The Element Table

Chapter 1: Happy Birthday Sun Queen

"Its words will be revealed to the destined"

Morgaine read the words on the first page for what could have been the millionth time in her lifetime. She had stolen the thread bound, brown leather covered book many times, and panned through its pages. She couldn't understand why it was so important to her family. There was nothing in it except for the words on that first page.

Once she turned 18 though, its importance was finally revealed to her. She knew of the Sun Queen, The Guardians, and the part her great great grandfather, Merek, played in their lives. Before she died, the Sun Queen told him that the new Sun Queen would come from his descendants. As the years passed, her great-great grandfather had dreams and visions about the new Queen and the next generation of Guardians. All he saw was written in this book, and before he died, he used the pendant to hide the contents of its pages. Only when the right descendant, at the age of 21, was given the book and pendant would the contents of it be revealed.

Morgaine spent the last three years learning all she could about the Guardians, the Sun Queen, and the Table. She was subjected to etiquette classes, taught to behave as a queen should.

Now, clad in what she thought was the tightest gown ever made, she sat in her room, on her bed, looking down at the first page. The festivities of her 21st birthday party could be heard outside the door, but she had no time for that, all she wanted to know was if she was the chosen one or not.

But who was she kidding, there was no way she could be the Sun Queen. There was nothing sunny or queen-ish about her. Her skin looked tanned, her hair dark brown and straight as a pin, nothing like the Sun Queen's radiant skin and wavy glowing blonde hair. She never considered herself ladylike...actually, no one did. It was the reason the etiquette classes were given, to begin with. She wasn't the pretty dress and fancy shoe kind of girl. She was more into tight trousers and leather boots. Was her great great grandfather sure it was the first daughter of the generation and not the second or third? Her younger cousins looked more like Sun Queen material than she did. Most of her family didn't believe that she was. They had already made up their mind that it wasn't going to be her, but her cousin's daughter. Her mother thought otherwise and did all she could to make her daughter queen like.

Even though she didn't feel like Sun Queen material, she wanted to be the chosen one. Like her mother, she wanted to prove to everyone in her family who ever doubted she could, that she can actually be the Sun Queen, and do it well.

She blocked out the party and took as deep of a breath that her tight corset would allow her. If she turned the page and words and pictures appeared, she would be the next Sun Queen.

She took the edge of the page between her fingers, and slowly turned the page over. She released the page and stared at the blankness. One second passed...nothing. Two seconds, nothing. Ten seconds passed and still, nothing happened.

A sinking feeling started in her stomach. Maybe everyone was right, maybe she couldn't be the Sun Queen.

She let out a sigh of disappointment and was about to close the book when the floor of her bedroom began to shake under her feet. Confusion and shock were etched on her face as the vibrations moved up her body. The termers felt small at first, but, they grew stronger. One hand held the book firmly to her chest, while the other held on to the sheets on her bed. She looked around her room, the items hanging on the wall, and sitting on shelves were shaking vigorously. She listened for noise outside the door, all she could hear were the screams from her relatives.

The earthquake lasted for a while, and then it died down. Morgaine opened her eyes that had shut during the termers and took a look around her room. The paintings on her wall were either slanting or on the floor. The shelves were also slanted, and the books that were on them were now on the floor as well. She had experienced earthquakes before, but none like this.