Cam’s brow furrowed.
"I can show you how to works if you want," Saffira said with a small smile. She pulled a small glass bottle from her pocket. Cam held the glass in her palm, her eyes marveling at the smooth, pastel purple liquid.
"The liquid is colored for appeal," Saffira explained. "The magic itself is a rare liquid and combination of ground minerals. Some of them we believe are metals. Despite whatever its contents are, it enhances brain cells to memorize at immense rates. It has done no harm other than to exhaust the mind and body when used for the first few times."
Saffira lifted the bottles lid and offered it to Cam. “Take the smallest sip.”
Cam lifted it carefully to her lips and slowly allowed a few drops to melt to her tongue. The liquid was tasteless and devoid of smell. She realized the effect when Saffira plopped an open map onto the table before Cam.
The map was written in black ink upon an old piece of parchment. According to the top left-hand corner, the map indicated that she was looking at the features of their world Mesi Tomea. Cam's brain seemed to jolt and then whirl quickly for a brief instant as her eyes scanned the map. Five seconds later, Saffira whipped the map away.
The image still burned in Cam’s mind.
Before, when she had looked upon something such as a map her mind retained many of its details. But this occurrence was different. She could name every single feature and see every detail, even the crinkles in the parchment and the shadows cast over the ink in her mind’s eye.
Cam glanced up at Ira with widened eyes. “Spectacular isn’t it?” Saffira rolledup themap. “I will begin cleaningthis.” Shewaved a hand over the contents of the small table. “I will summon you this afternoon.”
As Cam turned to walk back down the dark stairwell and wondered about Saffie. Was she a Spirit Follower too? Her brother was, so maybe she was too just in a different realm. She decided that the risk would be too great to ask her. What if Ira was not a Spirit Follower and Peter’s placement as one was his own secret? She folded the thought away.
“Where were you?” asked Mista when Cam entered the dining
room. Mista slapped a large piece of butter onto a slice of bread. “Training,” Cam replied, closing the door.
“How was it?” inquired Terra.
“Enlightening.”
“What exactly did you do?” asked Fiera.
“We looked at the sunrise and talked about what freedom
means,” Cam answered. Terra frowned a bit. “Ira made me breakfast and told me of all her realm values. It proved quite interesting.”
“When do you finish?” Terra asked. “Saffira hasn’t said. We will visit the temple today and later…”
“Combat training. We know. Caleb announced it while you wereaway earlier,” Fiera cut in. Though FierahadmentionedCaleb, her expression shone with the prospect of the later activity.
"I suppose it could benefit all of us if we ever run into mad robbers again. And we will have an advantage, for we won't be drunk like half the people around here," Terra sighed. Cam was slightly taken aback. Terra wasn't normally critical even though Medulla citizens tended to be more prejudice, especially towards Gnosi. Though Cam nearly objected, she did not desire to argue with her sister.
“Are the Gnosi people religious? I saw their temples from my chamber window,” Adria said.
Cam shrugged. “Saffira didn’t say. If their religion is important to their society as a whole at all, she would have told me I believe.”
“The prince went there this morning,” Adria said in a light tone.
Eleven
Riah did not awaken until late morning, feeling sickly from the
night before. He was rather surprised to find that a woman did not occupy his bed. He pulled a loose peasant shirt over his head and sent word that a servant would have the boy brought to the temple at the first hour following the noon meal. The young man slipped away before his father could question how the party had gone the night before.
The day was bright, and the mountains sang with meadowlarks and crows. Vultures circled the hunting grounds where his comrades were probably parading to wear off the sickness caused by the previous night’s drinking. Riah trudged toward the temple which was a round, glass building positioned in a nook of hills and shrubbery. The temple was built of walls of air with stone pillars holding the glass roof.
The view was almost as pleasant as that of the castle. Riah could see the trickle of the river running to be streams which filtered into forests and fields. Beyond the fields, a small cottage was dotted at the peak of a hill. Saffira’s house. It had been months since he had gone to see her. As of recent, he had her summoned to him.
Riah had ordered the servant to ensure that the temple was clearedofallpersons beforehisarrival.All personsbut theboy. “My son,” he murmured disdainfully. He recollected with bitterness the night when his father had firmly resolved that the boy would live with them instead of with his mother. The mother desired to keep the child, but Apollyon had insisted on keeping the boy to ensure constant “allegiance” with those they had entered into such an agreement with.
Riah thought that sleeping with a woman to gain an alliance was preposterous. He was surprised that he had not been asked to marry her. He clenched his fist when he reviewed the realization that had dawned on him months prior. Apollyon wished to have an heir already in place should Riah prove to be disastrous or struck down by death before Apollyon's passing.
When Riah entered the temple, the boy’s eyes were the first to be seen. Riah hardly noticed the shimmering glass and sweet smell of incense. He only saw the copper colored eyes of the boy. Strange, he thought, that the boy should always be the first he noticed when walking into his close vicinity.
