The vent, that was really more of a spy hole, had direct line of sight into the meeting room. The walls were white and unadorned. The ground was covered in a dark green rug. In the center of the room sat a large round mahogany table with intricate designs carved into it. Above it, a chandelier cast warm light across the room.
At the table sat the king with his jet-black hair and matching frock coat. He wore a dark green cravat over a white shirt with a starched collar and, over it, a beige waistcoat with floral designs. His features were sharp, like his expression. Next to him sat his wife, Queen Vanessa, who looked disappointed.
"This is the third disappearance in as many weeks! We need to act now and act decisively!" The unfamiliar, frustrated man asserted, slamming his fist on the table. He was quite round and wore a monocle. Looked like the wealthy sort, too.
"Raftle is right. But we shouldn't waste our resources on the Grishan filth." A woman I vaguely recognized spoke. She was middle-aged with lavender hair and wore an olive-colored military style uniform.
"Thank you, Headmaster Armand, but unless you plan on replacing my missing men with your students, something must be done." The rotund man, Raftle, responded.
Headmaster. That's why she looked familiar. She's the headmaster of the military school.
I laid prone on the floor to get a better view of the meeting, Adonis followed suit. His head pressed against the side of mine, both of us competing for the better view.
"Hey, quit it," I whispered.
"I saw it first," Adonis responded, pushing his head against mine.
"Filth?" Dean scoffed, his gruff voice vibrating through the room. He looked agitated but seemed to be restraining himself.
"Oh? The great and noble war hero has something to say?" Nole mused. "Grishan sympathizer," He snarled. Nole was a wealthy factory owner. I'd seen him a few times at the council hall. He had thin black shoulder-length hair and wore a black suit with gold accents. His skin was so pale it almost looked like a light purple. He didn't look old, but his face had an aged quality about it. Dean leaned forward in his direction, his hazel eyes sharp like daggers.
"Enough," The King said, waving his hand in a shooing motion at the table. "Nole, Armand, while your feelings towards the Grishans are understandable, they have no place here at this table. And if we carry on like that, we'll end up creating more enemies in our home than at our borders." He then turned to look at Raftle.
"Were there any new findings about the attacks on the convoys or the abductions of the Grishans with this new one?"
"No, your Grace," Raftle said, scratching his forehead. "Same as the last. My men, dead, and the prisoners, gone." He paused briefly, like he was unsure about his next words. "This, to me, feels like sparks feeding the fires of rebellion, Sir. And I'm afraid using the children as bait has only made things worse." He nervously glanced at Nole.
I'm starting to see why Dean wanted me to be here. Those child prisoners earlier must have been part of this plan he's talking about.
"I tried to warn all of you. We should have let them emigrate fully or freed them. Whatever happens next is part of a cycle we directly and knowingly fed into." Dean interjected, crossing his arms.
"C'mon, Dean, we free them and then what? Give our enemies their men back so they can regroup and attack in larger number?" The King retorted. "And what of the people here that lost family and friends alike? Can you or any of us convince the people to put aside their prejudice?" He balled his fist on the table.
I'm having deja vu from Dean and I's earlier conversation. Adonis was also silent, absorbing everything that was happening.
"You know what we saw back then, Orenthal, what's coming for Alestrios." The sleeve of Dean's tunic wrinkled from the increasing strength of his grip. The two glared at each other, the other members of the council were quiet. Tension filled the room when finally.
"Ok, you two. Are you done yet?" Queen Vanessa started. "The war was rough on everyone, and the decisions made were what we thought best at the time. We need to focus on not losing any more men or prisoners. Preferably without killing each other." She placed a consoling hand on the King's arm. Everyone straightened in their chairs.
"Thank you, my lady. I suggest we continue using the children as bait. Although regrettable, whoever is behind these attacks has shown they will bite, and this time we will be more prepared." Nole said, his voice was thin but carried a regal authority.
"Do you even hear yourself?" Dean asked, shaking his head, chuckling in disbelief. A muscle in Nole's jaw twitched as he cocked an eyebrow looking at dean.
"What do you suggest we do, Dean?" Armand asked, placing her head on her fist.
"We need to determine what this group is after without using kids as a lure. I think we should have one of our own disguise themselves as a war prisoner and see what they can find out." Dean said, eyeing Nole.
I'm curious about this Nole guy. Why was a wealthy factory owner on the council anyway?
"Canaan," Adonis bumped me with his elbow.
"Yeah?"
"Don't you think we're cutting it a little close here? Maybe Rein had a point."
"Don't tell me you're getting scared, too." I nudged him with my arm. I got lost listening, maybe we should leave. Is it ok for Adonis to be hearing all this?
"Me? Scared?" Adonis questioned. "Impossible."
I turned my attention to the room one last time before getting ready to leave. The conversation had broken down into arguing again. When a fissure appeared above the table. The space began to distort, and thin lines of what looked like golden glitter shimmered into existence, outlining the crack. The fissure began to slowly expand into a body-sized almond shape, revealing an opaque surface. Like some kind of portal.
"What is that?" Adonis mouthed.
Dean reached for his sword while Nole kicked out from the table so hard he nearly fell backwards. Raftle and Armand sat eyes wide with concerned expressions. The Surface fluctuated. A strange pulse radiated through the room as a figure began to drift out of the fissure. The Queen clung to the King's arm, who attempted to look unfazed. And there he was, a man floating gently above the table, sitting cross-legged. His fair skin was almost luminescent. He had long flowing golden-white hair, and his eyes were a crimson red. There was a cold apathy about him. He wore some kind of toga that didn't cover his torso, revealing his lean but muscular physique. He also had on golden earrings with jewels the same color as his eyes.
