“Deswald!” she cried, throwing her weight against him.
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hair, whispering into it. “Serin being here is not a good sign and he looks like darkness itself. Stone Vale isn’t safe for you anymore. Maybe if you marry…”
“I won’t!” she pulled away, looking up at him with fierce eyes.
He smiled sadly, “well you’ll find a way. Leave Stone Vale, you don’t want to be here for what may be coming. And Serin… I don’t doubt that he will come after you again.”
He got up and Ruby stood with him, “please don’t go,” she pleaded again.
Deswald turned to her and parted his lips to respond, when the sound of running feet in the hallways stopped him short.
“I have to go,” he said, “they’ve found me.”
“No wait,” she cried stopping him from turning away.
When he turned towards her, in an act fuelled by boldness, pain and desperation, she threw her arms around his strong shoulders and kissed him. Deswald froze, but only for a moment. She wondered if the touch of her lips was all he had dreamed of in his time on quest, as she had dreamed of his. Did he desire to have her so near, to feel her soft lips upon his own? In the moment he seemed to decide that it was worth the risk. He reached his hand up to the small of her back and returned her kiss with the passion of a man saying goodbye to the woman he loved.
When their lips parted, he pressed his forehead against her own, “I wish it didn’t have to come to this. How I wish I could kiss you now and for the rest of my life.”
“You can. Just stay and fight this. What we have is not like anything I’ve known before. I love you too...”
Deswald smiled down at her sadly, and caressed her tear stained cheek., “I can’t,” he replied.
“I am touched with the darkness. I’d rather you remember me like this, like the man you fell in love with. Not the monster I am slowly becoming.”
With those damning words, he stepped away from her, still holding her hand as the last connection between them to be severed.
Bang. Bang.
“Princess Ruby, this is general Mathis. Open up!”
Ruby’s eyes widened in panic, but Deswald was the image of calm. Looking at her as though sculpting an image in his mind.
“Oh Ruby,” he said ruefully, “I will miss you so.”
He released her and bounded toward the window. He crouched there, looking at her with a smile.
“Take care of my horse, I think he will prefer your face than mine in his last days.”
Ruby jumped as he leaned backward and dove off the sill. Terror gripped her as she rushed to look out, expecting to see him crumpled on the ground below. Instead she saw him leaping from one window to the next, with a feline gracefulness as he made his way down the castle wall. At the last window from the ground, he looked up at her and threw himself backward. Ruby gasped as she watched him land firmly on his feet on the ground below. In the next instant, he was gone. She turned to the banging on her door, her hand to her chest, her mind reeling. Frozen to the spot in confusion and heartbreak.
They broke the door down and in poured crazy eyed soldiers into her bed chamber, swords drawn. “Where is he?” General Mathis demanded.
She widened her eyes in exaggerated outrage, “How dare you barge into my private quarters like this!”
She shouted, gripping her robe together at her throat, as though their presence alone defiled her. The general straightened up and lowered his gaze, muttering uncomfortably.
“I’m sorry… princess…uh.”
“Get out!”
Chapter 27
The king sat having his breakfast on the patio of his chambers. He looked ordinary sitting in a small wooden chair against the fading light of morning, with the mountains of Krev serving as a picturesque backdrop for his burly frame. He wore a loose cream shirt and sleeping trousers, with his silver locked hair falling freely down his back with no accessories to hold them. His hair was more silver now than it was at the time of Ruby’s birthday and she wasn’t sure if it was her imagination but there were lines along his face that wasn’t there before.
“Father?” she approached him tentatively, even though she had been summoned.
He turned his head slightly, “come here, sit. Have some tea.”
He gestured to the kitchen maid serving his breakfast, who immediately approached Ruby with a tea pot and a warm smile. Ruby obeyed her father and sat, focusing on the dark liquid in her cup so she would not have to look him into those rain cloud eyes.
He took a sip of his tea and scratched his beard, then sighed.
“What a magnificent view this is,” he said.
Ruby looked up to follow his gaze. Aldor was an elevated city, fully fortified, with walls wide enough to accommodate a horse drawn carriage. The king’s chambers were one of the few castle rooms high enough to see beyond the walls. It gave him a beautiful view of the rich green landscape below. From his balcony he had a view of the villages outside the city and part of the Northern pass, a long winding road that ran through all the Northern territories.
“I remember when your mother and I used to take you all to that lake,” he pointed his chin in the direction of a lake close to a village called Restonway.
“You used to put in your wooden boats and watch them sail as far as your strings would allow. I remember the day you lost yours. You cut the string and let it go on the wind. You remember?”
Ruby shook her head, “not really.”
He chuckled, “yes well you did. I asked you why you did that; I was almost mad at you for doing something so irresponsible. But then you said to me, your boat was meant to sail, to go freely where it wanted. You didn’t like the idea of holding them against their will.”
A small smile formed on Ruby’s lips. She did not remember that at all, but it seemed to be a fond memory of her father’s.
“And so, I explained to you that boats didn’t have a mind of their own. They needed captains, someone to control and direct them. That was the purpose of the string, kind of like the purpose of a king,” her father continued.
