Dutybound
Page 6
“Not exactly. It doesn’t work like that. It’s more like it invades my thoughts. Somehow, I know. I feel”—Lucia closed her eyes, listening to the beat of the radiant light as it intertwined with her spirit, clasping her faith and bringing a warmth only her mother could give—“its conviction.” She pushed past Leo, her eyes welling up with tears as they fixed on the flaming manor.
Leo caught her by the arm, bringing her to a stop. “You aren’t traveling alone. Do you even know where you’re going?”
“I don’t,” Lucia said honestly, emotion ripe within her voice. “But the note said to head north.”
“To Pinea.” Leo said, stepping beside her and placing a hand on her shoulder. “Come with me, and speak to my father. Surely he will be able to tell you more than I can. After all, it was he who told me the real source of this prophecy.”
“What source?”
The lightning flashed overhead, the rain of the storm stinging to the touch. Leo wiped his face to utter the name. “Stello.”
The name lingered in the air, causing Lucia’s mind to wander for a moment.
Leo strode ahead. “I have some horses stabled near the northern gate of the city border. We can take them to Pinea.”
Lucia lowered her head, accepting the fate so carefully laid before her like a hand of cards in a game she had never played. She knew she had no choice. If her father had truly started this, Lucia would have to end it. “I have never left Moz before, nor have I ever ridden a horse, but if you could please help me find out what my father has to do with all this and why all this is happening to me, I would be most grateful.”
“Of course. You have my word and my protection.”
Lucia nodded her head and, oddly enough, found herself smiling. Despite feeling as if the world was hurdling closer and closer to its end, she was also excited. Never in her simplest or most profound dreams had she thought she would be given the chance to discover what really happened to her father—especially not with a member of the Feral family, or even alone. She stepped one weary foot ahead of the other, finding comfort in moving forward. “Let’s go.”
***
After some time traveling through the vacant traumatized streets of the marble city, the Mozian gates materialized before them, and Lucia’s stomach burned.
Leo took a moment to check on Lucia, peering back at her with his dark blue eyes, attempting to reassure the high maiden. Her face displayed an undeniable anxiety.
Lucia was afraid. She felt it following her, refusing to show itself, perhaps waiting for the right time to strike. She moved forward, placing her hand into Leo’s, which made her feel slightly safer as they approached the stables. She clenched his hand tightly, hoping he wouldn’t slip away.
They came upon a broad, strong black stallion with white spots. Its saddle was plated with silver and blue steel, the Feral crest hidden beneath a gray cloak. Leo took the cloak and threw it over Lucia’s shoulders before untying the horse. “Here. I’ll help you up,” he said, holding out his hand.
Lucia took his hand and stuck her foot into one of the stirrups. She stepped up and threw her legs over the horse, struggling not to slip. The roar of thunder startled the horse, but Lucia managed to maintain her grip. “What about you?” she asked as he placed the reins in her hands.
Leo pointed to a brown mare in a stable across from her. Its saddle was adorned with green-tinted iron. “I’ll be riding my friend’s horse.”
There was something lying beneath Leo’s tempered gaze, a splitting reservation Lucia could not ignore. She rested her hand over his, squeezing it slightly, comforting him. “Was your friend with you when it happened?”
Leo blinked wildly and swallowed hard, trying to push back the memory of blond-haired Sebastien Bono in his mind. “A lot has happened so fast,” he said. He walked to Bono’s horse, hopped on, and gave the mare a swift kick, prompting it to move forward. “Watch me.” He pulled in his rein, guiding the horse toward Lucia. She mimicked him, pulling back with a kick, prompting the horse to move toward Leo. “That’s it. It’s not so hard, is it?”
“No,” Lucia said, pushing a free hand into the stallion’s mane. Somehow, it felt as if she had done this before, the instinct stemming from the mysterious power around her neck. The memories of eons past seemed to be filled within it—memories of who or what, she was not certain, but she was aware of the connection. She sensed the emotions of the horse entering her fingertips and immediately understood that he was scared. “He knows that something’s not right. He can sense it too.”
