other Domains, appointing the Guardians who had to devote their lives to protecting them. However, there were a few conditions that accompanied the distinguished role and they were non-negotiable, even if it meant saving one's own life.

"Aren't you going to speak to me ever again?" Magnus asked the warrior as they walked over the hills.

"Hold your horse, unless you want to walk the rest of the way."

Magnus remained silent for a moment, trying to find the words that could convince her of his good intentions. Atenea had had to make a huge effort to pretend that everything that had happened with Magnus had been buried in the past forever. Sometimes, however, she felt that if he insisted one more time, she would have little choice but to surrender.

"You're right. I came to the Domain for you. I got worried when I heard about the intruders."

"Save the speech. You chose the throne over everything else, including me. I don't know why I'm even surprised. That was the reason your parents sent you to the Earth Tower, after all."

"Someone had to change things over here. I did it with a final goal in mind and in which you always had your place. What happened afterwards wasn't in my plans."

"There was a time when I thought one day you would leave the Tower, come back and ask me to run away from here," Magnus smiled. "Too many stories about princes and princesses. I stopped waiting for that to happen a long time ago."

"Come with me..."

David, who was bringing up the rear, raised his head to observe every inch of the gorge that surrounded them. Suddenly, the tension in the air was broken by the sound of a loud crack.

"Silence," Atenea ordered Magnus, who was still talking. She tried to focus her attention on the sounds.

Atenea gave David a knowing look. The sound of footfalls on the grass made the warrior react and grip hilt of his sword instinctively. Without stopping their advance, they kept an eye on their surroundings, searching for the source of the sounds. They could feel the weight of eyes on them.

"It's probably an animal," Magnus suggested.

"You'd be surprised to know what kind of animals your beloved gods have let loose to scare away intruders," Atenea retorted, taking out her bow and aiming an arrow at an unseen target as they continued walking.

Magnus reigned in his horse to walk in step with her. The warriors moved slowly. The vegetation covered more and more of the pathway, preventing any light from penetrating it. The young woman heard the sound of breathing coming from some bushes. She approached stealthily, raising her arrow and entering the undergrowth. The stillness made her nervous. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, something crashed headlong into her and carried her several metres towards the thick foliage on the mountainside. The buckle of her quiver got stuck in the animal, which kept running with her still on top.

She struggled to free herself and fell flat on her face. When she stood up, she saw that it was a huge, wild boar. She had seen them before, but on her table, roasted and along with a cup with wine. She felt relieved about it not being something worse, what with all the creatures wandering those lands. The enormous animal squealed loudly and was just getting ready to charge again when, with a precise shot, Atenea left it badly hurt on the ground. Her two companions, guided by the noise, reached her side.

"Are you alright?" David asked, approaching the warrior.

"It was just a wild boar; a very angry one, by the way."

"It will make a good dinner," Magnus added, standing beside the animal.

They were just observing the specimen Atenea had hunted, when a fierce roar interrupted the conversation. Behind them, a colossal beast flapped its huge wings and sank its claws into the earth, snapping its jaws. The three young fighters remained frozen for a moment.

"What on earth is that?" Magnus exclaimed in shock.

"One of the animals I was telling you about, your Majesty," the warrior answered, shooting an arrow at the furious creature.

The gesture enraged the animal even more. It turned around and revealed a scorpion tail with which it threw several darts. She quickly ducked to avoid them, but one of the horses was hit. David and Magnus unsheathed their swords and challenged the animal.

"It's a manticore!" David yelled as he scored a hit with his sword. "Be careful with the darts. They're poisonous."

Learning about the creatures living in the kingdom and its surroundings was part of the military training. Still, there were very few survivors left to tell of their encounters with most of them. David had read everything that had been written about each creature, although sometimes the only information available was an engraving with a little advice about their powers.

The warriors ran around the beast raining blows which only cut through the air as the animal remained aloft, flapping its gigantic wings and dodging the attacks.

"My arrows aren't doing anything to it. We have to get closer."

Magnus was observing the fight with his sword in his hand, not knowing what to do, when a dart skimming dangerously close gave him an idea.

"Give me your bow," he said to Atenea.

"It's kind of a bad moment for that, don't you think?"

"Just give it to me. Don't make me exercise my authority as a king," he replied firmly.

The young woman handed him the weapon and moved out of the monster's field of vision.

"David, make him throw a dart at me."

"But if one of them hits you you'll die, your majesty."

"I know someone who would be happy about that," the king replied. "Do as I say."

Obeying Magnus' request, the warrior threw his sword at the animal's back with all his might, managing to inflict a wound painful enough to grab its attention. It turned on the young warrior and let another batch of darts fly. One of them headed straight for the king's throat. The king managed to catch it a few inches before it reached him and in one swift movement, he shot it back using the bow. The dart penetrated the beast's flesh. The creature started to have difficulty breathing and swung its head desperately trying to gulp in air. In a matter of seconds, it collapsed on the ground before the astonished gaze of David and Atenea.

"I told you it was not my first time," Magnus said relieved, and giving Atenea back her bow.

"Nice shot," the warrior woman said, struggling to swallow her pride.

"Your majesty," David called. "I think you've lost your horse."

The animal lay on the ground, killed by one of the poisonous darts. Magnus glanced questioningly at Atenea.

"As you wish, your majesty, but only I hold the reins of Four," she warned. She invited the king to mount the horse, then followed suit and got into the saddle, sitting right in front of him and grabbing the reins with a smile of satisfaction.

With the night upon them, they decided to make a stop in their journey and continue to the border of Clubs in the morning. A small clearing dotted with rocks was the place chosen to rest. Making use of their expertise in missions like this, the warriors had packed some provisions in the pouches tied to the horses' saddles. After quieting their stomachs with a little bit of bread and a piece of the unfortunate wild boar, they felt their vital functions slowing as a result of the digestion and the exhaustion itself. A silence took over the place, interrupted only by the faint singing of the insects and the crackling of the fire that prevented them from freezing in that autumnal cold. David, lying on a rock near the fire, caught himself watching how Atenea gently tied her horse to a tree a few metres away and stroked him.

"The manticore would give you less headaches," Magnus commented, taking the warrior by surprise.

"You say that only after one day with her..."

"I feel as if I have known her for ages, however." The king paused and looked around. "Are we safe here?"

"Nowhere is completely safe. Get some rest, but keep your sword close."

Only the moonlight and the stars lit the secluded spot on the mountain. Magnus lay awake wondering if he had made the right decision. He thought of his predecessors and how many times they had attempted to protect the kingdom. He couldn't afford to fail under any circumstances, even when exceptional measures had to be taken. Future generations had to remember his name and associate it with the prosperity of a united kingdom. He sat up, took a look around and approached Atenea, who was leaning against the trunk of a tree resting. He reached out to touch the wound the warrior woman had sustained on her arm right below the tattoo of her father's lineage, but, instinctively she unsheathed her dagger and pointed it at him without even opening her eyes.

"A move like that could get you killed, your majesty."

"You're hurt."

"It's just a scratch. You can go back to sleep," she answered.

"Stop talking to me as if we didn't know each other. What do I have to do to make you listen to me? I'm starting to get tired of it."

"You know the rules."

"The Atenea I knew never worried about that."

"Life experiences sometimes change people..."

"You could have everything you wish for. With me." He took her hand. "The gods can't deprive you of having a family."

"Silence." She moved her hand away from the persuasive king. "I would never do to a child what was done to me."

"That won't happen. Trust me."

"Forget it. I won't let my mother's death be in vain." She glanced at David, who slept near the fire.

"Is it because of him? Suddenly you feel something for a warrior?" He paused for a moment. "You know? You may suffer the same fate as your mother, after all."

At that Atenea snapped. Fuelled by rage she grabbed the king by the front of his robes and pushed him against the tree trunk, her blazing eyes never leaving his. Magnus leaned forward and, giving her no time to react, kissed her until the young woman placed the point of her sharp dagger at his throat and stopped him.

"Would you be capable of killing me, Atenea?"

"Atenea! Stop!" David screamed, shoving her away from the king, "What's going on? You're going to get us all killed."

As though coming out of a trance, Atenea regained control but her eyes, full of burning rage, never left the monarch. She knew she couldn't let David know what had just happened, so she released Magnus and walked away alone without saying a word.

ALEXANDER OPENED HIS eyes as the rooster crowed. After all these years working on the farm his waking and sleeping hours had been programmed like clockwork. The morning dew caressed his sun-browned skin and made him wish his vest had sleeves. He spotted Argine, still asleep, on the grass and realised it hadn't been a dream. He remembered why he had slept outdoors. He approached the girl and shook her timidly.

"The sun is up."

They continued walking in silence. The countryside had taught them to appreciate both silence and loneliness. There was no need to fill the silence with empty words in order to confirm their existence. The sun, the singing of the birds, the sand between their toes, the insects flying around them, nature had already confirmed their existence. They had learned to be their own company. Alexander was the quietest one, always taking care of his animals and, although they all knew each other in the Domain, he seemed to feel more comfortable with Argine. She was the only one he had spoken more than two consecutive words to. He liked how tenderly she placed the seeds in the earth and the confidence with which she walked barefoot in the fields, without fear of getting hurt. It was as if she was an invisible part of all that. They had built an unwritten friendship, about which they never spoke, but which they always understood.

"You haven't explained to me yet why we are running away," said the farmer, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the girl walking beside him.

"They're looking for me. I heard a warrior telling my father."

"If Lot knows who you are, how come he didn't become a Guardian?"

"It doesn't work that way. There must be a special connection between the Guardians."

"I can't think of anything more special than your own blood," replied Alexander easily, not grasping what she meant.

Not everybody knew the origin of Argine. Lot had kept the secret very well. The peasant girl smiled at the naivety of her companion.

"They've chosen you, Alex. It was a matter of time. I just wanted you to enjoy a normal life for a few more years. Now you will have to be more careful, and never, no matter what, tell anybody you are a Guardian."

"Huh. This is just so weird", he began to say.

"How so?"

"Mother used to say she had done everything for me, that there was something great waiting for me, that I had a purpose... Father would always say all that was witch talk."

The young boy's cheeks turned visibly red below his curly hair.

"Can I see it?" he asked.

Argine stopped, looked around to make sure they were alone, untied a little bag that was hanging from her belt and opened it. A beautiful transparent vessel rested in Argine's hands. The girl insisted he hold it. When he took it, Alexander realised it wasn't made of glass but water.

"Water is life. It purifies and gives life to everything. It's the beginning and end of all things and connects us to the spirit of nature."

Alexander listened to the explanation, transfixed by the Element and hypnotized by its beauty. Out of everybody, he would have loved to reveal his new identity to his father. That would make up for all those years he had spent reminding him how his future was to be a simple farmer. Suddenly, the sound of galloping horses in the distance interrupted them. Argine rushed to put the Element away.

"What are you doing in this part of the Domain?" David asked the two youngsters as he reigned in his horse, which he now shared with Atenea, and came to a halt beside them.

They both noticed the tattoos on David and Atenea and so they recognized they were from Spades. They looked at each other trying to come up with a convincing answer that wouldn't give them away.

"Someone has crossed the borders," blurted out Alexander, pointing towards the fields.

"Did you manage to see who they were?" Magnus inquired.

"No. We left to find help when we learned about it."

Argine remained quiet while the new Guardian dealt with the situation.

"Go back home. We will take care of it," David ordered.

"It's dangerous to go through the forest," said Argine nervously.

"It looks like you managed it." Atenea added, "You'll come with us."

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# Chapter IV

The snorting of the horses echoed around the stalls where they were stabled. Inside, the silent men kept vigilant watch through a window, while the rest of the exiles took shelter from the night among the bales of hay. Zeta, seated beside an uneasy Euchare, played with his knife.

"The old man knew your name," Euchare said to Odin, who flicked a blank card distractedly between his fingers.

"Learning a name is easy."

"Anyone who recognised you would never have let you into their home, but he did."

"That's the best part, dear friend," Odin exclaimed with a smile and looking at Euchare with his intense eyes. "I can be whoever I want to be."

The timid dawn took the ruthless villains by surprise. The strange men at the window attempted to mumble a warning to the others that the Domain was waking up, a message only Zeta could decipher.

"Your friend better have a plan, Euchare," the giant warned when the first rays of sun highlighted his bloodstained clothes.

"Why have I never heard them utter a word? The silence makes me nervous," Odin said, referring to the two silent men.

Their lifeless expression remained the same, as though they were detached from reality; the muscles on their faces never twitched.

"They can't speak. Their tongues were cut out when they were sent to the Confines." They opened their mouths to corroborate Zeta's statement, causing even the arrogant Harlequin to look away in disgust. "Disobeying the gods has a price, but you already know that..."

"Do they have a name at least?"

"I guess so, but who cares? They won't answer anyway," the giant joked, giving the cheerless Euchare a knowing look.

"Why the long face, Euchare? You take everything too seriously. It's your resignation that allows them to keep ruling as they please," Odin said, nodding towards the heavens.

"When someone commits a crime, it is fair that they pay for it."

"And I guess once you cross that line, remorse fades away. Or should I remind you why we are here?" Odin paused. "Do you think it was fair what they did to your family? Justice is another of their inventions. Sorry to disappoint you, old friend. I thought that you in particular had understood that years ago."

At that moment, the sound of someone approaching forced them to hide wherever they could. Before their very eyes Odin disappeared, transformed into a cockroach running across the wooden boards.

Two of Lot's sons were headed towards the poultry house, which remained strangely silent. They were complaining they hadn't heard the rooster's crow when, to their astonishment, they found the animal dead near its empty drinking trough. They raised their heads and saw the lifeless hens piled up one upon the other, painting a macabre scene. The peasants left to check the state of the rest of the animals, confirming the worst. All the animals on the farm were dead. There was no sign of violence or even a tiny drop of blood to give a clue as to what had happened. The rest of the peasants in the Domain were equally shocked when they came across the same horrific scene inside their cottages.

Taking advantage of the initial confusion, Odin recovered his human shape and said to his astonished henchmen with a sinister smile:

"I have an idea."

"How on earth do you do that?" Zeta said at last.

"The Harlequin," Euchare replied, putting two and two together.

