Princess of Darkness

by Adrianna J Tetnowski

  “I didn’t force her.” Valerius replied. He felt bad, truly but, that was not even the worse part of it all. Aderico still did not know about their secret marriage and Valerius had no intention of telling him; at least not until it somehow came out to the others itself.

  Aderico found he had nothing else to say, so with a heavy sigh and a choice of colourful words, he turned on his heels and stormed out of the grand hall; his cape dancing furiously behind him as he moved.

  The sound of a chair creaking and light footsteps from behind him caught Valerius’ attention, as Marcus approached his son like a storm.

  “You fool! Don't you see what you've done? I'll still have you marry Adelaide. Aderico, he will still marry Serendipity like planned - when we find her – and you will do nothing else to jeopardise these arrangements. Do I make myself clear?” he asked threateningly.

  Valerius shook his head, it was an almost lazy gesture. He had had enough of his father’s bullshit. “No.” he replied and left the hall slowly, his feet dragging as he walked. Even the sound of his father’s voice calling his name did nothing to bring him back to apologise. The empty corridors of the castle were of no comfort to the young Lord, the few candles that had been placed to light the way were burning dimly and he knew that their flames would soon die out. Valerius made no eye contact with even the servants that passed him; he linked his hands together behind his back as he walked. Valerius needed to be alone. Deciding he had nothing better do, Valerius made his way towards the large double doors of the library; his second home. He pushed the doors open once there, and they gave way for him to step into the musty old room. He gagged at the thick scent of dust and mould. Rows and rows of bookshelves lined the room, and they were all crammed with books, big and small, and a few tables surrounded by six chairs or so were sheltered in each corner of the room. A few candles burned on the walls, maps behind them turned black with soot from the flame, but most were still readable. The grey stone floor was covered in a thin layer of dust. The front of the library was raised in comparison to the rest of the room, a small flight of four steps led down from the centre to the other half of the library and two sets of wooden railings stretched from either side of the steps. They too were covered in dust so Valerius did not touch them. An ancient looking red rug rested in the centre of the library and its golden fringe had long ago been worn out and mostly torn off. Intricate patterns lined the rug, symbols of some sort that looked like a possible language Valerius could not decipher. Two black armchairs also stood somewhat proudly amongst the rows of old books, on the strange red carpet that waited in the centre.

  The bookshelves stretched on endlessly. Valerius’ mind played tricks with him and he stumbled at the feeling of the bookshelves moving closer to each other. Feeling his way through the maze of shelves, Valerius came to a dead end. He tapped his foot against the floor in thought. What a complete waste of time! The iciness of the floor licked the soles of Valerius’ boots in a desperate attempt to seep through but, failed miserably, he had had quite enough of the musty old library at the back of the castle.

  The library was far too cold, so Valerius got a small fire burning in the fireplace near the entrance. The books smelt old and Valerius loved it. He came to the library as often as he could. He made his way deeper into the library, past the rows of shelves, and he rubbed his hands together to get some warmth back into them. There came the sound of a cart being pushed around; the creak of wood and the rattle of wheels. The librarian must have been too busy putting books away to have noticed Valerius entering – and he somehow hadn’t appeared bothered by the cold either. Strange man. Valerius turned a corner, going deeper and deeper until he came to a small corner of the library. The rows upon rows of shelves had set his head spinning, despite the many years he had spent among the books. He looked down and found yet another rug beneath his feet, only this one was smaller and plain black. Valerius had not realised it before and he leaned his weight forward onto his toes. In all truth, the library was so big he had never actually gotten all the way to the end; as a child the thought of running off too far, even in his own home, had scared him. Now he was a man and far more curious. The two bookcases he had passed seemed to have taken him through to a secret part of the library, for it looked deserted.

  The creaking sound came again.

