Keystone (Gatewalkers) by Amanda Frederickson

the hill and down toward the walled town.  
    The detail that went into designing the town was pure awesomeness. The castle really looked as if it had been standing on its reinforced hill for centuries, collecting cracks and moss. The architecture looked appropriately medieval, with most of the buildings two stories at best, tiny thatch roofed hovels at worst. There were a few standard wattle and daub buildings, but the bulk of them were actually stone. Probably implying that there was a quarry nearby, or it was just plain the most available building material.  
    The wooden docks projecting out into the harbor crawled with people, and beyond them the harbor bristled with masts, spars, ropes, and sails. Smaller vessels out on the water were probably fishing vessels, and judging from the breeze laden with rotting fish, the fishing was probably good.
    “Now can you tell us why you insisted we come to Alta?” Tom said, materializing on Charlie’s shoulder. He settled in cross legged, holding Charlie’s collar for balance. His phantom weight felt strange.  
    Lallia fluttered up and settled on her other shoulder. “Not yet. Wait until we get into the city.”
    “Well, come on, feet,” Charlie muttered, and started down toward the gates in the wall. “How about you guys give me some background on this quest,” she said. “And how this world works, so I am not completely lost.”
    She felt Lallia shift slightly on her shoulder.  
    “All right,” Lallia said, with the air of one contemplating where to begin a long story. She daintily cleared her throat and straightened her back until she perched primly on the slope of Charlie’s shoulder. “Long, long ago, before Ard Ri released the Nightmares from their dark and fiery realm –”
    “Oh, you’ve gotten her started,” Tom moaned.
    Lallia hissed at him. “She needs the whole story, so I’m going to tell it properly.” She pointedly cleared her throat again. “Before Ard Ri released the Nightmares from their dark and fiery realm, High King Gwalchmai ruled in peace and prosperity over all of Seinne Sonne.”
    “It was even before we were made,” Tom said, “so you know it had to be a long time ago.”  
    Lallia continued as if he hadn’t interrupted. “But an evil grew in hiding. No one remembers where he came from, hidden in the mists of time, but Ard Ri rose up and opened the Great Gates to the Nightmare Realms, releasing all manner of creatures to over sweep the land, leaving devastation in their wake. Thus the Nightmare Wars began. High King Gwalchmai brought his armies against them, but there seemed to be no end to the red tide, and Seinne Sonne’s fields were washed in blood.
    “To preserve Seinne Sonne and what remained of his people, High King Gwalchmai took the Keystone and in his dying breath sealed all of the Great Gates closed, trapping Ard Ri and his armies in the Nightmare Realms forever.”
    “Not forever,” Tom corrected. “Only so long as the seal on the Gates holds.”
    “For as long as the seal holds,” Lallia said. “Which was supposed to be forever.”
    “For as long as Gwalchmai’s bloodline holds the throne and the Keystone,” Tom interjected again. “But the Great Gates are opening up again.”
    “That’s how we came to find you,” Lallia said. “We found an open Gate and it brought us to your world.”
    “So we could find a hero to save Princess Maelyn and find the Keystone. We can only hope that you’re the one.”
    “What does the Princess have to do with this?” Charlie said before Lallia could get into a fresh tiff.
    “Princess Maelyn and High King Edouard are the last remnants of High King Gwalchmai’s bloodline,” Tom said. “King Edouard and Princess Maelyn are tied to the Keystone in a way no one else could be. They are the only ones who can control the Keystone and use it to close the Great Gates before it is too late.”
    “Why can’t King Edouard do anything about it?” Charlie said.
    Tom’s