Flower of Light | Chapter 4
Flower of Light: The Eternal Stones 1 by Allison Wade.
The full book is available in ebook and print on Amazon.
4. Destiny
Month III, day 28
Having left quickly in the middle of the night, the Waterfall delegation reached Gensteth, the Imperial City, in the late morning hours. An ancient settlement founded at the beginning of the Bluand Era on the east bank of the river that flowed down from the southern mountains.
The city housed every kind of activity necessary for the self-sufficiency of the Imperial Court, from craft workshops to markets. It was protected by an armed contingent on permanent guard duty and enclosed by a vast wall built and expanded throughout the various generations of Bluands that had ascended the throne.
All around Gensteth, as far as the eye could see, lay the cultivated countryside, dotted with small villages, which provided food for the entire region.
From the flat expanse, it was already possible to make out the imposing architecture of the Imperial Palace, built on high ground, a mosaic of buildings and towers touched by the river to the west, and watching over the rest of the city.
Jonathan had never been on Genistih Island before, but being used to the splendor of Silverfalls, the capital of his home kingdom, this ancient fortification didn’t seem particularly impressive to him. Yet there was something about it, unlike anything he had ever seen. It was just a feeling in the pit of his stomach, like the echo of a past that he had not yet quite managed to grasp.
Beyond the first wall, they followed the uphill path, paved with stones eroded by time and the thousand travels of men and animals, which gradually narrowed into a thin strip sloping up the hillside, wide enough for a couple of horses to pass side-by-side, or a wagon. The bare minimum for the daily activities of the court and to slow down any enemy army’s attempts to advance.
The only way to enter was through two towers. The first overlooked the gate that opened the way to the second one, which was closed by a massive door leading to the inner courtyard.
The Waterfall’s men dismounted from their horses, and the palace servants went to meet them to accommodate the animals in the stables.
Lorenz addressed Prince Brayn. “I’m going to notify the Duke of your arrival. You can wait in the garden, and if you need anything, please ask the guards.”
The prince waved in annoyance. “Just make it quick.”
Lorenz left them to cross the parade ground, heading for the Palace Guard’s quarters. Entering the building, he exchanged greetings with an acquaintance. “Do you know where the General is?”
“I think he’s in the study,” he replied with a shrug.
Lorenz approached the door and knocked discreetly.
“Come on in,” a stern voice answered him from inside.
Sir Gendon entered with a firm step, hiding a hint of nervousness. “General Zarkon,” he said, stopping in front of the desk where the brown-haired man with the neatly trimmed goatee was sitting, examining some papers.
Lord Farquhar Zarkon, Duke of the West, raised his head and focused his piercing dark eyes on the knight. “Sir Lorenz. You’re back early. Weren’t you supposed to go and welcome the delegation from Wedfall-lend?”
“That’s what I did,” he confirmed, seriously. “We had to leave Dalswol in a hurry because of an accident.”
Lord Zarkon raised an eyebrow. “What kind of accident?”
“Last night, someone tried to assassinate Prince Brayn.”
The General’s face seemed to tighten. “How did this happen? Is the prince injured?”
“Someone assaulted him in his sleep. The prince is fine. He is miraculously unharmed. And when I say miraculously… I mean he was saved by magic.”
“Explain yourself. We are not playing guessing games,” replied the General, becoming impatient.
“One of the men from Wedfall used healing magic. I think… he could be a Warden. I saw the white star on his cheek…”
Zarkon leaped to his feet, slamming his hands on the table. “Are you serious? Bring him to me, immediately!”
Lorenz hesitated. “First, the prince would like to speak to the Emperor. He seems quite upset.”
The General sighed, calming down for a moment. “So be it. Lead him to the audience room and tell him I will receive him shortly. But that alleged Warden… Bring him here right after that. And have my wife called as well.”
“As you command, General.” Lorenz took his leave with a half bow.
Zarkon left everything behind and hurried out. He stopped in front of a guard, staring at him sternly. “Tell Lord Veniin to join me in the audience room.”
“Yes, General,” said the man, immediately setting off.
Zarkon then reached the courtyard and met the Prince of the Waterfall, who was coming up behind Lorenz.
The General put on one of his appeasing smiles and greeted him as if nothing had happened. “Your Highness! What a pleasure to see you again!”
Brayn was not as enthusiastic. “I demand to speak to my cousin, immediately.”
“I have heard about the unfortunate occurrence. Come, let’s go this way and talk more comfortably.”
The prince followed, motioning his men to accompany him.
Lord Zarkon let a couple of knights enter the room with him.
Brayn Bluand settled into an embroidered chair and began his rant. “I am outraged by what happened!”
The General nodded and spoke in a calm voice. “What matters now is that you are safe and sound.”
