Tara Kymmer, the now-Regent Queen of Terpola, leaned over the metal railing of the balcony overlooking a dark stone room. This place was old, very old, and under the Castle of Crita. There were few lights to keep the palace preserved, though most of the light came from glowing crystal chambers. This was the room of the Frozen Ones, at one time known simply as the Chambers.

These people had been encased in crystal for the Gods knew how many millions of years. An old doorway was covered with so much stone, the team had decided it was pointless to dig it out. Besides, they were under ground level. The crystal pods themselves were impossible to break open.

Tara, along with many others, had tried to break the crystal pods open with anything they could get their hands on. Nothing worked. Nothing even begun to scratch the crystal. It appeared that the pods would only open on the day Terpola needed their warriors.

After freeing Enliatu from the Void, Tara half-expected the Frozen Ones to appear in battle and kill her for what she’d done. Releasing the Dark King was the biggest mistake she’d ever made, even if it was for a decent reason. She knew better than to try something so foolish again.

There were others, of course. There always would be someone who wanted Enliatu to rise again and complete his mission. Thankfully their numbers were few. Even so, the presence of these Rebels was a concern. No one knew who the leader was nor where to find their home base. The only thing anyone was sure of was that they existed. But even that wasn’t her biggest concern.

Tara spent the last two years trying to create relations between her world and Lyriumia. Yes, the God Worlds were supposed to be locked in eternal conflict, but no one knew why. The reason had been forgotten very long ago. All that remained were a few vague stories about the days when the Gods once lived alongside the people. It was well past time to move on.

The thought of the new alliance and Terpola’s inclusion in the Council was what brought Tara beneath the Castle in the first place. To the room where the Frozen Ones slumbered. There room had been discovered years ago, but only recently became full excavated. Very few knew about it, only the research team, archaeologists and a few high-ranking individuals. Everyone worked hard on this project. It was important in the history of Terpola. It was still unknown how this part of the Castle ended up underground or why these people sealed themselves away.

Tara let herself out of the underground chamber, heading back into the main area of the Castle. She made her way up several flights of polished black marble stairs to the Throne Room. Her hand brushed over the red-and-black throne as she passed it, heading for the balcony overlooking Crita.

It was strange to see people from the God Worlds getting along. They chat cheerfully as they worked together, the occasional bit of laughter floating up from the damaged city. Nowhere in recorded history was there any record of anything like this happening. It was strange, there was no doubt about that, but it was a good sign. Finally, there was a chance for peace between the God Worlds. A chance for scars to be healed.

Tara knew she should be down there, helping rebuild Crita from the damage Enliatu did, but the people denied her help. She understood why. The damage was, after all, her fault.

Some Queen she was turning out to be! Her own people rejected her for the majority of the first year after Enliatu’s defeat, finally caving in when they agreed they needed someone to lead them until the true heir could be found. That was the other reason Tara was in contact with the Lyriumian Queen and Court. They were helping her track down the only person the Terpolites would willingly have on the throne: the next Silent Guardian.

The irony wasn’t lost on her. Enliatu had been a Silent Guardian and things had gone to heck very fast. Even so, they were willing to risk another. “No one could be as bad as the Dark King!” they’d said.

Naturally, there was a catch. When it came to figuring out who was next in line, no one knew who they were. No one knew where to even look. There were rumours of magic scrolls which told of how the Silent Guardian was chosen through the power of the Silent Core itself, but that was it. It was no hidden fact all of the Acheron line had been Silent Guardians, but the line was now ended. They were searching for one person in all of Creation.

It was hopeless. There was no chance they would find the right person.

Tara sighed. The people would only allow her to remain in charge for so long. They would take matters into their own hands sooner or later. The thought alone made Tara shiver despite the unseasonably warm day.

It was a good thing she had plans to leave after the new Guardian was found. She’d start away on a world far away. Somewhere no one knew her name. Somewhere no one had ever heard of the damned Forgotten War. The idea always brought a smile to her face.