by Tina Silvens
Soris, in all his numbness, heard him. He said, while falling asleep, “Aha, eight years, then... Long live... You can bring her, there’s no pro...”
The general turned to him, heart racing in his chest. Soris was sleeping with his mouth open already. A second later, his hand slipped off the couch. Waltario exhaled, relieved. “It was easier than I expected.”
He approached the prince. He looked at Soris with remorse. He knew that an approval received in such conditions wasn’t quite certain, but he took it seriously. A yes is a yes. I hope you can forgive me for lying to you.
He lifted the boy’s hand from the floor and put it carefully alongside his body. He covered Soris with a blanket that he kept in a sideboard nearby, took a deep breath as if he had gotten over a terrible obstacle, then left the studio and went to Selunia to give her the good news.
*
Selunia had been strolling for a while round the car, scrutinizing the yard, from the sand-toned stone pavement to the shiny towers above. She threw herself inside, fearing she would be questioned by some stranger. Everybody there was busy. She could have dragged attention over herself by leisurely walking in the yard, but that obviously wasn’t what she wanted now, when she was only a masked soldier.
Shortly after, she saw the general coming out from the palace. No sooner had he gone down the stairs in front of the building than he got approached by two officers. It seemed they had something important to discuss. After a somewhat short talk, the two went away running, and the general rushed to the car.
Selunia, suspecting something had happened, went outside to meet him. “What is it?” she asked.
“Oh, no, don’t worry. It’s about a breakdown in the external supervising system,” he said in a calm tone, although it was clear he was troubled by what he’d heard earlier.
“Can I help?” she insisted hopelessly.
“No, no. You stay put. Come with me to take your luggage, and move into the room I’ve prepared for you. I’ve received approval from Soris, so you can come unrestricted.”
She followed him joyfully, thinking her name had been mentioned to the prince. Maybe it had brought up some memories for him.
A quarter of an hour later, helped by the general, Selunia put her luggage in a tiny room on the ground floor. It was a simple room with a rough wooden floor, white walls, and only strictly necessary furniture: a single bed, a wardrobe, a desk, two chairs, and a bedside table. From the dense smell, it was easy to discern that it hadn’t been inhabited by anyone lately.
“The bathroom is in the next room,” said Waltario, pointing at a door on the left wall. “Now I have to go. Make yourself comfortable here and, please, don’t go out until I come for you. Got it?”
“Yes, of course,” she quickly answered, seeing that he was in a hurry and his mind was focused somewhere else.
The general left the room in a blink.
Selunia sighed. I hope he won’t be too late. I don’t want to spend all my day here when there’s plenty to visit in the palace. She took off her helmet and set to search through her luggage.
*
Soris woke up abruptly. Oh, how long did I sleep? He stood up worriedly from the couch. The clock on the wall indicated that it was almost three in the afternoon. He let out a sigh of relief, carefully patting his costume. He brushed his hair with his hand a few times, then left the studio, full of energy.
Chapter 9
Time flew rapidly, setting the day to sunset. Bored, Selunia lay on her back on her new bed. All her enthusiasm had drained away almost completely. The general had fleetingly visited her once, about two hours ago, to bring her some food and tell her that he would come back later.
“Feels like I got into prison. Great!” she said to herself, reopening a book from the White Castle. “Hopefully, he won’t keep me like this over the next few days too. I understand I’m not his priority here, but I hope he’ll understand me too when I go out of this room and meet Soris without his help. I prefer working with no ranking at the White Castle than wasting my time here.”
Night fell. All the workers gradually withdrew to their places. The patrol started to make its rounds lazily around the palace and the yard, while the rest of the servants were finishing their last daily activities. Soris wrapped up his office matters by setting in order a heap of folders, which he then put into a cabinet.
The entire population came to rest after work. Only Waltario and a group of soldiers hadn’t come back to their positions in the palace, but Selunia didn’t want to hear about rest right now.
