Dutybound

by Mark Aaron Alvarez

  Leo stared at her in puzzlement. “You could sense the danger, couldn’t you? The darkness came in the form of wolves.”

  “No, I sensed nothing but the Light Wings’ longing,” Lucia said. “They tried to get me the closest to the light, so they took over completely. I felt so helpless.”

  “What was that power anyways? What power are you talking about? What power did it take from you?”

  “My life . . . I could feel it drain, depleting with every moment. My life force was being used to sustain its light, because they had lost their own.”

  “So when the sunlight hit you, or the Light Wings, more specifically, they released you.”

  Lucia touched the diamond and sighed with a slight nod. “Precisely.”

  Leo’s eyes widened as he shook his head. “It’s just like the legend.”

  Lucia tilted her head, trying to recall the legend he spoke of. “I don’t follow.”

  “The story of how light and darkness created the world.” Leo thought hard, trying to bring the story together, making sense of it more than ever before. “It is said that the light created the heavens and all life, while darkness created the earth and death so that there would always be a balance. We live and die to be buried and return to the earth and allow our lives to cycle through it, in turn, bringing about the grass, the trees, and everything else.”

  Leo lowered his voice as he continued. “Life is light. It drew on your life because that’s the closest thing it had to the light itself. And that’s what the darkness is so eager to destroy. It brings death in order to thwart its rival, but the light refuses to lose. I bet that’s why the Light Wings were created, to preserve the balance in case the darkness tried to overthrow it . . . . But how could the darkness grow so strong so quickly?”

  “This is all a game, isn’t it?” Lucia asked, her head fuzzy. “Our gods are playing with us.”

  “I know it can feel like that, but I think there’s more to it.” Leo looked to the sky. “This could have been the end of everything.” He rose to his feet as the wind blew over the horizon.

  The sun was setting, and Lucia was lucky to have arrived in the clearing of light before it had. This made her feel like her destiny relied on pure chance. What if Leo had not been there to bring her into the light? What if the sun had not been shining? Would the Light Wings have burst and let her die? Would they fail themselves? How could this be fate when there was a limit to the light’s power, a limit to the life they had, and a chance they could lose? There was a limit set that Lucia had failed to even notice. She would have to be careful from now on because, just as the world depended on the wings, the wings depended on the savior to uphold their light. She could fall just as easily as the world could. “Hopefully, the Carists know the rest of the story.”

  Leo stared longingly toward Lucia, who now stared at the blue sea in the distance. “Lucia, you are everything Terestria needs. The world—” Leo hesitated. “I can’t afford to lose you.”

  “That’s the ocean?” Lucia asked almost as if she did not hear him. She did, but she decided then that it was better to pretend like she didn’t.

  “Yes, the Aldric Sea. Aldric lies left on the coast of the west bank. That is where the Carist tribe lives.”

  Lucia was touching her neck, saddened suddenly. Her emotions crumbled beneath the foundation of the new energy that filled her. “Leo, I don’t want that to ever happen again. It mustn’t.”

  “Can’t you just take off the Light Wings before, so they don’t drain you?”

  Lucia hadn’t considered that. The thought never crossed her mind. It could just be as simple as that, couldn’t it? Maybe she could abandon the pendant right there. Couldn’t she? She could take it off and throw it into the ocean and forget about it. Light knew, she wanted to. She reached behind her neck, beneath her hair, and searched for the latch that undid the chain. She turned the chain and felt no such thing. It was as if it had melted and disappeared completely. Lucia’s hand felt and felt for it, but it was as if the chain was never meant to come off. “I can’t. The latch, it’s not there!”

  “Impossible,” Leo said, examining the chain behind her. But he, too, found no latch and no escape.

  “What if I break it? I can still break it, right?” Lucia asked frantically, prepared to pull. But Leo jumped and grabbed her hand and pulled it down gently.

  “No, Lucia. Don’t be foolish. We need this.”

