The Key: Book 2 The Rose Tree Chronicles

Chapter One: Hasty Assumptions

The day was only hitting its peak at the Obsidian Palace where Emperor Jaskaran and his two advisors held a meeting in the grand drawing room. They reclined around a circular table carved from dark, gleaming stone, joined by a poised naiad and a broad-shouldered adaro whose powerful shark tail shimmered in the faint light.

Overhead, a chandelier of pulsing glowfish cast soft, shifting light that danced across their faces, throwing deep, rippling shadows on the walls. Silver platters of spiced coral cakes and kelp-wrapped eels lay half-emptied between them, their laughter rising and falling like bubbles in a warm current. Conversation flowed easily, until a voice thundered through the chamber, cracking the ease in an instant and silencing the room like a sudden riptide.

“I require a word with His Majesty! Immediately.”

Jaskaran paused for a moment to eye who had dared interrupted them. When he recognized it was his wife, he breathed a heavy sigh and addressed his guests. “I apologize for this. Please wait outside, we shouldn’t be long.”

The guests and advisors slipped from the drawing room in silence, offering the empress low bows with their dimly-glowing palms together in front of them. Then they vanished behind the heavy gilded doors. Emperor Jaskaran moved closer to his wife—each step coiled with effort to mask the storm tightening behind his eyes. Across the room, Renée stood stiffly beside a grand stone desk, its gilded edges dulled by time and the faint scars of old tempers. Neither spoke, until the final thud of the door sealed them into uneasy solitude.

“What is it, Renée?” Jaskaran asked.

“I just returned from the miracle worker and she threatened me,” Renée whined.

“How so?”

“She intends to curse Nadia and banish her to land! I fancy she doesn’t support her as heir. She wants me to provide one.”

“So does she intend to heal your womb?”

“She wants me to find a way to heal my womb!”

Jaskaran furrowed his brows. “What did she truly say, Renée?”

“That’s it, Jaskaran! She told me I need to fill the empty void inside me!”

Jaskaran rolled his eyes. “She doesn’t mean your womb, Renée. She’s telling you to fix whatever it is that’s causing you to erupt like an unstable volcano. But what’s this about cursing Nadia and sending her to land?”

“Just that! If I don’t fill the void, Nadia will be cursed and sent to land! Of course, she’s blaming the whole matter on me!”

“Then you’d better lighten up, Renée,” Jaskaran growled. “Your conduct of late is rather volatile and unacceptable.”

Renée gazed at her husband in disappointed shock. “You mean you’re not going to do anything about this?”

“What would you have me do, Renée? I’ve done everything to make you happy, to make you comfortable in my palace! I’ve allowed you to stay even after learning you lied about your fertility, to remain at Nadia’s bedside even though everyone advised me not to, and I’ve done everything in my power to provide Nadia with the best treatment of all the seas!”

Renée was taken aback. “Surely you don’t blame me for her illness too!”

“No, I’m to blame as well for letting you poison her with your behavior despite the warnings of numerous miracle workers and advisors!”

“I beg your pardon!”

“Learn your place! I expect gratitude for not banishing you, because I’ve regretted it ever since! You will do whatever is necessary to adjust your attitude, or it will be on your head if Nadia is sent to land! As for the miracle worker, my father believed there is a noble reason behind everything she says and does; thus I trust the same, and I urge you to as well. It is apparent to me you have a mighty task at hand. I expect you to accomplish it. Now, did she say anything else I should know about?”

Renée swallowed the knot in her throat. She glanced down and lifted the key from her blouse. “She said that Nadia’s condition will not worsen until my time is up. And she gave me this key.” She handed it to Jaskaran. “She said it’ll tell me how much time I have left. She also said to keep it hidden, otherwise it’ll hinder my ability to fill the void.”

“I see you’re doing well with that,” the emperor deadpanned.

“You know what, Jaskaran,” Renée spat. “If you don’t intend to help, then hand me the key and get back to your meeting.”

“No, I’m keeping the key so that it remains hidden like the miracle worker directed. Now leave and tell Flint and Maine to return with our guests. I need to complete this meeting.”

Renée hesitated for a moment to try and think of something to say to get the key back, but Emperor Jaskaran shot her a look that told her to leave. So she did.

