Prologue

A land of kings and queens, princes and princesses, suitors and pretenders, warlocks and hags, royalty and peasantry, heroes and villains. But above all these are the Crowns. Relics that have influenced and still influence our lives. Hooked yet?

Now the thing about crowns is that there are so many out there. You know, the ones that royalty wear. A circular headdress worn by a monarch as a symbol of authority. At least, that is what everyone is told.

I mean, there are crowns. And then there are crowns. You get me? A king could wear a crown and it would just be a lump of gold sitting on his head. On the other hand, the king could wear a crown and it would grant him the power of prophesy, yes? There are crowns, and then there are Crowns. 

The history of the Crowns is interesting and hazy. Myth and legend has, inevitably and irritatingly, had its way with the truth. And who can differentiate truth from myth? But this is what we do know: the Crowns were fashioned hundreds, maybe thousands of years ago for the children of the hag Hunn. 

The legend tells us that she had fifteen daughters and fifteen sons. They were going to a ball where betrothals and marriages were arranged for the royals and nobles of the land and Hunn wanted her children to look something special. Hunn and her children were, officially, of royal blood. Her father had been King Faithful (ironically named in my opinion) and her mother, the kingdom’s witch doctor, Phrellovane. Hunn was the offspring with her twin. 

The ball was a disaster for Hunn and her children and they were cast out. Furious, Hunn had each of the crowns enchanted over the year. The crowns gave Hunn’s children special abilities when worn. 

The next year, Hunn’s children returned to the ball wielding their new powers. But they were overthrown and imprisoned, their Crowns removed. Many were executed within the week. Those who survived were either too young, too innocent or too good at escaping. The story of Hunn, her children and the Crowns fades away here. Apparently, Hunn continued to live but retreated to a cave where she remained for the rest of her days. But throughout history and mythology, stories of individuals wielding powers and magical diadems echo down the ages. Somewhere out there, dispersed across the many lands and kingdoms, are twenty-nine powerful crowns.

Very early on in the history of the Crowns, a secret society was created. They called themselves “Crowners of the Light”, which makes me personally feel sick; they could not be any less stereotypical of a secret society. Each member is branded with the symbol of a crown on the left shoulder blade. They meet biannually in a secret basement under a deserted palace of old and they discuss what they have each found out about the history of the Crowns and the possibility of their present whereabouts. Oh, and they open with a ridiculously cringeworthy song. They have remained silent since the beginning (thank goodness because that song would truly violate the world of music), and so there is only the faintest whisper of a rumour of their existence on the street. But that is soon to change. They are about to risk everything in pursuit of their goals and this worries me. 

Me? Well, I am a scholar, and part of the Crowners of the Light’s antagonistic society, the Keepers of the Crowns (we at least attempt to set ourselves apart from stereotype). We have intended to protect the whereabouts of the Crowns. I have infiltrated the Crowners of the Light for seven years now, enough time to be trusted and be fully made aware of their ultimate plans. They intend to use the Crowns as a means of power and domination, and they will rule this world tyrannically (they prefer the word ‘nobly’ - pah!). They believe they know what is best for the world. Very few can know that. 

There are only three of us - Keepers of the Crowns. It has not been easy. Our goal now is to find the Crowns and to preserve them. So already there are at least two rival groups after the same thing. You can tell it’s going to be fun! Oh the joy (insert sarcasm).

But it will not be easy for any of us. It has not been easy. It’s been a minimum of a thousand years and none of us are any closer to finding the twenty-nine Crowns.