  “But,” Lucia whined.

  “It’s too small to fit around your head. It seems as if you’re stuck with it.”

  Lucia frowned and tilted her head with a stomp of her foot. “Why does this disappoint me?” She huffed at the beautiful piece of jewelry that had enslaved her. “There goes my freedom.” She tugged, without Leo’s approval, but the chain would not break no matter how hard she pulled. The pendant was bound to her neck. She was indeed stuck with it, just as Leo had said.

  The weight of the world fell on her shoulders. She felt trapped and seemingly forever bound with this burden. She was supposed to feel something else, wasn’t she? Honored, perhaps. But no. She felt nothing of the sort. This was no honor. This was a punishment. A conviction. Deep down, Lucia knew that despite not understanding why. Droplets began to form at the base of her golden eyes as Leo studied the chain at the back of her neck. The omen, as light and beautiful as it may be, was hers to deal with until the end.

  Chapter Nine:

  Contempt of the Carist

  Lucia paced behind Leo, her head tilted away from the setting sun, shielding her pale gaze from the magenta streaks of light bouncing off the ocean and onto the silver cliffs of the vast Aldric region. A heavy breeze was flowing through her hair, coming off the sands of the lower shores, and filling her nostrils with the rich smell of salt and sulfur. A lingering heartache persisted as she walked, deepening with every step, with the fear of the coming night.

  Despite now knowing the destiny she was charged with, Lucia’s fragile spirit had cracked, leaving her hope fiercely shattered into dust. What faith she had before was fading with each passing second. She had only begun to realize what she had lost. In mere moments, her home, her freedom, her life was stripped from her like bark from a tree. Her will was now bound to the pendant. Its fate sealed to her own. The Light Wings had taken everything from her. She thought back to her life in Moz, remembering how she felt then, restrained within the walls of her manor and bound by the claims of duty her mother had set. But now, she appreciated how fortunate she once was—how privileged she had been. Lucia was plagued by memories of all the things she took for granted. Because now she was a hostage, trapped within an open world of danger, bound by the lies and secrets of her father. At this moment, she’d rather be dead to be rid of the imminent sense of chaos. It lay deep inside her, strangling anything she had once found to be right. No longer could she trust the faith that had once led her. Everything she had lived for was nothing more than an object set to deceive, and for the first time in her life, Lucia thought how selfish the light must be. To ask so much of her, to forsake her as it did now. What was her father thinking, bequeathing this pendant to her?

  As the sky darkened, a strange glow appeared in the distance. It broke eerily through the air, and Lucia watched as Leo moved toward it, desperately, unrelentingly. She couldn’t make out Aldric’s capital at first, but as they moved closer, it became clear that the city was growing, turning more monumental and standing tall beyond that of anything she had ever laid eyes upon. As they approached the capital from the south, the colossal structure of its gate rose from the ground like a mirage hovering over the edge of a cliff. The gate was made up of cylindrical pillars of silver and shining light—light that emitted powerfully, not by flame and not by mirrors as Lucia had seen in Pinea, but purely of bright, shimmering green light generated by something unseen.

  They eventually found their way to a long trail of glowing structures that
hummed with a strange sound. The trail led them to the edge of a gate that stood almost like a tower itself, topped with a gigantic bird statue that loomed over them with a condescending stare. Leo took Lucia’s hand and hurried toward the guards, past the strange misshapen structures, and to the area’s main threshold.

  They stepped up a wide staircase and onto a platform covered with etchings of winged beasts. Light poured through the crevices beneath their feet as they walked. Where was the light coming from? Lucia couldn’t help but wonder. The power itself seemed to rival that of the Light Wings, but she knew this couldn’t be possible. The light had to come from somewhere, from a natural source. There was no other way.

  Around them were many citizens sitting and conversing with each other. Their conversations were indistinguishable, for they spoke in a dialect Lucia did not know, but she somehow understood. Their bodies changed the moment their eyes met hers—how distrusting they were. The Carists lowered their voices as the outsiders made their way to the center of the platform.

