Chapter One - Charlotte
The princess paced through the courtyard, her footsteps growing impatient against the cobblestone. She sighed, crossing pale arms over her chest. Her mother instructed her to be under the marble statue at noon, but the daylight slipped away.
The sun streaked across the western sky, dragging along traces of the day and falling beyond the castle walls. She heard stories of wizards chasing the brilliant orb, trying to steal the light and gobble it up. They were best known for wanting power, but not all were evil. Her mother kept counsel with Regan, the Royal Wizard. He always did well by their family, but she saw less and less of him. Her mother sent him to battle the rebels with the rest of the army.
"Charlotte." Her mother whispered from behind, her tone sounding unusually gloomy. The princess turned, expecting to see the tall and commanding woman. Her sapphire gaze collided with a mysterious figure. He embodied a dark angel, black wings extending from his back. Silver eyes sliced through her core. She gasped, a scream building in her throat. "No." He waved his long fingers. A sudden pressure crushed her windpipe, choking off her distress.
The dark angel circled the beautiful princess, boots tapping across the ground. She recognized the mark on his wrist, the symbol of royal allegiance. A wizard could change form, but never conceal the brand on his skin. The Silver Wizard had broken his pledge to the crown. He stood before her, wrapped in all his glory.
He received the namesake for his eyes, which shown silver in the light. Charlotte assumed the magnificent gaze was as fabricated as his hideous wings. The wizard hid his true form behind the guise of a dark angel.
She thought it rather fitting. He led the rebel army against the royal family, fighting for the conquered people of Ellestial. He was their angel, their deliverer. Her mother, Queen Meara, claimed that he brainwashed all of them. He used his powers to make them pawns in his ploy to become ruler of Sterling. He stole their hearts, making them puppets in a pointless war. He filled their empty chests with ugly thoughts, driving them to fight against an unbeatable force. They fell in the name of nothing.
"I need a spell befitting of a princess." He taunted, still circling his prey. A pair of sharp fangs peeked from beyond his curled lips.
Charlotte shut her eyes. She tried to imagine the smell of roses, the taste of chocolate, and the whine of a violin. Her favorite pleasures danced through her head. She recalled the feel of velvet against her fingertips, the smell of a summer rain, and the flicker of fire flies in the night sky. Her mind drifted over the castle walls, leaving her trembling body at the mercy of the Silver Wizard.
"Stop." His warm breath fanned her delicate features. She opened her sapphire eyes, coming face to face with the dark angel. He leaned in close, close enough to keep her thoughts grounded. She saw the red veins in his silver stare, tracing them across the whites of his eyeball. She opened her mouth to speak, but her plea was choked off by his invisible grip on her throat. "I have just the spell." He smirked, stepping backwards. His hideous black wings hissed in a soft breeze.
As she stared at him, her vision blurred with fresh tears. Her mother would scold her for showing weakness. Princesses were supposed to be strong. Her oldest sister fought in the war against the rebellion. Her second oldest sister married a man twice her age. They were both brave, braver than she would ever be.
Charlotte, Charlotte was a coward. Her conscious screamed at her to run, but an unknown force rooted her in place. Her mind replayed stories whispered by her nanny. Sterling once had three suns, but the Silver Wizard chased them down. He found them, slumbering in their nesting place. His cold hands cradled them in a gentle embrace. He whispered sweet words and swallowed them up into darkness.
"You will transform into stone at the sight of danger." He flashed a devilish smile, his sharp teeth glistening under the fading light. He brushed his fingers across the mark on his wrist, causing it to glow with a strange luminosity. Her lungs expelled a shaky breath, her eyelids fluttering softly closed. A wet tear spilled over her cheek, collecting on her chin and dripping towards the ground.
A warm sensation surged inside her, much like the warmth from the last remaining sun. Her body seemed weightless, hovering in the air. She feared opening her eyes, seeing the transformation as it ticked across her skin. His powerful magic embraced her, cradling her like he did the innocent orbs of sleeping light.
He would rip out her heart and store it with the rest of his collection, force her to fight alongside the commoners. He would force her to fight against her own family. She shuddered at the thought. She never excelled at fencing lessons. She never did well at archery. She would make a better target than she would a soldier.
"Princess, look at me." He snarled. She refused to meet his demands, to see the monster quiver his massive wings and bare his sharp teeth. Something cool grazed her cheek. Her eyes opened in curious response.
The Silver Wizard traced the slope of her nose and curve of her lips with his cold fingertips. They tangled in her auburn hair, jerking her gaze to meet his. He smirked, his bright silver eyes peering into her soul and filled it with poison.
She tried running away, but her long legs treaded only air. The wizard floated them over a vast field. She clutched at him, more afraid of falling. Dainty wildflowers waved at them from the ground, their tiny blooms whispering through a soft wind. She searched for the cobblestone and topiaries, but the safety of the castle had vanished like an illusion. Her body trembled.
"The sun is setting, princess. I must go." The Silver Wizard beat his giant, black wings. They sliced through the sunset, disturbing the streaks of burnt orange and lavender. He flashed his devilish smile, pressing two fingers against her forehead. She dropped from the sky, the warm tingle vanishing from her skin.
Her feet struck the earth, knees buckling on impact. She landed in a heap of limbs and rags, her beautiful gown and jewels disappearing into thin air. She sat amongst the flowers, trembling with shock. Tears spilled from her sapphire eyes, trailing over her flushed cheeks.
The wilderness was a dangerous place for a girl of any class, especially under the cover of stars. Her eyes drifted towards the darkening sky. The wizard had vanished, leaving her to the mercy of night. She swallowed a jagged breath, pulling herself up off the filthy ground. She started walking in the direction of the brightest star. Regan, the Wizard of Sterling, told her the brightest star would always lead the way back home. She hoped he was right.