Flower of Light | Chapter 7
Flower of Light: The Eternal Stones 1 by Allison Wade.
The full book is available in ebook and print on Amazon.
7. To the Sea of Light
The man locked in the cell had a bruised eye and a makeshift bandage, already soaked in blood, wrapped around his thigh.
The guards had managed to keep him conscious just long enough for him to be questioned.
Lord Zarkon descended into the dungeon followed by his wife, who was looking around with a grimace of disgust. Those damp, smelly stone rooms were not the ideal place for a noblewoman like Arjanna, but once again, she had to hold her breath and do what needed to be done.
She remained a little further back, stopping beside the soldier at the prison entrance, while Zarkon approached the bars to talk to the prisoner.
“I just want to know two things,” began the General, in a calm tone. “Who sent you and what do you want?”
The man raised his good eye on him and muttered through his teeth. “I don’t know anything, I’m just a mercenary.”
“And were you paid to do something or just to stand in the middle of the street swinging a mace?” Now Zarkon’s tone had become more aggressive.
“I just followed orders.”
“Whose orders?”
“I don’t know, a nobleman from Sohwl. He paid for a few extra arms, and I had some free time.”
“Give me a name.”
The prisoner looked at him sideways, flaring his nostrils. “What’s in it for me if I talk?”
Zarkon slammed both hands on the bars. “If you care to breathe again, speak, damn you!”
The man jerked slightly, but then took a few steps toward him. “One thing I can say…” he began, as he looked around, nervous. His gaze lingered on one of the torches that the guards had placed in the sconce on the wall. Zarkon paid it no mind since the prisoner’s attention was back on him instantly. He saw the man close his eyes and make a kind of grimace.
“What’s the matter with you now? Do you want to talk?”
One red eye opened to look at the General. The flame behind him began to flicker, as if from a draft. The man’s lips moved to utter a formula, but another voice overlapped him.
A woman’s voice. “Nahra!”
Zarkon turned toward his wife at the same instant as the lightning struck the prisoner, leaving him writhing in agony on the cell floor.
“What on Earth happened?” asked Zarkon, bewildered.
Arjanna advanced toward him, looking contemptuously at the man lying on the ground. His body twitched a few more times and then stopped moving altogether. “That liar was going to use magic. He’s no mere hireling,” she said, rearranging her hair, ruffled by the energy of the spell.
The General called the guard. “You, check if he’s still alive.”
As his subordinate took the keys and opened the cell, Zarkon walked away, pulling his wife with him. “I’m lucky to have you by my side,” he smiled.
Arjanna, instead, continued to stare at the inert body on the ground. “Bringing him here was not a good idea.”
“He’s dead,” confirmed the guard.
The Duke gave an annoyed snort. “Send someone to take care of the body, then. It was just a waste of time.” He stared back at Arjanna, this time with a stern expression. “Go back to your rooms, I will talk to Qanash again later to see if I can get more information out of him.”
She nodded. “Aren’t you going to accompany me?”
“I’ve one more thing to do first,” he cut short.
“I understand,” Arjanna replied in a slightly bothered tone, then turned her back on him and walked toward the stairs.
Zarkon took another route. With a lantern in his hand, he slipped into a dark corridor.
A black shadow crawled between his feet, and he kicked it away with rage. The cat meowed resentfully and then took off running. “Go mouse hunting, you stupid beast!” growled Zarkon, before stopping in front of an old wooden door with only a small opening at the top.
He took the set of keys he had hanging from his belt and began fiddling with the rusty padlock.
The hinges creaked and a glimmer of light slipped into the room, illuminating the timeless face of a woman with gray eyes and long, brown hair.
Eterna. She who observed, sitting in nothingness.
She looked up at her captor. “Farquhar. To what do I owe your visit?”
“I thought you knew everything,” he replied, brusquely.
“I’m just following the conventions of human courtesy.”
He snorted. “I want information. First, they try to kill the heir to the Waterfall, and now news comes that they have also attacked that Warden we sent to find the others. It’s the Mists, isn’t it? What are they planning to do? Tell me something useful for once.”