“Let us hurry, then. The northern border is heavily secured, so keep your hood up at all times. We don’t need the military believing the high maiden is trying to escape.”
“But I am,” Lucia said, disgraced by her words.
“Don’t think about that,” Leo shouted, reassuring her. “Think about your mission. They don’t need to think you ran away. You know what you’re setting out to do, and that’s all that matters. You’re doing the right thing.”
But Lucia could not believe that herself. She could hardly believe anything anymore. This reality was not her life. She knew only the marble walls of a luxurious manor, nothing more. Some might wonder why she was fleeing her home, her mother, her obligation, and most of all her name. But right now, even Lucia was confused. All she knew was that her duty lay beyond the gates ahead.
As they pressed forward, past the heavy traffic of the many civilians who refused to stay in the royal-ridden city, she worried she was making a horrible decision. No matter what the Light Wings told her, leaving her people now defied all she had been taught. She could not justify it, not within herself, despite knowing she had to. Lucia found herself in a familiar place, thinking just like her father had the day he left Sanoon Manor. She only hoped to return soon enough to right the wrong of leaving her mother behind, hoping her father had felt the same. Once she knew more about the force that brought so much chaos into her life, maybe then she would understand.
The two managed to make it through the gates where the guards laid passage easily to all those who sought refuge away from the terror within the city. The fear was imminent, and controlling the hysteria of a public who watched so helplessly as their beloved governors were eradicated within the blaze was more than impossible. And it was unnecessary, given it appeared there was no one left to rule them.
Lucia looked back to the high walls of the city, watching as they faded farther and farther away. Ahead of them was nothing but wet, decaying fields of earth melting in the darkness of the storm. The lightning strikes that fell onto the plains brought a shadow that destroyed all the life in the land. It was unnatural, and forced a stench into the air neither Lucia nor Leo could forget. Has the land always smelled of death? Lucia wondered. How could she even know what death smelled like? Tears streamed down her face.
“Did my father have a good reason to leave?” Lucia asked. “After all this time, couldn’t he have just waited so he could have protected us?”
“He had a good reason, I’m sure,” Leo said to her. “Our families have history, and he sought our help. It was my father who denied him. Who knows what would’ve happened if he hadn’t? Your father might have come home to you.”
“Probably so,” she said, wiping her cheek. “What do you know about my father?”
“He arrived in Pinea sometime after the war ended, probably a couple of years or so after, claiming he had information about a coming attack on Pinea. It had seemed so unlikely at the time, and the provinces weren’t on good terms. After the signing of the Tranquility Treaty, my father said that Stello had taken something very dear from him, something he could not forget nor forgive. It’s for that reason, I believe, that my father turned him away.”
Leo kicked his horse, darting ahead as Lucia became more anxious. She followed closely behind him, trying to remain focused on riding, but her thoughts left her with many questions.
They rode long into the night as the showers eased. To the east were mountains that looked so weak, worn by the heavy rain brought on by the dark forces acting against them. Lucia heard the cries of the land within her thoughts, sensing its anguish. The land hated this night, wrought by the storm that corrupted it. But surely, as with all nights, it drifted to its end as they rode. An aurora of bright colors rose over the mountaintops, casting away the storms and swirling into perfect patterns, cleansing the land as it was bathed in light. Lucia swore she could see the land green as the light flowed down onto it. She sensed the praise it gave to the light. They rode into the fields as beauty bloomed from the newly drawn sunlight. Is it always like this? So vibrant and animated? Lucia knew this could not be true. The land could not be that alive. But it was, for now.
The gusts of the sweet smelling summer air pushed upward and to the north, where in the distance, Lucia noticed the fields rise and transform into hills covered by flowers of many bright colors. She reached down and let the petals caress her fingertips as she breathed in their scent, taking in the serenity of this moment—experiencing something new.