  Valerius knelt down and threw back the rug, more dust flew into his face and found a home in his hair. Brushing it all away with a childish huff, Valerius looked down at the floor and his eyes widened in delight. A small trapdoor had been built into the ground, its metal handle to open the door sat carved into the varnished wood and Valerius reached out to touch it. The metal felt cold against his skin and he took hold of it. After giving it a tug he frowned in disappointment when it did not move. So Valerius tried again and again until it finally groaned and swung open.

  The trapdoor revealed nothing but darkness.

  Finding a nearby candle on the wall just past the bookcases again, Valerius returned to the secret library and peered into the newfound opening. He saw a set of steps before him, however the heavier, mustier smell shooed him away from his discovery. Yet Valerius’ curiosity beckoned for him to enter and explore the hidden passageway, nonetheless. At this moment in time his curiosity was conquering his usual level-headed senses, and he stretched out his legs to descended the steps.

  The walls of the passageway were wet as Valerius steadied himself in order to avoid slipping. Looking back once, Valerius contemplated leaving a trail of some sort just so he would not forget his way back. He eventually thought that he would simply explore the tunnel a little further and decide whether this passage would be worth anymore of his time. The walls grew thick with moss and the stone floor crumbled beneath Valerius’ feet, like gravel it crunched softly and quietly, yet the enclosed space made it seem much louder. The candle which Valerius had taken with him revealed large cracks in the soot coloured walls and within those cracks insects found refuge, varying from beetles to spiders.

  It was so cold down here.

  Valerius shuddered as the temperature dropped drastically, then a sudden wave of heat hit him. Confused by its sudden appearance, he made his way towards a small wooden door that opened with ease when he turned the handle and Valerius peered into a small room of some sort.

  It had a similar interior to the library only it looked a lot cleaner, as if someone had just been in to tidy it, and rather than a black leather chair it had a dark navy one that sat tucked underneath a wooden desk. On that desk a candle burned, wax dripped down its sides and brightened the room up. A large bookcase stood proudly behind the desk.

  Valerius thought he had had enough of bookshelves and tunnels and secret passageways, yet the books which lined the back of the room seemed so ancient and for that reason fascinating; so Valerius could not help but walk over to it. Placing his candle down as he passed by the desk, he stared at the content of the shelves. One book in particular caught his eye, and he pulled it out.

  “The Awakening Book Six.” Valerius read out loud and laughed under his breath at the strange title. He ran a finger over the title; the dust covered leather was soft against his fingers. He opened the book and found a letter on the first page.

  Dear reader,

  Congratulations on your discovery of the

  final book of The Awakening. With all six books

  at hand your task of searching is done, now the real

  task is at hand. Use these books wisely. Royal blood is

  the key to success, with it you will have the power to

  raise an army of the dead at your command.

  Valerius stared closely at the book, at the bottom of the letter a smudge dominated the corner and he failed to read what was written underneath the print.

  “The final book of The Awakening? An army of the dead?” Valerius shook his head in confusion and slammed the book shut. “Where are the other books? If I have the final copy, surely someone else must have the others. But who? Who w
ould be interested in keeping royal secrets?”

  A name immediately struck him.

  “The Redbanes?”

  Adelaide

  Adelaide had returned to Faradwyn with Daegar after her trip to the Bordennian Castle and to her own surprise, Nicademius had asked to come along. The Princess could not deny his request and so agreed to let him join her.

  The moon still reigned in the sky by the time they had reached Faradwyn Castle and the three travellers were all well and truly exhausted. Their limbs screamed in objection as they marched up the steps of the castle, yet they gathered whatever strength they had left and forced themselves to make it into the castle. Adelaide’s bed called to her, and she had no doubt that one called to Nicademius too. The castle was dimly lit and, with whatever light was being produced, Adelaide saw her three Guardians sitting in their usual places in the hall. Dallius stood by the desk at the far end and even King Athon stood beside him, their heads were down and they both mumbled to each other in private.

  Everyone turned their attention to the door as the three travellers entered and Adelaide pulled her hood down. Daegar had curled up into her arms and fallen asleep, so the Princess put him down onto one of the cushioned chairs which surrounded the table and yawned.