“And then you started crying, I thought you were crying because you realized that setting that poor boat free meant that you were left without one. And I said, you see, that’s why you don’t cut anything loose before you’re sure you’ll be fine without it, but most importantly, that it will be fine without you. But then you shouted at me, kings can be mean, like grandfather!”
He laughed but sobered quickly, looking thoughtful and staring again into the distance. Ruby sipped her tea and nibbled on a cracker.
“I know you’re mad at me Ruby. But I am only trying to protect you.”
Ruby looked up at him now, “am I the boat? Mindless… in need of a captain?”
The king smiled sadly, “I didn’t mean the story that way. I meant that even as a child you valued freedom. You wanted to face the world on your own, always thought you could. I knew that that was the leader in you. I was a fool for trying to stifle that, to try to tame you and keep you on a tight leash. You are who you are for a reason. And I know that soon enough you’ll allow the right king to tame you.”
“What are you saying father?” she did not know what to make of her father’s words. He had an odd look in his eyes, it was almost like a look of defeat. But she was not sure what he had lost to.
“I am saying, that there was a time in your life when you needed me. To protect you and teach you… to father you. And then there came a time in my life when I needed you… I needed to protect you and control you, because it made me feel good, even when I knew it wasn’t what you needed. When all you needed from me was to trust you with the freedom of the truth. After all these years of being your father, I forgot that El gave you to me to safeguard you, until he was ready for whatever reason he had preserved your life in that valley. I was a fool to try to direct your life as if it was mine to direct.”
Ruby’s eyes widened and her fathe
r smiled as he slipped a hand across the table, “whatever you must do for your sake and for the sake of those you love, do it. But do it with wisdom.”
He took a sip of his tea and sighed before continuing, “I know that you are upset with me over your friend Deswald. But he is a threat to you and he is a threat to himself… maybe one day you will both find a way to overcome that. But until that day comes Ruby, be the leader you were born to be. Do not allow yourself to be swayed by your heart’s emotions, but by your life’s purpose and by sound responsibility. When you have those, my little boat, strings won’t matter.”
Ruby exhaled deeply as her grip tightened on his hand, a lone tear tumbled down her cheek.
“I just love him so much, father. What must I do to tame my heart’s passions?”
He shrugged, “I find it sometimes helps to direct those passions somewhere else.”
She drew her hand away, “you’re talking about marrying that man.”
He shook his head with a grimace, “No no. I just… I want you to do what it is you were born to do. I know for sure you weren’t born to be a political tactic, or the nameless wife to a man living out the vision of his father.”
“What are you saying father?” she asked, barely managing to keep the eagerness out of her voice.
Suddenly a loud clatter interrupted them, and hot liquid flew through the air between them, landing in a wet mess on the table. They both looked up to the terrified face of the servant, diving towards them with a cloth and apologizing profusely.
“So sorry your majesty,” she said quickly, dabbing at the wet mess on the table, with trembling hands.
Ruby watched as her father gently placed a calming hand on the servant’s trembling one, stilling her panicked wiping.
“It’s alright,” he said softly, “mistakes happen.”
The girl froze and nodded slowly, “I’ll prepare you another plate,” she said softly.
The king smiled, “take your time. I’m not familiar with your face,” he said.
That was one of the things she loved about her father, no one was too insignificant to notice. All of his servants were treated with kindness and respect. The young lady shook her head as she picked up the plates.
“I’m new my king,” she said timidly.
“What is your name?”
“Dania,” she said quickly.
“Well… you have no need to fear me Dania.”
The girl bowed and nodded her thanks. As she turned to leave, her brown eyes met Ruby’s and Ruby felt something tug at her heart. It was a feeling she did not understand but could not miss. But before she could say anything the girl was gone.
“Poor girl,” she said, almost forgetting her previous excitement.
“What she must have been through to become so skittish.”
The king nodded in agreement, “refugees… they tend to be that way when they just arrive.”
She lifted her gaze to him and reached a hand across the table, “what were you about to tell me father?”
The king smiled, “oh yes. I was saying that… I was wrong. A good king knows when to admit that.”
Ruby’s heart soared at his words.
“I still want you to leave Aldor,” he added quickly, “but not to be a stranger’s wife. I want to send you to the North to be with your sister. I can only hope that that Araken man can be loyal to me without the promise of my daughter. I think you will be safer there, butI’ll have some men escort you in case Deswald comes around.
“Deswald won’t hurt me and we both know he didn’t kill those men… nor mutilate his horse.”
“I know you believe he won’t hurt you and maybe he believes it too. But something dark is behind these activities and I haven’t been able to rule Deswald out as yet. Until then, I don’t want him near you.”
Ruby sighed, “He won’t come near me again. We’ve already said our goodbyes.”
She lifted a hand before he could spew his disapproval, “like you, he believes something dark is at play. He asked me to be careful here in Stone Vale. He’s not responsible father… but he is fighting his own demons. He told me who is.”
The king looked at her for a moment, she could see him mulling over what she had said.
“Who is responsible?”