Leo smirked. “These are the Pinean hills, the site of the final battle twenty years ago.”
Lucia blinked her eyes, seeing sudden flashes like distant, dark lightning, almost as if Leo’s words themselves triggered something within her. “War, bloodthirst, and pain,” she whispered, touching her head as images of swords clashing and blood splashing through piles of corpses swarmed into it. Her head swelled with brand new memories, evoking a wail of pain from her body.
At that moment, Lucia lost her grip on the reins. She was faint as she fell forward, clenching the horse’s mane. It squealed in agony, shooting upward and almost sending Lucia backward and onto the ground.
Leo retreated with his horse. “Easy,” he called to her, the sound of his command instantly bringing the mare to a stop.
Lucia regained her composure and sat up. She held her head in her hands, trying hard not to sob.
“Lucia?” he said, jumping from his horse and coming quickly to her side, shaking her. “Lucia.”
She shook her head as tears fell from her eyes. As hard as she tried, there was no denying the energy of the place. Though it was beautiful, it lay corrupted by the war of the past. For a moment, she was possessed and forced to hear the cries of the dead and to absolve the grief of the lives that were lost there, taking on their pain herself. It was the most agonizing thing she had ever experienced, yet surprisingly, as her sight returned, Lucia felt an air of peace rising into the breeze despite feeling weaker than before. Her mind returned to the present.
“I’m sorry. I don’t . . . ” she whispered. “I don’t know what’s happening to me.”
Leo looked into her golden eyes, trying to understand what she must be feeling. His eyes were drawn to the pendant. With each passing moment, her burden became greater and far grander. The world was calling out to her for its salvation, and the more she ventured off, the more it took from her and the vessel of light around her neck to rid itself of the darkness that tainted it. A ball of panic rose in his throat, but Leo swallowed it down as he watched Lucia pant and then become herself again.
“Just hold on tight, focus, and rest,” Leo said hesitantly, keeping his voice low while he ran a finger carefully along the side of her face. “Everything will be alright.” He took her hand in his, squeezing it gently as she calmly laid her head upon her horse, falling to sleep almost immediately, too weak to hold herself up. Leo gave out a great sigh, taking a rope and tying her horse to his. He watched her closely while he fastened the knots, trying to imagine what she must be dreaming in the midst of all her suffering. “I suppose we’ll take it slow the rest of the way.” Lucia was the most beautiful maiden he had ever laid his eyes on, and from what he could tell, far too good to deserve this. What was the purpose of the Light Wings in making this savior that his father spoke so highly of? To what end did they hope she’d sacrifice to achieve their mission? Leo could not bear to think of it.
Lucia sniffed and exhaled as Leo placed a damp blanket around her head. He jumped atop his horse and kicked it softly so they could continue their journey over the Pinean hills.
She lay slumped forward on the stallion, dreaming, unable to fully release the emotions that consumed her. It all started with the war—or was the world condemned long before even then? Something within her was changing, transforming and making her all too different. There had always been a part of her that she did not know, and ever since this jeweled relic came into her life, the memento of her father was becoming amplified, drawing itself forcefully to the surface. Whatever it was, it was devouring and manipulating her conscience. The sin that surrounded her was so obvious and easy to read in all she witnessed now, and it felt as if the world was turning against itself. Despite being hidden for so long, it was impossible to turn away from; now exposed. The Light Wings drew out the truth, cultivating and sharpening her judgment, all beyond her knowledge and in the necessity of creating a champion of justice and virtue. That was the power of the Light Wings. To take and reform was their purpose, to right what was wrong and make things as they were truly meant to be. Perhaps Lucia was born to rule after all.
Her eyes flickered open, her strength returning. She pulled herself up and stretched, looking into the sky and far off twilight, finally awake yet still fearing the night. “I . . . ” she mumbled. “I don’t understand why I’m here.”