For six long months, Empress Renée drifted beyond the walls of the Obsidian Palace, chasing the promise of healing in the empire’s oceanic sprawl. But the deeper she waded into its currents, the more the sea revealed what she had always known: its creatures were not a balm, but a blemish—slimy, chaotic things that only confirmed why she had once sealed herself away behind polished stone and silence. Especially those with the nerve to try and convince her there was no “healing remedy” for her womb. Some seafolk were born with, others were born without; it wasn’t a defect so much as the way of nature. But Renée knew even if this were true, it was no excuse. There were forces in existence which could counter even the ways of nature, the trick was finding such forces. And they didn’t seem to be in the oceans.

So Renée tried visiting her family, letting their familiar laughter and attempts at cheer wash over her like waves breaking on a cliff. But their warmth felt suffocating, a reminder of why she had clawed her way out of their world, married Jaskaran, and vowed never to return as the same woman. She hadn’t wanted comfort, she’d wanted distance, and the dignity they never gave her.

In time, Renée turned to the glowing garden she had cultivated within the palace grounds, a luminous haven meant to bridge the divide between ocean and throne. The coral bloomed in radiant spirals, the bioluminescent moss shimmered like trapped starlight, but still, it failed her. Though it spread wider than most palace courtyards, it pressed in on her like a cage. She paced its paths with growing desperation, each breath tighter than the last. Still, she clung to one hope: a fertile womb … and Nadia’s recovery.

If the girl’s strength returned, surely her own would follow even just a little. Everyone said it was Renée’s joy that would be Nadia’s cure, not the other way around. But that was impossible. They were wrong, they had to be. And if Nadia was healed, the fingers would stop pointing at her.

Renée was quickly running out of time. She soon grew restless to the point where she decided that she would have to continue her search for healing on land, but she needed to take that key with her to know how much time she had left.

Seven months had passed since her reckoning with the miracle worker, and in the hush of night, Empress Renée slipped from their bed while Emperor Jaskaran slept, his breath steady. Light from the courtyard filtered through the coral latticework of their chamber, casting watery patterns across the floor as she crept to his sleek, coral-carved drawers that once held love letters and imperial decrees. She searched methodically at first, then with rising urgency: under pelts and scrolls, behind vials and gilded boxes. Bottles clinked softly in protest as she rifled through their contents. Nothing. The key was nowhere. Minutes dissolved into frustration, and the weight of defeat pressed heavy on her shoulders. Perhaps he didn’t keep it in the chamber. The study, maybe. Resigned, she turned back toward the bed—and froze.

A faint gleam winked at her from beneath Jaskaran’s sponge pillow. Her heart lurched. She stepped closer. She spotted the key just barely tucked beneath his resting head, its metal edge catching the light like a whisper meant only for her. A slow burn rose in her chest. He’d been wearing it himself all along. For months, perhaps. All this time, and she hadn’t noticed. She drew a deep breath, willing the anger to pass like a tide. With quiet precision, she plucked it free. She paused only to scrawl a brief farewell note. Then, without another glance at her husband, she slipped through the corridors and vanished into the sea-soaked night.

ξ

Empress Renée traveled alone to the Maja Forest on the distant continent of Noelle, where she often sought counsel from Queen Tiana. Nearly everyone in the forest knew her, however this time, no one emerged to greet her. The cool silence that met Renée at the surface of the Pixie River said enough. Whispers had long turned into disappointment. Her brooding presence had become a weight, and the forest, once warm to her footsteps, now seemed to withhold its welcome.

Renée paid them no mind, and ascended the stone steps that led to a grassy cliff overlooking the Pixie Lake. At the top, the trees parted for a small plateau bathed in soft sunlight and the scent of moss. A marble ruin stood quietly among the greenery, its broken elegance lovingly preserved and ornamented with ribbons of ivy and fluttering charms. To the left, a long ebony table carved by the dwarves of the forest stood ringed with thirteen velvet chairs, its surface smooth as oil. On the right stood a marble statue of a legendary elf, caught in mid-step beneath a silver archway etched with ancient blessings in angled Elvish runes. But what Renée enjoyed the most was the glass floor which resembled reflective water, where each step she took sent ripples cascading outward. It was the only thing here that responded to her.

