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“Where are we going?” I asked a second before a long black cloak was tossed at my head. I caught it one handed while Sandra struggled to fasten the ties of her own around her neck while also keeping the edge of the too-large hood out of her sight but also containing her springy curls that were so easily identifiable. Slipping the heavy dark material around my shoulders, I tied the laces of the small ribbon at my neck to prevent the cape from slipping from my shoulders if we should have the need to run – it was certainly much easier than before when my fingers were claw tipped.
“We’re going outside, so will have to be quick about it.” Was all that she would say before we snuck out of the castle. Despite the dire recent circumstances of Solomon’s murder, there was not a single guard to be found till we reached the back entrance. The guard in black onyx armor were quietly dozing, their heads tipped forward onto their chests and heavy helmets knocked askew so far that I could see one of the men had a trail of drool dribbling from his chin. Sandra giggled as we passed them, no doubt amused at such a sight but I pushed my hand against her back for her to move on before we were caught. Neither one gave any indication that we had passed except for the light wind stirred up by our passing dislodged a small cloud of dirt and floating dust particles to shimmer like miniature faeries through the air, one such particular managed to make its way up his nose and the guard briefly sneezed.
Oh, shit!
I froze on contact, my hands burning with the energy needed if I should have to defend myself, but the guards shifted his head and succumbed to his sleep once more – being a soldier was just so exhausting that it was hard to stay up all night, I guess. I didn’t take another breath till we safely reached the giant gate emblazoned with the royal coat of arms. Sandra slunk away to the side of one of the columns and flipped a latch, her black caped figure looking like a bearer of death on a midnight journey as she pushed against the golden gates slowly swinging open.
I was unprepared for the sight that laid behind them.
The normal glitz, glamor, and just the overall sense of orderliness that had made Melrose seem like such a sparkling place was now missing. The pleasantly scented air now tinged with smoke and the elegantly smooth streets were now littered and grimy from the influx of people that had been displaced by the fires of Lentiqua. Where the houses and mansions had previously been spaciously placed apart now had every available free space occupied by tents and shacks composed of every type of material imaginable. Rugged people drifted between the dwellings, their faces thinned and haggard from the recent experiences they had faced looked like walking and talking skeletons instead of proper beings. I followed close behind Sandra as she weaved a path through this camp of misery, our approach mostly going unnoticed by the majority of the people except for the few who did glance up to make a brief spell of eye contact and despite my best intentions, I found myself quickly looking away from the empty grief-filled gaze that seemed to pierce straight through to my heart sharper than any blade..
I It was pitiful, and horrible, and more things that I didn’t have the words to say. Why wasn’t anyone helping them? Surely the elites were opposed to having the commoner’s camped out on their prize-winning lawns and would have done anything to help them?
“How can someone ignore all this misery and pain? These people have no place to go and so many are still injured, it would only take one magistrate’s house to provide a place for at least half of these people to rest comfortably. It’s not like they couldn’t spare the room. No one needs a giant mansion with forty rooms anyway.” I seethed.
Sandra paused and turned, her eyes quickly scanning the crowd for the any lingering presence of an army soldier or just a set of ears that was paying too much attention for comfort. Finding none, she began to whisper softly under her breath, “That’s the way the elites and the royal family always have. They turn a blind eye to the truth and keep playing pretend in their fancy mansions with all their little rules when in truth, they are just as restrained as we are.”
Still, being trapped in your own world was not an excuse for ignoring a problem like this. My doubts refused to be soothed and only increased in strength as we traveled onwards through the remains of Lentiqua on the way to whatever destination laid ahead. The blackened remains of the entire marketplace had been completely leveled, the few burnt shells of buildings no longer slumped in their pain, the ash covered ground crusty with a thick charred black coating of unidentifiable melted materials that extended as far as the eye could see. No longer was there the complicated maze of streets that took nearly a day to navigate the complete length of the marketplace. Neither was there any remains of the life I had once knew here, that memory charred as black as the ground under my feet. It didn’t even look like anyone had tried to start rebuilding back yet, or maybe they never would.
