Prologue
The room was stuffy, filled with clamor and stress as the Queen found her way to the head of the table. The heat outside matched the tension inside the room - high and with no other place to go but to get trapped into everyone and everything.
"Order!" The Queen's voice was loud, echoing through the room. The men and women silenced themselves almost immediately. It was then that the names would be presented. "We all know why we are gathered here," the Queen begins. "The Five Lands are in danger. Numerous attacks have been ordered on the eastern adn northern borders of our country. We know that I..." She paused as her voice broke a little. There were smears under her eyes, like makeup has been tried to be removed. "We all know that my time...immortality is running out...and we need to find those 35 to compete and hopefully-"
"Your highness!" somebody interrupted. All heads turned to the man standing at the far edge of the table. He cleared his throat, got up, and started to speak. "Pardon my interruption, but are you sure we want to hold these challenges now? While tensions are rising between the darkness? While our country is at its utmost fragility while the evil is making its plans? Your royal highness, with all due respect, I think this is a terrible idea." His voice trembled, his nervousness obviously clear in the deathly silence of the room.
"It must be done," the Queen responded. She held her tone firm and decisive. "We may get a weak start, but if we get them just in time, if they learn to use their powers, even before somebody is chosen, they can go to battle. They will be strong in their youth and they can help us defeat the Darkness and everyone that is a part of it."
There was a pause. Not a sound, once again. "The names are here," a tiny voice said. "We will find them and bring them to you, your highness, and they will be challenged immediately."
"Don't get carried away," the Queen said. "Time may not be our biggest bet right now." She cleared her throat. "Read the names aloud."
YOU ARE READING
The Destined
FantasyThree girls attend a boarding school where they expect nothing more than to have a normal eighth-grade year. That would have been the case, if it wasn't for the hauntingly dark task the headmaster sets for them to complete.
