Zyas had flipped an officer onto his back, making the exhausted Tren smile. Tren waited for an officer to come at him with his baton, but Tren had just punched through it, and then through the armor shielding the officers’ face. Another had attacked, and Tren grabbed him by his neck, crushing the armor and his wind pipe.
Angel dodged an officer that ran at him with his baton and slammed the officers’ head against the stone wall. He had to use the wall as his weapon until he found his sword, on account that the officers wore metal armor.
Alcia backed away from an officer that slowly walked in her direction. She could tell it was the one from the fields by the look in his lightning blue eyes. The last encounter she had with him, her hand ended up broken, and she later found out that the incredible pain in her side was a pair bruised ribs. It took a little while for Alcia to recover, so her fear towards the officer almost radiated from her.
The officer snapped out his baton and swung it down hard at Alcia’s shoulder. Alcia was backed up against the wall and had frozen where she stood. Feeling as if there was nothing that she could do, she braced herself for the pain and squeezed her eyes shut, but was surprised when she felt water splash onto her face.
“What?” The officer stepped back.
Alcia’s shoulder splashed into water right when the baton came down on her, and she just stood there with wide eyes, in shock, not knowing that her body could do such a thing. She slowly looked back up at the officer with a smile on her face. The officer prepared to swing again, but then was knocked down to the ground by a large flame that nearly hit her. Alcia sucked in her lips so not to be burned.
“Marian!” Alcia yelled. This was the second time that he had almost turned her into ashes.
“Sorry!”
Angel kicked down the last officer, then kicked his head down onto the tile floor, “we need to get moving,” he started running down the hallway with the others following behind him.
“How are we supposed to find our weapons?!” Marian asked, out of breath.
“Angel,” the voice finally called. It was from the room ahead, on the left side.
Angel sprinted ahead, and ran into the room. He stopped when he saw the sword lodged into a white glass sphere.
“My guns!” Tren spotted his guns right away, hanging together up on the wall of various kinds of guns.
Zyas looked around, but couldn’t spot his bow and arrows. There were nothing but high tech weapons, and nothing wooden around.
“Hey Zyas, check this out!” Marian picked up a silver bow with a metal bowstring and black leather grip. The upper and lower limb of the bow was as sharp as a blade, used for cutting its enemies in close combat.
“What about the arrows?” Zyas asked.
“Don’t see any,” Marian shrugged as he scanned the wall of weapons.
The four of them turned to Angel, who was pulling at the sword in the glass sphere. He gripped the handle and pulled as hard as he could, but couldn’t manage to get it out.
“A little help would be nice,” Angel said to the sword.
Zyas looked down at the light in the center of the blade, and could swear he saw a woman’s face. He blinked a few times, but then all he saw was his reflection.
“Come on, Angel,” Tren rushed, “pull it out already.”
Angel pulled harder, “I’m...trying,” he let it go to give his arms a break, and then went back at it.
Marian could hear more officers coming, and closed the door, “you have to try harder man,” he said with his back against the door, “they’re coming,” he turned around and melted the edges of the door shut.
“Help me,” Angel whispered to the blade. He held the handle with both hands as he pulled at it. The sudden banging on the door made him pull even harder, “Come on!”
Suddenly, there was a sharp wind that blew from the sword so hard that Angel thought that he could see it. He lightened his grip on the sword, and felt the sudden urge to relax and let the blade take him away.
Zyas looked down at the sword that started to glow so bright that it blinded him. Angel grabbed Zyas’s shoulder, “hold on!” Angel said.
Zyas sighed calmly, “I feel kind of weird,” he chuckled.
Alcia held Zyas’s hand, and then took Tren’s, who reached out and took Marian’s hand. The five of them stood together feeling better than they ever have in years.
The light grew brighter until they saw nothing but white all around them, then the light vanished and it became dark.
Tren looked around himself, “what the- where the hell are we?” he asked.
Angel put his sword away as he looked around at the dark forest that surrounded them, “I don’t ...know,” he took a step forward and looked down at the wooden bridge that he stood on. It looked as if it were just built, and that they were the very first people to ever walk on it.
Alcia looked over the railing of the bridge at the small stream, and was amazed by the small fish that lit up in the dark. There were mostly white fish in the water, but every other fish that swam by looked to be blue or green, “this is amazing,” she said.
“It sure is foggy...” Zyas said as they walked a little further. Ahead of them it seemed like the fog had gotten thicker. It was so thick that they couldn’t even see through it.
“Stay close,” Angel said. He slowly walked into the fog with his friends close, hoping to get to the other end of the bridge soon.
As they continued to walk, the fog began to clear up, and the world in front of them grew brighter. It was actually so bright that it blinded them, making them cover their eyes as they stepped off of the bridge.
“What the hell?” Marian’s eyes finally adjusted and he turned around to see nothing but at open field. The bridge that they were just on had completely disappeared, and the way they had entered this new world was nowhere to be found.
Chapter 8: Shalina-Part 2
Shalina looked down at her plate and played with the pieces of meat that were cut up for her. She had lost her appetite after Darrengiy announced his leave, once again, and didn’t even give her a reason why.