“For a moment, I thought I was going to die… if it hadn’t been for… I don’t know what happened. I have no idea, I just remember a blinding light, and the next moment, I was unharmed again.”
“We will be sure to investigate and find out who is behind this regrettable act,” Zarkon replied solemnly.
“I can guess who’s behind it. That’s why I need to talk to my cousin.”
“Right now, the Emperor is busy, but you’ll be able to meet him later. Why don’t you let the Palace Steward accompany you to the quarters that have been prepared for your entourage? You must be exhausted after having left in such a hurry.” Zarkon gave him a friendly smile.
“In fact, none of us has slept tonight. Perhaps, it would be better to rest. That is, if you can guarantee I’ll be safe within these walls.”
The General laughed. “Your Highness, this is the Imperial Court. It’s the safest place in the whole World of Light, do not fear.”
Brayn didn’t seem entirely convinced, but he let out a sigh and stood up. “So be it, let’s go rest.”
Outside the audience room, they found a man waiting for them. Quite old, he had gray hair and an extensive burn mark on his face, which made him hard to forget. Romar Veniin had been the Palace Steward since the time of Graham Bluand, the grandfather of the current Emperor. Although many found him disturbing and unpleasant, it couldn’t be said he lacked capability in his job.
He greeted the prince with a mellifluous smile. “Your Highness, what a pleasure to meet you again.”
“Romar, lead the prince to his quarters and see that he has everything he needs,” Zarkon told him before taking his leave.
“Please, follow me,” said Veniin to the prince.
Brayn Bluand turned around and motioned for his men to escort him, but before they could move, Lorenz Gendon blocked Jonathan. “Sir Silverhart, I need you to come with me.”
Jonathan looked at him, puzzled. “Me?”
“It’s about what happened. I think the General has some questions for you.”
The knight turned toward his prince, but Veniin was already escorting him away with the others. “Let’s go,” he shrugged, following Gendon.
They crossed the courtyard, heading for the Palace Guard’s quarters. Lorenz accompanied him past the entrance and made him sit in a room. Then he stood beside him, still like a statue, waiting.
“What am I doing here?” asked Jonathan.
“You’ll be received shortly,” Lorenz replied.
The knight was about to add something, but a strange feeling sent a shiver down his spine. He turned toward the entrance before a guard opened the door and a woman of mature but very well-groomed appearance, came in. She wore a long purple gown; her skin was as fine as alabaster, and her long, ash-blond hair was combed into an elaborate hairstyle. She advanced with an elegant stride.
Jonathan stared in bewilderment. There was something about her that unsettled him.
She sat behind the desk, without a care. She looked at Jonathan with intense hazel-brown eyes, then turned to Sir Gendon. “I can imagine why I was called, but would you have the courtesy to give me a little more explanation?”
“The General has asked to question Sir Silverhart about what happened the other night, when he used magic to save his prince.”
“Have you seen it?”
“I saw a white star on his face,” nodded Lorenz.
The woman looked at Jonathan. “You came early.”
He frowned. “I beg your pardon, Milady…?”
“Arjanna Blankette,” she replied. “Duchess of the West. And you are…”
“Sir Jonathan Silverhart of the Waterfall.”
Arjanna shook her head. “It was not your name I was referring to.” She brought a hand to her hair and pulled out a pin decorated with golden flowers. “Give me your palm.”
Although puzzled, Jonathan did as he was asked and extended his hand on the table between the two of them.
With a swift gesture, Arjanna pierced him with the sharp end of the pin.
Jonathan cried out in pain and leaped backward, holding his now bleeding palm. “What are you doing?” he asked, surprised.
As Lorenz also watched the scene in astonishment, Lady Blankette gave a half-smile and remained unfazed. “I just want to see your star. If you really are the Warden of Life, prove it to me. It’s nothing more than a scratch, it should be easy to fix.”
“I… I have no idea what you’re talking about, and I have no idea how I did what I did the other night…”
“Don’t be shy. Just say the word.”
The word. That word.
Jonathan looked at his palm. The pain was giving way to another feeling. Now he remembered, the word was… “Djahr,” he murmured, and his hand glowed with light.
Within moments, the wound was completely gone. Again stunned, he looked up at the noblewoman.
“Very well,” Arjanna concluded, getting up. “We will talk later, when my husband returns.” Having said this, she left the room.
* * *
“Arjanna! This is where you disappeared to,” said the General, finding her, after a while, in their bedroom.
The woman nearly dropped the precious box she held in her hands. “Farquhar, you startled me.”
“Forgive me, my dear,” he replied in a conciliatory tone. “I see that you’ve already come for the stone.”