She stared at him, seraphically. “You already know what you need to know. You wouldn’t want my advice.”
“And what would your advice be?”
“Let everything in the hands of the Wardens and leave with your wife for a faraway place.”
He frowned. “What you say is ridiculous. If it weren’t for me, the Empire would have gone to ruins years ago.”
“If it weren’t for you, the Empire wouldn’t have been in danger in the first place,” Eterna replied, unfazed.
That sentence didn’t seem to please him at all. He sprinted forward but restrained himself a step away from her. He set the lantern down on the floor, bending on one knee. He stared into her eyes, disappointment scratching his throat. “Thank your lucky stars that I locked you up here and didn’t leave you in the hands of the Mists ten years ago. I may have made miscalculations, but if not for me, things could have been much worse.”
“You’re right, Farquhar,” she said, withstanding his gaze. “But there are still mistakes to be corrected and faults to be atoned for. Don’t ever forget that.”
He turned away, picked up the lantern, and stood up again. “My men are already after the Wardens, there is nothing more I can do now. Once again, I only have to wait. And I hate waiting.”
The woman didn’t respond, leaving him the last word, and he left, slamming the door and plunging her back into darkness.
* * *
The Sea of Light opened up beyond the east coast of the island, placidly reflecting the late afternoon sun.
Kyra dismounted from the horse, looking around excitedly. “Finally, the harbor!”
In contrast, Jonathan didn’t seem particularly impressed by the scattered shacks that surrounded an old pier. “I imagined it bigger, Point East,” he commented, walking with the horse that had brought them there.
“I don’t think this is Point East,” Kris replied.
Kyra nodded. “We would have wasted too much time getting all the way to the town, we can embark from here as well.”
“Sir Gendon doesn’t know we are here, how are we going to find him?”
“He will join us in the Star Kingdom, although…” the girl began, then paused, as if to reflect. “I don’t know if we can trust the Imperial Guard.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Jonathan, scratching his head. “If we can’t trust the Imperial Guard, who else should we trust?”
“There is only one thing I trust.” Kyra’s blue eyes focused on him. “The Flower of Light. Our powers. For so long, they have been hidden. Too many people want to get their hands on them, and we must protect them at all costs.”
“Fine, but now calm down. This is normal for us, men-at-arms, but I imagine you’ll be shaken by today’s encounter. You are safe now.” He then addressed the man of the Forests. “What do you think, Kris?”
The archer nodded, though not entirely convinced. “It’s not every day that I’m attacked by armed men… but for what it’s worth, you have my help. Although right now, I should be in a completely different place. I could stay on the Island and find a way to alert the court to the situation…”
Kyra interrupted him, shaking her head. “We can’t wait, and we can’t go back. Please, come with us. We still don’t know what other dangers await.”
Jonathan shrugged. “One more man certainly comes in handy if, as she says, the whole World of Light is looking for us.” He chuckled, giving little thought to the matter. “But in the end, it’s up to you to decide which way to go.”
Kris nodded, getting serious. “I will go with you. My people are already at the Imperial Court, and I think they will manage without me. I’ll be missing for a few days, but as soon as I can, I’ll get back on my way again.”
Kyra smiled gratefully. “Well, now we just need to find a boat headed for the Star.”
“I hope they have a tub big enough to carry the horses too, because I’m not going to leave these beautiful beasts,” Jonathan said, patting his steed. “But first…” he turned back to the blond girl. “Will you tell us who you are and where you come from?”
She hesitated for a moment. Even though she knew that moment would come eventually. “I’m… I grew up on the Island, alone with my mother, that’s all I know.”
“Who is your mother?”
“She is… no one, just a commoner,” she replied, looking away.
“What about your father?”
“Dead. I… I don’t want to talk about it…”
“I apologize.” Jonathan ran a hand through his hair. “I’m just trying to understand the situation and how you know all these things about the Flower and the Wardens.”
“These are legends that are passed down among the people of Genistih Island. I know about the stones and the powers, but there are still so many things we have to discover during our journey.”
Jonathan let out a sigh. “Then let’s go see if those guys at the Golden City can give us some answers.”