Darrengiy sat at the other side of the long dinner table, and ate his food as if there wasn’t a problem between him and his fiancé. He knew that she was hurt, but he had business to do. The boy, Angel, possessed the only weapon that could take his life, and he had to get it back. He was too weak before, but since Shalina had been by his side, he acquired more power, and felt like he were finally ready to face the blade.
Shalina dropped her fork on her plate with a clink, and sighed, “Why do you have to leave again? You just got back.”
“I have business to attend to,” Darrengiy continued to eat.
“That’s what you always say. Why don’t you just tell me what’s going on?”
Darrengiy didn’t answer.
Shalina shook her head, “does it have something to do with Angel?” she knew that she had struck a nerve because of the frown that appeared on Darrengiy’s face.
Darrengiy watched her for a moment, and then became calm after noticing how innocent that she looked, “he has something important to me. Don’t bother asking anymore questions, because I won’t answer.”
“But-”
“No more,” Darrengiy said in a stern tone. He smiled slightly at her and stood up, “I’ll be leaving tomorrow my dear, but I’ll be back soon, I promise.”
Shalina gave a sad expression, “well, where are you going this time?”
“I have to get ready, but I’ll see you before I go tomorrow,” Darrengiy nodded, and then disappeared into thin air. Apparently using Verna to get through the large castle was a lot quicker than walking.
Shalina stood from her chair and headed back to her bedroom. She looked around and realized that she and Darrengiy have never slept in the same bed. They never so much as kissed, yet she loved him. He was the only male that she had ever gotten close to since the servant was sent away, but it wasn’t the same, because she only saw the servant as a
close friend. There was no way for her to describe the feelings that she held for Darrengiy, because they had always left her confused.
Shalina didn’t know if she was in love, or just loved the thought of being in love with such a kind man. Sure, he was a workaholic, but he always made an effort to fulfill her needs, or to simply make her happy. They had their times where they would watch the sunset and talk for hours, or when she would enter his office just to be in his presence. Eventually he would stop working and come sit by her side, so to keep her warm, or to caress her soft skin. Still, she didn’t know if what she felt was love.
Darrengiy had been around since she was a child, but he hadn’t started showing his face until she turned fifteen. Two years later, they finally decided to get married, but now she never sees him as much.
Shalina stood by the window and looked up at the stars, wondering if this is what marriage would be like. Would she ever be able to see him? Or would she be a lonely wife that had the whole castle to herself?
Shalina stared out at the moon, and thought about Darrengiy going after Angel. What did Angel have that Darrengiy wanted so badly that he had to leave? Since the visit to her birth place, she wondered about Angel, and what he was talking about. There was no way that they could have been friends before if he was really as evil as Darrengiy claimed, but how could she really know? She didn’t know anything about her past, and still wondered why. How is it that Angel remembers her, but she didn’t remember him? What happened to her memories?
Sometimes she wondered if Darrengiy could really be trusted. He seemed like a kind man, but then again, his remaining staff feared him. There was still so much that she didn’t know about the young lord, and she wanted to know more.
Since Shalina was just a girl, she had never left the castle grounds. She never experienced having a life of her own, and yearned for one. She wished for excitement and adventure! The castle life treated her well, but she wanted so much more than that, and better yet, she wanted to learn how to control her Verna. Before her visit to Varenwhile, Darrengiy told her a little bit about the royal power that ran through her veins, and all that did was raise more questions.
Shalina lay down in bed and stared up at the ceiling. She decided that she would get the answers that she needed after Darrengiy’s leave.
***
Darrengiy appeared on the side of Shalina’s bed and watched her sleep peacefully for a moment. He hated the thought of leaving her again, but he had important work to do. There was no way that he could take over Vernasia while Angel had possession of the Soul Blade.
Darrengiy ran his hand over Shalina’s soft hair and then leaned in to kiss her on her forehead. He promised himself that this was the last time that he would have to leave her for so long ever again, and when he returned, they could finally be married.
“I love you,” Darrengiy said softly. Then he smiled slightly and disappeared.
***
Shalina woke early the next day, feeling more motivated than ever to learn the truth. She jumped out of bed, and was walking so fast that she were almost running out of her bedroom and into the hallway. Once she realized that she wasn’t dressed, she looked around for any servants that might have been walking the halls. If any of them saw her, then they would make her go back and get dressed, which wasn’t something that she felt like doing at the moment.
Shalina walked down the bright hallway, and smiled at the beautiful day that shined in from her left. She had the feeling that today was going to be a good one...
Once she made it to Darrengiy’s office door, she looked from left to right to make sure that the coast was clear, and then entered. It was time to learn the truth after so long. She just had to know more about her husband to be.
Shalina froze in the middle of the office, feeling as if she had entered a very dangerous place, and took a deep breath. Going into Darrengiy’s office when he wasn’t there was not allowed, and she remembered the time when she was young and had run in searching for him. A gust of wind blew her right back out, scaring the life out of her.