She found Queen Tiana seated in quiet regality to the left of the clearing, nestled beneath a curtain of low-hanging branches that shimmered faintly with dew. The fairy queen wore flowing robes of black, forest green, and deep ocean blue, colors which seemed drawn from a storm. Her golden throne caught the sunlight in soft flashes, its curves elegant and cold. Tiana’s ashy-gray wings were veined with silver, and draped down her back like a glimmering cape. Her ivory hair swayed in the gentle breeze as she leaned forward and spoke with a púca, a small, spritely creature which longed to render aid whenever possible.

“And alert everyone that Avery predicts rain for tomorrow. The sprites and pixies should already be aware, but remind them in case they’ve forgotten.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the púca replied with a quick, deep bow, and then skipped away to do his queen’s bidding.

Here, Queen Tiana glanced up with her bright green eyes and spotted Renée. “Empress Renée! My melancholy friend!” She stood to greet the empress.

“Queen Tiana,” Renée replied with a sad smile. “How are you?”

“Very well.” They embraced each other. “I suppose there’s no need to ask how you’re doing.”

“I take it you’ve heard.”

“The most recent event I’ve heard concerning you is Nadia’s renewed illness.” Queen Tiana stepped gracefully toward the weeping willow that arched over the ebony table, its slender branches swaying like curtains of silk. She reached up and brushed her fingers against a single leaf. At her touch, the dew clinging to the tree began to glow softly like suspended stars, providing just a little more light to the throne room. “This was of course, quite some time ago. I imagine something new has come to pass.”

“Yes, in fact,” Renée replied as she played with the skirts of her light blue gown. “Jaskaran had me go and see the miracle worker in Moss Canyon. I have until the Rose Tree finishes growing its branches to become … happy, I suppose. ‘Fill the empty void,’ were her words.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad.” Tiana sat at the end of the long table and gestured for Renée to join her at her left. “What happens should you fail?”

Renée sat beside her. “Nadia is cursed and sent to land.”

“Ah, then yes, you may want to change your attitude soon. The Rose Tree will be finished growing its branches in a month and a half.” Tiana held her hand above the table. Tea and fresh fruit manifested between them. “Eat something. You’ve lost weight.”

Renée sucked on some berries. “Why is it that everyone is on the miracle worker’s side?”

“Because although you have a right to be upset about your daughter’s illness, this is just ridiculous.” Tiana mixed cream and sugar into her tea. “People learn to cope with sorrow instead of affecting the lives of everyone around them with it. I realize this is something you’ve been battling for a while, though.”

“It’s more than Nadia,” said Renée. She proceeded to fix herself a cup of tea.

“I know,” said Tiana. “It’s because you’re barren, which is why you thought adopting Nadia from your nephew-in-law would fix everything. But because it didn’t fix your condition, the adoption didn’t achieve the results you desired. It appears to me that you need to learn acceptance.”

Renée rolled her eyes, and almost left the throne room. She muffled her own retort with a sip of tea.

“We’ve all been trying to help you through this long before you adopted Nadia,” Tiana continued. “Long before you married Jaskaran, even. Listen, Renée, the miracle worker is very strict and unsympathetic in her ways, this is true. But what she’s doing is the last chance for you, and for Nadia. If the support of your friends, family, and sympathizers aren’t enough, then maybe this is the push you need to realize that joy, contentment, humbleness, they are all states of mind that you find within yourself. It certainly takes time, and I understand it’ll be much harder for you than it is for most, but you also have more people willing to support you through it than most.” The empress had no reply. “So how are you to know when your time is up?”

“The miracle worker gave me this,” Renée answered. She pulled the chain around her neck to lift the key from the bodice of her dress. “When the rose blooms, my time is up.”

Queen Tiana’s eyes widened at the sight of the key, but she quickly composed herself so as not to alarm Renée. “You had better keep that well-hidden.” She took a sip of tea.

“That’s what the miracle worker said.”

“I assume she failed to tell you why.”

“She said it would hinder my search for joy.”

Tiana gave an ironic chuckle as she set her teacup on the table. “Yes, I suppose it would.”

Renée’s gaze shot to her friend’s reaction, which sparked curiosity in her chest. “Do you know of another reason?”

“That key and what it unlocks is, in my personal opinion, one of the biggest mistakes us fairies have ever made. Of course, the others disagree.” After adding more sugar to her tea, she brought the cup back to her mouth and shrugged. “What can one do?”

“What’s the mistake?” Renée eyed Tiana hungrily.

“You’re aware of the myth of the Cataras Springs?” Renée nodded, and Tiana shook her head. “It’s no myth. It’s as real as you and me. That’s the key to it. Some people will kill you for that.”