Ruby could remember Deswald’s words as clear as if they were being whispered in her ear this very minute. He doubted that her father would believe and sitting here with him, so did she.
“You have a right to prove whatever I tell you. But father I want you to consider the possibility that… Serin, the traitor who was turned by Haddin and tried to kill me… is back in Stone Vale.”
Her father arched a bushy brow, “I would say that that is impossible.”
“That’s what Des said you would say. But… I met Haddin and I wouldn’t put anything past him.”
“Deswald is saying that Serin killed those men?”
“And took the gem from his horse’s head.”
He looked genuinely interested now, “a gem? What gem?”
“His horse is an Eastern Strider, they have these...”
“A rare gem embedded in their foreheads,” he father finished for her, looking like his brain was suddenly lighting up.
“They didn’t mention that his horse was an Eastern Strider.”
Ruby arched a brow, “that’s an odd omission wouldn’t you say?”
“Yes indeed,” he said thoughtfully.
He shook his head quickly, “Get your things together… you and your sisters are going to meet Pearl.”
“All of us?”
Her father got up then.
“Wait, father! What is going on? What aren’t you telling me?”
The king turned around then with sadness in his eyes, “war is coming… and I don’t want you to be here when it comes.”
She reached out and grabbed his hand, “how do you know?”
“When the sacred gem from his crown shall fall, then shall begin the crumble of the mighty stone wall,” his ominous recitation caused her to loosen her grip on his hand.
“Get your things ready,” he said again, “you’re leaving.”
✽✽✽
Jasper slipped into the temple, sliding along the rough stone walls towards the priest’s quarters. Geoff had instructed him that the only copy of the book was in his father’s chambers. Everyone knew that the high priest’s chambers were off limits. But by the direction of El’s light within him Jasper knew he was doing what was necessary.
He successfully made his way to the floor and the high priest’s chambers was in sight. He knew that the high priest was out, because he had a good word from a reliable spy; his sister Topaz, that he was meeting with the council back at court.
After a quick look around, Jasper slipped into the room and shut the door behind him. Instantly the eerie darkness of the room put him on edge, it was not what he would expect to feel upon entry into a high priest’s chambers. Quickly, he lit a lantern and made his way to the shelf across the room. His desperation to find the book and leave was no more about escaping the upsetting atmosphere of the room than from fear of being caught.
Calmly, he ran his hands along the spines of all the books, but none of them fit the description Geoff had given him. He turned around and perused the room.
“Direct me El, where is it?”
His eyes fell on the priest’s desk, and he made his way towards it. There were compartments built into the desk much like his father’s. He was grateful for that because he knew his way around the locks. He pulled out his knife and got to work on prying open the compartments of the desk. The first one he got open was just the one he wanted, lying at the bottom of it, all by itself was the book he sought. He reached in quickly and scooped it up. As he was about to close it back, he paused and lowered the lantern once more, his eyes combing over the contents of the drawer. With a frown he reached in and scooped up a wooden box, which was partially opened. He opened the box and looked inside.
&
nbsp; “Oh no,” he muttered.
What he was looking at deeply troubled him. The high priest was consuming arc rocks. Both Shadaya and Stiller had warned him about the hard candy like confectionary that was unique to the city of Dravia. He immediately knew what it meant to find it here in the high priest’s drawer. The high priest, his best friend’s father was addicted to arc rocks and this meant that his mind had been yearning for Dravia all this time.
Suddenly the sound of approaching footsteps snapped him out of his state of shock. He tossed the box back and closed the compartment. Lodging the book underneath his arm and putting out the lantern, he made his way back to the door.
Opening the door but a crack, he made sure that the hallway was clear before dashing out of the room and slipping back out of the temple. He left the temple more troubled than he had entered, because now he knew for sure that Aldor was in trouble. With their spiritual leader compromised, there was no way to tell the extent of its impact on Aldor. He knew his father would not like to hear the news about a dear friend of his, but Jasper knew that it had to be done. But not before getting the book of Ata-yan to Geoff and the community along with the scrolls.
✽✽✽
Jahreed heard footsteps approaching the doorway of his chambers, mid prayer. He opened his eyes and turned to look at the door. He knew who would come barging in, in the next few seconds. He had only had the privilege of serving as princess Pearl’s advisor for about a week and already El was directing him elsewhere… and with company. Since approaching the princess about what he had seen and after boldly saying what he believed, a lot had happened. The mind-feelings had gotten stronger and the princess’ respect for him had grown. Since then she often came to him for advice, for his directions based on his visions. He had been surprised to find out, that like him Princess Pearl was a secret follower of the way. Both her and her husband Reeve and now they were trusting him. At first it had seemed to be too much of a burden for him to carry. Just a few weeks ago, he was herding sheep and enduring his brothers’ endless heckles. Now he wore what would be considered finery compared to his worn-out tunics and goat skinned trousers. He’d kept his outdated shoes though; he did not know he was attached to them until he had the option to be rid of them. They were impractical and ugly, but they reminded him of Tawnee.
Kingdom's Darkness (Gemstone Royals Book 2) Page 22