She wasn't like the others. It was hard to say what exactly, but there was something different about her. Avera watched through the raindrops on the window pane as she dismounted, Benjamin assisting her down from the dapple horse she rode. Water poured off of the cloak and her feet sank down as she planted them firmly on the muddied ground. The woman's dark, mud spattered cloak and boots were a stark contrast to Benjamin's elaborate rainy day ensemble of a clean, bright royal blue. The entirety of the afternoon had been masked by heavy rains which now blew upon Dorothy and Benjamin as he grabbed at the reigns, seeking to stable the horse.
Benjamin looked up at the ceiling, carefully considering his words."Have you ever heard of the raids?" he asked her genuinely as he tried to determine how much of an explanation was warranted."Not... really," she admitted somewhat nervously.'I wonder how differently I would have responded had I not heard Kypher mention it last night. I hope he's not concerned I wasn't more surprised. But...'"Very well, then," Benjamin replied thoughtfully with his usual friendliness and calm.She smiled, relieved. 'He doesn't seem bothered.' "Have yo
The evening came, and everyone had returned to their respective quarters, everyone except for Benjamin. Having escorted Avera back to her room for the night following a full day of touring, festive gathering, and new acquaintances, he pulled the door shut behind him, leaving her to rest.'Folklore, eh? Well... perhaps.' He chuckled quietly to himself as he made his way to the boardroom.Once there, he sat, the weight of his body sinking down into the chair. He leaned back, crossing his legs and resting his heels on the broad table in front of him before letting out a sigh, his arms hanging limply over the arms of the chair.'I am tired. Such a shame I shouldn't sleep.'He stared up at the ceiling a while before letti
A gentle breeze of warm air blew, causing the leaves of the tree to tremble, and Benjamin grabbed hold of the trunk of the tree to steady himself upon the branch.'It's nearly dawn. If anyone is to come, I should soon see him arrive.' He had spent the night up with Dorcus, passing the time in quiet conversation. There was some question of Eliezer's returning, which he hadn't, but that was somewhat anticipated. Dorcus had considered that Jordan may impress upon him to stay, which was a likely supposition and a common display of Mr. Carder's ever mindful courtesy.Now he stood, hiding himself in the tree at the center of the grassless clearing and waiting for the sun to rise.
He was a kindly man with grey hair and large round glasses with thin dark frames. He wore a brown vest with light pinstripes, white shirtsleeves, simple dress trousers, and black tie boots which wrapped high around his ankles. He carried the young man back the few scores' paces to the cabin wherein he was staying, pulling him along, his arms securely latched around the boy's shoulders.'Poor child,'he silently considered, thinking of the young man's plight.
Dorothy had come and greeted her that morning, bringing her out to breakfast and fulfilling the role of host which Benjamin had so faithfully executed at prior times. Now, she sat in her bed, reading Benjamin's green covered book and thinking it much later in the day than she had expected him returning. In fact, everyone seemed to have expected him sooner, and breakfast had held an unspoken tension which caused her to feel slightly out of place. She thought of Benjamin, considering his continued absence, and becoming concerned.'The day is half over, and Dorothy said his meeting was at dawn... no wonder they were all so tense, they probably don't know what's happened to him, either.'At last, there was a knock at the door, followed by the sound of a familiar voice which caused her some relief.