Who is this guy? And how did he just do that? The whole world seemed to be frozen while everyone tried to adjust to his suffocating presence. The room was silent, or more like no one dared speak. The pressure he exuded was overbearing, crushing me into the floor. There was a sense of overwhelming vastness to him, it was like the sun, gravity, or the open ocean had taken form in front of us.
"Orenthal," The man spoke. His voice was smooth like silk, but I still felt his warm baritone rumbling in my chest.
I can't sense anything from him, but the way my skin is crawling… this guy is bad news. My hand reached for my throat, then I let out a dry cough, realizing I hadn't been breathing.
"This is your answer?" The man's voice sharpened as he looked at King Orenthal like he was nothing more than an ant. The King shrank in his chair briefly before regaining his earlier steely resolve. He glanced quickly at my father, at which the floating man seemed mildly amused. "Be still." He commanded. The council members froze. They were so still it seemed like time itself heeded his words.
He let his feet fall towards the table, as he waved his hand scything downward at the queen. There was a sound like hair being torn apart, then a shimmering golden string appeared in the man's hand, one that connected to the Queen but looked like it had been torn in two.
The Queen's body convulsed as she let out a shrill gasp. In the same moment, the life left her eyes, and the color from her face drained. Her body sagged in the chair. Reality seemed to stand still again.
A harrowing cry tore free from Adonis's throat. The King was equally horrified, straining his body in an attempt to reach his wife. Dean's teeth were bared as he struggled to move as well. Raftle and Armand were still paralyzed.
I couldn't believe what was happening, it seemed impossible. The Queen? Could she really… did she really just die? My fist started to tighten. I knew there was nothing I could do but… Why? Why would he do this? Tears started to well in my eyes.
Adonis's sobs finally snapped me out of my head. I tried to stretch a hand towards him when the strange man's eyes shifted towards us. My heart started beating against my chest so hard it could probably be heard through the floor.
"Aurora?" He said questioningly, his brows frowning slightly. Then, with the lifting of a finger, the distance between us vanished, and I was hovering a foot from his face above the mahogany table. The space around us warped and then flexed outward, yawning infinitely until we were surrounded by nothing but white.
My head started to spin like I had vertigo, and there was a metallic taste in my mouth. I fell onto my hands and knees on some surface. Not entirely sure what it was in this infinite void of white.
Finally, my vision focused, and I was looking at the man's feet. I scrambled backwards onto my behind only to look up and find him frowning, staring at me disapprovingly. His eyes seemed to see straight through me like my soul was bared.
"Speak, child. What is your name?" He asked as he considered me. A moment passed as he waited impatiently for me to gather myself. With the film that shrouded my thoughts beginning to clear, my earlier fury started to return as well. I attempted to restrain myself. I'd need a clear head to get answers, if that's even possible.
"My name is Canaan," I said as I got into a more comfortable position on the ground. It took all that I had to stay conscious under the weight of his presence. He continued to lord over me expectantly, his expression unreadable. "Why did you bring me here, and what did you do to the Queen?" I searched his eyes for any sign of emotion.
"Brazen child, you demand answers from me?" He mused as he began to pace with his hands clasped behind his back. "What happened to the queen is the result of a failure to meet expectations." He looked at me from over his shoulder. "I'm curious, Canaan," He started. "Would you trade one life to save thousands?" Then, like he was clearing cobwebs from his path, he waved his hand dismissively, "No, no, don't answer that."
Suddenly, it hit me. "You must be a deity." I asserted. The strange man let out an amused laugh.
"Oh, is that what they're calling us these days?" He continued to pace. "The closest word you all have for what I am is druid." He said melodically. Then he turned to face me, his crimson eyes narrowing as he examined me once again. "You haven't even awakened, and yet you've already bonded with a shard."
He raised his hand, and another one of those golden strings appeared. This time connected to me, but it didn't stop when it reached his hand, like for the queen, it stretched infinitely into the space beyond. He tugged at the string, and it released a resonant hum as the end that stretched past him spiraled into a plum-sized ball in his hand. The soft golden glow began intensifying into a blazing ball of white, like a mini star. The white light cracked and shattered like glass, revealing a dull blue orb.
It's the orb from the King's study. My eyes widened as I inspected the sphere. How did he do that? And what exactly are these golden strings he's manipulating? I thought the magic in this world was elemental-based, but here's this guy, breaking the laws of reality with each wave of his hand.
The orb lifted from his palm and floated gently towards me, hovering a few inches from my face. It dropped and I reflexively caught it with my hand.
What's his angle here? And what does he mean by bonded and not awakened?
"Don't assume just because I haven't killed you, we are allies." Then why did you give me this orb thing? And almost like he had been reading my thoughts.
"It's within both of our best interests that you hold on to that trinket there." He said, pointing to the orb.
"What is it, and if we're not allies, why did you bring me here?" I asked, nervously rolling the orb around in my palm. His crimson eyes still showed no emotion. It was strange, but I got the feeling he knew he wasn't talking to a real child.
"It's a prison," He said, his lips twitching upwards into a smirk as he began to close the distance between us. "The Celtreas betrayed the people of Alestrios, and now its fate hangs in the balance. Prove that you can challenge fate, and you'll have the answers to the rest of your questions." He raised his hand, and the surface I was on cracked and shattered into thousands of reflective shards of glass. As I fell through, the shards followed me, spinning and encasing me in a whirlwind of the shattered surface. The pieces started to vibrate, and images started to form in rows, hovering in front of the glass like old-school zoetrope animation. Then the images became clearer, it was the scene at the council meeting.
I could see Adonis crying, and me next to him. I reached for the image when suddenly an intense golden light flashed. It was so bright I had to close my eyes, and when I opened them, I was back in the strange lab, lying next to Adonis.