by Riley Tune
I slouched down, placing my hand on a wall and using it for support. The darkness had always been my friend. Had been my protection. Now, after seeing the hooded man, the darkness seemed frightful and untrustworthy.
I felt like I needed to keep moving. Two vastly powerful people were trying to kill me and were still out there. I used some of my power to heal myself but it had virtually no effect. It didn’t seem wise to use the rooftops to warp again.
Either of those two might see me. Thankfully, the streets were still empty. I needed to make it to the palace. If anything, at least the guards were there to aid in the battle. I began to warp along the street. It seemed like a slow process because warping on a street didn’t offer the same vantage point as the buildings did.
I reappeared out of a warp moments later and could tell I was closer to the palace. The homes in the area were larger now. I made one more warp and could actually see the palace entrance up ahead.
I allowed a smile to play on my face, as I warped. My happiness was short- lived as I re-appeared from my warp in the same spot. My breathing increased as I looked around the darkness surrounding me. From almost all areas, the darkness seemed to begin to swirl and take on a life of its own. As the hooded man appeared out of the darkness, so did his vine like weapons.
The darkness seemed to dance as he engaged me, slashing at me with those vines of ebony danger. I dodged some, but still I wasn’t fast enough. None of my training had prepared me for something like this. Even with my enhanced abilities, I was still outmatched.
Again, and again the sharp vines slashed at me. I blocked them the best I could with my bracers but I was hurt, sore, and tired. Even with healing myself here and there, my body was still wearing down.
I warped different items from my surroundings at my attacker. Barrels, tools, and a bicycle all found their mark at once as my hooded attacker fell. I wasted no time, as I turned and warped to the palace gate.
As I appeared out of my warp, I fell to my knees. “Master Lox,” one of the guards said as he rushed forward to help me up. He looked down at me and turned to a dark-skinned guard at his side. “Alert the King of his return.”
The guard nodded and then dashed into the palace, while several of the other guards looked at each other and then drew their swords.
It was embarrassing for them to see me like this. They had seen me as some elite warrior, with unmatched power. They feared me as much as they respected me. Now they saw me bloody and bruised, literally fleeing my attacker. As they helped me walk toward the gate, I heard one of the guards behind me shout, “On the ready.”
The guards helping me kept moving as I looked over my shoulder. My attacker, had appeared, now with his fire companion. They both stood there. One with darkness swirling around him, and the other providing an eerie orange glow to his surroundings as his arms continued to burn.
I hoped that the guards wouldn’t attack. If they did we all would die tonight because I was in no shape to help.. Instead, the fire faded. I could feel my head tilt in surprise. The hooded man raised his hands and darkness surrounded them both, and the next instance they were gone.
“Who were they?” one of the guards helping me asked. I could hear the fear in his tone. I looked up to him. He was young. He had a smooth face of white skin and a brown stubble from a beard. We seemed like we could have been around the same age, but I was sure he was much older. He had to be to be a guard.
I didn’t have an answer for his question, and if I did I would have been too weak to form the words. Instead I just shook my head as they continued to help me inside the palace walls.
5
“Lox,” I heard a familiar voice call out in the darkness. I looked up ahead of us and sure enough, it was Vida. Running full speed to me. It was late, yet she still had on her clothes from earlier. In the distance, there were two more figures following behind her.
One was clearly Cloud. Even in the darkness, and from this distance it was hard to miss that flowing white hair as she ran. The other was unmistakably my mother. Seeing her made me feel even worse. I could have died several times tonight and she wouldn’t have even known.
Most of the guards stopped walking as the trio got close to us and returned to their post at the gate. I could feel hands clasp my face and lift my head up. Cold, yet soft and gentle hands. “It’s going to be okay,” my mom said, as she looked down on my beaten and slumped over body.
She was breathing heavily, and her hair seemed a mess from the running it took to get here. While Vida and Cloud both had on trousers and shirts, my mother had on an evening gown of an off -cream color. She must have been preparing for bed before word reached the palace that I had returned.
“I’m sorry,” I tried to get out the words to apologize to my mother for leaving, but she silenced me with a head shake as her eyes began to turn pink. “It’s okay.” she said as she grabbed at my hands to hold them.
This gesture, which normally would have been perfectly fine, made me wince in pain. This didn’t go unnoticed by the three who all looked down at my hand. It was blistered and red from touching the back of the man who was apparently immune to fire, or at least the fire he created.
“I’ll take him to the palace,” Vida said to the guards. They looked at each other and seemed to be considering if they should even listen to her. Finally, the guard who had spoken to me shook his head slightly.
In that instant, Vida changed into the Battle Born form of a female. I could hear the guards quickly backing away from her new form. They knew of Vida and her ability, but rarely were able to see it.
With very little effort, she lifted me off the ground and carried me in her arms. It was the safest I had felt all night.
The guard looked at Cloud. “My lady, alert the other guards. We need more at the ready at every entrance, in case the two that did this come back.” Cloud shook her head, placed a hand on my leg and gave a slight squeeze. “I’m glad you’re okay, Lox,” she said, and then made her way back to the palace ahead of us.
