"What do you suggest? A potion? Some magical kind of powder we can snatch in the Ranger's Alley down in Cobalt City? Those aren't available here, Robinia." My voice was dead, hollow. "Xania will never allow it."
"You're a strong person, Solenum, you'll get through this." He murmured. "If not alive, take pride in the fact that you are the first one to stand up against the Steward." I wanted to smile at his words, but I burst out in tears instead, the fright I’d felt earlier finally catching up with me.
"What does it all matter, Robinia? Why am I fighting for something I can't win?"
"You're fighting to keep your friends safe."
I hiccupped, trying to tone down my sobs as I sat up and turned around so I could face the camera.
"That's true, but why don't I just jump off the balcony? Xania wouldn't be able to get the answers he wants that way and I wouldn't have to continue with..." I gestured. "This!"
"Because you have faith. Hold on to that as long as you can, otherwise you might end up loony like myself." The kid said softly.
I shook my head. "You do have hope, Robinia. You're hoping I will make it out of this place alive. You fear for me when I find myself in dangerous situations. You help me. I..." Sighing, I offered him a watery smile. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Nodding absently back at him, I looked down and began rubbing the dirt out of my burnt and cut up palms.
"Where will I be sleeping tonight?" I sincerely hoped I got another one of those rooms. I could really use a bath and a good night of sleep. Waiting for his reply, I dug out the handkerchief I had in my back pocket and then the bottle of water, so I could moisten the fabric. I dabbed the wet cloth on my hand, and sighed at the dirt fading.
"Are you very tired, Sol?" He asked carefully. Puffing out some air because nothing good could come out of that tone of voice, I tucked the handkerchief back into my pocket. Standing up onto my feet, I glared at the camera as I took a few steps towards it. "Don't look at me like that, I'm just your guide, remember?"
"Robinia..." I warned.
"Alright, alright." He said quickly. "I don't think you'll be sleeping tonight."
"No nasty dungeon alley or fancy room?"
"Uh huh."
I shrugged. "I'll just sleep here then."
"Well, I wouldn't do that if I were you." For the love of all that is sacred, could they not give me one tiny little break?! "You see that square shape in the wall beside the double doors?" Sighing, I looked in that direction and nodded my head dutifully. "I'm relatively certain that if you stay where you are, they'll set the dogs loose on you again." I hung my head, groaning. "You see, as I'm viewing the map before me, that square in the wall can shift aside, creating a passage that leads into a very small and narrow tunnel. So small in fact, you'd have to crawl your way through it, which isn't practical."
"And?"
"And that tunnel leads back to the part of the dungeon you found yourself in when you got dumped into this place." I hung my head a second time. "I don't know how long it will take for the passage to open. I suggest you get moving now and we don't find out." Grimacing, I followed his order and walked in the direction of the double doors.
Pulling one of them open with some difficulty, I slipped inside and then shut it firmly behind me, barring it with the piece of wood standing against the wall. Nodding in satisfaction at the fact that it was now securely blocked and the crazy hounds couldn't get in if they were set loose, which they most likely would be, I turned and checked out the room I now found myself in.
There was one lantern, like the one I'd brought down with me and been forced to leave behind. It was hanging in the center down from the ceiling. It didn't light up the room a lot, but at least it wasn't dark. Scanning the walls, I tried locating the camera.
"I'm on your right." Tilting my head in that direction, I waved lamely at the camera in the far right top corner of the room.
"I'm waving back." He informed. "You're not sleeping tonight because this room is going to lose its footing in a couple of minutes. Which is part four." I'd be surprised and react in a scared fashion, but at this point I was constantly scared anyway and the reaction called surprise had been overused.
Instead I asked, "How do you know all this?"
"It's written on the map. The door you just came through locked shut the moment you closed it, so it wasn't actually necessary for you to bar it. Do you see the cross engraved in the middle of the room's floor?" Nodding, I made my way over to it. "The ground surrounding that will soon split into four pieces and disappear into the surrounding walls, creating another pit of darkness. That piece of stone with the cross on it is the only part that won't give way."