Avera peddled hard, propelling her bicycle up the grassy hill until she at last broke free of the dense forest of trees on the loosely established path which she rode."Finally!" she sighed with great relief at the sight of the dark city walls which loomed ominous and threatening, their powerful appearance stretching far above her.She rallied herself, worn from the journey, and she began to peddle harder. She rode speedily alongside the southern wall of the capital, becoming only mildly aware of the change in atmosphere as she went.There was a dark haze which seeped up from the ground, lessening visibility and sunlight. It rose higher the nearer she came to the city and its gates, becoming darker and more prominent until it engulfed everything in sight with its grey spectral hue. The
The interior halls of the castle complex were vast with high arched ceilings. Again, a mixture of maurium and stone accents provided the opportunity for some artistic variation. The ornate stone work and marvel floors along with the decorative metal mesh which was found throughout the halls left the feeling somewhere between a medieval cathedral and a modern courthouse. The maurium was a centerpiece, from the luminescent purple cracks in the gray marble to the glow of the purple lamps, orbs of light hanging from the ceiling and ensconced like torches on the wall, to the small, carefully crafted gems which lined the halls, all was to show the prominence, power, and versatility of the fine material native only to Altruon.As they led her down the corridors, various officials could be seen going here or there about their business and foreign dignitaries walked about with King Zephyr's trust
The room was white, and it took some time for her eyes to adjust to the bright lighting. Struggling to regain her sight, Avera would have stopped if it weren't for Blackridge, who didn't seem to be having nearly the same level of difficulty and discomfort she now experienced. He kept her moving forward, his hand placed securely behind her shoulder, guiding her into the center of the room with firm gentleness and quiet urgency.'Blast it! Why can't my eyes get over this? His have, clearly.'She blinked, something she had done a great number of times since the moment they had entered the room and its blinding whiteness. They stopped, and she opened her eyes, the room finally coming into view as they adjusted to the light.She found herself standing in the midst of a vast room wi
Eliezer stood before the mirror in the cramped washroom, carefully guiding the straight blade razor across the skin of his cheek, and he watched as the bristly grey hairs of his face wafted down into the sink in front of him.
The sky had calmed, the warriors collapsed, and the guardsman that remained had ceased to fight after the sudden silence which had crossed their transmitters. Justice and Kypher had made their way up to the top of the tower where Zahaynei stood giving orders, and they threw him down. So, now there were no orders to be had and there was no more reason for them to fight.Kelvin could see on the faces of the remaining guardsmen that their will to fight had ended. The battle was lost and they knew that it was. Even so, she wondered how things had gone for the others on the inside of those castle
Benjamin entered the grand throne room with his sword in his hand as his heart beat heavily in his chest. He had run through the castle walls to the place which Adrien had described for him - a large room devoid of light and fashioned out of darkness itself.There was on the throne a man who sat on the throne in a reclined position, seeming to float in the darkness above him, and relatively unbothered by the disturbance of his guest. This man Benjamin recognized as the reclusive king whom he had seen before attending Eliezer's trial. This was Almast, the glorious king on whom the kingdo
Adrien's sword clashed against metal and he performed a sweep kick maneuver, knocking his opponent to the ground just as he had done with many men before him."Stay down and surrender your sword," he commanded, holding the pointed blade to the guardsman's chest.Adrien smiled with some faint relief as the m
The clacking of his boots echoed in the empty halls of Zephyr's fortress as he ran, sword in hand, back towards the battle.'Why?'The scene replayed in his mind, tormenting him. It was all so surreal.
There was a faint noise like footsteps coming from the hall, and Eliezer heard it, so he left her there alone with a sweet kiss of her cheek."Stay here," he requested softly with a brush of her hair and a loving squeeze of her neck. "I'll go and scout it out. I want you safe."Dorcus offered a short nod and an appreci
They ran together through the vacant halls of High Palace, and he took her hand in his, keeping her close to his side as he led her through the dark interior of hidden stairwells to the dungeon depths below the castle.They had infiltrated Zephyr's fortress, having left the others to strive with his forces in the field, and parted with Benjamin, wishing him well in his confrontation with the wicked King who ruled over Pyre.
The sirens blared and the halls convulsed with magic as the mages prepared a defense and the guardsmen ran off to battle. An announcement rang out through the stone walls around him, and the voice of the man from the intelligence corps came seemingly from all around him, yet remained as clear in his head as were his own thoughts."The enemies have broken through the walls, and are now approaching the eastern lawn. They are not to reach the palace under any circumstances. All members of the army, intelligence, and magicians' corps are to report to their
Adrien raised his head to the sound of the black waters ritual as the unending voice of the tiny, minuscule dragons berated him. To the others there, it was a sound like a high pitched scream, but to him it was the words of the dragon tongue which led to the creature's summoning."Dezu draco mortek, dominus mundus, dominus coelum. Dezu exsindo haxikus vestris mortek. Detraxis amarte portentik glaukxis. Exuros pux hominus exis fazik malumi provenias," the voice of the dragons repeated in the harsh tones of their dark melody, and it drained in his