--------

IN THE DOMAIN OF DIAMONDS, the sacks of wheat were piled up one upon the other at the bottom of the storehouse, waiting to be distributed. They were the only ones in perfect order, ready to be loaded. They had reserved enough for the second distribution of the year, which would ensure the supply of bread throughout the whole kingdom. The rest of the crop waited to be classified and packed. The beginning of the autumn was the key date in the Domain of Diamonds. All business and future agreements depended on their ability to manage the provisions during the winter. Rachel was always filled with anxiety at that time of the year. It was essential to her that everybody was fed. Somehow, the future of the system depended on it, as hungry peasants would undoubtedly refuse to continue working. The young merchant looked at the untidy shed, full of sacks of barley, rice, corn, different vegetables, all scattered on the floor and piled up. It was her first time taking charge of the distribution on her own since her father had passed on the arduous job of managing his business. She stood motionless in front of the mountains of sacks.

"Rookie, huh," Julius said, rolling up the sleeves of his white linen shirt.

"I can do it," she grumbled. "We just need some organization." She tried to move a heavy sack in vain.

"Organization and some strength in those arms. Or maybe some know-how." He pushed the sack, dragging it along the floor to the wall. Rachel threw him a proud glance and repeated the move. "Not only men work in the quarries and we manage quite well. The only thing we have to do is to adapt the task to the worker."

"I know what you're doing," Rachel said as she continued dragging the sacks and classifying them. "You're trying to get me on your side. You want to trick me with all that speech about gender equality in your quarries."

"Is it working?"

"I might have considered it if you hadn't asked my father for permission to marry me."

A droplet of sweat trickled down Rachel's forehead.

"Touche. But I promise you the thing about the quarries is true. Is that what you're worried about? Becoming the wife, locked up in the cottage, looking after the children and cooking for your husband?" He roared with laughter. "The reasons behind my proposal were totally the opposite. I know about your skills for business and your father has long been the best merchant in the whole Domain. I thought you might be interested in joining forces."

"Wow," she sighed in annoyance, "So all this was just another business transaction. You never had any real interest in me..."

"Of course I did. You're beautiful." The young woman looked at him disappointed and offended at the same time. "Honesty is not among the virtues you seek in a husband?"

"No, on the contrary," she replied, shaking the sacks violently. "I love knowing that you are a selfish manipulator. It makes it easier for me to turn you down without feeling guilty."

"Oh, you're so cruel," he joked. "I'm helping you with your distribution and that doesn't benefit me in any way." He carried on piling sacks.

"Looks like it doesn't benefit me either."

"Excuse me?"

"You just piled up a sack full of insects. You have to check the merchandise."

Julius looked at the sack he was holding. A cockroach ran over his hand, at which point he immediately dropped the sack to the floor. He took his dagger and made an incision. Inside, a seething mass of worms crawled happily among the wheat grains. He followed the cockroach with his eyes as it made its way between the gaps in the sacks. He moved one of them away, discovering what looked like a plague. He started slitting open sacks like a maniac, one after another, as Rachel looked on in confusion. The place was alive with insects.

"It's rotten."

"How can we possibly have a plague?" Rachel cried, examining the sacks.

"It's not a plague. The insects came later. Look at this. The grain was already rotten." A rat squealed as it ran between his legs. "There won't be enough food for everybody."

"What are we going to do?" the young woman wondered aloud, clapping a hand to her mouth in dismay.

THIS TIME THE TRANSFORMATION was more complicated than usual. Lot was a good man with a pure heart and that made it difficult for Odin. To shift into the desired shape, it was essential for the being to have had a corruptible side to its nature, in other words, open to manipulation. It would have been simpler if the old man were still alive, since the human heart can easily be perverted.

"The best thing about the human race is not a question of black or white, but all its shades of grey," Odin said, fully transformed into Lot.

"What about us?" Zeta complained.

"Don't worry. Everything is under control. Go get the old man's cart," he ordered the two mutes. "And you, Zeta, load as many dead animals as you can onto it."

"I don't think stealing the Elements is still a good idea," Euchare confessed once they had all left to do Odin's bidding.

"I thought you were one of the best thieves in the kingdom, if you can consider that something to be proud of. Are you afraid of a few warriors now?"

"It's not the warriors that scare me." Odin looked at him as he put his costume together. "I'm beginning to picture what the future of the kingdom will look like if the four Elements fall into your hands."

"Oh, you had me worried for a minute, Euchare." He paused. "I have no intention whatsoever of becoming the king of the Domains."

"Why this game, then? We just wanted to annoy them and earn a little bit of gold, not destroy the whole kingdom. I want revenge as much as you do, but not like this. Look at what you have become. We were thieves, not murderers."

"In the Confines you must adapt if you want to survive. I have been waiting for this moment many years. If I were you, I would stick to my part of the deal. It would be very unpleasant to have to kill an old friend," he said, transforming into Euchare himself and placing his knife at his throat. "Would this count as suicide?" he mocked, fixing his heartless gaze on the thief. Then he let him go and within seconds had turned back into Lot.

The false Lot sat on the cart that was in front of the stable and lashed the horse with the reins. His bones cracked with the rocking of the stony path. When Odin transformed into someone he acquired their defects as well as their qualities and the old peasant had no longer been in good shape. Even the effort of climbing onto the cart had left him exhausted. The smell of the decomposing corpses assaulted his nostrils, making him nauseous at first, but after a few minutes he became accustomed to it. Along the way he looked at the peasants sitting by lifeless bodies of their cattle, shaking their heads in disbelief and grieving the death of their animals. He then realised that the horses were the only ones that had survived whatever it was that had killed the rest. He had to hurry up and get to the Domain of Diamonds before his only means of transport also passed to a better life. With a switch of the reins the animal began to gallop, pulling the heavy load.

The bridge that marked the border with Diamonds was a few kilometres from the end of the road and guarded by warriors. He didn't know if the news about their escape from the Confines had spread, but it wouldn't take long before the whole kingdom would find out and he wouldn't be able to defeat the entire army of Spades, not even with his powers. In the distance, he saw the huge iron gates that separated merchants and peasants. Two impressive warriors flanked each side, holding the hilt of their swords, ready to fight, and bearing the tattoos on their arms which identified those born in Spades. Odin continued straight ahead without stopping.

"Stop!" one of them ordered, raising his arm, "Where are you headed to?"

"I must speak with the merchants immediately."

"Name," he demanded again.

"It's Lot," the other one interrupted, "One of the foremen."

Odin's heart beat fast and, unwittingly, he glanced at the rear of the cart.

"Lot, huh. What do you have in there?"

The warrior walked towards the load, forcing Odin to improve his performance in order to conceal his nervousness.

"It's my animals."

"Open it," he ordered, unsheathing his sword.

"I don't think that's a good idea... it's just animals. He knows me, I'm one of the foremen and I need to speak with my merchants," Odin gabbled as the warrior walked around observing the cart.

"Open it or I will."

After a few silent seconds, the warrior lifted his sword and sliced through the ropes that held in place part of the cloth covering the load. The smell of putrefaction hit him full in the face, causing him to stagger back.

"I told you it was my animals. They're all dead. I must enter."

The soldier coughed and wrinkled his nose.

"Let him in."

The warrior made a gesture to the one in front of the big gate to move aside and let the peasant and his load in. Odin wasn't satisfied yet. He knew the most difficult part would be finding the guardian and time was running out. He didn't even know who the merchants with whom Lot used to do business were. He couldn't afford to raise suspicions about his borrowed identity.

"The animals are dead! All dead!" he shouted, as he drove his cart passed the cottages and the storehouses.

The people in the Domain left what they were doing and went to see who was causing such a din.

"It's that old man, Lot," they whispered.

The man shouted out the same thing over and over. Rachel and Julius, who had also heard the commotion, rushed out of the storeroom in alarm.

"What's happening, Lot?" Rachel asked, approaching the man. "Why all this shouting?"

"All the animals are dead."

"What are you talking about?" Julius asked, trying to calm the agitated peasant down.

A crowd had gathered around the cart. Lot turned around on the seat from where he was holding the reins and lifted the blanket covering the corpses, releasing a cloud of flies. The stench from the rotting flesh made the merchants move back. Panic spread through the crowd, all asking at once how they were going to feed the kingdom in these circumstances. Rachel covered her face with her hands. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her knees trembled and she sank to the ground, overwhelmed. Julius went to help his partner.

"Silence," he ordered the crowd firmly. "We don't yet know what's happening. Each merchant must go see their foreman. We need to check the losses and then we will make a decision. Until then, we can't panic. We still have some provisions," he lied, glancing at Rachel.

The people obeyed and set off for Clubs immediately. The old man started to shout again from his cart.

"There's nothing we can do. They're all dead! All of them!"

"What on earth are you doing, old man?" Julius said, grasping his sleeve to quiet him.

The people weren't paying attention to them anymore. They were focused on reaching the farming Domain as quickly as possible.

"The animals haven't been poisoned and they don't have a scratch on them. I wonder where the guardian is now. There's only one possible explanation for all this, isn't there?" Lot shouted, his teeth clenched in rage and staring at Julius, whose eyes widened in comprehension at what the others had missed.

Odin noticed the gesture.

"The guardian has disappeared," everybody murmured.

"We have to get out of here," he whispered to Rachel, holding her hand and lifting her from the ground. "Keep an eye on him," he commanded a pair of stalwart peasants who were nearby and pointing at Lot. They grabbed the old man by his arms.

"Come on, old man. The show is over."

"No, it has just begun," Odin said, his eyes never leaving the two young merchants walking in the opposite direction from everybody else.

Julius took his partner by the arm and pushed her to walk.

"The Domain of Clubs is the other way."

"We're not going there," he whispered. "Trust me. Just walk."

They walked rapidly among the little cottages. Julius was in front. He moved quickly, without saying a word. A while later, they had already left the cottages behind and were in the middle of the rocky part of the Domain, right where the quarries were. There was nobody working. They had all left, concerned about the future after learning what had happened. Julius continued walking until he reached the entrance to one of the hidden mines.

"Stay here. No matter what, don't go in the mine," he beseeched Rachel, and then disappeared inside.

It was dark, but there was no time to look for something to light the way. He knew most of the quarries well, especially this one. The dust from the minerals impregnated his clothes, hair and skin. His breathing became laboured due to the dusty particles hanging in the air. There was a deathly silence, interrupted only by the sound of small rocks falling. He kept moving on through the passageways, dodging the abandoned picks and shovels. He felt the walls in search of something specific and when he knew he had found it, he pushed the rock. Out of the blue, a cavity opened in the wall. Julius gingerly took out what appeared to be a package containing a precious object, and headed for the exit. He could hardly make out anything in the darkness, except for the faint light marking the end of the tunnel. The bright sunlight forced him to screw up his eyes and for a moment he was blinded. As he emerged into the fresh air he found the point of Odin's sword awaiting him. In front of him, Zeta's huge arms imprisoned Rachel, who could feel the cold blade of a knife at her throat.

"What do you want?" Julius asked, trying to buy a little time.

"I think that's quite obvious. The question is, what do you want?" Odin answered impassively. "You can keep her or what you have hidden in the case. I could keep both. It'd be easy to kill her and then steal it from you, but every player must have a chance at winning."

Odin's mocking tone was exasperating. Julius remained silent, not knowing which decision to make.

"Well, it looks like your friend has made up his mind," he said to Rachel. "Kill her."

"No!" Julius shouted. "I will give you what you're looking for, if you let her go."

"If you trick me, I will kill her while you watch," Odin threatened, moving his sword closer to the young woman.

Julius glanced at Rachel, who anxiously trusted her partner had a plan. Just then Julius quickly opened the package to reveal a small, dead, grey bird. The gigantic thief released the frightened girl at Odin's signal. Julius, taking advantage of the distraction, brought the animal to his mouth and blew on it. His breath woke the bird up, turning its dull colour into exotic blue and green plumage. It spread its wings and began to fly around. The two merchants sped away from the mines, the bird flying low behind them.

"Damn! Catch them or the bird but do something!" Odin ordered furiously.

The gang of criminals set off after the youngsters, all except Euchare who opted to go after the bird. Julius left the quarry area and headed into the trees, avoiding the branches and rocks along the way as best he could. Rachel followed him obediently. Some minutes later, they stopped to get some air.

"Who on earth are you?" Rachel exclaimed, trying to catch her breath.

Suddenly, an arrow whizzed past her and struck the tree in front of her where the bird had perched. Euchare, holding his bow, was hard on their heels, forcing them to continue running.

"We must leave the Domain," Julius said as he ran.

The thickness of the bushes and the trees prevented them from running faster. Neither of them stopped to look back. Rachel stumbled forward holding her dress and dodging branches and rocks without losing sight of Julius. The bird flew with them. Suddenly, one of Euchare's arrows shot out from behind the vegetation and pierced the exotic animal, which fell to the ground like a deflated sack. Fear paralyzed Julius' legs and heart for a second as he stared at the strange and valuable bird. Suddenly a violent wind whipped up around them, as if driven by the rage of the gods themselves. Rachel, confused but guided by her instinct for survival, clung to Julius and both managed to lose themselves across country.

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# Chapter V

Atenea and David led the expedition mounted on Four, since the warrior had lent his horse to the king of Hearts to avoid the tension between him and Atenea. Argine walked next to Alexander with her hand never leaving the bag hanging from her belt where she kept the Element. She distrusted strangers, but she had noticed they were warriors from Spades, like the one who had warned her father about the intruders. What would Lot have thought when he woke up and didn't see her at home? He must be furious, she thought. Then, she looked at Alexander out of the corner of her eye and felt better.

Only a few timid rays of sun penetrated the foliage, intensifying the different tones of shadow as they entered the mysterious forest. The twisted tree branches, the unique plants, colourful flowers and the shape of the land, were a show of nature that all of them contemplated with both admiration and caution.

"Everything seems calm," Magnus said.

"Calm inside a forest is never a good sign," Atenea retorted.

"That's an old wives' tale."

"This is not just any old forest, your majesty," Argine couldn't help saying.

They looked from left to right, looking out for any sign that might warn them of any danger. The small insects and other animals provided background noise to the expedition. Birds hopped among the branches, ants climbed tree trunks with the discipline of peasants and the butterflies flew around splashing the dark foliage with lively colours. A snake slithered over a branch and briefly brushed against Atenea. The warrior woman jumped and involuntarily held onto David, who was holding the reins. The closeness of their bodies made his heart race, and it took all his effort for it to go unnoticed.

"The most rebellious warrior in the kingdom is afraid of a snake," David grinned.

"I'm not scared. I hate the feel of its skin, that's all. It's disgusting," Atenea replied without losing sight of the reptile nor letting go of David.