I didn’t know Cloud as well as I could have. She was usually hanging on to Jolin’s every word. Yet she still came rushing to see me when I was at my lowest. I was used to only having two women in my life that cared for my well- being, but now maybe there were three.
My eyes began to close some but I forced myself to keep them open. From how Vida was walking with me I could see my mom slightly in front of us. She glanced over her shoulder to me as she walked and held her gown up, so as not to stumble.
“How did two people do this to you?” Vida said as she looked down to me. I said nothing. Instead I could feel my head dropping down, and darkness began to invade my vision. The sounds around me slowly began to diminish, and even the blue falling orbs began to become dim. I blinked, trying to restore my vision, but it didn’t work.
In seconds, all sound had faded and the blackness had won.
As my eyes opened, color slowly began to creep back in. I jerked up. Alarmed, as I looked around my new settings. I was in a bed, but it wasn’t my bed. It was nice, though. Large enough for three people, over a dozen pillows, and extremely comfortable. Maybe I should have been sleeping in my bed in my room all along. Was it really as comfortable as the one I was in now?
I looked down at myself. I was dressed from head to toe, in some sort of soft white clothing. My injured hand that I had burned was wrapped, and most of the pain I remembered was gone. I tried to push myself up so I could look around, but then a pain shot through my stomach and arm.
The arm pain, was likely from my recent battles. My stomach however, was likely still giving me problems from who knows what. I tried not to worry about it. Stomachs hurt, and I was too important to the kingdom to let it stop me.
Naturally, my mother insisted that, because of this very importance, I should take the unknown stomach pain seriously. She, as mothers usually were, was right. As children usually do, I hadn’t listened. Her request for me to see a healer of Thera had fallen t
o the side.
I sat still for a moment, groaning slightly, and holding myself as the pain passed. Lucky for me it didn’t last long. I moved my legs, and kicked something solid. Something that moved.
Sprits, jumped up and made his way up to me. “Sprits? What are you doing here?” I said as he got to my side and began to put most of his weight on me. I rubbed his head with my good hand and looked around the room.
It clearly wasn’t mine, but it also was a room I hadn’t seen before. It was mostly empty besides the large bed, clothing wardrobe, and small table.
On the table sat about six thick books. Gathering from this, and Sprits being on the bed, Remy must had been here. Another chair was pulled out, too. In that moment, the door to the room slowly opened and a head peeked in.
“Finally,’ Remy said as he entered the room, followed by Vida. He was dressed in his normal long robe and his beard was well- contained. He sat back at the table in front of his books and leaned his elbow on his knees as he looked at me.
“You gave us some worry there for a moment after the first day passed,” Remy said as he let his fingers run through his beard as he scratched his chin. Vida walked passed the table and stood beside the bed. She took her boots off and, instead of sitting at the table, pulled the covers back and got in the bed close to me.
She placed her arm over my stomach and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Welcome back, Warps. Don’t ever scare me like that again,” she said as she placed her head on me. My brow raised. Vida, always showed how she felt about me but never had I seen her seem so, vulnerable. Even the soft tone of her voice, was unusual.
“I’m sorry.” I said, as I placed my arm around her. “You should be,” Vida replied without looking up at me. “What were you thinking, going off to fight an army without me? You should have known how that would have turned out.” She finished her sentence and gave me a punch to my thigh.
I fell back on the pillow and smiled for a moment as I pulled her closer to me. Clearly the vulnerable moment had passed and the fire was back again. My smile faded when I finally grasped the meaning in the words Remy had just said. I sat back up again.
“First day passed?” I said as I looked at Remy. He nodded “How long was I out?” “Three days,” he replied. “Three days!” I repeated back.
“Well after the first day you came to a little, then Jolin gave you this vial of something that looked like blood. He said sleep would aid in the healing.” I remembered that vial. Jolin had used it on me before when I had hurt my leg. It was nasty stuff, that tasted like dirt and metal but it did work, and sleep was guaranteed.
Jolin had proved to be right. I felt better than I had in days. Sure, there was still some pain, but for the most part I likely could have used the rest. I only got a few hours of sleep every day. Between normal stuff during the day, and Warper duties at night, there was little time to get a good night's sleep.
“So, what did I miss?” I asked them both. Neither said anything. I looked from one to the other. “Somebody want to say something?” Remy stood up and removed Sprits from the bed. “You think you can walk?” Remy asked. I nodded. Vida released her grip from me.
Remy walked to the wardrobe and opened both of its doors. After gathering some items on the inside, he placed my clothes on the edge of my bed. Even my cloak was there.
“Good. I’ll fill you in on the way. Your weapons are still inside the wardrobe. I’d rather not touch them so get them when you are ready.” Remy said as he turned from the bed and left the room.” I looked at Vida who had already begun putting her boots back on. “What’s going on?” I asked her as I slowly made my way to the end of the bed and began changing clothes.
She let out a sigh. “You know how we were gone when you woke up?” I didn’t respond. I just let her continue talking. “Well, Jolin had called us to see him. Apparently, the Queen and Prince of Galcon are on the way.”