"How long will I have to stay here?" I rubbed the side of my face and sighed as the cross was not very big.
"Until Xania decides to pay you another visit."
"This isn't large enough, Robinia. I can't lean my back against anything, I won't even be able to lie down." They were going to force me to sit. The idea wanted to make me scream, but there was nothing I could do.
"The point of part four is for you to stay awake and aware. If you fall, you die." Letting myself drop down to the ground, I pulled my knees up quickly, hugging them against my chest as I checked the cross, making sure I wasn't sticking out of it.
"You won't leave me, will you?" I cringed and squeezed my eyes shut when the floor started to tremble. When loud cracking noises resonated through the room, I did scream.
"Palms flat on the floor!" Robinia shouted.
My body trembled along with the room, the sounds terrifyingly loud as the floor around me split into four pieces like he'd foretold. They were shaped like large triangles, the tips of them unlocking from the circular small stone area I was now planted on. Each triangle slowly disappeared, revealing the black nothingness. The small island that was now my sanctuary had four large hooks on each rounded corner and large metal cables connected them back into the four corners of the room.
The loud noises subsided after a couple of minutes, but I remained frozen in place for a while longer before looking back up at the camera. Although the cables were clearly stable, if I moved too much, they would sway up and down and that worried me.
"Robinia?" I whispered.
"I'm here."
I managed to breathe in steadily as he reassured me of his presence.
"Don't go."
"I'm not leaving. I'm right here."
* * * *
"Sol?" Robinia questioned softly, making sure I wasn't nodding off. It had been a couple of hours since the floor had gone. My knees were plastered against my chest, my arms wrapped around my legs with my eyes closed.
"I'm awake."
"What is it like to be in love?" Opening my eyes slowly, I looked in the camera's direction.
"Why are you asking me?"
"Well," He began carefully, clearly a bit uncomfortable. "If you talk to me, it'll keep you awake. And you're in love, are you not?" He asked and then added, "I believe I'm in love with Mallow."
I smiled just a tad, grimacing shortly after as I unlocked myself from the position I'd been sitting in for the last couple of hours. I slid my feet off the small stone island, letting them dangle on either side while I steadied myself by placing my palms flat onto the edge before me.
"I know you are." I murmured. Every time he spoke her name he said it in this particular tone. He hadn't needed to tell me he was in love with her. As for whom I was in love with... "I can't talk about him in Regius territory. I'm afraid whatever I say may be used to the Regius' advantage." I know I sounded a bit stern, but I couldn't help it. Galax, although he wouldn't like hearing this, needed protection. Whatever I let slip could be used to get to him.
"You mean to say..." He trailed off, sounding surprised as he probably knew who I was talking about.
Did he not know? "It's Galax."
"Galax as in?!"
I laughed softly. "Yes, Galax as in."
I heard him 'huh' in understandin
g. "It makes more sense now as to why you are here." I could practically hear the frown in his voice, which led me to grin. Funny boy. "I remember him from before he was taken. Not very clearly since I was even smaller than him."
"How old are you?"
"I turned seventeen yesterday."
"Why didn't you tell me?" I shook my head at him with a huff. "Happy belated birthday then, Robinia Kowalski."
"Not exactly a place where we celebrate birthdays, Solenum, especially not mine." He paused. "Thank you, though."
We remained silent for a while after that. I'm not sure how long as I still didn't know the date or the time and that very thought is what had me start up another conversation.
"Are you allowed to tell me what time it is?"
"It's four in the morning. You've been in the castle for nearly two days now. Three days of travel." No wonder I was exhausted. This was a little more exercise than I was used to. I was glad I'd been triggered before all of this. Having access to my Altor strength certainly helped on this adventure. My Altor vision hadn't come on much at all, which made sense since I was constantly alert and knew I was always in danger anyway. Not like I needed a visual reminder.