"It's just a small one."

It was the first time Atenea had ever made a tiny physical approach towards him. He felt strangely happy. In his mind he imagined that perhaps she had finally overcome her traumas and that there may even be a remote possibility of her giving him a chance to show her there were still good men in this world. He had tried everything. He had been her protector, her confidant and her friend since they had met in combat, a few months before the great battle where Atenea had lost her father. He had never seen a warrior with such magnificent skills in weaponry, especially the bow, and with such a reckless attitude. She didn't seem scared of anything and that caught his attention. However, he could detect a glimmer of vulnerability in her eyes, like that of a wounded animal, even though she worked hard at hiding it. His fame as a ruthless warrior vanished before the young woman who, right from the beginning, did as she pleased in the Fortress. Over time, David thought he had learned to manage her rebelliousness, which had got them into trouble many times but which had also helped them emerge triumphant from many battles. Lost in his thoughts, reality suddenly reared its ugly head and hit him full in the face like the winter cold: he realised he was going to need something more powerful than a snake to break the impenetrable armour of Atenea.

The horses were becoming restless and Magnus had difficulty keeping his under control. It tossed its head incessantly as the king tried to calm it down. Argine knew animals could feel things a lot sooner than humans and had learned to observe their reactions. Alexander stopped silently and tried to listen carefully.

"Can you hear that?" he asked Argine. He dismounted and put his ear to the ground. "Something is coming. It's like what was coming after us the other day right here," he explained to the others from his position.

"What was coming after you?" David asked.

The ground began to tremble, scaring the horse that Magnus was on. It reared up on its front legs and threw the king off. Then something brought down a huge tree as if it were a pile of hay. To their astonishment a gigantic snake appeared. Leaning on its thick fleshy body, it hoisted itself up to a great height. It opened its mouth, revealing two fangs and flicked its forked tongue in and out; its hypnotic yellow eyes twinkled.

"A small one, right?" Atenea mocked David.

"Don't look straight into its eyes!" Argine shouted, "It's a basilisk."

Basilisks petrified all those who dared to look into their eyes. They were hateful creatures that the inhabitants of Clubs learned to fear from an early age, by listening to the elders' stories. They all ran to hide behind the bushes and trees. Atenea jumped off her horse and ran to hide behind a trunk. David was following behind her --sword in hand-- when suddenly the enormous reptile seized him and wound him in its coils, trapping him.

"Close your eyes," Atenea ordered.

The warrior woman shot one arrow after another until finally she struck the animal in the face, distracting its attention enough for it to release David and go after her.

"So, Gods, if you're there, I'm sick and tired of your little animals," she muttered and ran away to hide behind a tree.

The snake slithered forward, sweeping away everything in its path. The birds that made eye contact with it were immediately petrified and turned to ashes. Alexander had managed to hide with Argine behind a rock and Magnus was right in front of them behind a tree. The monstrous animal was gaining on them faster than they thought any snake could slither.

"Your majesty, I need... your sword," the peasant said haltingly.

"And how on earth am I going to defend myself then?"

"I think I can kill it..."

Alexander beseeched him with his eyes as the snake drew dangerously close.

"Damn you, peasant," he said, as he threw him his sword.

The boy grabbed it and made to leave his hiding place.

"You're crazy. What do you think you're doing? You don't know how to use a sword," Argine exclaimed.

"It's your turn to trust me."

Alexander tucked the sword into his belt and began to climb the tree, keeping a close watch on the creature out of the corner of his eye. It noticed the boy and slithered rapidly toward him. Alexander kept climbing up the trunk, trying to avoid turning his head and finding those glittering eyes. The sword felt as heavy as a small child hanging onto his waist. When he reached a thick branch, he stood still. The snake was only a few inches away. It swayed its head toward Alexander, bearing its sharp fangs just as the boy turned around --eyes closed-- and holding aloft the metal blade of the sword in front of the snake's face, he forced it to face its own reflection in the shining metallic surface. The basilisk's scaly skin became grey in an instant, leaving the animal petrified just a few inches from the peasant. Alexander breathed a huge sigh of relief and let the sword fall to the ground, where it landed point first in front of the tree as though marking the end of the encounter. It took him several seconds to dare to open his eyes.

Once on the ground, at the foot of the tree, Argine hugged him, making his cheeks flame red in embarrassment.

"You can feel their instinct, can't you?" she whispered in his ear as she still held him.

It was true. He could feel the animals, although this time it wasn't like when he worked on the farm, but as though he could decipher their language. Since when could he do that? Was that part of becoming a guardian? The rest of the group started to come out from their hiding places.

"Thank you," the boy said, going back to his timid tone of voice as he gave the sword back to a speechless Magnus.

"I'm glad to know you peasants are insane, too," Atenea added, eyeing the reptile's ashes.

"We must reach the Domain as soon as possible if we don't want any more surprises," David said.

WITH HER HEAD SUNK onto her knees, Judith tried to quiet the voices, which were now screaming in desperation. Everything went from being in a suspicious calm to a heavy feeling that pressed down on her chest. The queen felt overwhelmed. Despite the lessons from Étienne, she failed to understand many of the sensations she was experiencing lately. Nobody had explained to her how being the guiding spirit of the four Domains was going to work. There were things that she simply knew, that were innate, and others that escaped her knowledge. She didn't understand where they came from. She told herself that maybe they came from a previous life that she was incapable of remembering. Sometimes she wondered what would happen if she wasn't able to fulfil what was expected of her, if she made an irreversible mistake. They had repeated to her over and over that the future of the kingdom depended on her. And still, Judith felt her hands were tied by the guidelines of the Council. Those voices didn't let her think and the more she resisted them, the stronger they became. For a moment, she wished she could be like everybody else in the kingdom. Normal. Simple. Invisible. Her duty was to guide her people, to establish a moral compass and to make sure that the balance was never disrupted. But, how could she prevent the threat that was creeping up on them from happening if the gods didn't allow her to leave the tower? The elders of the Council had taken care of preaching the divine rules that had to be followed and they didn't allow changes in the sacred doctrines, so it was complicated to approach them. They met in secret in one of the temples in the Domain and they always made sure their rules were obeyed to the letter.

The eldest priests said the previous ones had kept their freedom of movement until the troubles had arisen. Other kingdoms began to desire the power the Elements bestowed over the natural order and so the first menace to the four Domains appeared. Battles broke out, bathing the kingdom of Poker in blood and forcing the gods to take measures. It is unknown how and when it happened, but after deciding that the identity of the Guardians remain secret, they realised that the queen of Hearts would always be the guardian of Earth, and so it would be impossible for her to remain anonymous. For that reason, and for her own protection, they had forbidden her to ever leave the Tower.

Two days had gone by since Magnus had left and she still hadn't received any news. The voices had remained silent right up until that afternoon. She raised her head and stared into space from her armchair. She was exhausted. She looked at the blank cards she had been given when she was little, and which were now resting on the oak table in her bedroom; the same ones that seemed to be useless. Then, she noticed something had changed in them; they seemed to be tinged crimson. But she thought the lack of sleep and all the screams in her head were making her hallucinate. She approached the table and picked up a card, only to find that it was no longer blank, but had the symbol of the Domain of Diamonds perfectly engraved on one face.

"The Air Element," she said quietly, as if she had seen a corpse.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew open the window. Judith poked her head outside from where the height of the tower provided her with a view of the whole Domain. The sky had a leaden grey colour and the wind blew ever stronger. It was as if nature itself was sad and at the same time there was a hint of rage that might tip the balance in a matter of minutes. The people in Hearts raised their heads to the sky in fear and sought shelter in the temples. The queen grabbed a piece of parchment, quickly scribbled something and rolled it up.

"Étienne! Étienne!" The man appeared instantly. "Send this to the king and inform the warriors. The Domain is sealed. No one can enter or leave, not even them."

"But, your majesty, we don´t know where the king is. He could be anywhere in the kingdom."

"Use the owls. They will find him." Étienne made to leave. "Étienne, the time to hide has come."

Their eyes locked and they understood each other instantly.

THE MOUNTAIN TURNED out to be the perfect hiding place for the merchants, but not for Julius' conscience; he could still remember the image of the injured bird. Sunset fell upon the couple, bringing with it a warning of darkness. Julius frowned worriedly, the serious gesture on his face unusual in him.

"We can't stay here..."

"Can you explain to me why they tried to kill me? Who were those men? Why is that bird so important? Who are you?" Rachel said all at once. Julius searched for the right words. "Speak up or I'll kill you myself." She grabbed a wooden stick.

"Put that down, come on." Julius said, although he couldn't help smiling at such a poor threat. "If I tell you, you'll be in danger, too."

"What kind of trouble are you in? I knew there was something dodgy in all this. Your businesses worked too well and that idea about the coins..."

"I'm a Guardian," the young man sighed deeply.

"I knew you'd do anything to get my father's business, but I never thought you'd lie so blatantly."

Julius nodded his head gravely to confirm what he had revealed.

"It can't be. You? You are the Guardian? But then the bird..."

The young woman put two and two together and understood the seriousness of the matter, and her gaze turned to one of astonishment.

"The gods picked you? Life is indeed a mystery ..."

The fierce wind that had reached Hearts lifted her hair.

"We must get it back," Julius warned.

"The arrow went through it."

"We have no other choice but to hope it's still alive."

"What happens if...?"

"If it's dead, the kingdom is dead with it, and I will have failed as a Guardian," Julius said bitterly. "We must go." He glanced at the sky, getting darker by the second. "Something bad is about to happen."

"Go where?"

"To see the only person who can help us."

THE CROWD RAN IN PANIC, trying to save what few provisions were left in Clubs. The peasants quarrelled with each other over who owned the animals that were still alive, and those that were slowly agonizing. Some families chose the only option they could think of to calm the hunger that began to sweep across the place - they cooked the dead animals, and gathered as much food as they could. Violence broke out. The merchants threatened the peasants, who defended themselves with their work tools. The invention intended to make trading easier had become the only way to survive. Even children themselves entered houses to steal as many coins as they could fit in their pockets.

Once out of the forest, the scene that met them caused Atenea and the rest to reign in their horses. The chaos, so long feared by the gods, was now a reality and had taken over the Domain. Surrounded by the uncontrollable sea of people, Alexander grabbed a little boy by the sleeve and asked:

"What's going on?"

"The animals are dead and the harvest rotten. There's no food left, Alex."

The farmer looked at Argine in consternation and let the boy go. She ran off without another word.

"Argine!" Alexander shouted.

"I have to find my father," the girl replied, not looking back.

David tugged the reins of his horse around to follow the direction Argine had taken and the rest of the group followed him. Pushing past the dazed people walking among the decomposing corpses of the dead animals, Argine arrived at the cottage that had been her home, where a strong smell of putrefaction hit her. She pushed the door open and the wood clanked against the wall. The house seemed deserted. She thought perhaps they were all in the stables, taking care of the animals, so she headed there. Her father's farm had turned into a graveyard. Everything her father had worked so hard for was now a scene of destruction. The girl contemplated the scene devastated.

"Argine," said one of her older brothers, holding her in a sweat-soaked and desperate embrace.

"Where's everybody?"

"The Domain has gone crazy. There's no food left. We don't know what's happening..."

"Where's my father?" she interrupted.

Her brother lowered his head in sorrow. Argine felt as though her heart had been pierced through and went to run inside the stable. The boy tried to hold her and prevent her from entering, but in her desperation she fought with all her strength and managed to release herself from his arms. In front of the stable pillars she confirmed the worst. A tear slid mournfully down her brown face and her legs buckled, bringing her to the ground. Atenea and the rest found her on her knees, staring at Lot's lifeless body. Alexander went to her side and held her, forcing her to move her eyes away from the terrible scene.

"Who did it?" Argine shouted in tears to her brother.

"Leo says some warriors visited him at night. They were looking for a missing person."

"Warriors?" Atenea asked surprised. "There was no order to enter the Domains."

"We obviously cannot trust your soldiers anymore, Atenea," Magnus interrupted. "First they let the exiles escape and now this."

"Exiles?" Argine remained deep in thought for a moment.

"Listen to me, Argine. I swear on my honour that my warriors would never do something like that," Atenea said, approaching the girl and looking into her eyes.

"He tried to protect me," the girl whispered to herself, as if she had found the solution to a riddle.

"Protect her?" Atenea wondered. The warrior woman understood the importance of the peasant's words and felt that, for the first time in a long time, she could trust her hunch.

"We will protect you now," Atenea solemnly reassured her.

The sound of beating wings interrupted them. A majestic white owl landed on the window frame, unfolded its wings and lifted its head, revealing a small wooden cylinder hanging from a golden thread around its neck. Its big yellow eyes stared at the king of Hearts. Magnus knew the queen only sent the owls for urgent messages, since this was the task reserved for these intelligent birds that had been bestowed privileged hearing and exceptional sight by the gods. The king held the cylinder, took the parchment scroll out, read it and kept silent. The others looked at him in anticipation.

"It's confidential."

"A white owl. It must be something really important. We are in the middle of a crisis affecting the whole kingdom. This is no time to keep secrets, your majesty."

"I'm surprised to hear you say that, Atenea," the king retorted.

The warrior woman turned furiously towards Magnus, but the firm exclamation of a weary David stopped her in her tracks.

"Enough! It's your people out there who are fighting for their lives while a spoilt warrior and a childish king waste time arguing. One of you is right, though. We have no time for secrets."

Atenea looked at him nervously, hoping he wouldn't give her away. David snatched the parchment from Magnus' hands and read it.

"The Air Element has been stolen."

"It's time to gather the army," Atenea responded, her face more serious than ever.

"The news will reach the Council."

"We can't keep this a secret any longer, your majesty. We must act," David said firmly. "We're leaving for the Earth Tower."

The magnificent white bird spread its wings and soared majestically up into the clouds and towards the Domain of Spades with a new message, finally disappearing into the distance through the reddish rays of the sunset.