She passed me my boots. “Come on, put these on.” I did as I was told and followed her to the door. I stopped for a moment. I had considered leaving my cloak, but for some reason I decided that I wanted to wear it in the presence of the Queen.
I stretched my hand out and warped it to myself. After putting it on, I went to the wardrobe and grabbed my weapons. Normally I didn’t have them on me in the palace, but normally I didn’t get hurt so badly on a job, either. Better safe than dead, I suppose.
“Hurry up,” Vida shouted from the outside corridor. I checked the bandages on my hand one more time and left the room.
6
“She thinks Jolin is to blame?” I asked as we walked down the hall. Vida shrugged. “We aren’t sure yet,” Remy said as he walked a few feet in front of us. “We are basing this off information we have received from people outside of the palace walls.”
We turned a corner and found ourselves standing in front of a large door made out of an unusually dark wood. It lead to the meeting area Jolin usually used, when he had guests from other kingdoms. “Thank The Keeper that we have some time to figure some things out before the Queen arrives,” Remy said, as he quickly opened the door and entered the room. Vida and I followed. “She has a reputation for being a handful and a -”
Remy’s words stopped. “Don’t stop on my account. Please, go ahead and tell me what I have a reputation for being, outside of a handful.” Remy’s face turned red as he cleared his throat, and began walking to the center of the room.
This room was one of the larger meeting rooms in the palace. Like many others, it was surrounded by bookshelves and had a large table in the center. A table that looked like it was made out of the same dark wood as the door and could sit over two dozen people with ease.
Surrounding much of the room were guards of the palace. At a glance, there were around thirteen of them spread out around us. Standing at the end of the long table, furthest away from the door we had entered through, was a clearly agitated Jolin. He was wearing a suit of all white and a red cape. Just as before he had his medals on, and on his side swung a sword that had a jewel encrusted handle. I knew for a fact that Jolin had been taking defense lessons, but a sword wasn’t the weapon of choice that he used.
The sword, cape and medals served little purpose other than to make him appear as a King, and Jolin was constantly moving in the attire as he continued to adjust the top of his uniform. To the side of him stood an older man. One I had never seen before. He was so still that he could have been a statue.
While others in the room moved as we entered, this man did not. He continued to focus his gaze on Jolin. As if he was challenging him without actually doing so. He was a tall man. Easily the tallest in the room.
Despite his apparent age, which was well into his forties, he had a solid build, and muscles that were visible through his all- black clothing. He had long hair that fell to his shoulders and a beard that was equally as long. Both were an off color, though. His hair and beard seemed to be transitioning from black to gray.
There were tattoos on the back of both his hands, which was typical for men born in Galcon. One of these hands served as the resting place for a long slender staff. It wasn’t a royal staff like some of the nobles would use. No, this staff had only one purpose; to be a weapon.
With them was a third person, and likely the source of the voice that spoke to Remy. The voice belonged to an old woman who sat at the table. She appeared well into her eighties and, judging from how her feet just barely touched the ground, was very short.
Her skin had more wrinkles and sagging layers than Sprits did and her hands were so frail that the skin on them almost seemed translucent. Her entire head was covered and wrapped by some cloth with jewels on it, leaving only her face visible. I couldn’t see any hair at all.
While the creepy standing man was dressed in all black, the old woman had on a lavish dress of burgundy and gold, that created swirling patterns in some spots. Most of her frail fingers had rings on them and even her wrist served as home for bronze bracelets.
“Jolin do you allow all of your subjects to just walk into important meetings unannounced?” The woman asked as she glared at us. Her voice was unusually dry. “Your majesty, I have told you Thera doesn’t have servants. We have workers. Workers that are free to go as they please,” Jolin replied, as he slowly rolled his eyes. “Ah, yes. You also don’t have slaves in this kingdom either,” she said as she shook her head.
“No, Galcon is the only kingdom that still uses slaves,” Vida said with a hiss. I didn’t see a problem with her saying this. As far as I knew, what she said was true. No other kingdom used slaves besides Galcon. Slavery, for most people, was seen as a barbaric practice.
I was obviously the only one to miss what she had done wrong, because everybody else in the room looked at her as if she had committed a crime.
Remy whispered something in Vida’s ear as Jolin held his hands up towards us. “My apologies,” he said to the woman sitting down. “She didn’t know.” “So, not only do your people not respect the importance of royal meetings, they don’t know not to address the queen directly unless given permission.” The woman said as her voice rose.
A laugh came from Vida. “Oh, I knew. I just didn’t care.” I smiled with admiration as I glanced at Vida. Everybody else in the room either gasped, or glared at her.
“Easy mother. Don’t get overly excited.” The man said standing with Jolin. He still didn’t turn away from him. “Asa, you have more patience than I ever could. First that idiot girl with the white hair, and now these three.” She said as she pointed a shaky hand to us. “I expected to be treated like royalty, not like some commoner.”
“Let’s all slow down.” Jolin said as he walked towards us, but quickly gave an approving nod and wink at Vida. “I apologized for Ms. Cloud. These three however are my Royal Court, and are needed for the meeting. Any resolution discussed here, will involve them.”