I wondered what Cali was doing right now. Would Galax have gone to see him and tell him I'd gotten kidnapped? Did the Palliums even believe I was still alive? Probably. Xania intended to use me as black mail. I certainly hoped Galax wouldn't cave.
"What's the deal with that 'light' business the Blue Bloods have going on?" I asked curiously. So far, Robinia had been like a freaking dictionary. He even had information on countries outside of Zinc.
"You could compare it to the soul mate legend." Robinia started. "It's a phenomenon that can happen to a Regius. As you know, the Blue Bloods lack a conscience and have a particular affinity for cruelty." I nodded. "It is said that the mean streak can be tamed by the unexplained reaction which they call 'light'. It's called that because the bond created with those who are light to the Regius quite literally make them look away from the darkness that is festering inside them."
"Like a wakeup call?"
"Eh..." Robinia muttered. "More like an antidote to the cruelty. It doesn't take it away in all Blue Bloods, but it does tamper with their personality."
My lips parted. "Is that why Xen was so different all of a sudden when seeing Ivy?"
"Exactly." The kid said cheerfully, glad I was getting it. "Had the light system not hit him, he'd have taken Ivy without so much as caring about what she had to say in all of it. He'd have made her his without asking. He wouldn't have even come near the idea of creating peace among the races in Zinc via matrimony."
"Well, that explains that at least." I murmured. "How strong is this bond? Does it affect them so much they have no choice but to care for their light?" Galax had called me his light several times. While I could only appreciate certain aspects of the phenomenon, I didn't want him to be forced into liking me.
"They aren't bound to being in love with the person they bond with. Their feelings aren't tied to the reaction. From what I've had the chance to observe, the light is more a practical shield for the person who is the light against the Regius who bonded with them. Their light can be a friend, daughter, son and sometimes even an animal. The phenomenon is only supposed to make a Blue Blood see past their cruelty and give them a chance to be less reckless. What Xen displayed, while strange to each and every person in Zinc, was in fact his true personality. His cruelty was no longer getting in the way of him being who he was."
"So, if it weren't for the blue blood cell overpowering his senses, he truly did want peace for Zinc?"
"Very much so. Of course, because all Regius are brought up to believe they can have whatever it is they want and are entitled to believe themselves above all other creatures in Zinc, Xen went about it the wrong way. While he cared for Ivy in a gentle manner, he kidnapped her and had every intention of keeping her comfortably locked away until she saw no choice but to agree to his marriage proposal."
"He couldn't take no for an answer." I nodded. "How does the bond happen?"
"It's sort of like a switch. Their 'light' is the first person a Blue Blood sees and doesn't wish to harm in any way whatsoever." His words didn't make me particularly happy. I couldn't believe that Galax had such dark thoughts before meeting me.
"You look distressed." Robinia said carefully.
I shook my head. "Galax has never been cruel. He often claimed something was wrong with him."
"By harm I didn't specifically mean cruelty such as Xania or Digitalis. Maybe Galax was careless before he met you."
Selfish. He'd told me he'd been selfish before meeting me. He'd said it so flippantly, I hadn't realized it had been a trait forced upon him because of his blood.
"Let’s change subject now." I murmured, feeling a bit fragile as Galax entered my thoughts. I missed him so.
"What else would you like to know?"
"Are you allowed to tell me all of this?"
"Nobody is here to stop me."
Pursing my lips, I then shrugged, agreeing. "Tell me what you know about the Keepers of the Dead." That had been bothering me. I had no idea why Xania would believe I knew anything on them. I hadn't even known there was such a thing as a Keeper of the Dead.
"Keeper of the Dead, as in no more than one." He answered instantly, surprising me yet again with the amount of knowledge he had stored away. "It was very hard to find information on this creature." Robinia confessed. "And what I do know, is not complete. They are connected to Zinc in ways many don't realize. There is not a single document, historical artifact or book based solely on the Dead Speakers, yet they appear in almost all books, documents and artifacts that speak of the other races."