Leo turned back in surprise, almost startled by the sound of her voice. He had been riding in silence for some time and did not expect her to awaken until nightfall. He smiled as she yawned. “Our families have their secrets. It’s not your fault that you’ve been left in the dark. Every secret holds its purpose.”
“And that is precisely the reason I can’t fight this,” Lucia said, breathing deeply. “I don’t know how to. My mother told me nothing, and my father”—her gaze wandered as she brought her fingers to her chest—“wasn’t there.”
“And so,” Leo said, his confidence beaming. He kicked his horse, prompting it to go faster as Lucia took the reins and followed behind him. “That doesn’t have to stop you from finding the truth. Isn’t that what this journey is about anyways?”
Leo was right.
“According to my father, seventeen years ago Stello Sanoon came to Pinea, traumatized and disoriented, pleading for help. He went on and on about a coming threat, one that would destroy Pinea and maybe the world if we did not heed his words. I don’t know much about what was spoken between them, but he asked for my father’s aid.” Leo paused. “And my father sent him away.” He released a soft cough.
Lucia’s eyes lit as her brow tightened. “Why would my father lie?”
“My father did not trust him, not after the war and what he’d lost. Pinea was left in a depression, and the people were barely starting to rebuild. For all he knew, Stello’s plea could have been an attempt to remove my father from his seat of power and deprive Pinea of its leadership so that Moz could invade and acquire whatever resources Pinea had left. My father simply refused the journey due to his obligations.” He looked back at the pendant. “But most peculiar of all, Stello spoke of a legend, about a source of power linked to the very origins of this world.”
Lucia tightened her hand around the Light Wings pulsing within her fingers. The pressure under her neck was like a heavy weight on her chest.
Leo continued. “And the world’s last chance to redeem itself. Truthfully, my father didn’t believe him. After all, this was mere hearsay and legend, but by the time that letter arrived, my father had changed.”
Lucia squirmed at the words that chilled the air, prickling her skin. “Will Pinea be safe?”
Leo swallowed
before replying, unsure of exactly how to answer her question. His response was far from what he wanted to accept, but it was sincere. “After what I saw in Moz, I don’t believe anywhere is safe. Not even home.”
Lucia’s eyes fell to the jewel below. It sparkled in the brightening moonlight as a wave of sorrow filled her.
“I’m so sorry, Lucia.” Leo’s guilt collected in his chest. He hated causing her this pain, even if it was with the truth. To him, she was fragile and needed his help. She needed someone. Lucia had lost everything so quickly, too swiftly. She could be on the brink of an emotional collapse for all he knew. Leo felt it coming like a storm; a typhoon of empathy. For now, the air would be calm and flowers would bloom across these hills, but soon, just as the frost of winter began to blow over them, there would be chaos at bay. He pointed into the distance, to the large black onyx of the gate ahead of them. “Pinea is just beyond there.”
Lucia didn’t bother to look, instead fixing her gaze on the mountains to the west. She was studying them, wondering what might lie beyond. She had been praying for a solution for some time now, for some kind of answer to this nightmare she couldn’t wake up from. And for some reason, as she analyzed the rigid silver cliffs rising just over the horizon, Lucia sensed something call out to her like a bird in song just before they reached the gates.
The guards opened the gates with no hesitation, greeting Leo as they approached. “Sir Leocadio, welcome home,” said one of the guards, biting from an apple as he studied the maiden in front of him. “Is she with you?”
There was a pause. Leo looked back to Lucia, who bowed her head in silence as the guards tried to get a better look at her face. He nodded.
“Another girl,” grunted an older guard with a scratch of his head. “Oh, the triviality of young men. You never cease to amaze me, Sir Leo. Best think twice before taking that one home, especially at this time of night. You know how your father is.”
It seemed wrong to speak. The two shuffled in quietly, leaving the horrors they had witnessed behind them in their silence. Leo’s heart still ached over the loss of his friend.