She nodded. “I’ve sensed him from the moment he stepped into the courtyard. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this bothered by the Light.” She let out a sigh.
“So he really is a Warden?” asked Zarkon, with an excited look.
“When he touches this stone, the old circle will be completely closed, and a new cycle will begin. I’m not sure if this is good for us.”
“Don’t talk nonsense, my dear. We knew this day would come. At last, we can give the Mists what they deserve.” His sinister smile made her shiver for a moment.
Arjanna clasped her hands tighter on the golden decorations that adorned the box, until they left an imprint on her flesh.
Zarkon noticed her tension and approached, hugging her waist reassuringly. “Don’t worry, everything will go as planned,” he said, resting a kiss on her temple. “Let’s go, they’re waiting for us.”
Arjanna nodded and her husband led the way, opening the door for her.
* * *
Left alone with Lorenz Gendon, Jonathan kept looking at his hand in disbelief. “What have I gotten myself into this time?” he muttered to himself.
“Don’t worry, Sir Silverhart. The General will just want to ask you a few questions,” Lorenz reassured him.
Jonathan looked up. “No need to be so formal, you can talk to me as an equal.”
He nodded, “As you wish. But from now on, you’ll be much more than a knight. The last person I saw using that power… was the previous Emperor.”
Jonathan’s eyes widened. “I… I don’t even know how it happened. I never studied magic. I thought it took years to learn simple spells, but what I did…” he shook his head, confused.
“I’m not the best person to explain, I was only a squire when Leif Bluand was alive,” Lorenz said.
Jonathan was about to reply, but he froze, turning his head toward the entrance.
After a few moments, General Zarkon returned, bringing with him the woman from before. Lady Blankette, who now held a precious box in her hands.
Zarkon left the chair for his wife and stood beside her behind the desk, then shifted his gaze to Jonathan. “Sir Silverhart,” he began. “We would like to hear your version of what happened the other night.”
Jonathan sighed imperceptibly and repeated his story. “I got up to get some air, heard a noise coming from the prince’s room, caught a glimpse of someone rushing out, and then everything was filled with mist. He tried to attack me, I thought I’d been stabbed in the back… I broke free and the intruder fled. I immediately ran to His Highness and found him lying on the floor, covered in blood. I could swear he had been slashed in the neck, I tried to dab the wound while calling the guards… And then something happened, a strange energy, and… and the cuts were gone. If you have an explanation, I would appreciate it, because I have no idea.”
“Did you see the assailant?” asked the General.
“Not with all that fog, and at that moment it was more important to rescue the prince.”
Zarkon nodded. “Sir Lorenz had a glimpse of a white star on your cheek.”
Jonathan frowned. “Yes, I’ve been told that before, but I have no idea what it means.”
“You really don’t know?” the General sounded surprised.
“Wardens are not always aware of their fate,” the woman answered instead. She placed the box on the table and opened it in front of Jonathan.
Inside, resting on a blue velvet pillow, was a white stone, polished to take the shape of a curved teardrop.
Under the lid was a silver mirror in which Jonathan saw the reflection of his astonished expression.
“If you really are who we think you are, the stone will confirm it. You only have to touch it.”
Jonathan looked at the strange jewel, intrigued, but also drawn to it.
He extended his hand.
As soon as he touched the stone, a surge of energy went through his body, the same energy he felt when he used that healing magic. The stone shone with light through his fingers for a few seconds. Jonathan looked up, meeting the reflection of his face in the mirror. Then he saw it, too. On his right cheek, just below his eye, was a kind of white, shiny spot that was shaped like a five-pointed star or perhaps a flower.
Surprised, he let go of the stone and the light went out. The star disappeared.
“I’d say we have all the confirmation we need,” commented the woman.
“Confirmation of what?” asked Jonathan again.
“This is the stone of Life and Death,” Arjanna explained. “The center of the Flower of Light. It has been kept here in the Imperial Court for centuries, to be passed on from Warden to Warden. Have you ever heard of it?”
Jonathan stared at her for a moment, puzzled. “I’ve never paid that much attention to the lectures at the Temple. I’m a man of arms, not a scholar.”
“So you don’t know about your legacy?”
“What legacy?”
“The star that appeared on your face. The healing power of Life. These are the signs that you are a Warden of Light.”
“You’ve called me that before, but I still don’t understand what it all means.”
“I’m afraid I’ll have to explain everything from the beginning,” Arjanna gave a frustrated sigh, then resumed. “The Flower of Light is composed of seven stones. The center, which is here before you, and three other pairs of opposites, that are kept in as many Temples, north, east, and south of here, in the lands beyond the Sea of Light. Each stone is entrusted to a Warden, the only person in the World of Light who can use its powers. Each stone has a different power. But this, you’ll find out with time. Now, what you need to know is your power and your mission.”