"What are they?" I asked.
"They have the ability to see and speak to the dead. Souls listen to these creatures and allow themselves to be guided to peace when they cannot find the path on their own. Sometimes they have the power to control the dead or even resurrect them." Okay, that was just creepy. "A first born Altor son is the only one who can receive the gift. The connection that links the Keeper to the dead begins at age fifteen. This is where the souls invade the Keeper’s mind and make him aware of their presence in the world. They speak to him and try to stop him from finding the voice that will become the Tongue of Death, as with this song, the Keeper can send the souls to the next plane. Although they crave peace, they deny themselves this, their need to righten the unjust nature of their death being stronger." Robinia said curiously. "The souls suck the Keeper dry, hoping to stop him from finding the place where his song may be heard best, the Valley of Death. If the Keeper does not enter the Valley in time, his soul will be lost forever as will the Tongue of Death since it would die along with the Keeper. The souls would then be trapped inside the Valley forever, never able to move on to peace." I shivered at that. "When the Tongue of Death is first heard by a Keeper, he must instantly search for the Valley to make it in time. Time in there doesn't work the same as it does here." Robinia sighed. "The blue blood cell within speeds up when he's inside the Valley for the first time at age fifteen. So when he exits it, he must be triggered instantly otherwise he dies."
"Why does Xania want to know how to get control over one? Or turn one dark?" I asked, pulling my legs up so I could kneel on them, shifting my position as often as I could so my muscles couldn't lock in place.
"A custodis may spondeo fidelatis ut a verus rector, vitualamen key ut solvo lemures." Robinia murmured. "A Keeper of the Death can pledge his loyalty to any true leader of Zinc. By making this pledge, the Keeper can then be controlled by whomever he pledged his loyalty to. Xania would want the current Keeper of the Dead to pledge his loyalty to him, a true leader of Zinc, so Xania may enter the Valley of Death for the first and last time. Upon entering, the leader sacrifices a small amount of his own blood so his people may remain safe before he..." This wasn't going to end well. My Seer stomach was warning me. "Before he orders the Keeper to unleash the soul
s upon the earth."
"I'm guessing they're not your regular attic ghosts?"
"No. They envy the living, greedy for souls. They'd kill all those who don't share the blood that was sacrificed."
I cleared my throat, trying to remove that shiver. "But Xania isn't a true leader of Zinc. So everything will be fine." I had to believe that. "The only true leaders within Zinc are Galax, Flux and..." Who would be considered a leader among the Altors?
"Pieris Saxton. He's the oldest of all three current Elders. And although what you say is true, there is a way for Xania to become rightful heir to the throne." He paused. "You're not going to like this."
"I'm not liking anything at the moment."
"Right." He snickered. "When the king dies, the mark transfers to the heir. If the heir dies, it would go to the Queen. But then what most don't know is that if she dies, the next pure blood in that same family would receive the mark."
"Xania would get it." I gasped. "But how? The royal mark skipped him at birth and was transferred to his younger brother instead."
"Not even Xen knew about this until my parents revealed it to him shortly before his death. It was in the symbols on the walls."
"Does Xania know?" I asked. "He is baiting Galax to come here so he has a better chance at killing him, doesn't he?" I breathed out shakily. "He does know."
"Xen trusted Xania almost blindly. The Steward was there, as was the Queen, when my parents revealed that factor of the royal mark." Robinia sighed. "Galax is but one obstacle."
"What do you mean?"
"The Queen may not be dead." My eyebrows shot up in surprise at that piece of info. "A body was never found, so if Xania were to get his hands on his nephew and get a chance at killing him, he will find out if Xelle is dead. If she is, the royal mark will be transferred over to him from Galax." I needed to change the subject. I couldn't sit here, on the verge of my possible own death and think about Galax's as well. Or at very least, I needed to steer the topic away from Galax.
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