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# Chapter VI

Julius woke Rachel up at the first light of dawn. They had decided to spend the night among the trees and leave in the morning. Julius had lain awake most of the time, keeping watch in case the thieves or a savage beast showed up. He felt somehow responsible for what might happen. It's my fault we are here, after all, he thought. Rachel had promised to keep watch with him, more out of stubborn pride to prove she could also be brave than because she wanted a dangerous encounter in the middle of the night, but she was overcome by sleep well into the night. Julius had made his marriage proposal to her with the intention of it becoming the basis of their future trading empire, although he had to admit the young woman's beauty was also in her favour. Apart from that, he thought she was too independent for him and her continuous attempts to be on the same footing as men made him nervous; it seemed strange after having been raised in a house full of women. From his years of observing them he had learned the art of rhetoric, a very valuable quality in the business world, and also to get anything he wanted from people in general and the female gender in particular. But for some reason, Rachel was the only one who was becoming a real challenge and that, he had to admit, was amusing to his ego.

"I'm not sleeping!" Rachel exclaimed when Julius touched her on the shoulder. "I was just resting my eyes."

"That fixation you have of competing with me is becoming quite charming."

"I'm not competing, I---"

"Yes, I know. You can do anything as well as I can. Listen, we must leave the Domain. There are a couple of... small issues." She looked at him distrustfully from still sleepy eyes. "Nobody from outside can enter the Domain of Hearts unless it's an order from the queen."

"Yes, I know. I'm a merchant, remember? What if---?"

"Warriors surround the island," he replied, cutting her off. "Now, that's the other issue. The only way to reach Hearts is by sea."

"I thought Guardians had everything under control. What is Mr. Know-it-all going to do about that?"

"You can stay here. Inside the Domain of Diamonds, you'll be safer. I have to reach the Earth Tower no matter what."

"So you are going to leave me here? Those thieves almost killed us. It's obvious the warriors are not infallible. Besides, I am the only one of us who can take you to Hearts," she went on confidently. "While you spend time inside the quarries, the rest of us must deliver the provisions to the kingdom, including the Domain of Hearts."

"The ships."

"Uh huh."

"I honestly don't believe a girl like you knows how to sail those ships all by herself." Julius said sceptical, looking her up and down.

"You offend me again. You know what? Maybe it is better for me to stay here and you can go talk to the queen. Good luck explaining to her how the bird escaped." She turned around, folded her arms and arched her eyebrows.

"Oh, alright. I don't have many more options." The woman smiled with satisfaction. "Do you always win every argument?"

"You'd better get used to it," she muttered.

"THE BIRD IS DEAD," Zeta grumbled, as Odin examined the bird.

"Ugh, Zeta. You stink! Get away," complained Odin, covering his nose.

"Next time, you hide with the dead animals."

Zeta went over to the two mutes, who also wrinkled their noses in disgust, infuriating the giant. The exotic bird rested on a piece of fabric that Odin had put on the ground. The arrow had pierced its right wing and he was endeavouring to pull it out without harming it.

"Put this on the wing," Euchare handed him a leaf from one of the plants nearby.

The others seemed surprised at his knowledge of medicinal herbs.

"Clubs," Euchare said mirthlessly.

"It makes sense for a peasant to end up becoming a thief. You're only the kingdom's workforce, after all. I don't blame you," Odin commented as he applied the leaf to the bird.

They all observed the animal with trepidation. The hopes of a gang of villains were hanging on a small, dying bird. Odin watched the animal's chest and suddenly it began to move up and down with the rhythm of its breathing. Grinning, the Harlequin patted Euchare on the back as a gesture of approval which was grudgingly accepted by the thief.

"The warriors must be looking for us in Diamonds by now. We shouldn't stay here," Euchare said, changing the topic.

"You are indeed right, Euchare. Although I imagine they might be busy for a while with the confrontations between merchants and peasants." Odin carefully wrapped the bird up once again.

"The Council must be informed of all this by now. Any ideas where to go now?"

"To find the only Element that has the least protection."

THE LAND OF CLUBS LOOKED like a battle field. The night provided the perfect environment for riots and conflicts to arise. Several of the warriors watching the borders were summoned to bring order, but that left the entrance to the kingdom vulnerable to criminals. The question of who was behind all this continued buzzing in Atenea's head. She knew the human heart was easily corruptible and just one idea transmitted to a few hundred people could spread like a deathly virus. The memory of her mother surfaced in her mind for a moment. She thought about what could happen if the army she herself had trained, together with David, wasn't able to stop this madness. Where were the gods now? How could they abandon their people at such a critical time and ask for blind faith in return?

There was no time to rest, so they used the cover of darkness to continue their journey to the Domain of Hearts. Exhaustion began to take its toll on the strange group. Atenea offered her horse to her fellow travelling companions from Clubs, who were clearly exhausted, while she lagged behind lost in her thoughts.

"Everything is going to be alright. We have faced other challenges before," David comforted her.

"I must admit you are determined. Is there anything that can faze the leader of Spades?"

"There aren't many things in this world that you can achieve without faith. But don't mistake my faith for absence of fear."

"I don't believe in gods who show up only when they feel like it."

"I'm not talking about gods." David took a deep breath, "I have faith in you. I always have. You are stubborn and the gods know I am patient with you, but you usually do what's right in the end."

Their eyes met with a look of candour that had been absent between the warriors for a long time. It was a glimpse of a truce between Atenea and what David meant to her; at least up until now. Magnus watched them closely. He could feel David's humbleness seeping through the cracked walls of the warrior woman's heart.

"How are we going to get to Hearts from here?" Magnus asked, clearly intending to interrupt.

"The merchants have ships in the north. It's not very far, just passed the border," Alexander explained, happy to provide a solution.

"I guess you know how to sail..."

"Don't worry. We have assistance from the gods," Atenea responded to the king, glancing knowingly at Argine out of the corner of her eye. "Take us there, Alexander."

Crossing the bridge to Diamonds was not complicated. David warned the warriors that no one else was allowed to enter or leave from that moment on, although Atenea seemed hostile towards her own men. She began to consider the possibility that there was a traitor among them who had helped the exiles to enter, but in exchange for what? There was no other explanation for them to be walking around the Domains so freely. Still, in her short life, she had learned that the only person who could never disappoint her was herself no matter how many mistakes she made along the way, so she didn't tell anybody about her suspicions, not even David.

Diamonds looked like a ghost town. Most of the merchants had left for Clubs and the ones who had stayed didn't dare to leave their houses out of fear of retaliation by the angry peasants. They were all desperately searching for anything in good enough condition to eat. Hunger started to wreak havoc and turn them against each other. Dazed children wandering the narrow streets especially pained Atenea's heart and rubbed salt into the wound that came from her being forbidden to have offspring. She would have liked to at least have had the option of being a mother one day, if she so decided, but she was incapable of repeating what had happened to her, so she kept her wish locked away deep inside her heart. Dawn took them by surprise on their way to the harbour where the ships were docked in rows, like troops ready for war. They were mostly small caravels, but anything that could sail was good enough.

The only sounds to be heard were the cries of the seagulls flying around in search of food and the crashing of the waves. Atenea thought the news from Clubs had probably reached the sailors, too.

"Maybe there's still some fish in the hold," a hungry Alexander said hopefully.

"Let's just pick a ship. We can't waste time." Magnus added.

Atenea, who had been observing silently, looked around for any sign of danger. Then she noticed one of the sails was being raised on a caravel at the end of the row.

"I think we've just found one," she confirmed.

Atenea raced alone to the caravel within seconds. She took out her bow and readied an arrow as she looked around the ship. Whoever the Elements thieves were, they were still out there somewhere nearby and she couldn't take any chances. She crossed the wooden gangway onto the ship. She could feel the weight of footsteps on the hull and, following the sound, caught Julius and Rachel by surprise, getting ready to depart.

"Don't move," the warrior woman ordered, raising her arrow. "Who are you?"

Rachel remained motionless and silent.

"We are merchants. We must leave to distribute," Julius lied.

"The animals are dead and the harvest rotten. Tell me another lie and I will pierce your chest with this arrow."

"With all due respect, who are you?"

"Atenea, and this ship is now confiscated."

"The warrior?" Rachel asked surprised.

"I see you've heard of me," Atenea said as she walked around inspecting the ship. Rachel stared at her.

"Yes, everything you've heard is true," she answered the unspoken question.

"The guardian who betrayed the kingdom... was your mother. Some still remember."

"Beware of second-hand gossip."

"It must be an important matter for the head of the army to come here in person," Julius interrupted, "but we can't give you the ship, I'm sorry. We have an important delivery for the queen."

"Ah, you don't understand. I'm taking the ship and the crew. I'm guessing you can sail."

Both youngsters looked at each other in dismay and concern about their lie being found out.

The rest of the group were approaching the caravel.

"Where are you headed?" Julius asked.

"Same place you are, I believe. The Domain of Hearts. So everybody's happy. Come on board!" she called to the others. "We have a ship and sailors."

Magnus trotted along the shore on his borrowed horse, while David ran and reserved Four for the exhausted peasants.

"Your majesty," said Julius in amazement when he saw Magnus.

"You may be wondering what the king of Hearts is doing outside the Domain..." Magnus began to say arrogantly.

"No." Julius looked at Rachel, willing her to play along with what he was saying. "I'm sure the king has a very good reason for being here. Rachel and I will take you to the island." Alexander helped David to load the horses onto the caravel. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"The horses are coming," Atenea retorted, putting away her bow.

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# Chapter VII

The change of wind had also reached Spades, although everybody carried on with their usual routine, blissfully unaware of what was coming. The instructors placed special emphasis on soldiers learning to tolerate extreme conditions. They needed soldiers with a strong body and a solid spirit. Unfortunately, not all of them had been born equipped to survive without water and food or face the weather's inclemency. Casualties during the tests were inevitable. Hogier organized his day between training in the military camp, supervising the soldiers at the borders of the Fortress, and army manoeuvres so as to be ready for any eventuality. Atenea had made her orders clear before she had left and Hogier had enough grey hairs to understand the seriousness of the threat hanging over the kingdom. The gods might have managed to erase the people's memory after the big battle, but not his. The tears of a young Atenea over the lifeless body of her mother wasn't easy to forget and neither was the loss of the best soldier he had ever fought alongside. Jenes, Atenea's father, had left a legacy in his daughter that Hogier was not willing to lose. He had promised himself and his fellow warrior that he would protect her and the Element she had been assigned, even from the gods themselves if necessary.

It had been no easy task. The young woman had inherited the rebelliousness of her mother and the courage of her father. With that explosive combination she could be difficult to handle, but her skills of observation and strong sense of justice only added to her personality. Like anybody who has been wronged by those in power, Atenea carried in her veins the ideals that had once made Poker proud many years before her birth, when humans hadn't yet discovered how much evil a heart could hold. Sometimes she tried hard to hate the part of her that forced her to measure each and every move fairly. It was a blessing that David had been the one chosen to lead the Domain with her. His good nature and common sense were the only things that could placate the warrior's outbursts.

Hogier knew that the day would come when she would have to prove who she truly was before her people. The same people who had rejected her and asked the gods to punish her mother for disobedience.

When the white owl landed on one of the targets at the training camp, the old solider understood that that day had come.

"Stand at ease," he commanded.

Hogier showed no surprise as he read the message on the parchment. He rolled it back up and called one of the more experienced, so-called Level Three, warriors. In the Fortress, no warrior was of a higher rank than the others. They were all an important part of a well-oiled machine and the instructors let them know so. They were divided into levels of experience, from one to three, the latter being the highest level. This was useful for deciding in which position they had to fight or what place they would occupy inside the kingdom. They learned to use all weapons and specialised in those they demonstrated exceptional skills at.

"Have the army fall in," Hogier ordered quietly to one of the higher level solider. "Listen up everyone!" he called to the soldiers who were training. "You have been training hard for battle. Well, the moment has come. Level Three soldiers, you'll go to the Domain of Hearts and defend the Earth Tower and its queen with your life. The rest, reinforce safety in the Domain and the borders. This is not a drill."

"Who are we protecting them from?" one of the youngest soldiers asked.

Hogier turned around, offended.

"Sorry, instructor. We heard a group of exiles has crossed the borders and killed a few soldiers..."

"Silence," commanded the soldier in charge of gathering the army.

"No. He's right. It's time to lay our cards on the table. We are fighting a clever enemy and, if my instinct doesn't fail me, his goal is clear. Some of our men have already paid the price." He looked towards the horizon as if trying to remember something. "Move!"

The soldiers headed to their positions, some to the borders and others to get ready to gather the army for the first time since Judith had come to the throne.

"They have one of the Elements in their power," Hogier revealed to the soldier, making sure nobody else could hear him. "Find them. The future of the kingdom is now in our hands."

Sama was respected for being David's brother. He wasn't too happy at the fact that, even though he was first born, David had taken the lead. He almost had to thank him for his place in the army and that had left a bitter taste in his mouth. The warrior understood the importance of the valuable information and nodded his head in confirmation. Each chess piece had been carefully polished for just such an occasion and it was the Domain of Spades' turn to make a move. Despite the faith Hogier had in Atenea, he couldn't help wondering what was happening out there. That owl had brought with it something more than just a warning message; its presence confirmed they were alive.

NOT EVEN THE SEA BREEZE could calm the tension floating in the air. Rachel seemed to be quite skilful in the art of sailing and was glued to the helm. She had always associated the sea with freedom. That was the main reason she had become interested in it during her childhood, long before finding out she would be forced to accept that her destiny was tied to her father's trading business. She used to sneak out to see the sailors work. She felt envious of them being able to set off on adventures, far from the routine of Diamonds. Beside her, an uncomfortable Julius played with the piece of fabric on which the lost bird had once rested. In the bow, Alexander and Argine were taking a break. Their physical exhaustion was evident, as they hadn't eaten a thing since they had abandoned the Domain that infamous night when everything had gone awry.

"Alexander, why don't you go to the hold?" Atenea suggested sweetly. "It's possible there's still some food in the store."

The peasants nodded a thank you and headed down below.

"You'd be a good queen," Magnus stated, gazing at the horizon.

"We have a queen."

"Why are you so loyal to someone chosen by the gods?" Magnus came closer. "I don't want to hurt Judith. I just want a united kingdom... with you." He reached out to touch her face.

"Are you insane?" she exclaimed, looking side to side to make sure nobody had seen the gesture, before bowing her head. "I'm doing this for my people, nothing else."

"Your people would be better off with a queen who could get out of her tower and wasn't busy brainwashing them with philosophy and morals all the time. The kingdom needs someone who can lead them to prosperity and who's able to keep its borders safe. Sometimes I miss the Atenea who dreamed of fighting senseless rules..."

"You know what happened the last time a guardian did that."

"She didn't have the support of a king." He looked at her, losing himself in her green eyes.