  “I need to sleep.” she said, more to herself than to the others. Dallius smiled. “Tiring journey, was it?” he asked sarcastically. His gaze drifted off to the hooded Prince behind Adelaide and he took a step forward. “Adelaide, who is this?” he asked and cocked his head towards the unexpected visitor.

  The Princess looked over her shoulder. “Prince Nicademius Mouridieus of Bordennia.” she replied as a way of introduction.

  Nicademius threw off his hood at his mention, his tight curls ruffled against the material and his brown eyes took in his new surroundings. “The Valentis don't know you're here, yes?” the Prince asked.

  Adelaide laughed and nodded. “They don't. You must be tired, Nick. You should get some rest.” she told him.

  The Prince yawned and rubbed his eyes.

  King Athon took in the appearance of the young Prince and his eyes widened. “Ah yes, Dominicus' boy. You are most welcome here.” he said, a sudden kindness took over his voice, and he smiled for the first time in a long time.

  Dallius raised his eyebrows at the sight of the King’s surprising grin and he watched as he jumped at the opportunity to escort Nicademius to his room himself. A heavy silence hung in the air as soon as both the King and Prince were out of sight.

  “Anything new I should know about?” Adelaide asked, in hope of easing the awkward situation.

  Jasper shook his head. “Not really. Adelaide, why is he here?” he asked in turn.

  Adelaide bit her bottom lip in hesitation as she pieced together an answer in her mind. “It's a long story,” she began.

  “Long story short.” Jasper demanded.

  Adelaide drew a deep breath. She unclasped her cape and threw it onto the back of a chair and then loosened her hair from its band. Her head hurt. “That book I had found in the castle library, ‘The Awakening Book One’, Nicademius had found the second book. We've worked out that there should be six in total, one for each castle.” she paused and made a list in her head. “Faradwyn Castle, Fort Windspeed; Fort Wieldhorne; Bordennian Castle; Frost Fort and-” Adelaide stopped to curse.

  “Valkenn Castle.” Dallius so kindly finished off for her.

  Adelaide nodded and collapsed onto a cushioned chair beside Daegar. The imp was silent in his sleep, curled up in a ball, he hugged his knees with a small smile plastered on his face. Adelaide smiled too. For once the imp actually looked sweet, he was not being annoying or rude and instead he looked so innocent. Scooping the imp into her arms, Adelaide pressed a kiss against his tiny forehead and went to stand. “I need to sleep.” she said again and left the grand hall of the castle.

  The dark corridor of the castle caused her to look over her shoulder occasionally, keeping her eyes peeled for any intruders, Adelaide moved as quickly as her exhausted legs allowed her to. Sleep tugged at her eyes and they closed for a brief moment before she forced them open again. A hand grabbed onto the Princess’ shoulder without warning and she found herself being pulled back against a wall. Dropping Daegar, she went to scream yet another hand muffled it just in time.

  Daegar awoke and muttered angrily as he lay on the floor, wrapped up in his own wings, he rolled around until he untangled himself and looked at the Princess.

  “So this is the Prince you're to marry.” King Athon's voice came from the shadows. He revealed his face in the candle light and he wore an expression Adelaide could not quite make out the meaning of. His black hair had been pulled back tightly, although a few strands fell across his face, and the corners of his eyes were dominated by crow’s feet and purple shadows. His bottom lip had been pulled tightly over his top lip and it looked like he was in pain every time he smiled. His warm smile, painted especially on his face for Nicademius, was long gone and replaced with his usual stern expression.

  “When you marry the Prince,” he began.

  “If, I marry the Prince.” Adelaide corrected him, feeling bold as always with him.

  Athon scowled at her. “When you marry the Prince, he'll take you back to Bordennia where you will no longer be under the roof of my castle. Be grateful for the hospitality I am offering you now, Adelaide, because you certainly shouldn't expect it from me again.”

