Prince Neros Virvatuli - (NEAR-ohs VEER-vah-too-lee) - A kind-hearted young Prince who is generally soft spoken and often puts others before himself. Noble by birth and certainly by nature, but he spends as much time as he can among his people. He’s a bit of a worrywart. A terrible curse befalls him, freezing his arm solid – he does his best to keep up a happy face amid the adversity.
Excerpt:
He
was grateful to have Pontius with him, all scolding aside. He couldn’t imagine
being alone, like Leof or Anthea. Down here, it was dark (though perhaps Leof
could light his own way) and the atmosphere felt thick with something less
tangible than the humidity. Sure, it was cool and damp and it made Neros’
clothes stick to his skin a bit uncomfortably, but there was something
foreboding about these paths. Almost as though they were daring Neros to get
lost.
Well, Neros found that quite
unlikely, considering there was only one path
for him to take. But the farther he walked, the narrower the passage became,
until finally, he’d hit a dead end.
He blinked.
“Did I miss something
somewhere?” He wondered. When he turned around, Pontius wasn’t behind him.
“Pontius? Hello?”
Leof - (LEE-off) - A serious, taciturn blacksmith’s apprentice and hobbyist inventor, Leof is a boy who tries to keep his distance. His parents forced him to the curb when he was small for having an interest in magic, so he practiced mostly in secret before Neros and Anthea recruited him. Beneath his gruff exterior, there is a soft spot (mostly for Neros).
Leof
pressed his head against the ground, taking deep, concentrated breaths to focus
his energy away from the crack. He cleared his mind, shoving the pain aside,
and focused only on breaking free.
He’d had enough of being belittled, tossed around by others. His quiet rage spewed
forth in response, flooding as though a dam had broken, filling him with
renewed vigor. The flames atop his head grew and whipped around, responding to
a wind that was not present. This
power…it is unlike anything I’ve felt. It isn’t a tool. It was locked away
inside me, all this time. Hélder stumbled backward, eyes wide with fear,
and the white ring of flames exploded away from Leof’s body. He stood, ignoring
the crack in his arm—which had, thankfully, stopped leaking magma—and held out
his hand, conjuring small balls of flames.
“Don’t underestimate me!” He
shouted, second hand joining the first in the conjuring of flames. They danced
around him like a taunt to his opponent. “I’ve dealt with far worse than the
treatment you’ve given me today. I’ll show you what my discipline can do.”
Princess Anthea - (AN-thē-uh) - She is a headstrong, brave Princess who would stop at nothing to get what she wants. She’s bold, she’s stubborn, and she’s charismatic, but she knows when to step back if she’s crossed a line. Her people love her, and she loves them all in turn as though they are her family.
Excerpt:
“Is this some kind of message?! Or is this sheer torture? A clue of any kind would be great right about now!”
She knew that yelling at the walls would provide no clue, or hidden secret, or cool entrance to a second layer of labyrinth beneath the first. She slumped against the wall, sliding down until her butt made a wet plop against the floor. I need to look for Rosea. I need to find her. I need to save the Arborians…all of them, they looked so… If she wasn’t fast enough, they would die. She understood the gravity of the sickly orange glow that Neros’ hands emitted when checking the life force left in their bodies.
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