“Surely you must be joking, Melchior,” a female elder said. “Such an idea is preposterous! How are we to be certain that this is indeed the book you are referring to and not some trick from King Torald III to lure us out of hiding?”
“Because Kaina, the young lady who found the book, spoke directly to Zion. He even gave her the knowledge to use his power,” Melchior explained.
“And how, Melchior, do we know that the young lady is not a conspirator of the king himself?” said another elder.
Kaina was about to protest, but Tristan tugged her arm and pulled her back.
“You'll have your chance to speak,” he assured.
“I have witnessed Kaina using extraordinary abilities that I myself have only witnessed Zion using, so I am certain that everything she says is true and that the book she brought to us is genuine,” Melchior said.
“Even if that were true, Melchior,” another elder said, “we cannot risk being exposed by going after this library. So far, the kings of Ilesia have yet to complete the work of Roric, so we do not need all this magic knowledge in order to fight off any demons. If we were to go after this library now, we could risk exposing our secret society and open us to annihilation. What then, would happen if all wizards were wiped out? It would be Roric's war all over again.”
“Excuse me,” Kaina said, stepping forward, “may I speak?”
The elders looked at her, then the one directly in the middle said, “You are, I presume, the young lady who found the book?”
“I am,” Kaina said, stepping towards the podium.
“Very well, you may speak,” the wizard said.
Melchior nodded and stepped away from the podium, allowing Kaina to take his place. She cleared her throat and continued, “Elder Wizards, my name is Kaina Haventhorn--”
“Haventhorn?” another elder asked. “You mean the same Haventhorn fmaily out of Eboncrest who has been loyal to the crown for four hundred years?”
Kaina realized she had made a mistake by using her name, so she replied, “Due to reasons I would not like to disclose, I no longer associate with my family.”
“Yet you still use your name as a badge of honor,” another elder pointed out.
“An oversight that I will correct in the future,” Kaina said. “I left home on the night that men led by Prince Casimir and First Advisor Azemar attacked Eboncrest looking for the book, which I had incidentally obtained earlier that day by pure coincidence. Once I learned of its value, I was told by Aldis Cunningham to find Melchior and bring him the book. I underwent a test to unlock my hidden magical potential and as a result, I was attacked by a demon.”
The elders began to whisper among each other, and then Kaina continued, “I learned from this demon that he was sent by none other than Prince Casimir, and though I was able to defeat this one, I have no doubt that he will make another attempt. If this descendant of Roric is working with demons, who's to say that the king himself isn't working with them?”
Many of the elders began to shake their heads at this point, and Kaina feared that they didn't find her story entirely truthful.
“Young lady,” the elder in the middle said, “are you aware of what it takes for a mortal to send a demon after someone, as you put it?”
Kaina shook her head, so the elder continued, “The mortal must make a binding contract with the demon, which involves selling the demon a piece of their own soul. When enough of the soul is taken, a human becomes something completely inhuman and unnatural, and I cannot see anyone, not even a descendant of Roric, willingly subjugating themselves to such a fate for any purpose. What's more, demons are known to deceive their victims. I believe firmly that when you entered the spiritual plane, a lesser demon tried to possess you and even lied about the prince sending him in order to break your will, but he underestimated your ability and willpower and was destroyed as a result.”
“You can say what you want to believe, Elder Wizard,” Kaina said, “but I know what I saw in that vision, and I know what kind of man Prince Casimir is.”
“It's true,” Tristan said, stepping forward.
“Who are you?” the elder in the middle asked.
Tristan swallowed hard and Kaina soon realized what he was about to do. He stepped forward and said, “I am Tristan, brother of Casimir.”
The elders roared with protests and arguments, and the elder in the middle had to raise his hands and shout everyone down.
“Enough, Elders,” the elder said. “Young man, step forward.”
Kaina stepped down from the podium and Tristan took her place. He then said, “I know that you think I am your enemy, but--”
“Enough,” the elder said. “Young man, you have admitted in our presence that you are the second son of King Torald III, and as a consequence you are also a descendant of Roric the Spellcrusher. For four hundred years, we have eluded the detection of the royal family, and in an instant that has been compromised.”
“I am also the leader of the Azure Riders, a band of warriors bent on destroying the royal family and removing their blight from Ilesia,” Tristan said. “I want only to protect this land and its inhabitants from their influence, and I offer you my blade as well as the blades of a hundred men and women who pledge their loyalty to me in an effort to take the library's knowledge and release it into the kingdom.”
The elders fell silent, which Kaina took as an ominous sign, and then the middle elder spoke again.
“This is not a decision we can make lightly, and we cannot be certain that the two of you can be trusted, no matter what you claim. I will therefore meet with my fellow elders in private, and by days end, I will deliver our verdict. Until then, you are both to remain inside the city and you will be heavily watched at all times to ensure that you do not escape and deliver our secrets to the king,” the elder said.
“Yes Elder Wizard,” Melchior replied.
Melchior then ushered Kaina and Tristan out of the chamber and shut the double doors behind them.