Shalina waited for that gust of wind to carry her out, but it didn’t come. She then turned to the large picture of her twin, up on the wall, and bit her lower lip while wondering why they looked so much alike. Before, she doubted that they were somehow related because she had no Verna, but then after Darrengiy told her a little about herself, she didn’t know anymore. They could be. Cenyera had mentioned something about her being a doppelganger a few weeks back, and spoke of how only members of the bloodline could be one.
Shalina shook the thought out of her head and rushed over to Darrengiy’s unorganized desk of papers. She walked around to the other side, while looking down at the papers covered in black ink. There had to be answers here.
The curious girl began searching through the papers, but then realized that every page she touched went blank, “what is this?” she picked up another one and the ink faded. Must have been a spell Darrengiy cast just in case she thought of going through his things, “I suppose all of his books ink would fade too, if I touched it!” she balled up the white paper and threw it in the fireplace. How could she find answers if every clue she came upon disappeared?
The door cracked open, causing Shalina to jump, and then duck under the desk.
“I saw you, Shalina,” Cenyera said.
Shalina peeked over the desk, then stood up and shook off the slight fear that she suddenly felt, “Cenyera?”
“Shalina, what are you doing in here? You know you can’t be in here!” Cenyera whispered. She stepped all the way inside and closed the doors, so that none of the servants would see her.
“I..,” Shalina looked down at the blank papers, “I was just...” Shalina sighed and plopped down in Darrengiy’s brown leather chair, “I need answers!”
Cenyera bit her lip, “answers to what?”
“Darrengiy. Who is he? Who am I?”
Cenyera’s lips made a slight curve, “I knew you would get to this point someday.”
“What do you mean?”
Cenyera folded her arms and looked back at the picture on the wall, “I just had the feeling that you would start to wonder about everything. I mean I would if I had no memories.”
“I have memories, Cenyera.”
Cenyera smacked her teeth, “oh, you know what I mean.”
Shalina looked into the fireplace with a frown, “well, do you know anything?”
Cenyera’s smile faded, and she bit her bottom lip again, “yes, but then...no. I saw something.”
Shalina’s eyes brightened, and she stood back up, “saw something like what?”
“Well, I was cleaning the office, as Darrengiy ordered me, and I came across a pathway just over there,” She pointed to the wall behind Shalina, but when she looked, she saw nothing but stone.
“Cenyera, stop joking around, I’m serious about this.”
“I’m not joking,” Cenyera walked behind the desk, and stood in front of where she pointed, “I don’t remember exactly how I opened it, I just bumped it a little,” Cenyera felt on the stone wall, then pushed on it with the palm of her hands. Nothing happened.
Cenyera looked back at Shalina and shrugged.
“Let me try,” Shalina stood where Cenyera previously stood and did the same thing, but it didn’t work, then she tried simply bumping her shoulder against it, but still nothing.
“Sorry, Shalina,” Cenyera sighed, “I don’t know how I opened it.”
Shalina shook her head, “its fine. He probably sealed it after he left.”
“Maybe...”
“Come on,” Shalina walked passed Cenyera to exit the office when she heard the sound of stone sliding against the floor. She turned around to see Cenyera looking back at her in fear.
“It opened,” Cenyera stepped back and bumped into the desk.
Shalina frowned, and slowly walked towards the opening of the pathway. There was nothing but darkness lit dimly by the torches along the wall, “where does
it lead?”
“Well, when I went inside, I walked all the way down to some room covered in sand. I was told by one of the servants that it was called the room of memories, that’s where I saw it.”
“Saw what?” Shalina asked.
“I-I don’t know, but hurry and go down there so you can get back. I’ll wait for you in the courtyard.”
Shalina nodded, “make sure you leave out of here unseen. I don’t want you getting in any trouble because of me.”
Cenyera nodded with wide eyes, “oh, and one more thing. They said that the room of memories sometimes gives you what you most desire, so if the truth is what you really want, then I’m sure you’ll get it.”
Shalina took a deep breath and turned around to hug Cenyera, “thank you,” she said softly.
“No problem. Now go,” Cenyera gave a slight smile, “before I change my mind about letting you go in there.”
“Ok, I’m going,” Shalina slowly stepped onto the dirt pathway, and the exit sealed shut behind her, “ok,” she swallowed and began to walk forward. She traced the wall with her hand as she moved slowly through the pathway. There was no place like this in the castle, and it gave her the chills.
As she made it deeper down the path she felt a gust of wind blow by, and the echo of a man’s voice rushed passed her ear. At first she thought about running back and banging on the exit door, but decided to keep moving forward, because she had to know who she was.
Shalina carried on for what felt like forever, and then stopped at the end of the pathway. In front of her was what looked to be a small arena surrounded by tall white pillars. There was nothing but a sandy floor at the bottom of the three layers of steps in front of her, and a few long torches standing up from the ground, in between every other pillar, “what is this?” she slowly walked down the steps, and onto the sand, but froze when the orange fire turned blue.
Shalina took a deep breath and walked into the center of the room of memories, while waiting for something to happen, but there was nothing, “I want to know the truth. Who am I?” she asked the room, but when there was no immediate answer, she felt foolish for talking to herself.
Angel's Blade: Power (Angel Series Book 1) Page 8