“I see.” Renée thought for a moment. “Maybe there’s a completely different reason as to why the miracle worker gave me this key.”

“Like what?” Tiana asked.

“Maybe she’s trying to tell me I’ll find happiness there. I could find healing.”

“She gave you a task, Renée, not a riddle.”

“Sure, but don’t one of the springs heal? I could heal my womb!”

“You don’t have a womb to heal, Renée.”

“Then that’s what’s wrong; it’ll heal me by giving me a womb.”

“As I understand it, it’s natural for some seafolk to be born without a womb, and therefore there is nothing wrong.”

“Very well, I can heal Nadia,” Renée argued. “Once she’s healed, everyone will stop blaming me, and certainly that’ll make me feel better.”

“Yes, but healing Nadia won’t solve what made you so severely upset in the first place. Otherwise, the miracle worker would’ve simply provided a tonic to heal her. You’ve been unhappy long before Nadia. You need to learn why you became so distraught in the first place to learn why you still feel the way you do now. Once you manage that, you can heal your mind of your condition, and you’ll be happier, your daughter will be in a better environment, she’ll recover, and everything will be even better than before. But the bottom line is that you have toxic qualities that are a contagion to those around you, and you need to learn how to change that, whether it be an outside source, or one within yourself. When did you first start feeling this way?”

Renée swallowed hard and bowed her head. “When I learned I’m barren.”

“Then you need to learn how to accept that. You’re not the only sea-maiden who’s barren.”

“Certainly, but that doesn’t make it any easier.”

“No, but perhaps you can consult with others and take some advice from them. Have you tried visiting your family?”

“Yes, they only make me feel worse.”

“Have you tried hosting galas?”

“Jaskaran hosts them. I also find them to be a bore.”

“Do you go into these events with this attitude?”

“I don’t know, Tiana,” Renée whined. “Perhaps?”

“You can also practice optimism. People will be more attracted to you when you match the energy of a gala, and perhaps you can consult with other barren sea-maidens who attend them.”

“Well, I’ll try the Cataras Springs first and if that fails, I’ll give your advice a fair shot. Where is it?”

Tiana shook her head. “I can’t tell you, Renée. You’ll have to try my advice.”

“Well that doesn’t seem right, Tiana. I’m asking you for help.”

“Who are you to tell me what’s right and wrong? I must hold my tongue on the matter because I’ve made a covenant not to reveal its location. If you’re so desperate to find the Springs, you’ll have to figure it out for yourself.”

“So it’s just another world mystery then,” said Renée, her tone dripping with attitude. “Along with everything else you and your fairy friends created. Like what really lives at the top of the Darigo Mountains, the location of the one female miracle worker on land, if the zoilie stone exists and if it can really break any curse.”

“Well, not even Aranel knows where the Mystery Miracle Worker lives. As for everything else, yes.”

“Not even Aranel knows where she lives?” Renée was captivated. “How is that possible?”

“It would appear the Mystery Miracle Worker has learned how to keep Aranel from seeing her,” Queen Tiana answered. “I assume either with iron or an Elvic curse.”

“Fascinating. Do you suppose the Mystery Miracle Worker may know the location of the Cataras Springs?”

“I highly doubt it,” Tiana replied with an amused smile. She examined Renée. “You’re not planning on going out and searching for her, are you?”

“It’s worth a shot since you refuse to help me.”

“I am trying to help you, Renée. That’s why I’m not telling you anything. These theories you’re coming up with will only waste your time!”

“Why?”

“Because the Cataras Springs can’t help you! To find joy you must search for it within a given situation, not pursue it like some lost treasure!”

Renée glared at Tiana, a deep rage boiling inside her. But then her eyes grew round with realization. “Wait a minute! You can change and create! You could create a womb within me!”

Tiana narrowed her eyes with suspicion. She tapped a finger on her saucer. “What would come of Nadia should you bear your own child?”

“Well, she would no longer be the heir.”

Tiana waited for more. “And…?”

“And what? That’s it.”

Tiana didn’t appear convinced. “I don’t think so, Renée. I think you harbor a deep loathing for Nadia, and perhaps you don’t yet realize it. You’re upset she’s not your own, and that’s why you take your anger out on her. And if you were to bear your own child, you would dismiss her outright.”