Chapter 23
“Well that could have gone better,” Tristan remarked as they walked out into the streets of Undercliff.
“You didn't have to tell them your true identity,” Kaina said. “That threw even more suspicion on us.”
Tristan stared at her. “Is that so, Kaina Haventhorn? Did you really think they wouldn't recognize the name?”
“I said it out of habit,” Kaina argued. “There's a difference in revealing your family name and telling the mortal enemies of the king that you're his son.”
“Enough,” Melchior said. “Whether or not you said anything, I suspect the Elders' decision would have been the same. They were right when they said we cannot expose ourselves until Torald has made a move.”
“By then, it might be too late,” Kaina said. “We have to find that library before they summon any more demons.”
“The trick is finding the entrance,” Tristan said. “We know by the map that it's in Eboncrest, but we don't know where in town it is.”
“We would have to go to Eboncrest to find it,” Kaina said, “but if we do that...then--”
“We might get caught, since you're known there,” Tristan said.
“For now, the two of you need to wait here for the Elders' decision,” Melchior said. “They already said that they will have you both watched, so it's no use trying to leave now. Here.”
Melchior handed Kaina the key and the map. “You are the one who found this, and so you must be the one who guards them.”
Kaina took the items and held them in her hand. She then placed them in the pouch where she had previously kept the book and made sure it was fastened properly before letting her hands off of it.
“What do we do now, then?” Kaina asked. “You can't possibly expect me to just sit here and wait for something to happen.”
“Unfortunately, that's all you can do at the moment,” Melchior stated. “Until Casimir makes a move, we cannot expose this community. You will be safe from harm here, so this is w
here you should stay. However, I can offer you my services as a teacher for the time being.”
“A teacher?” Kaina asked.
“Your magical abilities are unmatched by many, and with proper training I believe that you can master the craft,” Melchior said. “What do you say?”
Kaina thought about it, then she said, “Aldis mentioned that you trained him...and I've seen his abilities. I would love to learn from you, Melchior.”
“Good,” Melchior said. “We will begin first thing tomorrow. Feel free to make yourselves at home for the time being.”
Melchior returned to the tower and Kaina sat down on the stone steps that led down the street. There were dozens of people walking past, but she paid no mind to them. Tristan soon sat down beside her and said, “What's on your mind?”
“I can't just sit here,” Kaina said. “Especially not when Aldis might still be alive out there.”
“It's your call, Kaina, but if you want to get out of here without any trouble we had better do it before the elders send people to watch out for us,” Tristan said.
Kaina thought about it, and then she stood up and said, “The elders were right about one thing: we can't go after the library right now, because you and I couldn't possibly retrieve all of that information anyway and we might blow our cover in Eboncrest. For now, I say we go up to the city above and keep an eye on Casimir.”
“What about your brothers, and your cousin?” Tristan asked.
“Eldercliff is a big city, so I'm sure we can hide out somewhere without drawing too much attention. I refuse to remain in hiding while all of this is going on because of me. Who knows what they're doing to people up there to try and get to me. Casimir has already made it clear that he's not above hiring demons to come after me,” Kaina said.
“True,” Tristan said, “but what will you do if you get caught?”
Kaina shut her eyes and bowed her head. “I'll deal with that if it comes to it. Right now, my concern is stopping Casimir before he has a chance to hurt anyone else, and if Aldis is alive, I have every intention of saving him.”
“I'll follow your lead,” Tristan stated, “and hopefully we can both survive long enough to get Aldis back to Undercliff.”
“All right,” Kaina said, “let's go.”
“We've combed this city from top to bottom,” Hugo said, “and there is still no sign of Kaina.”
Casimir stood nearby in a private room in the quarters of one of the town nobles, who had so graciously offered him an indefinite stay. He leaned over the map that Hugo was looking at, and saw that he had marked several locations in the city that they already checked.
“Where are you, Kaina Haventhorn?” Casimir wondered aloud.
Hugo sighed, then he turned to Casimir and said, “Your majesty, may I speak freely?”
Casimir turned to him and said, “You may.”
Hugo stood up straight and said, “Why is it you forgive my cousin so easily after what she has done?”
Casimir smiled. “Kaina has a fire in her soul, one that not many women would dare to show to the world. I see her as a fire that can be tamed, and loved, and respected or even feared by the people. I have no doubt that she would make the perfect queen for Ilesia, no matter what anyone else says.”
Casimir then stood from his spot where he was leaning and said, “However, there is one thing that you should know. Before I reveal this to you, I must remind you that you have sworn an oath of eternal loyalty to King Torald III for life and beyond, and that in breaking that oath you would forfeit your very life.”
“Absolutely,” Hugo replied dutifully.
“As such, should anything spoken to you in confidence by the king or any member of the royal family reach public knowledge, the price would be even greater.”
“Of course. Nothing you tell me will escape my lips,” Hugo said.
Casimir nodded and said, “Then I believe it is safe to tell you one of the most carefully guarded secrets in Ilesian history, one that would cause a panic and possibly rumors of wicked doings in our court should it get out. You see, my love for Kaina is not the only reason I have been pursuing her. It has come to my attention that she has in her possession an item of great interest to the king.”