Beyond that destruction area was the wall itself, the little gate that I had snuck though so long ago as a member of the Raven’s guild party of the evening stood almost unmonitored except for one, the silhouette of a single lone sentry guarding the entire perimeter while he strolled along the top of the wall with his weapon in hand. Navigating carefully through the rubble to avoid an unwary stab to the foot by a piece of protruding debris, I just couldn’t imagine how we were not going to be noticed until I noticed something flickering at the edge of my vision. Sandra had crouched down behind a partially melted roof that had slid from a building in the fire and tucked her fingers inside her lips, a long, low musical whistle quickly followed and I saw a small creature on wings rise into the air from beyond the wall. The little creature squealed and flared it’s wings, baring the elegantly swirled wings to the pale moonlight before it dove straight for the guard and I knew instantly what it was as a long string of heated breath blew forth from the slender body, a Vitare. Over and over, the little beast kept up its relentless assault until the guard was screaming in terror while curled into a ball in the shelter of the wall, his weapons laying forgotten on the ground as he tried in vain to protect himself from the scorching bursts of air erupting for the creature’s mouth – ouch!
“Come on!” Sandra stood up and grabbed my hand, yanking me forward as we rushed towards the gate at a break-neck pace. My feet skimmed over the blackened ground, my focus now shifted entirely on the effort of not falling flat on my face instead of the guard’s pain-tinged screams on top of the wall. With the tall doors of the gate looming ever closer, Sandra thrusted her arms forward and shoved the gate opened seconds before her body would have slammed into the solid unforgiving surface. The hinges squeaked in protest of the movement, unused to such robust activity and I shoved along with her in our haste to get outside – although I was wondering why the gates were unlocked at such a time as this, maybe it was another one of Sandra’s mysterious tricks—With only a little more effort, a gap widened enough that we could slip through, Sandra first and me next, into the quietness of the forest beyond.
The forest was just as I had remembered it, the tall trees waving strong and proud in the night, their lush greenery providing a welcoming canopy to the glittery star-speckled sky above. Brilliant birds of the night flittered from tree to tree, twittering their life’s song as fluttery winged bats chirped in the background on their nightly mission to sate their hunger. I found myself smiling as I soaked it all in like a sponge left in the rain. No matter what had happened this far, I still loved the forest, the peace that it brought and the way everything fit together in one large puzzle. There was no odd shaped pieces here, no exclusions because you were different than the other. You were simply there for better or for worse.
“Judging by the happy smile on your face, I assume you like it here?”
I turned and smiled towards Sandra who was slightly shaking her head in wonder. “I love it here and would live out here if I could. There are no rules, no restrictions on what you can or can’t do, or even who you want to be. It would be amazing.” I replied softly with a whisper.
“Even with all the nasty shadowy monsters around and stuff? You’re braver than I am. It’s kinda funny when you think about it.” Sandra shrugged and started walking off through the trees.
“Why is that?” I puffed along while trying to catch up without falling over the hem of my overly cloak and killing myself – I wonder how tall the proper bearer of this cloak was supposed to be if it was even dragging the forest floor on me?
“Because you were raised inside the protective walls of Althea, you’re not like us but yet you are. You lived in a place without magic and told it was evil, but you were born with the gift as one of the most powerful users. It’s very strange. You live on the borderline, one side death and the other side life. There is no in-between, but you still dream as far as you can.”
I was confused. What did she mean I was like them? Everybody had a dream but only a few people actually realized them. I was just one of the hundreds of others whose dreams would never be anything more than thoughts floating inside their skulls. I wasn’t a daredevil or a hero. I never tried to save anyone or really even spoken up to defend myself. I’ve only had how many attempts on my life made these past few weeks and barely scraped by without getting myself killed. So I guess you could call that a success. But it wasn’t like it was anything grand. I still had a prince who was looking for any reason at all to send me to the executioner and someone who had tried to rape and/or murder me that night and was still roaming around free. In addition was the reason why Sandra had decided it was so important that we sneak out into the forest tonight.
I had been about to ask her all the questions that had been swirling in my brain when I heard it. The sound of music and laughter, of happiness sparkling as bright in the night air as the moon above.
