The prince froze and his knuckles whitened, tightening on the reins. "And what makes you say that?"
The Apollons take everything. If not by will, then by force. They conquer and make everything into theirs. They spread half-truths and take away homes, even from children.
That is what I wanted to answer. But instead, I said, "In history, the greatest kingdoms all have enemies." The prince gave me a long look and then looked to the sky that was beginning to set and collect rain clouds.
"Light help us," he muttered beneath his breath in frustration.
"Sometimes you get the brightest light from a burning kingdom,"the little girl inside my mind whispered. And instead of shutting her out, I listened as she put images of Apollon soldiers being burnt down along with their gold and their castles. A sudden thought passed my mind.
Not all burning kingdoms created light... Not if the element that's burning it, is darkness itself.
I clenched the reins that were attached to my horse and took a deep breath in, dispersing the dark thoughts. Unexpectedly, from the corner of my eye, I spotted something or rather... someone. A figure in the distance, on top of a hill. A woman, with flowing blonde hair. I blinked, hoping to make my vision clearer. But she was gone. As if she was never there. A distant booming sound echoed across the sky. Lightning seemed to be travelling fast in our direction—the wind making an eerily whistle that carried the strong scent of rain in the air.
"A storm's brewing," I said, knowing the prince could already tell. However, he just stayed silent. I spoke again, "We need to get to the Litara villages. We won't be able to make it in time to the lord's manor without getting lost in these hills in this weather."
He finally spoke, "Let's test your tracking skills. You lead." The sudden trust and confidence he had in me oddly made me feel proud, yet the feeling did not last when I felt a raindrop on my cheek and the clouds darkened. Making it nearly impossible to see the land that was so easy to make out before. After all that happened, common thoughts surged through my mind as everyone regrouped around the prince and myself. One was that the Apollon's were not as strong as they thought they were.
And two...
They were being hunted. And I was expected to protect this arrogant, yet achingly handsome, melancholy prince. It was a game of hunter and hunted. And we weren't the hunters. I trusted my instinct. What had occurred to the corpses was a sign of hate, disrespect, anger and vengeance. We were not the hunters indeed.
We were the prey.
Part two
"Sometimes, you get the brightest light from a burning kingdom."
Chapter 26
Ghost Town
"Necromancy is the execution of magic that allows its wielder to commune with the dead, seeking glimpses of the future, uncovering hidden truths, and at times even bringing the dead back to life. Such power demands a blood price: A life—for a life. Life magic and the death-born arts of necromancy are forbidden by Terran law. Those who dare to practice them are condemned to death."
This law was sanctioned and approved by the Queen of Shadows and Death.
The following Korovian text has been transcribed by Nebula Earthglow of the Earthglow Witch Coven.
My bones felt brittle from the rain-soaked material that clung to my skin, not even my cloak could withstand the force of the storm. Thunder cracked for what seemed like the fifth time in a row, making the horses nearly steer off course and go into a frenzy.
By Nocturna's grace, we managed not to lose our way in the harsh weather. The men followed as best they could, and all seemed accounted for. I could hardly believe I had lead these Apollons to safety, and yet Idid. The feeling of accomplishment did not last long as I resisted the urge to stop my teeth from chattering. The rain seemed to turn into a calmer heavy shower than what it had been. I then spotted it from afar. It looked like distant fireflies— but it was light. Light illuminating from houses below.We had made it to the Litara villages.My body nearly slumped against my horse in relief.
"Ensure all my men have a roof over their heads. Give the innkeepers as much gold as they charge," the prince spoke to Akiel and Hulin, placing a large pouch into each of their hands.
"We're splitting up?" I asked and watched the men go their separate ways, Red following Hulin and Akiel.
"They are. As for us, we stay together," the prince replied and jumped off his horse. Cracking his neck, no doubt to shake off the ache of the long ride.
"Red," I called out.
"I know, I know. Be safe. Don't worry, Mor." He waved a hand at me and caught up with Akiel.
I tried not to look too confused as I jumped off my own horse. Inanov caught my questioning eyes and answered, "Innkeepers won't have enough room to keep us all, and we do not want to draw too much attention from the village before we reach the lord's manor." The prince handed me a heap of material, which I took carefully into my arms and examined. A brown cloak. I looked up to see both Inanov and the prince wearing matching cloaks like the one I held, concealing their bright signature capes and Apollon markings. I put my own on and hoped that to the villagers, we just looked like travellers making their way through the lands. This particular plan, after nearly a half hour of walking and guiding our horses by the rain, seemed futile. Even with the rain, the village looked like a ghost town. Things seemed different than the last time I visited with the arena. Shutters were nailed shut. No sound coming from any of the huts we had passed, or the cobblestone path that lay ahead. Lightning had struck again, but this time I was ready for it. I rubbed the neck of my stallion to calm him down while making our way to a decent looking inn.
Above two large doors, chipped letters spelled out:The Siren's Wail
"I'll lead the horses to a stable," Inanov gruffly stated and then looked pointedly at me. As if to say, "Eyes on the prince."I scrunched my eyebrows in annoyance and rolled my eyes, already aware of the obvious.
"Be quick about it," the prince answered without looking at him and pushed open the inn door while I followed behind. The inn was dull, and if the village had seemed like a ghost town, this was even worse. No one sat by the dimly lit hearth drinking ale as they should; there was no chatter, no clinking of cutlery.