A bit angry, she was already exercising, creating globes of energy with her special gloves. I must maintain my dexterity. She concentrated on the sheer golden energy that rhythmically rolled between her palms. This day is already wasted.
Somewhere, on a side of the palace garden near the bordering wall, a group of fired-up souls sat hidden by the thick bushes of the hedge. Vittria, along with her barbarian comrades, watched all the slow movement in the yard with much interest.
Leido had completed his equipment with thorny metallic armor on his arms, and a breastplate sporting a big lion-head mark—which showed a high distinction from the other members. He said with satisfaction, “I told you they’re very unprepared. After the official end of war two weeks ago, they don’t expect to be attacked. Now that their general is away, not even patrolling is done properly. I’m so glad we took advantage of that wreckage in their north supervising system. All we had to do was make things worse in the tower, faking it to look accidental, and there! We got Waltario out of the palace! E-heh, thinking he’s the only smart one!”
“Sir Leido, I notice you dislike General Waltario,” Vittria said provokingly, posing a sly smile. “I hope you’ve no fear of him.”
“Fear?” Leido riposted indignantly. “Bah! What are you talking about? That Waltario is nobody. I could crush him with one punch. Rest assured, Vittria, I can’t wait to take his position after we conquer this castle.”
“You want to be a general?” she asked, as if surprised.
“Come to think of it, I already am. Who trained these idiots to fight well?” he asked rhetorically, resting his hands on his hips.
The others looked at him, nodding. Though a small organization, they had already ranked themselves based on competencies. Bardan, Vittria’s uncle, was the supreme master, the founder of the group. His son, Fulgerus—away with his father now—was the right hand, and Leido, the general who took care to prepare the other members—their soldiers. Vittria had an important position between them, thanks to her magical powers. She didn’t have a particular title, everybody being content to describe her as the “witch” of their league.
Vittria slowly made her way through the hedge, closer to the palace. She watched the surroundings with the attention of an eagle. Suddenly she exclaimed, excited, “Oh! There’s the prince! There, on the terrace! Oh, my heart beats so fast!”
Leido, always annoyed by this stupid admiration of hers for Soris, approached her and snapped in a loud whisper, “Leave that! Are you ready to cast the spell or not?”
“Yes, of course I am,” she replied, glancing at him, disturbed by his unwelcome intrusion. “But have you placed the Xin stones like I told you to?”
“Yes. All four of them, each at one cardinal point round the yard. C’mon! What are you waiting for?”
Vittria, irritated, turned to him. “What are you waiting for? I must climb up there on the terrace to do the spell!”
Leido watched her with doubt. Wasn’t she actually looking for a reason to get close to the prince?
She added stingingly, “Why are you looking at me like that? I must sit as centrally as possible between those stones. Help me sneak up there. You keep on your toes to distract the soldiers’ attention.”
“Hmm, all right,” said Leido, stressing his words while quickly making up a plan.
He rubbed his thick neck a little, then said, “These guys are so tranquil this evening that I t
hink you can try crawling up there. We’ll stay on guard. As soon as you’re noticed by one, we’ll put him to sleep. Their bad if they see you... Now! Get ready to go now! After those four pass, you have a few seconds to run to that garden and hide behind a tree. You’ll manage from there. It won’t take long to get on the terrace. But as soon as you arrive, get to work. Got it? Don’t waste time.”
“Yes, yes, of course,” she interrupted him, then smiled slyly and prepared to dart.
Up on the faintly illuminated terrace, Soris was on the balustrade. He stood straight, with legs a bit apart and arms left freely by his sides. He looked, fascinated, at the sparkling spectacle given by the multitude of stars filling up the sky. The cool breeze went in mild whiffs along him, calming his soul. He liked the evening, more than during the day, to sit like this, with eyes stuck on the sky, feeling how he detached from his identity, how he almost started levitating, getting closer and closer to those enchanting lights. His mind was far away from the terrestrial world.
A loud rustle of leaves from the trees in the park woke him from his reverie. Turning his gaze quickly to that direction, he became unbalanced. Fearing he might fall, he got down. “Oh, I guess I’ve gotten dizzy after staying like this for too long. I almost fell. I should be more careful. But what was that noise?”