The dense surroundings of trees parted into a clearing, a peaceful meadow filled with lush green grass and night blooming daises mixed between the greenish canopies pitched as tents, small fires of blazing orange were scattered about and encompassed by a circular gathering of people sitting around the base while talking and laughing to their heart’s content. They were not just ordinary people either. There was a woman, her skin a translucent greenish color like that of a tender new plant shoot, who had long strands of green ivy braided into the thick strands of her fiery red hair weaving the clipped tan fur from an alpaca on her sturdy wooden spinning wheel while the large animal laid peacefully at her feet. Two children bobbed and weaved between the tents like it was an obstacle course, happy chubby-cheeked faces creased into delighted smiles as they sped past with supernatural speed to their parents, a sturdy but graceful looking man whose ears were slightly pointed at the tips and a regular mortal woman with long dark hair. More people, equally different looking and mortal alike sat together chattering and laughing with no hint of aversion to the other despite the difference.
I couldn’t believe it. Here, there was people who used magic and those who did not living in harmony together. But how, and why? Why so close to the kingdom? How did they survive the murderous beasts that roamed this forest? Just how did they find this place?
I was too caught up in my own thoughts when I notice a single familiar face rise from around the nearest campfire. “Well, Kyri. You finally made it. I will say that it about time that a lady of your beautiful caliber came to grant this place a little bit of that extra special something that you have. Although I would say that I wasn’t expecting you, but I was. I’m surprised that Sandra could keep our place here a secret for much longer considering how much of a little lip-flapper she is.” Thorn boasted as he weaved his way up to us, still dressed in his signature raven black army uniform from his day’s work.
“You’re a member of this too?” I babbled in surprise while circling the area with my finger. Has everyone I’ve met so far been involved in this façade?
“Yep! I’m a founding member of the party sent to rescue the afflicted living inside the malfunctioning kingdom of Althea!” Thorn toted proudly, only to receive a quick smack to the head from Sandra.
“You idiot! She doesn’t know all that yet- mphf!” The captain pulled my protesting friend up to his chest and silenced her with a mind-searing kiss. I could feel the scarlet heat rising quickly in my cheeks as the single kiss began to turn into something a little more advanced with each deep throated moan echoing from the pair. My eyes bounced over every surface, my discomfort growing with every passing second until I finally found a safe place to watch as the lady spun the wool until the frequent moaning of their make-out session was finished – please, let it be quickly. I’ve only got so long tonight before I have to be back at the castle.
The two finally broke apart after what fell like ages “That’s the best way to shut her up.” Thorn winked with his good eye sparkling with the fires of romance while holding a slightly dazed and incoherently babbling Sandra securely in the circle of his arms. “So, you’ve finally made it to the heart of my cousin’s mission. Although we could have done without you getting our noble leader arrested, but it can’t be helped. He’s always been a troublemaker for as long as I can remember.”
“Your cousin is Alec? The werewolf?” I voiced in disbelief. “But you’re not a werewolf.”
Thorn sighed, passing off Sandra to the safety of a passing plain clothed stranger before motioned me to follow him. “Come on, I’ll give you a tour of the place and a quick history lesson. It all started about 18 or so years ago with the emergence of the then king at that time, the illustrious Nikos’s elder brother, and his upcoming marriage to the princess of another kingdom, Princess Maribelle of the kingdom of Windfell. The princess arrived in this wonderful kingdom on a stormy day of grey pounding rain so harsh that mud ran in the streets like water and jagged streaks of pure white lighting flashed continuously through the skies, the many creatures that inhabited this very forest was scared away from sight as the simple wooden carriage rolled through on its way to the castle. It was told that even the king’s prized pure white swans that inhabited a pool outside the castle’s front door flew away in fear upon catching sight of the princess herself. The members of the court were almost as anxious, the princess’s arrival was not one of their choice, but a needed factor in achieving peace with the quarrelsome kingdom of Windfell that had been known to slaughter their own family members if they believe that it would bring them power. The king refused to listen to the court members’ advice as he believed that a strong bond of marriage would forge the two kingdoms into allies in a shared balance of power. That being said, he quickly found himself besotted with the exotic princess and promptly arranged a wedding ceremony to take palace in the following weeks. The union resulted in the birth of the young prince Travain before the king unfortunately fell ill from a mysterious malady that had not been seen in this part of the kingdom for decades. It was only due to the information supplied to our very own kingdom through confidential channels that it was believed that the brother of the king, our Royal Highness Nikos himself, poisoned his brother out of a fit of pure jealously and-“
I raised my hand and waved it in the air like I had done in school when I had a question. “Can I interrupt you for a moment? I was told that Nikos was dabbling in dark magic and that was the reason why his brother and his wife was killed.”