  Lucia noticed how unusually dressed the Carists were, growing tense as they stared her down. She had seen many odd fashions in her eighteen years, from the headmistress of Sky University—Professor Patricia, who had a very abnormal taste in exotic furs—to the very twig-like noble Sir Christopher Lyles of Eastern Villa, who anointed each of his robes with a layer of exquisite gemstones. But these Carists were beyond that. They were all dressed in beautiful armor, so unlike the armor of the Mozian and Pinian armed forces. Light and fit to their body, the armor featured silk robes that gracefully draped from their backs, like wings. There were symbols within their armor, carved very delicately along the glossy exterior of each plate.

  The females had masks that covered their faces, detailed and decorated with a variety of colors to each resemble something different. Each mask was individual and unique. A young girl to Lucia’s left had a mask that resembled a violet-and-black butterfly, while another much farther ahead of her resembled some sort of aquatic creature with ravishing painted scales up the sides.

  The sudden rush of this newfound culture sent Lucia’s mind spiraling. She could not escape their gazes as the crowd moved forward, waiting to gain access to the city. It appeared that they had to check in with a series of guards, all dressed in this same fashion and standing at a row of altars. Everyone was waiting for their name to be recorded and their entry into the city to be permitted by the guards. The Carists were strict and set in ways that discouraged Lucia; but Leo remained assertive, keeping his eyes forward on the guards in front of him. His sapphire stare was fixed along with his determination to honor his father’s wish. He sent a slight reassuring squeeze to Lucia’s hand to appease her as her mind wandered deeper into worry.

  To see how Aldric had prospered so far made Lucia wonder. What knowledge did Aldric use to leave both Pinea and Moz so far behind? Their innovations had made this bright city a marvelous emerald along the shore, a beacon for all mankind to envy, yet her own city was on the brink of discord. And within Leo’s, people were surely suffering. A sudden flash of anger coursed inside her, building as her stomach knotted and her heart flared. How could this knowledge not be shared? To what lengths did the Carists hold their secrets? And why would these secrets be the very key to the survival of their world? What responsibility did Aldric share with the rest of Terestria’s provinces as the threat of darkness loomed over them? Aldric had cast a shadow over them. If the Carists truly held the answer to what was happening, their negligence put the rest of the world at risk and sealed their fates.

  If the Carists knew the truth, the blood of Moz and Pinea would be on their hands, for people had died for their arrogance and their inability to enlighten others. This was an injustice. Lucia clamped her eyes shut as vengeful tears dripped from her lashes. A shroud of pain consumed her as she heard the cries of her dying people over and over again in her head. Her emotions were suddenly overwrought. Why was she feeling this? What was wrong with her?

  Lucia attempted to drown her anguish, fearing that if someone spotted her weakness, it would only make it more real. For so long, this was what she’d been taught. Lucia could not be weak, no matter how painful things were. She had to force away the pain, not only for the light, but for her mother and for her people. Duty above all else. Lucia held to this undeniable expectation, one she felt she could never live up to. But now, she had no choice but to accept her destiny as the seeds of corruption became more apparent to her. And to all those who saw her, her conviction was clearly written across her face.

  Leo had only begun to understand how this judgment confined Lucia, forcing her thoughts to take on what most people shouldn’t. That was her duty, to face these worries with a heavy heart so that others wouldn’t have to. He wanted to help Lucia, to show her how to quell the emotions raging inside her; but right now, he felt powerless. He, too, was frail by his own right. Perhaps because he also needed to find his own duty, his own sense of control.

  “Next,” called the guard, pointing to them with a gloved finger. Leo nodded and pulled Lucia along with him. “State your name, birth province, and class. After I record this, state your purpose.”

  “Leocadio Feral, sir of Pinea,” he said.

