Hello dearest readers!
And welcome to Royal Archive 003!
But first I wanted to update everyone on my next book, tentatively named ,”Closer”. As of right now, I am 10 chapters in, and looking to have it completed just in time for a Halloween release! If you like emotionally driven, psychological horror with a slow burn...I think this one might be for you! <3 Please reach out if you would like to be an early reader/reviewer for my ARC team if you're interested.
Now! Onto the Archives!
The Royal Archives
Third Edition
Lantern Night: When the Underworld Remembers
"Not every light is meant to chase away the darkness. Some are simply there to remind us that we are never forgotten."
—From the journals of King Rowan III
Few traditions are held as dearly throughout the Underworld as Lantern Night.
To an outsider, it may appear to be nothing more than a beautiful evening filled with glowing lanterns drifting through the branches of the King's Tree. But every elf knows that the lights carry far greater meaning.
Once each year, as the first stars appear above the Hawthorn's silver branches, families gather beneath the King's Tree carrying hand-crafted lanterns. Each lantern is dedicated to someone they have loved—whether they have passed beyond this world or simply traveled far from home.
Every lantern tells a story.
Some are painted with family crests.
Others are decorated with pressed flowers gathered from Scaoilte Glas, polished seashells from Oceana, or crystals carried down from the frozen cliffs of Oighear.
Children often spend weeks crafting their first lanterns, proudly hanging them beside those made by parents, grandparents, and ancestors stretching back generations.
As the final lantern is lit, the village falls silent.
No speeches.
No celebrations.
Only the quiet crackle of candlelight and the whispering wind moving through thousands of glowing memories.
The oldest among the Fae believe the King's Tree remembers every name ever spoken beneath its branches. Whether that is truth or merely comforting legend has long been debated by scholars of the Royal Archives.
Either way...
No lantern has ever been forgotten.
Visitors often remark that the tree appears brightest on Lantern Night, its branches shimmering like stars caught among the leaves. Some swear they have seen tiny lights drifting between the lanterns long after every candle should have burned out.
Most dismiss them as fireflies.
The elders simply smile.
After all...
The Underworld has never been a place that concerns itself with explaining every mystery.
Royal Archivist's Notes
Several travelers have attempted to count the lanterns hanging from the King's Tree.
None have ever reached the same number twice.
Whether this is due to poor counting...
Or something far stranger...
The Archives leave to the reader.
Until next time...
May your lantern always find its branch,
Joli G. Campbell
Begin your journey into the Underworld today!
The Fae Chronicles: Battle for the Underworld is now available on Amazon and follows Vanessa McCray as she discovers an ancient realm filled with magic, prophecy, forgotten kingdoms, and a darkness threatening them all.
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