“You are a genius as well as a beauty, lady Kyri.” Thorn gushed as he neatly avoided stepping his shining black boot into a horse pile left behind in the center of the pathway by a small pony being led by a hunchbacked old woman. “I was making my way to that point in my tale, but yes, our sources said that the young soon-to-be king was dabbling in the darkest of arts, but only under the guidance of another unknown member. We have reason to believe that this additional member is the reason why the darkest of magic’s continues to churn in Althea’s lovely lands. The black magic unleashed by the king himself still roams this land, poisoning innocent magic users by corrupting their minds and misshaping their bodies till they are nothing more than insane, slavering beasts that roam the land for anything or anyone to sate their eternal hunger that the darkness brings upon itself. I believe that you have already had the unfortunate experience of meeting the corrupted Bloodwraths and Werewolves that roam these parts?”
I shuddered at the memory of the young soldier falling prey to the shadowy blob of gnashing teeth and the greasy-furred beast that had tried to kill me in the burning rubble of Lentiqua. “But isn’t changing into a werewolf’s shape part of Alec’s magic? He doesn’t seem to be totally out of his mind, just a little annoying and slightly strange.”
Thorn cackled in laughter, a harsh bark that somehow matched his personality to a tee. “My cousin will be so glad to hear you proclaim his sanity intact. Actually, the black magic that transforms the people mutates their minds as well. They go insane, completely incapable of reason with only their endless hunger driving them to still live, otherwise they would drop dead with the magic leeching out of their bodies like one of the darkest of poisons.”
“Is that what is happening to Nikos? The dark magic is twisting his mind to where he is going insane?” I asked softly, not wanting to disturb the sleeping child nestled safely in the arms of her mother while we passed by.
Thorn nodded solemnly. Now that his tale had finished, his more elegantly worded self shifted back to his normal speech pattern. “Yes, we believe so. That’s why we have set up this camp to funnel out any citizens of Althea who wish to flee the kingdom before the black magic completely corrupts the kingdom, regardless of status or magical state.”
“That’s amazing. I wish we had this before,”
We walked for a long time, just taking in the quiet comradery of the surroundings and the easy pace of life despite the dreadful circumstances hanging over all our heads. This was so much nicer than the constant squabble in the kingdom. Everyone was smiling and laughing, there was no bickering over whose space was where or what someone did. It was an easy piece, an aura of friendliness that cloaked the surroundings like a soft shield – and protected it just as well, I hoped. I could see why they all had worked so hard to protect this place, and to know that they were still working to get the most troubled and needy citizens of Althea out into this place was an admirable goal. One that I would like to be a part of myself.
“How do you keep this place and its entire operation a secret and what are you going to do once everyone is out?” My curiosity spilled over into a muddled question as we slowly walked back towards the original fire that I had first spotted Thorn sitting at. As soon as I took my seat on the worn wooden log that served as a chair, I found myself with a fresh cup of steaming lavender tea pressed into my hands, the faintly purplish liquid in my chipped earthenware cup was bubbling hot, the sweet scent only going further to enhance the homey atmosphere.
“Well, it’s really hard, but considering that my job is the captain of the king’s army, also means that I can push aside a few things like extra provisions and stuff to send through to some of our underground runners. Sandra’s job as a maid allows her to keep an ear out for all the things that happen with the royal family—Servants always go unnoticed in the background, ya know—which also allows for us to learn about how things are going on that end. We still have to be really careful about who goes where and how many times certain members meet in order to avoid suspicion by the army. But things get done as they get done.” He blew a breath across the top of his own mug of tea before taking an experimental sip. “Gotta love that lavender tea, Mary brews the best cup you’ll ever have in your life. Now, about that last question of yours, lovely Kyri. I actually don’t know what’s going to happen if we ever get everyone safely out of Althea. That fate is up to my brilliant cousin to judge.”