  The guard looked doubtfully toward Leo and then to Lucia.“And you?” he asked, tilting his head toward Lucia, who was distracted by his strange accent.

  “I’m Lucia Sanoon.” She hesitated and then said quietly, “High maiden of Moz.”

  The guard seemed to squint beneath his visor, staring dubiously, which had been shaped into an emerald-colored serpent with violet horns. “What kind of business do two young people, especially of your class, if that is your class, have here in Aldric?” He obviously had some sort of suspicion, but he wrote down their information anyway in a large metal-covered book that appeared to be very heavy. He hesitated, waiting for a response. “So?”

  “We need to arrange a meeting with the chief elder immediately,” Leo said. “However, I don’t want to alarm anyone.” He whispered it slowly, full of concern. “Both Moz and Pinea have been attacked.”

  The guard’s eyes widened beneath his visor, and he stepped back. He swallowed, sweat forming along the side of his neck. “Attacked, you say?” He lowered his voice so no one could hear.

  “Yes. By a destructive force beyond our understanding. My father claimed that the Carist chief, Talon Renon, might hold knowledge of what exactly the force might be and how we could stop it. We don’t have much time. It is highly likely that Aldric could be next.”

  Lucia stayed quiet as they whispered. She looked around as the people took notice of their hushed conversation. There was a certain tension in the faces of the adults. But what made Lucia most uncomfortable was gazing into the faces of the children, who seemed so happy, oblivious to the peril they were in. Just by being here, Lucia brought danger upon them. She wore an omen of light beneath her neck, and she was in no way proud of what it stood for. Leo squeezed her hand, and Lucia looked up at him.

  “Stand back,” Leo said. “They are about to open the gate.”

  “What happened?” Lucia asked. “What did he say?”

  “He is going to personally escort us to the main tower. He’s actually the head of Aldric’s defense squadron and assumes this to be some terrorist threat.”

  “Didn’t you tell him about the Light Wings, or what Sigranole said about my father? This isn’t the antic of some terrorists,” Lucia said, shaking her head.“ It’s something far worse.”

  “I know,” Leo whispered back. “He wouldn’t listen. They have their own information, but the people are unaware, and he prefers, as should we, not to cause a panic. But even so, he seems to lack insight on the matter himself. It’s as if the chief elder withheld information from the military as well. He will only abide by the chief’s command.”

  “For what reason would he lie to the people, with so much at risk?” Lucia blinked her ey
es wildly.

  “I haven’t the slightest idea. The same way our parents, as governors, kept the information of the war from our people, we altered our own history into something believable, to assume control,” Leo said. “Our people are liars too. We mustn’t judge without looking at our own first.”

  “But this isn’t our world. It’s theirs: these forces, they aren’t myth. The world belongs to them, and that’s why we’re no longer safe. That’s our reality!”

  “Shhh,” Leo hissed. “We have to wait until we make it to the main tower. Talon will have to tell us one way or another.”

  “And if he doesn’t believe us?”

  Leo tossed his dark bangs to the side. “Then we prove it.”

  Lucia stepped back and clenched the diamond. She knew exactly what he meant, and it would involve her using the light again, despite it almost killing her before. But she had no choice, did she? This is what she would have to do. After all, the Light Wings were the key to saving Terestria. In the end, it was to be their salvation. Yet still, amongst these people, there was a budding hostility within this place, something unwelcoming. Lucia carried this intuition. Aldric did not want to be saved. It could not.

  “When I was in the sanctuary back home, I felt so sure of everything. There was always something to believe in. Nothing made me feel safer than my faith. My mother had raised me to believe in the good of the world and to place my faith in it. As long as you held on to your faith in the light and all its gifts, your prayers would be answered. You would stand protected because your virtue would be your shield.” She paused, feeling the next question echo through her mind. Sincerely, she asked as if it were the first time she had truly thought about it without being blind to the bias of what she thought she knew. “What happens when we die?”