He bent greatly to the front, propping himself on his arms to search the garden. Obviously, it was Vittria’s fault: a sudden, imperfect jump taken hastily over the hornbeam hedge that bordered the garden.
Hidden behind a tree, she was aware she had gotten his attention. She sat tensed. Cursing in her mind, she got the idea of making a similar noise with an air wave controlled by her scepter, hoping this would trick the prince.
Soris was quite calm. He didn’t suspect anything; only his vigilance, which had become instinctual after so many fights, made him look in that direction. The wind created by Vittria passed, and, after a few seconds, he came to a conclusion: “It must’ve been a cat.” He leaned on an elbow by the balustrade, his chin on his palm, resuming his contemplation of nature and listening to the constant song of the crickets.
Vittria watched him, short of breath. Between the branches of the tree that covered her, she noticed that the prince took his eyes away from the park. She let out a sigh of relief, then made her way through the gathering of shrubs and flowers, searching to get close to the wing of the building upon which the terrace sat.
She walked meticulously, to make sure she wouldn’t spoil the surprise. She saw in this action an opportunity sent by the heavens for her to meet Soris—the man of her dreams. For more than two years, she had been watching what he did outside the palace. That was all she could see through the Magical Eye; everything that went on inside was a mystery to her.
She very much desired to get to know him, to capture his heart with her feminine charms, to become his lover. She was a maniac for him, firstly because she saw how loyally he kept himself about his engagement, and secondly because lately she hadn’t had any love affairs. Since she had agreed to help her uncle, Bardan, her romances had decreased considerably in number. She enjoyed remembering the short but passionate loves she had experienced in her native village, but the longing for new encounters became greater and greater. By all means, she had to have Soris in her love life’s records.
She had been in relationships with rich boys, nobles, but never with a prince. She was fascinated by the thought of being with him, even for just a few seconds. As much as she wanted to attract him with her beauty, to make him want her, she cared little about his life. She knew that once the palace was conquered, Soris would be killed; but that didn’t trouble her in any way, as long as she reached her goal: a short, wild love story with the prince of the Arid Kingdom.
By contrast, his later killing, she thought, would bring a drop of spicy drama at the end of their romance. The men in her league, who secretly admired her, couldn’t understand those crazy ideas she had. They knew only one thing: she liked the prince—another reason to want his death.
Vittria stopped at once, sticking her back to a side wall of the building block that sustained the terrace. Had she succeeded in climbing up from this part, she would have arrived at a certain distance behind Soris, and then she could have taken him by surprise.
She didn’t give it a second thought. She faced the wall, lifted her magical staff, and spelled some secret words in her mind; then, raising her proud eyes, she went levitating up on the terrace. She landed silently, almost imperceptibly.
She quickly squatted, fearing she might be observed. Her brightly-colored attire could have very well drawn some soldier’s attention. But the patrol passed by, yawning carelessly, following its path without looking up even once. Perfect! she thought, pleased, fixing her eyes on the nape of the prince’s neck.
Instead of thinking how to knock him down, she thought how to surprise him more, to make their first meeting as thrilling as possible. She wanted to get to him, shoulder to shoulder, without him noticing her beforehand. She knew he had sharp senses. But no, by all means she had to leave a big, unforgettable impression; therefore she again made use of levitation to reach the prince.
She was aware that any magical action consumed her energy, but she didn’t care that she was risking the success of the mission, or that she was doing something condemnable by her entire group. Bardan could have punished her severely, but all she wanted was to seize the day.
Soris was enjoying, with eyes closed, in his sweet melancholy, the freshness of the night and the song of the crickets, not suspecting that someone was approaching him threateningly. You’re mine! thought Vittria, with eyes as flashy as those of a hungry wolf.