“What kind of item?”
“A book that is rumored to lead to something that Roric and his descendants have searched for for four hundred years. You may have heard the tales of the wizard, Zion, and his death confession of building a massive library full of magical books and artifacts in an effort to keep Roric from purging them from the land. Roric has since searched for this library, but has never found it.
“So this book will lead to the library?” Hugo asked.
“That's right, and with that knowledge, I fear she may introduce magic into the land, prompting another age of tyranny under the hands of wizards just like they were before Roric rose up to stop them,” Casimir explained.
Hugo grew wide-eyed and stroked a hand through his hair. “This is worse than I though. Far worse.”
Casimir nodded. “That is why this must be kept absolutely confidential, Sir Hugo, for if the people were to find out that someone had such access to magic...”
Hugo realized where he was going with this and finished his sentence, “...It will cause widespread panic.”
“Exactly,” Casimir said. “I trust that you will uphold your vows and keep this between us?”
Hugo nodded. “You have my word, Your Majesty. I just hope that we can get to Kaina before it's too late.”
Casimir thought for a moment, then he said, “Maybe we don't have to.”
“What do you mean?”
Casimir held up his forefinger and said, “I have an idea on how to get Kaina to come to us. Here's the plan.”
Once they found the sewer grate leading to the surface, Tristan went up first to make sure that no one would see them, and then he helped Kaina up. They found themselves in an abandoned alley on the outskirts of the city, with nothing around them except crates full of trash and not a soul in sight.
Kaina brushed the grime from the sewer off of her trousers and said, “Now we just need to find Casimir or Azemar. Hopefully they kept Aldis captive and didn't hurt him.”
“Kaina, I hate to do this, but...” Tristan said with a forlorn expression, “...do you really believe Aldis is still alive? Casimir did threaten to kill him if you didn't comply last night.”
Kaina stared at the ground and said, “I can't lose hope that he's still alive.”
“I understand,” Tristan said softly. “If he is alive, we'll find him.”
Kaina went down an alley and said, “Do you have any ideas where Casimir might be?”
“I think he may be near the guard station,” Tristan said. “Follow me.”
Tristan led the way to the guard barracks near the town square. They kept to the back areas that were less populated and after ensuring that they knew of any potential escape routes, they moved forward towards the barracks to find a crowd gathering before it.
A single guard, the captain by the looks of it, stood out on a platform with a guillotine, and was reading something from a scroll of parchment to the crowd. As they got closer, Kaina picked up on what he was saying.
“...as ordered by his majesty, Prince Casimir, it is decreed that Aldis Cunningham, found guilty of conspiracy to abduct Lady Kaina Haventhorn, betrothed of Prince Casimir, is hereby set to be executed at dawn. The execution will be held publicly in the town square.”
Several murmurs spread throughout the crowd, but Kaina didn't hear a word of it. As soon as she heard the words “Aldis,” “guilty,” and “executed,” she tuned everything else out and stared in horror at the captain, and a moment later she saw none other than Casimir and Hugo staring out of a window on the second floor of the guard station.
Kaina's breathing quickened and if Tristan hadn't stopped her, she would have rushed onto the platform and burst into the guard station to go after Casimir and Hugo. He then dragged her
back behind a building and when he was certain that no one would hear them, he held her by her shoulders and met her gaze.
“What are you doing?” Tristan spat. “Are you insane?”
Kaina recovered from her frenzy, and said, “I just...I blacked out for a moment there.”
“I understand,” Tristan said, “but we can't rush in there like that.”
“I know, but we have to think of some way to rescue Aldis,” Kaina whispered.
“I don't know about this, Kaina,” Tristan said with a shake of his head.
“Me neither,” Kaina replied, “and I know that this will quite possibly be the most foolish thing I could ever do...”
Tristan looked her in the eyes and said, “You're going to do it with or without my help, aren't you?”
“Of course I am,” Kaina remarked. “I'm not letting those fools harm Aldis after he risked his life to save mine. I owe it to him to get him out of that prison.”
Tristan sighed. “If you're going to do it anyway, then I'll help. I can't let you go alone knowing that we'd have a better chance with the two of us.”
“Thank you,” Kaina replied. “We need to come up with a plan. Do you know where the city prison is?”
Tristan looked around. “It's going to be near the castle of the City Elder, which will be nearly impossible to penetrate.”
“In that case, we should probably case out the area for escape routes. I think it might be best to break him out tonight, so that we have the cover of darkness on our side,” Kaina reasoned.
“Good idea,” Tristan said. “Let's go.”
Chapter 24
Kaina and Tristan edged closer to the castle entrance after night fell and ducked behind the nearest building to get a good vantage point. They observed that a drawbridge was the only way in and there was a single guard on duty, but it was enough for him to sound the alarm at the sight of any possible intruder.
“We aren't going in that way,” Tristan said. “We'll have to go underneath.”
Kaina's Dawn (Kaina Saga Book 1) Page 24