“Why me?”
“Usually the stones are transmitted via blood. Are you by any chance related to the Bluands?”
“Not that I know of. My lineage originated in the Waterfall Kingdom, the Bluands are from the North.”
“It’s likely that some of your ancestors were Wardens, but to find out, we will have to search the Imperial Chronicles, and right now, we don’t have the time. As I said, you now have a mission to accomplish.”
“What mission?”
“Find the other Wardens and reunite the Flower of Light.”
Jonathan stared at her in amazement. “With all due respect, Milady, perhaps you missed the part where I say I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about.”
Arjanna sighed again, bringing two fingers to her temple, giving her husband an eloquent look.
The General spoke again. “We are not going to send you around the Empire blindly. We already dispatched someone to start the search. You will be able to join them in the Star Kingdom. There is an Imperial Army base at the Golden City. In a few days, the Shaysjh’yar siblings will be at the Inn of the Rising Sun. They will update you on the situation.”
“The Shy… what?”
Zarkon didn’t listen to him and resumed speaking. “Sir Lorenz Gendon will go with you and answer your questions. But you’ll have to leave quickly.”
“Wait a minute… you want me to leave for the East now? What about the prince and the Waterfall delegation? I can’t just go away like that.”
“They will be informed of your mission, do not fear. What you are about to do is of vital importance to the fate of the Empire, never forget that. When you reach the Golden City, everything will be revealed to you.”
Jonathan remained silent for a moment in thought, staring at the white stone.
Arjanna closed the box and withdrew it. “This one is better left at court, where it will be safer.”
Zarkon turned to the Knight of the Waterfall. “You may go now. Sir Gendon will join you shortly to take care of the preparations for the journey.”
“Thank you, Your Grace,” Jonathan concluded, getting up. Without adding anything else, he walked through the door and a guard escorted him back to the courtyard.
The General addressed Lorenz. “We need to send someone to check the situation in Dalswol and figure out what happened.”
“I left the Qanash brothers in place, waiting for orders.”
Zarkon nodded. “Is Xarke around?”
“I think so, he has no assignments, at the moment.”
“Good. Send him and his team to take care of the matter. Let them get rid of the damn lizards, if necessary.”
“Yes, General,” replied Lorenz promptly.
The man nodded in satisfaction and finally dismissed him.
* * *
The narrow path climbed uphill along the mountainside, wide enough for a couple of people to pass along. Visible only to those who knew how to find it and where it led.
Kyra stopped for a moment to catch her breath. They had been walking for a few hours and there was still no sign of their destination.
The Fay also stopped, not because she felt tired, but just to encourage her. “We are almost there, then we can spend the night at Eterna’s house.” She handed Kyra a small flask filled with water. “Just hold on a little longer.”
Kyra nodded and took a long sip, then braced herself to resume walking.
After the last stretch between bare rocks, the path finally came out onto a plateau, where a paved trail led to a small house embedded in the mountainside.
“We’ve arrived,” said Yaf with a satisfied smile.
Kyra felt relieved and walked the last stretch with an energy she didn’t know she still had in reserve.
They reached the front door and found it half-open.
Whoever had been there last had not bothered to leave things in order.
“Is Eterna really not here?” asked Kyra, peering inside cautiously.
Yaf shook her head. “She is… safe for the time being. You don’t have to worry about that. We’re just here for the books.” The Fay walked past her and stepped through the entrance, which was barely brightened by the late afternoon light penetrating through the small windows.
There was a narrow hallway with a staircase leading upstairs, on the right side, the kitchen, on the left side, the library.
Once inside, Yaf barely held back a pained groan. Everything had been turned upside-down. The tomes scattered on the floor, the shelves emptied, the desk carelessly moved. Dust and cobwebs everywhere. “It will take time to rearrange everything,” she mumbled.
Kyra was incredulous. “What happened here?”
“Someone came snooping in search of forbidden knowledge,” replied the Fay, shaking her head disapprovingly. “What did they think they would find besides the chronicles of the World of Light? There are no magical texts and no valuables up here.”
Kyra bent down to pick up an old, creased, and weathered book. “What about the prophecies?”
“Only the past and present are written here, not the future,” said Yaf, who had already set about tidying up and brushing dust off the surfaces. She looked around as if taking an inventory of what might be missing. “They obviously didn’t find anything. They don’t care about history; they only care about how to manipulate it. We’re already lucky they didn’t set the whole thing on fire,” she sighed.
“But… if there are no prophecies, why did you bring me here, Yaf?” asked Kyra, naively.
The Fay stared at her with her deep blue eyes. “Because before you face your future, you must know your past.”