"No. Use your manipulating tricks on one of your subjects." She pushed Magnus away from her and left.

"There's some fruit and salted fish," David said to a distracted Atenea. "You should eat."

"I will," she replied, as she passed by him.

Atenea had too much on her mind to think of food and, even though staying healthy was one of the precepts taught at military camp, she ignored her own advice. The warrior woman walked across the wet deck to the helm. The sun began to tan her naked shoulders and warm her leather bodice. The temperature was nice during the day so they could continue the journey ignoring the fact that the only ones who had brought warm clothes with them were the peasants. Rachel and Julius remained in silence, focused on the ship's course. Atenea joined them quietly.

"How long will it take to reach the island?" she asked, staring at the ocean.

"If the wind is on our side, we'll be there at nightfall," Rachel answered.

"Then I guess you have until the nightfall to tell me what's going on."

"I don't understand what---" Julius babbled.

"I'm going to save you some time, merchant." She unsheathed her daggers. "There are no provisions to be delivered on the ship, two Domains are at war and something has happened to the animals and the harvest. Where is the Element?"

Julius struggled with the dilemma of revealing his identity and exposing himself or dying with his secret and putting the whole kingdom at risk. Rachel's eyes never left his as she waited for an answer. The wind began to blow increasingly stronger.

"It's been stolen," he finally confessed. "I failed."

"Who else knows who you are?"

"Only her," he said, pointing at Rachel.

Atenea took a deep breath. The gusts of wind were becoming more and more powerful and the waves began to rock the ship precariously. Suddenly, the sky grew dark.

"Sorry to interrupt, but it looks like we are heading towards a storm," Rachel said.

"Oh, I see you haven't told her," Atenea said to Julius. "The Element has abandoned its resting place. This is just the beginning," she explained to the merchant as she observed the chain of events developing in the sky.

The waves broke furiously against the hull of the caravel, flooding it with sea water and churning the stomachs of the sailors. The wind whipped up foam in the water and within a matter of seconds it had become gale-force and the swell heaved. A wall of water several metres high engulfed the ship, dragging David and Magnus across the deck.

"We need to hoist the main sail," Rachel commanded, as she grappled with the helm.

Alexander joined them and helped Julius to carry out Rachel's instructions. Atenea could feel the taste of salt on her lips and her eyes burned. Suddenly, the crest of the wave poised above her as if it wanted to rip her from the ship, but Argine ran and positioned herself in front of it. The water broke around her as if the peasant were an impenetrable shield.

"It's angry with me!" Argine screamed, referring to the water and pointing at the bag tied to her belt where she kept the Element. "If I stay on the ship, you'll sink."

They exchanged knowing looks as the same idea occurred to them at the same time. The rest of the group concentrated on trying to stay upright on the caravel and prevent the ship from going down.

"David," Atenea said, as he held the rope to one of the sails, "pass me a rope." She grabbed it and tied one side around the young peasant's waist and held onto the other.

"Hey, Diamonds!" she called to Rachel, "I don't care how, but keep this ship afloat."

Argine nodded resolutely but fearfully to the warrior, climbed onto the wooden handrail and jumped overboard, disappearing into the deep blue sea.

"Argine!" Alexander shouted, running to the gunwale.

Atenea gripped the rope tightly, despite the rocking of the ship and the battering of the waves. David and Magnus went to help her. Rachel tied the helm to the leeward side, seeking to balance the ship. Suddenly, it all came to a halt. The wind stopped blowing, the sea calmed and a timid beam of sunshine broke through the thick, grey clouds. They were exhausted and confused.

"We must get her out of there," Alexander demanded, attempting to pull on the rope.

"Not yet," Atenea said.

"She'll die!" the peasant shouted.

"They won't let that happen."

Rachel unfolded the sails once again to capture the wind that had settled and the ship started to move again, slowly but as surely as before.

"Pull!" the warrior woman commanded.

They pulled and pulled on the rope; it seemed endless. They were the longest seconds of their lives. At last, the body of an unconscious Argine emerged from the depths of the sea. They placed her on the deck carefully and realized she wasn't breathing.

"Julius," Atenea called him, "It's your turn."

No one except Julius understood what the warrior meant but, gallantly apologizing to Alexander, he lowered his mouth to the young girl's lips and did the same thing that had brought the bird back to life. The merchant's breath filled Argine's lungs and she coughed, spitting up the water that had almost killed her.

"Why did you do that?" David asked Atenea angrily.

"They wanted proof of faith. Now they know she's willing to die to protect her Element," she replied, gazing at the heavens.

"She's a Guardian," Magnus confirmed to himself in loud voice.

Looks replaced explanations and silence descended upon the caravel, giving the exhausted sailors a respite.

WITH THE SOLDIERS AT their posts, Hogier was sitting deep in thought inside the main hall of the Fortress. He had participated in hundreds of battles throughout his years of service, however, this one felt different. The difference was that he had never faced them alone. His scarred hands trembled. Jenes and Hogier were a powerful duo of warriors during the reign of Judith's predecessor. Each one had brought different qualities to the tandem. Hogier was a man with a privileged body; he had rarely gotten sick and his muscles were strong, something he still maintained in spite of his youthful years being far behind. On the other hand, Jenes was a great strategist and had a special intuition at reading people. He wished Atenea's father were alive to guide them in what was about to come; the chaos which they had warned them about for so long. Suddenly the door burst open, interrupting his thoughts. A group of soldiers entered, escorting four bound men with their faces covered.

"You can leave. I'll take care of this," one of them said. "We found them, sir," he addressed Hogier.

Hogier gestured to the warriors to obey and leave and then he stood up from the chair.

"I was afraid you were one of the exiles they've been talking about, Odin."

"Wow. You've still got it, old man. How did you recognise me?" Odin lost his warrior appearance and resumed his own identity.

"You have no inscriptions on your arms. I thought a criminal like you would pay more attention to detail."

"I'm not a criminal."

"You stole one of the Elements. You'll have your punishment. We all do, sooner or later."

"Well, I can't see any of your gods around here. They may not care so much after all... Where's the Fire Element?"

The hooded prisoners freed their hands from the loose bindings with which they were tied and uncovered their faces. The two mute men went to keep watch at the door while Zeta and Euchare stayed to cover Odin, weapons in hand.

"You know that is a secret as well as the Guardians' identity. Nobody knows."

"Come on, old man. Don't spin me lies. If there's someone who knows where the Fire Element is, that's you. I'm sure Jenes told you before he died."

"You were a baby. How can you possibly remember that name?"

"Don't worry. I don't hold a grudge against him. He did what the gods commanded him to do. Although I must admit the Confines are not a very good place to raise a child. Now tell me where the Element is and let them do what they will with me," he said, gesturing above his head.

Hogier didn't move a muscle.

"Alright."

"Are you going to kill me?"

"Kill you?" he laughed. "I would never think of killing someone who was trained to die. I'm going to kill that." He pointed at the bird Euchare was holding in his hands. "Let me introduce you to the Air Element. It's up to you, Hogier."

The bird flapped listlessly. Hogier watched the scene undaunted, his fists clenched as he resisted the urge to act against the group of outlaws who had dared enter the Fortress with their demands. His almond-shaped eyes never left Odin, who was half hidden behind his long brown hair, sprinkled with few grey hairs for his age.

"Go ahead," Hogier challenged him.

Odin narrowed his small eyes and tilted his head in suspicion.

"Why aren't you scared about the bird being killed?" he mused, cupping his chin in his hand.

Just then the bird shook itself in Euchare's hands and dug its claws into him, forcing the thief to let it go. It flew and landed on one of the pillars, where it hesitated for a moment. They were all watching it closely when it suddenly glided down and skimmed Hogier, snatching at something with its beak. Alighting on the chair, it opened its beak and dropped the medallion Atenea had given Hogier before leaving.

"Element attracts Element," Odin said loudly, reaching to pick up the medallion.

"No! Odin!" Hogier stood in his way and grabbed him by the arm. "You can still stop this and prove they made a mistake sending you to the Confines."

"Weren't they afraid I would destroy everything? Well, far be it from me to contradict the gods."

Odin bent and picked the medallion up from the ground. Hanging on the leather thong were two shiny, black, polished stones carved with a unique symbol of Spades. The stones were completely smooth. Zeta grabbed the old warrior by the neck with one hand and held his knife in the other.

"No," Odin shouted from the ground. "He won't die today."

"You know the army will search for you and---" Hogier began to say.

"Do what you have to do, old man," said Odin with a mixture of arrogance and appreciation for the old man.

Then, he took one stone in each hand and rubbed them together. The spark lit up the room and the last sunset in the kingdom as they knew it.

FROM HER POST AT THE helm Atenea watched mesmerised how the caravel cut through the water in its path, churning up bubbles and foam. She felt eyes on the back of her neck and turned round.

"Is there something you want to say to me?" she asked Rachel.

"I was wondering... you know stories cross the borders faster than any horse."

"Pay more attention to who's riding the horse. Sometimes only a part of it crosses and the rest is added along the way. You should know that, being a merchant..."

There were a few seconds of silence.

"It's said that your father granted favours to the guardian to get you a place in the army," Rachel said, fearing Atenea's reaction.

Atenea let out a bitter laugh. "Is that the version going around the kingdom?"

"I was sort of expecting to hear yours."

"And who are you that I should have to defend myself before you?"

Standing next to Rachel at the helm, Atenea was suddenly caught off guard by a searing heat that made her double over in pain, clutching her stomach and gasping for breath.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?"

The merchant reached out in concern to touch her shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" Atenea screamed out, writhing in pain.

David rushed over immediately to see what the commotion was about.

"What's going on?"

"I think it's time for some introductions," the warrior woman stammered, grimacing.

"You're boiling hot," David said placing his hand on Atenea's back.

Droplets of sweat began to trickle down her face and her vision blurred. She screwed up her eyes, trying to see.

"She needs water," Magnus said, appearing out of the blue, "Where's the peasant?"

Without thinking twice David lifted the warrior in his arms and took her to one of the compartments in the hold and laid her down. The heat coming from her body had reddened the warrior's skin. In her delirium, brought on by the fever, Atenea imagined someone offering her a drink from the vessel that contained the Water Element; she was not sure if it had happened or if it was fruit of the fever. The liquid coursed down her throat, cooling her chest and then everything went dark.

Night had fallen when David decided to go and see how the warrior woman was doing. He just stood there, watching her. He forgot about the kingdom, the battles and the whole universe for a moment. He thought of how much work she gave him with her strong personality and how calm she seemed now with her long black hair resting on her shoulders and her breathing slow.

"I know you're there. I can see with my eyes closed," she said suddenly.

"How are you feeling?" David asked, sitting next to her.

"You know what this means, right?" David looked at her, knowing what she was thinking. "Maybe Hogier is dead, too..."

"Listen," he interrupted, "Hogier is one of the best warriors these lands has ever had. He fought with your father. He knows how to take care of himself. Whoever is doing this might be on their way to the Earth Tower and we will find them and get the Elements back."

"I don't even know why I sill care about all this. It would have been so much easier to just run away from the kingdom." She bowed her head in defeat. "Why do I keep defending something I don't believe in?"

"Because you know it's the best thing for your people." David held her chin and looked at her deeply, "You're a Guardian. It's in your blood."

"Why did you never betray me, David?"

"I simply can't. It's not in me." He paused and his face turned sad. "Look, it's obvious that there are unresolved issues between you and Magnus, I'm not stupid. But I'm not a traitor either."

The kindness of the young man was starting to chip away at Atenea's wild heart, even though she tried hard to fight it. She noticed the closeness of David's body didn't bother her anymore. His eyes had a different light to them. She found herself paying attention to the details in his face, his square jaw, the stubble on his chin, his mouth. It was as if a part of her wanted to surrender and let herself go. She felt David's hand caress her lap tenderly and how that made her heart beat uncontrollably fast. The warrior's lips were only a few inches away and the seconds seemed to last hours.

"We've arrived," Magnus said, appearing out of the blue from behind one of the wooden pillars that held up the entrance to the hold.

The spell broken, the warriors jumped up and pretended nothing had happened. David was the first one to come out on to the deck, followed by Atenea, who exchanged a veiled look with a suspicious Magnus.

The ship docked without any problems a few metres away from the shore. There at their feet lay the Domain of Hearts, the most highly protected place in the kingdom, and in the centre, beyond the labyrinth, rose the majestic Earth Tower. Nobody had ever entered it, except for the kings and a few messengers. No one from the other Domains was permitted access to Hearts, even the senior officials. Warriors surrounded the perimeter without stepping out beyond the borders and the merchants left their load on the coast for the inhabitants themselves to take to the stores inside the island.

A shower of arrows welcomed them.

"Halt!" Magnus shouted, showing himself from the ship. "The king commands it."

The warriors spotted the peculiar red colour of his clothes and recognised the monarch. Once they had ceased fire, they stepped off the ship one by one. Atenea tied her horse and left it on board with resignation.

"Your majesty," the warrior in charge said to Magnus, "my apologies. A ship at this time of day is highly suspicious. The merchants normally arrive in the morning."

"Has any other ship arrived?"

"Nothing since a few days ago, sir."

"Any incidents in the Domain?" David interrupted.

"We received the news, sir. Everyone is under cover. Not a sound has been heard since yesterday, but the queen is safe in the Tower."

"Good. I hope the army doesn't take too long. Watch the borders. I'm afraid we are expecting visitors," David said and continued his way inside the Domain, followed by the others.

"Yes, sir."

"Keep your eye on the ship. My horse is there," Atenea ordered the soldier to one side.

The warriors opened the gates of the wall surrounding the Domain. Behind it was a huge, heart-shaped bush as the main entrance.

"The Domain of Hearts," Alexander said aloud in fascination.

"How are we going to get through?" Julius asked, glancing at Magnus.

"I don't know. I never come this way out of the Domain." Magnus stared involuntarily at Atenea.

The famous labyrinths of Hearts were in front of them; a twisted maze of paths that lead nowhere, endless twisting paths and strange, hidden creatures. Stories and rumours about those who had challenged the rules and failed in the attempt to get through it passed from father to son, generation after generation. Legend had it that women and men who had surrendered to the insanity of the endless paths were still wandering around it, tormented by mysterious beasts, and the lifeless bodies of those who hadn't made it could still be seen. Atenea had always thought it was all just another ruse by the gods to scare everybody and keep them away from the queen and the Element, but after having had to face a couple of those creatures that had been released into the kingdom, the idea of entering the labyrinth made her wary.