  “Careful now. Some might call your words treason – don’t make your hate for me and my family so obvious.” Adelaide replied (wondering if Athon had caught onto her sarcasm) and she pushed past the King, picking Daegar up as she went to leave for her room. After a moment of thought, Adelaide stopped and looked over her shoulder to say, “If that's how you're going to play your part in this war, consider my rules the same as yours. You will eventually need help and I'll be fortunate enough to watch your castle fall into the hands of the Valentis. Once it does your head will be on a pike by the gates. When my family and I go to reclaim Faradwyn for ourselves, I'll ask to go first just so I can see your head before anyone else.” Adelaide paused and her mouth curved into a wicked smile. “And after that, I'll keep your head there as an accessory.” at that she left the King to watch her go, rendering him speechless.

  Bastard Adelaide thought but, did not say aloud. She was not about to go and start another confrontation.

  Daegar snorted unhappily at her comments to the King. “Careful now, Adelaide. You may be in charge of him but, that fact may not stop him from driving a dagger through your back.” he said in a tone that suggested he was scolding the Princess.

  Adelaide threw the imp up into the air and watched as he opened his wings and flew over to her.

  “I'm just saying.” Daegar said.

  “Well don't say anything.” Adelaide snapped. Reaching out her arms, she grabbed Daegar and took him back to her room; slamming the door shut after her. “If King Athon really thinks I'm going to marry Nicademius, then-” she began but was cut off by a light knock on her door. Adelaide did not keep her visitor waiting long.

  Nicademius stood outside the room and he looked down at the Princess with a warm smile.

  “What a coincidence.” Daegar tittered as he made himself comfortable on the silk covers of Adelaide’s bed.

  The young Prince raised his eyebrows at her but, Adelaide simply shrugged and beckoned for him to enter the room. “I think we should leave tomorrow, to Anderaith. We need to find the other books.” Nicademius said as soon as the door closed behind him.

  “So soon?” she asked him.

  The young Prince nodded. “The sooner the better, or so I think. I know we’ve been travelling hard already but, I’m sure you want to get home to your family as well.”

  Adelaide sat down on the bed beside him, smiling as she did, and she replied, “Yes, I suppose that’s true. Viktor’s married now and I haven’t even met his wife properly yet. I’m a terrible sister-in-law! But will it be just the two of us
and my Guardians, or will we take Dallius too? Now that he is sworn to serve me and my family?”

  Nicademius thought hard for a moment, his emotions flew through Adelaide’s mind like lightning and she could tell he was bothered by something.

  “Nick? You seem uneasy.” Adelaide said.

  Nicademius smiled and pushed some hair from his eyes, then he let both of his hands fall into his lap. “The Captain, he didn't seem too pleased when he saw me. Have you been telling him false things about me?” he asked. A part of him felt bad for even asking but, he needed to know if the Captain was being territorial over Adelaide or if he was just naturally rude.

  Adelaide stared at the Prince in shock, partly offended by what he had just asked her, and she shook her head furiously. “No, I haven't said anything bad about you. Please don't tell me you're losing trust in me already.” she replied.

  Nicademius grabbed her hands gently and brought them close to his chest. “No, no. I just needed to know, the last thing I want is to be scowled at constantly by people in this castle. I just needed to know, that’s all.” he stopped and drew a deep breath, his hands – still enclosed around Adelaide’s - shook suddenly. “We should leave tomorrow, better to go early than to leave it too late. We should go in the morning perhaps, with your Guardians and the Captain?”

  Adelaide nodded and together, both the Prince and Princess began to plan out their journey the next day. It was unexpected but, they could not wait. Not whilst another copy of The Awakening was sitting somewhere in Anderaith and Aarengoth, unguarded and undiscovered – for now.

  Serendipity

  “It's no use, Princess, we're lost.” Evard grumbled as he scrutinised the crinkled map he had been given by Valerius.

  Serendipity looked around at their new green surrounding and could not make out where they were exactly, it had already been three days or so and they hadn't seen anyone during the time that they were travelling.