I still had so many questions still unanswered tumbling through my thoughts, but while I sipped my tea, I noticed that something was a little different about Thorn. It was the way his eye lingered on Sandra’s figure as she helped a young mother with her little infant, a subtle fire dancing from her fingertips that produced a string of happy squeals from the greatly amused child. His gaze spoke of a hunger, an ache so deep that it was embedded deeply in his bones, and it clicked with me almost like a puzzle piece falling into place just what their relationship was.
“I would never have guessed that you two were together.” I murmured quietly into my teacup.
Out of the corner of my vision, I saw Thorn turn to glance at me with surprise widening his single brown eye. “I guess I don’t disguise my emotions that easily when we’re alone. Although I have a feeling that you’re a lot like my cousin, always observing and picking up on the things not said. A perfect match yourself, wouldn’t you say?” he chuckled softly.
“I wouldn’t say that’s true exactly.” I tried to keep myself from blushing at the thought of Alec and myself together – especially after that moment where we had almost kissed. Even after a lifetime of practice watching the elite and their constantly shifting relationships, I was still only a novice with true relationships and secrets as I had been missing a few large ones lately, most namely this one. “There is one thing that is puzzling me, if you don’t mind my asking. You said that Alec is your cousin. Are you magical like he is and have only been living inside the walls as a spy?”
“My magical abilities only extends as far as my supernatural levels of handsomeness. Otherwise, I’m one of the lucky few who was born barren of all magical abilities or influences. In other words, I have no ability at all to do magic.” He flashed a quick but sad smile at me. “That’s why I was selected to infiltrate the kingdom of Althea, I have no magic that could have been possibly detected by the army, and that my cousin poked his nose in and mettled in a little business with his royal influence.”
“Royal. You mean it is true that Alec is a prince?”
“Honey, your beautiful brain is having trouble capturing all this, isn’t it? I’m sure Mr. Ice Wolf would rather tell you this himself, but for the brief sake of time, I’ll give you a quick rundown of the events. My mother and Alec’s mother were sisters, the only difference being that my mother married a well-known Lord where Alec’s married the king of Highguard. Thus after a short but happy honeymoon, my favorite cousin and future heir to the throne was born while I followed at a more sedate pace. The one thing that their royal highnesses weren’t expecting was for my cousin to be the strange fellow that he is. Alec has a wonderful talent for magic, by far one of the most powerful in our kingdom, but his personality lacks a lot to be desired. I mean, the guy has no gift for tact or diplomacy at all. Whatever pops in his brain, goes out his mouth. Which as you would expect, goes over real well with the high-born nobles of the kingdom. So, plus or minus a few personal events along the way, when I was selected to be a spy here at Althea as a young cadet, that went over like a rock in water. Of course, Alec had a few demands about that, he refused to allow his favorite cousin to be used as bait for what was considered a suicide mission to stop the ever growing spread of the black magic. The nobles objected of course, but his father agreed that no matter who it was, the mission was just too dangerous for any of the normal ones. The objections didn’t last long when Alec started pulling out his revised plans to safely funnel as many of the at risk citizens away from this epicenter of dark magic while also having some of our comrades investigate who was controlling the dark magic and how to stop them. So far we haven’t been able to fully achieve either of those goals. ”
I sipped on the last of my tea while the information that had just been revealed to me slowly digested in my thoughts. As strange as the tale seemed, it did indeed seem to fit the character I knew as Alec – although I still couldn’t imagine himself as a prince. His vivid aloofness but yet also curiosity was a puzzling feature that I could easily see would frustrate many people as it had me at first, but I wondered about the loyalty these unlikely comrades shared together as they risked their lives time and time again to rescue strangers while also trying to defeat a relentless darkness that swirled just beyond the horizon, threatening to gulp any light that would be trying to arise. I wondered if this was part of the incomprehensible ramblings that filled my father’s diary in the days leading up to his death. I had no doubt that he had probably witnessed the darkness firsthand—and if what Solomon had told me was true—he had probably also been killed for his magic. That would explain the rushed funeral and rapid disposal of the body – and quite possibly the meager pension fund as well. A mad king attempting to hide his shadowy deeds from the world before we knew what he had done.
I turned these thoughts over and over in my mind till I could no longer keep my head up straight, my eyelids drooping in time with my chin as I tilted to the side and snuggled deep into the folds of my black cape. Perhaps it would be alright if I just laid here and rested for a moment in this light and warmth. It was a wonderful place to take a little nap, after all.