"Maybe we should split up. Those who find the exit can guide the rest," Magnus suggested.

"We could get lost and it'd be complicated to find the way in there," Julius added.

"We'll go together. We can't waste time looking for each other," Atenea commanded. "You first, your majesty."

Cautiously but steadily, the group passed through the entrance and entered the labyrinth.

IT IS SAID THAT BABIES retain no memories of any experience before three years of age. However, the passage had a familiar, musty odour. The rough stone walls created strange shapes that glimmered in the darkness of Odin's memory. He felt along the worn walls with his hand, as if hoping for them to give him a sign or reveal a secret. His sardonic eyes grew large, allowing a tiny bit of wounded nostalgia to emerge.

"I feel it's not the first time I have seen these walls," he said aloud.

"I wonder how many encounters have taken place here behind the gods' backs." Zeta laughed hard. "How did you know this passage existed?" he asked, shaking the torch he was holding.

"Not everybody has an honest heart in the Domain of Hearts," Odin replied, as he carried on walking.

"We all have a dark side. Some have developed the ability to hide it better than others and then we have those who just let themselves be dragged along by it," Euchare stated as he observed the sinister passage curiously.

"Wow, that's deep! Leaving the Confines is taking a toll on you, Euchare," Zeta mocked. "What's at the end?" he asked Odin.

"Best case scenario, the Earth Tower."

"And worst?"

"We'll die at the hands of the army of Spades'," Euchare interrupted.

"Is he always so optimistic?" Odin asked Zeta.

The two nameless men walked a few metres ahead, silent as usual. Suddenly, they turned around and started waving their arms to attract attention. At the end of the corridor, a dilapidated door blocked the way. Could that be the door to their death or the entrance to the power he had sought for so long? Odin went to push it open.

"Wait," Euchare said. "What if there are warriors out there?"

"You still underestimate me, Euchare?"

And disregarding Euchare's fears, Odin opened it and passed to the other side. He was in an empty corridor. The stone columns rose up amidst torches that shone on the blood red carpets. The Harlequin signalled the rest to come out. Trying hard not to make any noise, they left the passage and closed the door behind them. On the other side, a mirror hid the secret entrance from those who didn't know that the gallery existed. They moved forward under cover of the warm darkness, certain that the appearance of a warrior would soon put an end to their plans.

At the back, a beam of light alerted them of the entrance to a room. They listened carefully to make sure no one was inside. Odin was the first one to step forward, spurred on by the urge for revenge. Inside, the empty royal bed welcomed him and then he understood where he was. There wasn't much furniture, but what was there was of high quality, made of oak wood most likely, the dark brown colour standing out against the crimson walls. A large window decorated with thick curtains was the only source of light in the place, apart from the candles on the table on the right. On it, scrolls and books were piled high. It seemed the owners of that room liked to write down their thoughts. Or maybe they're just more transcripts of the ancient teachings, Odin wondered to himself, remembering in which Domain he was. Just then, he heard footsteps approaching.

"Magnus," Judith said as she entered the room and she saw Odin transformed. "You're back".

"What are you doing awake?"

"How could I sleep knowing one of the Elements has disappeared? The chaos has started. Everything is out of control. Where are the warriors? We must hurry and find the Guardians."

"They're on their way, don't worry." He approached her and spoke in a forced soft voice. "It's you and the Element that concerns me. The exiles must not be very far."

"There's something strange about you... your voice."

"You're too tired to think straight. All this must be affecting you too much. You should have some rest. I will go look for the Element and keep it safe."

At that, alarm bells rang in the back of Judith's mind.

"Where's the Element, Magnus?" Odin didn't answer. "Who are you?" she said, turning to run away.

The gigantic Zeta appeared out of the blue and stood in front of the door, obstructing the exit. The queen stopped dead and turned back to face the false king. Odin had gone back to his real face by then and was surrounded by his minions, now out of their hiding places, weapons in hand. Judith was trapped.

"Hi sister," Odin said.

UNAWARE OF THE CHAOS that had spread like a virus throughout the whole kingdom, the improvised group walked on, focusing on the walls of bushes and vines of the labyrinth, under the halo of a timid waning moon. The narrow straight paths mixed with those of confusing twisted curves that made them end at the same spot where they began. They walked quickly; they couldn't afford to waste time by getting lost. They picked the wild fruit they found along the way to quiet their stomachs, but they were also mindful of the constant threat of the unknown.

Every path seemed identical to the others. It was absolutely impossible to know in which part of the labyrinth they were. The cramped row they were walking along now suddenly opened up into a circle that offered three possible directions.

"What do we do now?" Rachel asked.

"Maybe your majesty is right and it's better to separate," Alexander commented.

"It's probably the wisest thing to do," David said, looking to Atenea for approval.

"Define wise," Atenea replied, approaching the three paths to observe them.

"We'll split up then. Who will go with whom?" Julius asked.

"A warrior must come with me," Magnus interrupted. "Only I can give you access to the Earth Tower without being killed. Another warrior must go with the rest to protect them."

"There are only two warriors," David said.

"The merchants and the peasants will go to the left. David, you'll go with the king. And I will go on my own to the right," Atenea stated firmly.

"You're crazy if you think I'm going to send two helpless peasants with equally helpless merchants. There are creatures wandering around out there," Magnus protested.

"They'll be alright. Don't forget two of them are Guardians." She unsheathed one of her daggers and gave it to Argine. "Better? Those who get to a path with no way out will have to go back. The walls of leaves and the silence of the night will allow us to hear you if you find the right path."

"Or it will attract the beasts," Magnus said.

"No risk no gain. Come on, let's go."

Magnus glanced at David suspiciously, but he didn't notice the gesture. They all went their separate ways. At first, the one assigned to the king and the warrior didn't seem any different to the others, so they continued one step after the other, hoping to find out soon if it was the right one or not.

"I know what you're trying to do," Magnus began to say. "There's something written in her destiny, something greater than a warrior."

"A king?" Magnus looked at him in surprise. "My eyes can see beyond swords and soldiers. But I think your majesty is forgetting the rules."

"There aren't any rules for kings. They create the rules." A defiant Magnus stood in front of David. "I won't let you get in my way."

"With all due respect, your majesty, the only thing getting in your way is Atenea herself. I know something happened between you two. I'm not an idiot."

"Move aside, then, and let things happen as they should."

"You have nothing to worry about. The need to control free will is not among my ambitions."

"And that's the reason you'll always be just a warrior for the rest of your life." The king continued on his way.

"I guess you know the whole story," David added.

Those words stopped Magnus, who smiled arrogantly and replied:

"The story began way before you were even part of this army. Is that what makes you think it's you who will save her from her destiny? Do you believe Atenea will make the same mistake her mother made, fall in love with a warrior?"

David bit his tongue with the precaution of a leader and the insecurity of a man who feared those words were true.

On the path to the right, Atenea continued moving. A thousand thoughts jostled in her mind. Her pride pressured her not to focus on the searing pain she had felt in her stomach on the ship, an unequivocal sign meaning something had happened to the Element she was told to protect, but her sore body reminded her every second. With her duty as a Guardian always came the memory of her mother. She started to realise that might have been the reason why she was doing all this. She had been just a little girl when the gods erased everyone's memory to keep her identity a secret. She didn't even know about the agreement, until that dark day when she felt the very same pain, piercing and burning, when she took in her hands the stones her mother gave to her. At that moment, as her essence became one with the Fire Element, her mother closed her eyes and never again woke up. She felt as if she had stolen her life to keep it for herself. A heavy load she would carry with her forever.

With these ideas dancing around her head and exhaustion taking its toll on her, she circled again and again. It was like repeating the same scene over and over. Was she just wandering aimlessly? It was on the last turn that she noticed a figure that made her stop. Her warrior instinct kicked in and she grabbed her bow and an arrow. It was a female silhouette with its back to her, seated on a stone bench. Atenea approached it slowly, step by step, aiming with her arrow and ready to shoot. A few metres away from the unknown woman, she spotted the tattoo on her shoulder and her strength failed her. She set down the bow.

"Mother?" The woman turned her face around towards her. Atenea swallowed. "You're dead. You aren't real!" She screamed at the sky, "Is this the best you can do?" She turned around to walk away.

"Are you going to keep running away?" the figure said sweetly. "It was me who broke the rules. The Guardians aren't exempt to the consequences of our acts."

"Enough! Is this what they told you to say?" Atenea asked, still facing the other way.

"You're Atenea. My daughter. The blood of a Guardian and the most powerful warrior ever born in this kingdom runs through your veins."

The figure came across like flesh and bone, although the outline was weak and vaporous. The woman's long hair was braided and she wore a warrior outfit that revealed the inscription of her lineage tattooed on her shoulder, just like Atenea.

"I don't even know what I'm doing..." she bowed her head. "How can they allow you to be here?"

"They want you to fail. That's why I'm here. There are still many details of the past you don't know, but I'm afraid that's something you must find out without my help. Stop focusing on the noise outside. Fate is a mixture of amazing coincidences and the decisions we make. Get out of here," She smiled.

"What's going to happen to you?"

"That's not important. You must make mistakes, Atenea. Avoiding making mistakes is missing out on the opportunity to learn a lesson that can change your life forever. It was the greatest mistake of my life that led me to you."

"I don't know what to believe anymore."

"No matter what you decide to believe in, it will become true. It's your faith that gives it power."

The echo of a caw resounded on the other side of the wall, breaking the spell. When she looked back at the figure of her mother, all she found was an empty bench. She remained motionless for a few seconds, staring. Again the same cawing pulled her out of her trance. It sounded like a shriek. She swallowed, holding back tears she couldn't afford to let flow. She backed up to the beginning of the path, following the sound. It was coming from the path on the left. She sprinted towards it until the image of the creature stopped her dead in her tracks. Suddenly a hand grabbed her from behind and dragged her around a corner. They were all there, hiding and watching the enormous, white bird devouring the prey it had trapped in its massive claws.

"Are you alright?" Magnus asked, "Did anything happen along your path?"

"Ours brought us back to this one," Alexander confirmed.

"What are we going to do? We have to continue in this direction," Julius added impatiently.

"At this rate it's going to take us days to get out of the labyrinth. The queen will be dead by then..." Argine said.

"If we could fly like that does..." Rachel said, nodding towards the bird.

There were a few silent seconds.

"Maybe we can," David said suddenly. "If we can climb on top of it, we will be able to see from top and find the right path to get out of here."

"And who's going to climb onto that? Did you see those claws?" Rachel exclaimed.

"Leave that to me," Atenea said, as she pulled a vine out of the wall. "I'll keep its claws on the ground."

"Even so, someone will have to get on top of that beast," Magnus said, watching how the bird ripped a piece of meat off and swallowed it. "Volunteers?"

"Rachel can do it," Atenea replied, taking the merchant by surprise.

"Who? Me? I don't think I..."

"Besides having the guts to ask tactless questions, you have a sense of orientation and a good memory. You steered the ship on your own."

"Ships don't tear you apart and eat you."

"We will protect you," David said, approving Atenea's proposal.

Rachel looked at them doubtfully, hoping for them to say it was just a joke. The pressure to accompany the Guardians was enough, but she would be a coward if she said no in front of the king and the warriors. On the other hand, she didn't want to be eaten alive and never see her family again.

"You can do it. We don't have much time. Without the Elements, we are doomed and so are the Domains and their people," Julius explained, taking her hands in his.

"Sending your fiancee to her death isn't earning you many points," she joked nervously.

"I withdraw my proposal. You don't have to marry me."

The concern for his people was enough for Julius to forget his trading empire and that surprised the merchant, who understood the importance of his decision.

"You'd better have a good idea," Rachel said, nodding at Atenea as a sign of acceptance.

Atenea tied the vine to the tip of her arrow and gave David the other end.

"I hope it works," she whispered. Then she took a deep breath and shot towards the bird's legs. The arrow bounced between the bird's claws and tangled around them. "Hold it tightly!" she shouted to David.

Atenea ran to the bird with one of the thickest vines she could found on the walls, slipped it between its legs, tied it and pulling on it, she moved quickly away. The bird noticed the rope and, losing interest in the food, swivelled its head towards the warrior, who managed to dodge it. It then tried to take flight, pulling hard on the vine and forcing Magnus to join David, who was now holding both ends with Atenea. The three of them held onto the improvised rope for dear life.

"Now!" Atenea shouted to Rachel.

"If it catches me in its beak, it'll kill me."

Without thinking twice, Julius grabbed David's sword and ran to stand in front of the creature. The movement of the Guardian distracted the bird's attention and it stretched out its neck, trying to peck him. Rachel took advantage of the diversion and rushed to climb up one of the gigantic bird's legs. She held the feathers as tightly as she could as the animal shook itself, trying to get free. The creature was as tall as a tree and when it stood up, its head surpassed the walls of the labyrinth by several metres. Gripping onto the feathers on its back, Rachel closed her fists so hard her nails left marks on the skin. The bird fought desperately to free itself from its attackers. With difficulty, she reached its neck, which was bent forward like the rest of its body, pecking around Julius.

"I got it!" Rachel yelled. "I think ..."

Those were the words Julius needed to hear before he could move away. With the merchant out of sight, the bird focused on the intruder on its neck and it lifted its head, trying to shake her off. Rachel had to close her eyes for a moment to stop the dizziness. Several metres from the ground, she could see the immense labyrinth stretching out before her, every nook, every angle, every trick used to drive those who dared to enter it crazy. She spotted the exit and deciphered the way as though it was some Machiavellian riddle, and committed it to memory. With the adrenaline pumping through her veins, she slipped down the feathers in agonising seconds and landed on the ground. She didn't even feel the bruises, she just ran to hide behind the walls. When Rachel was safe, the three who were holding the vines let go. The strength of the bird tore the tangled vines around its legs apart and so it flew away with the thickest one still tied to it. Rachel sat behind the walls of the labyrinth, taking it all in. Julius went to hug her.

"Marrying me doesn't seem such a bad idea now, huh," he joked.

"You'd better have the right way," Magnus panted, his hands on his knees trying to catch a breath.

"I got it, your majesty. Quickly. This way," Rachel said, setting off before the image had a chance to disappear, like water droplets in the sun.

David offered his hand to Atenea, who was kneeling on the ground gasping for air. He helped her rise and they followed the young merchant, along with the rest of the group, and under the attentive gaze of Magnus.