When her feet touched the ground one step behind him, Soris suddenly opened his eyes. He made to turn, but with a short jump, Vittria bumped into his shoulder and took his face in her hand to direct his eyes towards hers. Soris recoiled, startled, pushing her hand away. He shouted, “Hey, hands off! Who are you?”
Chapter 10
Vittria’s plan was a success: Soris had been surprised by her appearance. He stared baffled at her for three seconds, trying to make something of the bizarre creature that had appeared out of thin air beside him.
“Good evening, Your Highness!” she said in a sarcastic tone.
She was glad to see the prince watching her stunned, like a predator that saw its prey trembling with fear. She felt in control.
She leaned herself on one leg, posing to better underline her curvy shape. Then, offering him the most seductive looks and smiles she had practiced for a lifetime, she said, “Soris, I’m so glad to meet you in person. If only you knew how long I’ve been watching and dreaming about you...”
Soris, although he couldn’t justify her imperceptible arrival to himself, snapped out of the confusion. He frowned a little at her. Taking a defensive posture, as if facing a ferocious enemy, he asked in a heroic voice, “What’s with you here? Has father sent you to seduce me? I’m not like him. I tell you beforehand: you’ve no chance, so go away!”
Vittria burst into loud laughter. Soris kept his guard up. I don’t understand why dad always sends all sorts of women after me. I’ve told him so many times I’m not obsessed with such things, but I see he still insists. He’s still trying to make me become like him. But I’ll never do that! I’ve promised to never abandon my promise to put an end to cheating husbands—borne by my lineage for so many generations.
Not one single decent lady deserves to go through a difficult marriage like mom’s. And anyway, what’s with this strange lass? You could say she works at a circus from the way she’s dressed. Who knows what trick she played to sneak here like that? Dad certainly has some weird ideas...
Vittria stopped her laughter, reverting to a mischievous smile. “Oh, I see you’re funny,” she said, swallowing him up in her eyes. “I like that, hihi! Let me introduce myself: Vittria is my name. Keep it well in your mind. In the near future, we’ll get to know each other...”
<
br /> Soris looked at her with suspicion. He loosened his fists. After all, why would he pay so much attention to a courtesan when he could simply leave the terrace? He returned to a normal stance and told her shortly, “I’ve no interest in knowing you. Find someone else!”
To her great surprise, Soris made to leave, unconcerned. But just then, a loud rustle was heard from the park. Soris only now became suspicious of a secret attack. Vittria surmised the noise was from her group’s men—the Bardanians. In a few minutes, they were going to climb up and verify if she was sticking to the plan. Damn! Couldn’t they have waited a bit longer? she thought, upset, coming back to reality.
She got out of the juvenile lover role and took on the one of a dark witch. She went a few steps back, then lifted her staff in the air, making the crystal globe light up. Soris looked at her, confused. What does she want to do now? Pull a rabbit or a pigeon out of nowhere? Something’s wrong that she’s trying so hard to keep my attention.
He bent over to search the park downwards. Terrified, he noticed how a group of people, with unusual appearance for his continent, swarmed through the foliage. They could hardly hide their grotesque and bulky bodies under the trees. “We’re being attacked!” he noted to himself, getting into alert. He wanted to call the soldiers, but not one was passing by the area, and he was totally unprepared—not a weapon, shield, or an alarm tool. He had to act quickly, to alert those inside the palace before the intruders could advance too much.
He turned in place. A strong light blinded him temporarily, making him take many steps backwards while covering his eyes with an arm. What the heck? he cursed as he got used to the light stream. He tried to decipher what was going on.
Surprise and fear turned him mute.
The girl he thought to be a mere acrobat with a sleazy attitude was now floating in the air about one meter above the floor, surrounded by a red aura that flickered in shapes and lights like a huge flame. The staff she held was crossed intermittently by short traces, flashy as lightning. A strong wind came in, gathering around her and forming into a wide whirlwind. On her face, black vines could be seen spreading to her neck, chest and hands. Even her eyes were covered by such vines, darkening them completely. She had transformed into another being: a demonical, evil one, ready to destroy everything and everyone.