Renée’s rage began to boil over. “I’ve put up with many insults from you this afternoon, Tiana, but that one I cannot let slide.”

“They are not insults if they are the truth, Renée. If you can convince me through action that Nadia is safe around you and your children, I will consider creating a womb within you.”

Hot tears welled in Renée’s eyes. “So you don’t intend to help me in any manner, is that it? I come to you for aid, and instead you insult me, belittle me, and refuse to do or share anything which might actually solve the problem with which I come to you!”

“None of your solutions are the real answers, Renée,” Tiana insisted. “My telling you this is, in fact, helping you. But it’s up to you to heed my advice. The Cataras Springs can’t help you, and putting Nadia in further danger by helping you to bear children in your current state of mind could actually make matters worse. You need to find healing within yourself first, and then I can assist you in bearing children.”

“You lie!” Renée hollered, angry tears streaming down her face. “The only reason you won’t tell me where to find the Springs is because you and your cult don’t want anyone to find them! Not even someone who was once your best friend!”

Tiana watched Renée, and took a deep, calming breath. “Very well, I will tell you this. Rumor has it that someone on Arcor discovered the location of the Mystery Miracle Worker.”

Renée calmed slightly. “Do you suppose that person knows about the Springs too?”

“Absolutely not. If the location of the Springs has been found, the whole world would likely know. The many powers of the Springs are too great for anyone to keep its location secret for long, which is why I’m convinced that even the Mystery Miracle Worker doesn’t know.”

“Perhaps she knows, she just hasn’t gone to find it.”

Tiana thought for a moment. “Perhaps. Go and find the Mystery Miracle Worker, Renée. But I’m telling you right here and now, the Cataras Springs are not going to do you any good.”

“We’ll see about that.” With the last word, Renée stood and stormed out of the ruin.

While Renée descended the stairs, she heard a small rustle in the tree above her, followed by an excited, “Renée!” She glanced up to spot a darkly dressed, wingless pixie gazing down at her from a branch in a peach tree.

“It’s been a while since your last visit.”

“Rein Bow,” said the empress with a faint smile.

“What have you been up to lately?” Rein asked. Then her eyes fell on the key the empress was wearing. Her expression darkened. “Where did you get that?”

“A miracle worker gave it to me.”

“Interesting. I suppose he didn’t tell you it’s dangerous?”

Empress Renée rolled her eyes and continued descending the steps. “Everyone’s been telling me.”

“Why don’t you listen?”

“I keep forgetting and I’m too lazy to make an effort to hide it.”

Rein watched the empress leave, and then went to go talk to Queen Tiana about the visit.

ξ

Rein perched in the weeping willow above where Tiana still sat despondent at the ebony table. “So she’s going to Arcor? With the key to the Cataras Springs?”

“I suppose so,” Tiana answered with a shrug.

“How hard did you try to stop her?”

Tiana stood and moved to her throne. “Almost to the point of desperation, but do you really think anyone could have stopped her, Rein? She’s almost as stubborn as you. Who can convince you to do something you don’t want to do?”

Rein didn’t answer. She slid down one of the branches and landed on the table. “Are you sure that an Arcorian found the Mystery Miracle Worker?”

“Positive,” Tiana replied as she took her seat. “According to Aranel, two have. An Arcorian woman found her first, and then traded the information with an Arcorian merchant.”

“And does the Mystery Miracle Worker really know the location of the Springs?”

“We think so. That Arcorian woman appeared to gain the knowledge herself after visiting the Mystery Miracle Worker, and has already utilized the Springs.”

Rein’s eyes grew wide. “You don’t say!”

Queen Tiana nodded her head. “Believe it or not, I’m not as worried as the rest of the Circle. The Arcorian woman and the Mystery Miracle Worker aren’t the worst people who could know of the Springs.”

“It’s still unfortunate all around,” said Rein. “Do you suppose that if Renée drank from the healing spring and could bear her own child, she would be happy?”

“The spring won’t heal her because there’s nothing to heal,” Tiana answered. “And I told her this. Renée is angry with the world, and she’s in so deep that nothing but her own will could help her change her attitude.” There was a moment’s pause until Tiana asked, “So what are you going to do, Rein?”

“I think I’ll join her and see what I can do to change her mind. Besides, this is the miracle worker who can give me wings again, and I’m so sick of eating burdania petals every day for centuries.”

“Of course,” said Tiana. “Good luck, Rein.”