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# Chapter VIII

One sack of wheat in acceptable condition was enough to raise the madness to its highest level. People wandered aimlessly around the streets of the four Domains. Some like lost souls, resigned to an end that seemed near; others like unscrupulous savages, willing to do anything for nourishment. The Guardians hadn't accomplished their mission and nature had unleashed all its fury upon the kingdom. The dreaded chaos had spread far and wide.

Judith knew the teachings of the Council word for word; she had been warned many times of the prophecy of chaos that would one day befall the kingdom and she must be prepared to face the consequences. She trusted in the wisdom of the elders with all her heart and had prepared diligently for this moment, but all the while hoping against hope that the prediction was wrong. When they took off the blindfold the light from the torch hurt her eyes. Judith's vision was blurry, but she could make out the bulky silhouette of Zeta in front of her. She could feel the freezing steel embracing her wrists and noticed the chains were embedded in a stone wall. She then understood where she was.

"I'm surprised at the knowledge of the Tower you possess," she said to Odin.

"And yet I am more surprised at the existence of dungeons in the Domain in charge of guiding our morals. Don't you think it's a little bit hypocritical?"

"Unfortunately, teaching values is not enough. You should know that..."she answered disdainfully.

"Me? Oh, poor me. There are no teachers in the Confines. In fact, that's not entirely true. You have thieves, from whom I learned to steal to survive, murderers from whom I learned sometimes you have to choose between you or them, and how could I forget the swindlers and their use of rhetoric?! They could make you believe roses can grow in the snow. But the ones who have always fascinated me are the traitors, capable of selling their own blood for crumbs." His voice became bitter.

"I thought you were dead."

"Liar!"

"I was a baby like you. What could I possibly have done? I've spent my life alone, without a family, wondering why."

"But you grew up. I guess the royal bed is too comfortable to abandon it for your own brother."

"You know I can't leave the Tower."

"Oh, that's right," Odin exclaimed sarcastically. "I forgot that as well as the queen of Hearts, you are also the Guardian of the Earth Element."

"The warriors are coming. Hurry up, Harlequin," Euchare interrupted, looking through a small round window.

"Harlequin?" Judith asked as if that name were familiar to her.

"I guess my feats have reached the queen. Now, tell me. Where is the Element?" Odin asked Judith, who was pulling at the chains in a useless attempt to free herself. "Come on, Judith. It's time to hand over the baton to the oldest brother. After all, isn't it the firstborn who inherits the titles?"

"How could I be so stupid? I should have known it was you they talked about in the Confines, but they told me over and over that you were dead. I thought they had invented the Harlequin to force me to obey the rules and stay locked up in this prison of stone. The gods feared you would find out about your power and use it to destroy what had taken them such great effort to build. It seems they were right. How can you still be alive?"

Judith's words stung like salt in Odin's old wounds. He grabbed the knife from the sheath hanging from Zeta's belt and trailed the steel tip over the Guardian's stomach.

"Build? They built nothing! It's the blood and sweat of people like us who built this kingdom."

"The Council will find you and this time your punishment won't be so benevolent."

"Those bitter old fools are too busy imposing their will, filling the people's heads with lies. They don't even realise they don't care about them. Ignorant gods. They only know a miniscule part of what I'm capable of doing. Where is the Element?" he asked once again, holding the sharp point even closer as a warning.

"But they know what I am capable of," Judith said firmly, throwing herself onto the knife Odin was holding.

The blade sank into the queen's belly as if it were shifting sands, without leaving a scratch. At that very moment, the Earth shook so violently that the ground under their feet cracked, throwing them off balance. Odin fell to the floor amidst the confusion of the earthquake; a rock hit Zeta on the head, injuring him and making him drop the torch; the rest protected themselves as best as they could in the darkness. The cracks that had opened in the wall allowed Judith to set herself free from her shackles and cover her head with her hands, while part of the walls of the dungeons collapsed like a house of cards, creating a thick dust cloud that enveloped everything.

"DID YOU HEAR THAT?" Argine asked the others, who could already see the way out of the labyrinth a few metres away.

The tremors under their feet left no need for an answer, as they were forced to hang on tightly to the walls of vines.

"The queen," Atenea said, trying to keep her balance, "It's over. We are lost."

"That's not true," Alexander replied. "We still have the Water Element."

"He's right," Magnus said. "Only those who have the four Elements in their possession will also have control of the kingdom. Quick. To the Earth Tower."

They headed out with difficulty, avoiding the cracks opening on the ground. The vines served as support as the Earth shook furiously like an enraged child. Their first reaction was to run away as fast as they could, but they soon realised there was nowhere to hide. One of the tremors threw some of them to the ground. Atenea grasped a vine with both hands and screamed for the rest to grab hold of anything they had nearby. After several long seconds the earthquake stopped; the lull gave them a chance to move quickly.

Hysteria had spread all over the Domain and the kingdom they once knew no longer existed. A gloomy atmosphere of grey skies, hostile wind and the destruction caused by the Earth's movement now added to the famine. Dust floated in the air, filtering through to their lungs with each breath. It was becoming increasingly more difficult for Atenea to hide the desolation she felt at the scenes of people running away from houses in ruins and fighting to find something to fill their stomachs. The maternal instinct she had been obliged to subdue tugged at her as weeping children ran in fear. She looked around wanting to scream with rage, but she couldn't. Time was of the essence and her people believed in the Guardians. What would the punishment be for not fulfilling the task the gods had assigned her? Death didn't seem such a terrible idea if the other option was to survive in these conditions. But, who could be doing all this? It was impossible that just one exile had turned the four Domains upside down in such a short time without the help of a higher power. Could this be a test from the gods? She looked at David and thought of how confident he seemed in spite of his injuries, and of how well he pretended to have everything under control; or perhaps he actually did. And the merchants who had tried to leave on the ship unseen, or the peasants who still had one Element. It was then she realised that among them was the only Element that was still in its guardian's hands and, therefore, the one in danger.

"Walk beside me, Argine," she commanded in a whisper so that nobody could hear.

The girl obeyed without question. Lot would be relief knowing she was been protected by the leader of the army herself, a thought that offered Argine some peace of mind. The majestic Earth Tower rose up from the centre of the Domain. All, except Magnus, stared at it in awe, impressed by its size and by what it represented. Only a few had entered and what it held inside remained as one of the most carefully guarded secrets of Poker Kingdom. It was a strong building made of red stone. Its base was square and stretched up, ending in an enclosed balcony. It had thousands of little windows on each floor with overhangs and strange asymmetrical shapes, like a puzzle. Magnus went ahead up the stairs that led to the main gate, passing by the soldiers on guard without having to say a word. The soldiers chosen to protect the entrance to the Earth Tower were carefully selected when they were children and were taken to the Domain of Hearts to be raised there and trained to fight.

There were piles of rocks on the floor and dust floating in the air. David followed the king, giving instructions to his warriors to let the others in. A spacious hall dotted with columns welcomed them. Atenea noticed each column had passages of ancient teachings carved into them; perhaps as a reminder. It was the Domain of Hearts without doubt. Some of them were cracked from the earthquake. It was then that she saw someone lying on the marble floor, covered with rubble. She ran over and dug out an elderly man from under the pieces of rock that had fallen.

"Here!"" she cried to the others, as she wiped the dirt from his face.

"Atenea," the old man sighed shakily and held her hand.

"Do you know me?"

"It's Jenes' inscription, no doubt." The man pointed at the tattoo on her neck.

"Étienne," said Magnus approaching. "Where's the queen? Help!" he called to the others, who were looking around the interior of the Tower. "We have to lift this rock."

As they lifted the rock off his thigh, his knee cracked. Étienne had injured his leg, but, like the majority of those who came from a dynasty of priests, his willpower was much stronger than any pain. He had been told many times that the mind has power over the body and now it was the perfect moment to put it into practice. There were more important matters than his leg that required attention. With some effort he sat up, helped by Atenea.

"There's only one possible reason for this earthquake. I've been guarding this gate since you left, so there's only one place left to enter or leave the Tower, Magnus," Étienne said with difficulty and grabbing the king by the arm.

"She must be in her room," Magnus guessed.

The king carefully let go of the old man's arm and headed for the second floor up the side stairs without waiting for anyone else. The rest followed him, their eyes never leaving the mysterious tower. All except Atenea, whose hand Étienne was still holding, and David, who had stayed behind to give instructions to his soldiers.

"We have been waiting for you for years," Étienne said, smiling through the dirt and grime on his face. "I'm glad to see you."

The warrior smiled back. She hadn't seen him before, or at least as far as she could remember, but he made her feel at home. There still were many questions about what had happened to her parents, but they seemed to have left behind good friends after their death and that gave her some peace. Was the old priest just imagining things in his old age? She didn't know what to believe anymore.

"Do we know each other?"

"Jenes always knew someone would end up confronting the Council and he was scared that person would be you. He knew you well. You must find the queen."

She whistled to one of the soldiers and asked him to take care of Étienne. No warrior was allowed to pass through the Tower gates, but this was a desperate situation and she had to make decisions. Atenea left, taking the steps two at a time to the upper floor, with her mind racing between finding the queen and the words of the elder. How did he know her father? To confront the Council? My father wanted to change things, she thought proudly. She wished the old man could resist the pain in his leg until everything went back to normal so that she could sit with him and talk about the past. Was it selfish to think of herself for a second and forget the people in the kingdom?

Absorbed in her thoughts, she came upon a corridor. She had lost sight of the rest.

Where did everybody go?, she whispered to herself. She listened hard to see if any sound might give away the location of the rest. She decided to go right, treading carefully on the wooden floor. She reached the first door in the corridor, which was ajar, and pushed it fully open. Inside the room, she found Zeta threatening Rachel with a knife, while the two mute men fought the others, who were less skilled in the use of weapons, with their swords. The only one who seemed able to defend himself was Magnus. Atenea went to grab her bow, but Euchare appeared behind aiming at her with one of his arrows. The fight came to a halt when Odin grabbed the king from behind with one hand, his sword gripped in the other.

"Drop your weapons," the exile commanded.

They all raised their hands in surrender. They were lost. The last chance to save the kingdom from chaos was slipping away. Suddenly, Magnus elbowed his captor in the stomach and took his sword from him, placing the tip of the sword at Odin's neck.

"You thought it was going to be that easy..."

Atenea took advantage of the distraction to whirl around, grab her bow and shove Euchare, who accidently loosed his arrow. She went to Magnus' side and aimed at Odin.

"Tell your men to drop their weapons," Atenea ordered, her eyes never leaving her target.

"That won't be necessary," Odin added, smiling.

"Let the peasant go," Magnus replied.

The king left Atenea facing Odin, walked toward Argine sword in hand and when he was close enough, grabbed her by the arm and stood behind her, positioning the sharp blade at the girl's jugular vein before the astonished eyes of the rest of the group. Atenea froze for a few seconds, unable to take her confused eyes off Magnus.

"Come on, don't look at me like that," Magnus said to a bewildered Atenea. "You could have had everything. You still can."

"You're a traitor," the warrior woman sentenced furiously. "All those people who died, the soldiers, Lot. You've condemned the kingdom."

"No risk no gain. There's always a price to pay for power. Your mother would have understood."

Atenea clenched her teeth in rage and aimed her arrow at the king. The room was as quiet as a tomb.

"You have two options, Atenea. You can stay on the losing side, with the gods and their stupid rules, the same ones that killed your mother. Or you can join me and have everything they forbade you to have."

The warrior pulled the bowstring taut.

"I'll cut her throat before that arrow can even reach me and then they will kill you all and steal the Elements. It's over."

A thousand and one ideas raced through the warrior's head in those milliseconds. The Element, the kingdom, her people, her mother, Jenes, chaos. With great regret and swallowing her rage, she fired. The arrow grazed Magnus' neck, drawing blood, and embedded itself in the crimson wall, leaving the people in the room with their hearts pounding and a lump in their throats.

"You were right, Magnus. She's a feisty one," Zeta commented, still holding Rachel.

"Alright. You made your decision," Magnus confirmed. "Keep an eye on them," he ordered his minions. "The Harlequin and I have someone to find. She's coming with us," Magnus said to Odin, nodding at Atenea.

THE ANCIENT WALLS OF the temple seemed to have resisted better than the rest of the Tower. It was the first place she had thought of. The earthquake had provided Judith with a chance to run away amidst the confusion of her captors and the rubble that had stunned them for some time. She leaned over and looked in the fountain, which had once held crystal clear waters that used to be a mirror to other worlds, but which had now turned dark and murky. She couldn't even see her reflection in it anymore. It was like an omen, the perfect metaphor to explain what was happening. Darkness had taken over Poker. She slipped her hand into the warm water, as if trying to make sure the image was real. All the doors were being closed to her. What could she do? Who could she turn to if the ones in charge of protecting them had turned their backs on them? She slapped the water helplessly, and placed her hand on her lap to stand up. The cards, she remembered, feeling them in her pocket. She studied them one by one and noticed most of them had now something printed on one face. She counted the symbols. Three: Diamonds, Spades and Clubs.

"Oh no!" she exclaimed aloud. "Only one left. What are we going to do? What do you want from me?" she shouted desperately at the emptiness.

The stone walls deflected the echo of her voice. A shadow appeared on the wall in front of her. She took a deep breath, stored the cards in her pocket and turned around, hoping it was Étienne.

"Magnus. Is that you?"

"Had you already forgotten my face?"

"Which one of them?"

"What are you talking about?" he asked, walking toward her.

"Get away from me," Judith ordered, brandishing a small dagger and backing away from the king.

"Sometimes I underestimate your intelligence. I guess we don't need to pretend any longer," Magnus confessed, raising an eyebrow.

Odin entered the room escorting Atenea, who had her hands tied in front of her.

"Where are the rest of your friends?" Judith said wryly.

"Don't worry. They're busy. Someone had to watch the Guardians."

"I'm confused. Who tricked who? Was it my brother who convinced you to do this or was it you who planned everything?"

"Brother?" Magnus glanced at Odin confused.

"Small unimportant details. Enough talking," Odin interrupted. "Accept it. There's no way out. Now, give us the Element."

"Don't do it, your majesty," Atenea begged. Odin reacted by threatening her with his sword.

"No!" Magnus shouted.

"Your infatuation with this warrior has clouded your judgement, Magnus. I'm getting sick of it. Are you going soft now? Our agreement was very clear."

"No. She wasn't part of the deal."

