How much? Ruena thought back to what little she knew about Valen. Admittedly, most of what she did know was from personal experience with the Valen themselves. “I know what most everyone knows. Valen are exclusive silver haired sorcerers that are able to wield soul magic,” she recalled, “Most people see your kind as mysterious, secretive, and dangerous. Other than cruel rumors, I know nothing about how Valen came to be.”

  “Well, that makes sense. What we are and where we came from is a secret we have worked hard to protect,” Xandus agreed, “However, the world is changing. The Valen are changing. This way of life won’t last forever. As it is, only Valen from the main bloodline are even acknowledged as Valen.”

  “You mentioned this main line before. What does that mean?” Ruena asked.

  “You will understand after I tell you my tale,” Xandus assured her, “It is not as if you are completely uninvolved. Even without magic, the blood of the Valen ancestors runs through your veins.”

  Ruena was truly taken aback by this. The blood of Valen? Did that mean one of the Alodan ancestors was a Valen? But she bore none of the Valen traits. Before she could ask, Xandus silenced her again by raising a hand.

  “Valen were not always Valen. Our name was derived from the great ruler to mean ‘the Valiant Fallen’. We are those who fight to survive despite our cursed fate. A truly unkind name, but considering our origin it was accurate.”

  “Fallen from what?” Ruena asked, feeling more and more nervous as he continued to speak. All she wanted was some help becoming the Weaponsmaster, but she felt like she was being let in on some of the deepest secrets of the world.

  Xandus smiled. “That is not my secret to tell. Let’s just say the first Valen were once powerful magical beings,” he told her, “Betrayed by one of their own, they lost an important part of who they were and became Valen. Each of them gained unique traits and powers instead in their fallen states. These powers were named by the fearful humans after monsters from the legends of their homeworld. This is why they are remembered as the Valen Titles.”

  “You remember them as the names of monsters humans gave them?” Soral asked, “Why not just rename them something better?”

  “I wish I had a good answer for that, but I do not know why the names stuck either,” Xandus admitted, “Perhaps the Titles grew fond of them over time. Whatever the reason, this legend has been passed down from generation to generation of the kings of Valen.”

  “You said each of them had abilities and traits. Does that mean that the silver hair and purple eyes only belong to the descendents of one of them?” Ruena asked.

  “Two, actually,” Xandus corrected, “The silver hair and the wisdom of Sphinx. The purple eyes and soul magic of the Reaper. The two are husband and wife, and the majority of the Valen are their children. Some, like the great ruler, never had any children. Some went off and married into other races. Your black hair and golden eyes are the traits that could only be held by the direct descendent of Gorgon.”

  “Gorgon?” Ruena asked. Sphinx and Reaper were both more or less familiar to her, but she had no idea what Gorgon could entail, or what it meant to be descendent from one titled after it.

  “He was more commonly known as Medusa, but he was the only one who openly contested his title and despised it,” Xandus explained, “Don’t worry, your gaze won’t turn anyone to stone. His power allowed him to create and turn things into any version of stone or jewel, allowing him to create the most precious material we still use today.”

  “Crystilium,” Ruena whispered, looking into Taigia’s golden eyes. Did that mean they were distant relatives? “What about Storm? He had neither black hair or golden eyes. Why can he manipulate crystilium?”

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  “Sometimes the more powerful traits override the other. In his case, the blue eyes he inherited were stronger. Again, his origins are not my secret to share. He is well aware of who he is.”

  That was all well and good for Ruena, but Soral was no doubt receiving the entire story with all the hidden details. He likely felt more overwhelmed by the weight of these secrets than she did. However, Ruena had began to have an inkling of what Xandus was getting at. It seemed an impossible thought, but she had to ask.

  “Are these Titles still alive?” she asked.

  “They are,” Xandus confirmed, “And they are here in the Valen Palace, sleeping.”

  A chill swept through Ruena as she worked up the courage to ask her next question. “The Weaponsmaster you mentioned wouldn’t happen to be my ancestor, Gorgon, would it?” she managed.

  “That is correct,” Xandus affirmed again, “Gorgon, the first Weaponsmaster, the founding Duke Alodan. He is a man of many titles and the one I believe to be best suited to help you. However, I will not help you wake him. If you want his help, you must convince him to awaken on your own.”

  “Would it be possible for me to give you an answer to your generous offer at another time?” Ruena asked, feeling the building pressure only grow. She needed to be of a sound mind before she made any decisions to awaken what could very well be a sleeping monster.

  “Of course. Take as much time as you need,” Xandus promised, “However, I will not be able to guide you while I am away from the castle, so it may have to wait until after my return from your estate.”

  “Thank you,” Ruena told him, unable to hide her relief. That would give her plenty enough time to think.

  “You are very welcome,” Xandus told her, “Oh yes, before you go, my right hand would like to thank you personally.”

  After their serious conversation it took Ruena a moment to remember that his right hand was Ryn’s father. Perhaps he had been summoned by some sort of magic, because the man in question entered the room from a smaller door Ruena had not noticed before right after Xandus mentioned him.

  “This is Knott, Ryn’s father, and my trusted right hand,” Xandus introduced, “These are the ones who rescued your son. Lady Ruena Alodan has also graciously invited me to her estate, and I intend to take you with me. What do you think?”

  “I appreciate the offer, but it is not wise for us both to leave Valen so shortly after cleaning,” Knott replied, “It is enough that you have given me this opportunity to thank them.”

  “It is a pleasure to meet you,” Ruena greeted, unsure quite how to address the man before them, “I wish I could say that I rescued your son purely out of the goodness of my heart.”

  “Whatever your reasons or the circumstances behind them, you and your people did what I could not,” Knott dismissed, “For that I must express my thanks. I find pure kindness and the heroics of stories to be unrealistic dreams used to take advantage of the hopeful. A transaction where both parties stand to gain is something far more understandable to me.”

  “Then it was my pleasure to work with you,” Ruena replied, holding out hand to shake.

  Knott eyed it for a moment before taking it and giving her a short and firm shake. He then turned to Soral, who still seemed to be getting over his extra exposure to the secrets of Valen. “I hear that you played an important role in both his rescue and recovery. Thank you for everything you have done as well.”

  “It was no problem,” Soral told him, “He is free to visit anytime. Your son is a very talented boy.”

  “Ah, yes. He spoke of your time together fondly,” Knott said with a smile, “Venerosa dislikes the idea of him leaving home after what happened, but I will let them know. Perhaps you could visit us instead when you have time.”

  “I’ll do that,” Soral promised.

  “If your business here is done, I will guide you out,” Knott told them.

  “Oh, actually there is one more thing,” Ruena realized.

  She explained her plan with Crystal and Soral’s suggestion of a second invitation meant purely to draw attention. For appearance sake it would be best if Xandus waited to leave until it arrived. Luckily Xandus thought the plan was hilarious and easily agreed.

  With that last thing out of the way, Knott escorted them out of the castle. Based on the amount of eyes following them, a personal escort by the king’s right hand was no small honor. All in all the visit was an astounding success. Now she needed to prepare to welcome the king as a guest, as well as think about his overwhelming offer.