"Somehow she always was. She's a Guardian, remember? If she's not with us, she's against us. You know what to do." Odin pushed the warrior towards Magnus. "Great responsibility requires making complicated decisions. Kill the Guardian."

"We don't need to kill her. We have her Element," Magnus insisted.

"Do it or the deal is over."

Magnus remained silent for a moment, struggling between his ambition and his desire. Then, he moved slowly towards Odin, gripping his sword. His hand was shaking.

"Go ahead, Magnus," Atenea said defiantly, stepping forward. "Do something up front, for once."

The king lifted his weapon and grazed the leather covering the warrior's chest. Everything happened in slow motion, with almost calculated movements. Atenea had always had the feeling she would die fighting, but she had never imagined it would be fighting the king of Hearts. Memories from her childhood of sneaking through the passage connecting both Domains to see each other appeared in her mind, fuelling the fire of rage at his betrayal. Suddenly, an arrow sailed across the room. It sailed true, glancing off Magnus' arm and forcing him to drop his sword. David entered the temple, exchanged Atenea's bow, which he was holding, for his sword and ran towards the king. Magnus crouched to pick his sword back up just in time to stop an attack from the warrior. Both men's swords clashed against each other, sparks flying when the blades touched. David delivered a blow to the king and followed through with a kick to his stomach, but Magnus fought back punching the warrior in the face. The king was strong, despite not having received the strict military training the leader of Spades had. David wiped the blood from his lip and threw himself back into the fight.

Atenea took advantage of the distraction to turn around and wrap the rope tying her hands around Odin's neck in a stranglehold. While Odin wrestled with the warrior gasping for air, Magnus and David fought with all their being. The warrior, who had started the attack, seemed to be having trouble defending himself now. Magnus delivered blow after blow. The swords clashed again and again, sparking the metal. In one of his attacks, Magnus jumped on David, who pushed him off with a kick to his chest. Both took a breather and got back into the fight. Only the quick blades of their swords slicing through the air could be heard. In an unexpected move Magnus threw a punch at the warrior, stunning him momentarily, and prepared to end the fight with his sword in his left hand. Atenea let Odin fall unconscious to the ground and threw herself in front of the warrior, pushing him aside and receiving the sharp metal blade in her side. Dazed, she touched the wound with her fingers and stared at the red drops of blood dripping onto the palm of her hand. She gasped in pain. Magnus stood still, motionless.

"No!" David screamed and, as if the rage itself had breathed life into him, he jumped on top Magnus clenching his teeth in fury and, with a single blow, knocked him to the ground unconscious.

Meanwhile, Judith took advantage of Odin being out of the game to take the leather bag where he kept the stolen Elements and escaped through one of the side doors that gave access to the outside of the Tower. David hurried over to the warrior woman, who was leaning against one of the walls, and moved away the hand she was pressing to her wound.

"You're bleeding."

"It's just a scratch," Atenea made a useless attempt at pretending it didn't hurt.

"That blow was for me. Do you always have to be the centre of attention?" David joked, trying to calm the young woman.

"You know me," she gasped, forcing half a smile as her breathing became laboured.

David enveloped her in a heartfelt embrace that he had held back for too long. Atenea's heart surrendered to the purity of the gesture and she embraced him back with her other arm. Emboldened by the short distance that separated their lips, and the adrenaline the fear of losing her had released into his veins, he kissed her gently, as if he had been saving that kiss for that precise moment, guarding it carefully and tenderly from any harm. Atenea's head was incapable of finding an argument against the gesture and so she let herself go.

The image of the young couple entwined was the first thing Magnus' eyes saw when he regained consciousness and, driven by jealousy, he leapt on David.

"You always wanted what was mine," the king raged, encircling the warrior's neck with his hands and squeezing so hard his eyes bulged from their sockets.

David tried to escape the attack by clawing desperately at the king's hands, but soon his face began to redden with the lack of air. Magnus choked him, waiting for the moment when the warrior would close his eyes forever.

"I belong to nobody but myself," a voice rang out in the temple.

And with those words, Atenea gathered all the strength she had left and sank the sword she had grabbed from the floor into Magnus' body. The king looked astonished at the blood flowing out of his stomach, his eyes wide. He raised his head towards Atenea. A tear slipped down the warrior's face for the first time since her parents had died.

"You," Magnus said almost in a whisper, just before his lifeless body fell to the cold marble floor.

A deafening silence invaded the room, interrupted only when Atenea dropped the sword from which the king of Hearts' blood still dripped.

DAWN WAS BREAKING ON the horizon and Zeta paced in circles around the room, tossing his knife from one hand to the other like he always did when he was anxious. Julius and Rachel were seated against the wall on the left, while Alexander and Argine were on the other side. Each pair was being watched by one of the silent men and Euchare looked thoughtful in the centre of the room.

"They're taking too long," Zeta complained, still pacing.

"They've probably run away with the Elements and left you here," Julius said suddenly, making the mute man raise his sword in warning.

"Who asked you?"

"I'm just saying it's been a while since they left and nobody has come to look for you. It's obvious. You've been played. Who would trust a king who betrays his own kingdom?"

The others glanced confused at the merchant.

"You'd better---" Zeta addressed Julius angrily, holding his knife in his right hand.

"Easy, Zeta," Euchare said, grabbing him by the shoulder. "He's a merchant. Talking is what they do."

Euchare turned his back on Julius with disdain.

"What do you know? You're an exile. We merchants make sure the provisions are fairly distributed."

"Save your tricks. I've dealt with people like you for years. The Confines are full of fraudsters from the Domain of Diamonds. The only thing you do is take advantage of our work to pretend you're somewhat useful."

"Our?" Argine asked. "You're from Clubs."

"I was born there."

"How can you do this to your own people?"

"Enough talking, Euchare," Zeta warned.

"Euchare," Rachel continued, standing up. "I know you. My father had a peasant working for him who took care of classifying the sacks of food. Then some of them began to go missing. You have a very difficult name to forget."

"I had to feed my family and---"

"You stole someone else's food!" Rachel interrupted, outraged.

"I know. I deserved the exile. I never refused to be punished for what I did," Euchare exclaimed. "But my parents and my brother..."

"Were they also exiled?" Alexander asked startled.

"Your revenge has only put your people in danger," Argine stood up angrily.

"Silence!" Zeta shouted at Euchare. "Where do you think you are going?" he said to Argine, knife in hand.

"She's coming with me," Hogier interrupted, kicking the door open and raising his sword for emphasis. "You're not the only ones who know the existence of the passage.

They went to grab their weapons. "Save yourselves the trouble, gentlemen."

A line of warriors appeared. Euchare looked at Zeta, whose patience had finally run out.

"To hell with your stupid stories! I won't sell my defeat for such a low price. This isn't what I left the Confines for," the giant exclaimed as he wielded his knife at the soldiers who rushed at them.

Zeta charged the warriors with his muscular body and lashed out with his knife wherever he could. The blade slipped into the stomach of one warrior, who fell bleeding, while another soldier went to his aid by hitting the giant. Driven by the last vestiges of their friendship, the rest of the outlaws joined in the fight. The silent men took one side and Euchare did what he could on the other. The warriors outnumbered them, but the exiles' pride was stubborn.

Hogier took advantage of the fight to cut the ropes imprisoning the four hostages.

"We must find the queen," Julius said. "Magnus is with them."

"There's no time. You must leave the Tower and get to safety. I will find her. The kingdom is going to need you when this is over," Hogier stated.

Contemplating the kingdom from the highest point of the Tower gave Judith a privileged perspective of the real magnitude of what was happening. From the edge of the enclosed balcony, she could see how the soldiers began to take over the streets, full of lost souls looking for a way out; no matter what that might be. There were people running scared on the streets of the Domain, which were now covered in rubble from the earthquake. The presence of the warriors sparked even more panic among the inhabitants of Hearts. The hard images of what Poker had become stuck in Judith's throat, leaving a bitter taste that made her eyes well up. The first light of day announced the imminent need to make a decision. The future was in her hands, wrapped in a leather bag.

"Your majesty," David said, suddenly appearing and accompanied by Atenea.

"Look what's happened. We thought rules gave us absolute control, but we forgot what it was we were trying to control," Judith said sadly, still gazing at the Domain.

"We're still in time. We will find the Guardians. We just need to go look for them..." Atenea added, stepping forward with a hand clutched to her side.

"The tireless Atenea," Judith interrupted, turning around to look at her. "The only Guardian who inherited the Element. They always knew you could do it." She raised her eyes heavenward. "I wish I had reacted sooner..."

"Sometimes the job of a leader is to choose the best option from those laid out on the table," said David.

"What a beautiful reunion!" Odin exclaimed, appearing on the balcony with his sword.

"Sorry about the interruption. Now, if you please, give me the Elements back," he demanded, wielding his sword.

Atenea unsheathed one of her daggers, still pressing her left hand to her injured side and biting her lip in pain. David joined her, drawing his sword. They were both exhausted and hurt, but their honour kept them standing.

"Do you really want to continue with this?" Odin said. "The rest of the Guardians are probably dead by now and you don't seem to have much strength left to fight. Don't you warriors learn when to surrender?"

Atenea thought of all those battles she had fought, covered in blood, sweat and tears; of the soldiers that had lost their lives protecting the kingdom; of all those times she had thought of giving up. She believed the memory of her parents was what had given her strength at those times, but now she suddenly understood precisely what it was that had been keeping her prisoner: her rage. Her father hadn't trained her to give up, nor to live in a prison.

"There's only one possible surrender," Atenea said, gripping her dagger tightly.

"So be it," Odin replied and raised his sword.

"Enough," the queen interrupted from the edge of the balcony. "Too much blood has been spilled. They're yours." She held out the bag of Elements to Odin.

"Your majesty, what are you doing?" David exclaimed.

"Chaos has already taken hold of the kingdom," the queen explained in resignation. "We have failed."

"Your majesty, thousands of soldiers died to defend the borders, to protect what you are holding in your hands now. Are you going to let them die in vain? Is that the queen Poker deserves?" Atenea sounded disappointed. "Foolish mortals, incapable of handling power. You have condemned us!" She looked up at the sky with tears of rage and threw her dagger on the ground.

"Don't listen to her," Odin interrupted, speaking to Judith. "I always knew you would come to your senses, little sister. " He walked towards her and stepped onto the balcony. "After all, family is family."

"You must promise there will be no more death."

"How could I control these mortals? They get blinded by a little bit of power, you've seen it. The warrior is right. They're not ready. It's time to set them free from this heavy burden, don't you think?"

Judith looked at Atenea and then at the kingdom and took a deep breath.

"You're right."

And seizing Odin by the arm, Judith jumped into the void, dragging her brother with her.

"No!" Atenea screamed, lunging forward in a failed attempt to hold them.

Gravity dragged them down as Judith let go of the bag, allowing the bird to escape and unfold its wings. It soared off into the horizon with the medallion of two stones in its beak. The water vessel vanished in the sky, disintegrating into a million dewdrops that spread out, cleaning the atmosphere. And before Odin's eyes as he continued to fall, the queen of Hearts disappeared, transformed into tiny particles of soil borne away on the wind.

"Where is the queen?" Hogier asked, appearing at the top of the Tower.

His face lit up when he saw the warriors looking over the edge of the balcony and he ran towards them.

"She set us free," Atenea replied serenely.

"We are no longer slaves," David added, with a glimmer of hope shining in his eyes.

"Nobody is safe until the Elements go back to their resting place," Hogier explained, as he observed the panoramic view of the streets.

"You don't understand, Hogier. It all depends on us, now," Atenea replied, her eyes widening in hope.

"There are still some details you don't know about," Hogier said worriedly. "I'm afraid it's not over yet."

Raindrops fell from the sky to water the land that had remained barren and dry for too long. Argine was grateful for the fresh rain that fell on her face and on the whole kingdom, cooling the hate that had spread on the streets. Julius raised his head and let the wind ruffle his hair. The time for a new beginning had come.

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# Epilogue

The smell of wet soil finally invaded the kingdom and, like ants falling into line, the inhabitants of the Domains went back to work. They were happy because they knew water was the beginning of life. The first soft rays of sunshine bathed the lands in hope and announced a calm after the storm; even though they had no way of knowing how long it would last. The overall image was devastating. The streets were still crowded with starving families in Clubs and Diamonds, the army of Spades continued trying to control the disputes and maintain order, and rubble littered the Domain of Hearts. But from desperation was born a determination for survival that had lain dormant.

It was going to take some time to rebuild what had been damaged and recover what had been lost. Unaware of what had happened in the Earth Tower, each peasant, merchant, warrior and priest set out on the road to recovery. Surviving was the priority, explanations would come later.

At the foot of the Tower, he could feel the taste of blood mixed with soil in his mouth. He opened his eyes and looked around disorientated. He sat up among the rubble. Next to him lay all those printed cards; Spades, Clubs, Hearts, Diamonds. And a few metres away, a card lay on its own. Odin took it in his hands and looked at both sides, closed his fist tight and held onto the only blank card left.

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# The author: V. Cervilla

Born in Linares, a small town in southern Spain, she won her first short story competition at the age of 14 and everything snowballed from there. She studied Film Making and specialised in screenwriting. She's a bilingual writer and a traveller at heart. From London to the Amazon Rainforest, she has lived and travelled through many countries that have inspired her writing.

She contributes to magazines in the U.K and Spain, and is the director of the Spanish literary magazine Tartarus.

More info on <http://www.vcervilla.com>

Follow her on twitter @vcervilla and let us know which Domain (Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds and Spades) you would like to live in. Many readers have already done so by using "I'm team + domain" and the hashtag #pokerkingdom.

Join the kingdom!

To be continued in...

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Will the Guardians be able to save the kingdom of Poker? This Epic Fantasy adventure continues...

Darker. Frenetic. Powerful

The Guardians can't run away from their destiny any longer. With Queen Judith and the Elements missing, it's time for them to step up and find a way to save Poker from its destruction. Judith's trail takes them all to the unknown land of Kemet, a mysterious place where the Guardians will face something they weren't ready for.

Will they be prepared for the unknown forces and secrets that are about to be unleashed?

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# FREE BOOKS

Learn more about the Kingdom of Poker and its inhabitants in this compilation of short stories about some of its beloved characters.

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A dark fantasy and gothic horror anthology, The Story Box is a book of seven stories that will take you through a rollercoaster of emotions. Open the box, if you dare...

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