“Morning,” he said, his throat thick with saliva he couldn’t quite swallow. The boy offered no reply, only blinked at him through those enormously round eyes. Months had passed since Riah had last laid eyes on his son. He could still hardly believe he had one. It didn’t seem genuine. He had not been present at the child’s birth, had hardly taken any notice of him in the past three years, and on top of that, the boy never spoke. To him anyway. Riah had shipped the child off to an old croon’s home without even knowing its name. The child had the same colored eyes and hair as he but no similar features or structures.
So with all of this between them, why had Riah ordered to see his child? He shook his head, not knowing.
The boy continued to stare.
“It’s as if he can read my mind,” Riah thought as he shifted slightly. “How old are you now?” he inquired, trying to stifle the guilt that he did not know his one child’s age. He doubted that the boy would tell.
He did not. If it were not for the consistent blink of his eyelids, Riah would have thought him to be a life-like statue.
Riah thought back through the years and eventually came to the conclusion that the boy must be around three years old. He laughed sharply at the difference between squalling toddlers and this seemingly mute stranger he was supposed to treat like a son.
“Today, I thought it prudent that youwatch templeactivities take place. You do not have to participate. Only watch. You seem to handle that particularly well.” Riah waited as if expecting an answer. When the air remained silent, he shrugged and approached the center of the temple’s floor where he proceeded to kneel.
Riah did not believe in the gods the Gnosi citizens claimed were creatures from the Infernal Cities. These rulers called Shedim and Shadow Bearers were only known about in ancient texts Riah hadn't bothered to read. Where exactly they had originated Riah did not know. Though his belief was non-existent, he found it required of him to escape to the temple at times to escape the castle, his father, and life in general.
He rolled his shoulders and straightened his posture, feeling more awkward than ever in the temple with the boy’s eyes resting upon him. Riah took several moments to “pray” which was really reflecting on the basic facts of who these seven rul
ers were.
His eyes flickered over the small glass which formed characters set upon minuscule pillars about the room. The first was Drakon, the Elyon their family was named after. Drakon was the Elyon of war, weaponry, and lord of the dragons. Though Drakon was the Elyon Riah was most interested in, these facts were all he knew. The other six consisted of gods and goddesses of whom he only knew names, gender, and what the granted to humans. Riah’s mind was soon bombarded with boredom as he found he was no longer interested in reflecting on the false gods. They were merely legends created by Gnosi Realm’s ancestors.
The prince remembered the boy. He turned slowly to find that the child was still watching him. Riah stood up, squared his shoulders, lockedhisarmsoverhischest andasked, “What occupies you all day when you live with the hag?”
The boy blinked twice and then spoke with clarity and volume unusual for someone so young. "I love her. The one you call a hag. She is no hag." Riah was rather startled at the boy's response. He waved a hand. Of course, the boy loved the only woman in his life. "How do you keep yourself occupied and more importantly…what occupies your heart?"
“What a ridiculous question,” Riah mused. “I credit the hag for that one,” he thought inwardly. He did not wish to address the woman as a hag before the boy again. When Riah thought of the child's question, he could hardly rummage up anything other than sleeping with women, drinking, and attending parties. But then he thought of the forest. He did enjoy being alone under the trees' canopy, surrounded by wildlife. Combat was an activity he reveled in as well. He thought of Saffira as well, but she was a person, not an occupation.
“I am going to leave now. Eventually, I will summon you again. Be prepared to tell me more about…err…yourself I suppose.” Riah scratched his ear and waved a pesky fly away.
Riah began to turn but was frozen by the uplift of the boy’s lips into a sad smile. “Now I’ve done it. Running off again.” Riah muttered a brief curse beneath his breath.
“We will not see one another ever again Riah. At least, not until the end.”
The prince was so bewildered by the boy's' words, that he could not rebuke him for calling him Riah instead of "father." The boy turned and scampered into the forest where a servant was awaiting him.
Cam had pulled on a hooded cloak and was beginning to make her
way from the castle to join Saffira, her sisters, and Caleb in a valley beyond the river to presently conduct lessons in combat and weaponry.
As she stepped upon the terrace overlooking the valley, she spotted Gnosi’s prince walking at a slow gait from the confines of the forests. His head was dipped low as if his eyes were scanning the ground. His hands were shoved into pockets. When his head rose, squinting in the sunlight, Cam saw the marks of both determination and stress upon his expression.
Despite her hopes that he would walk past without registering her presence, his eyes flicked to the spot on which she stood. He halted and beheld her. For a moment, he stood in an effort to discern who she was. Recognition crossed his countenance a moment later, and his expression became suddenly slightly sheepish. He approached slowly, hesitant in cause she might be scared off.
When Riah had drawn quite close to her, he cleared his throat and spoke, “I owe you an apology for my behavior last night. I hope that you can find it in your kind heart to bestow forgiveness on me and…”
Cam interrupted with a slight smirk playing on her lips. “Do you apologize of your own accord?”
Riah glanced up at her from his position on the step beneath her and scratched his neck. “Saffira insisted I speak to you, and she is right. You should not have been treated as such. I should have taken your homeland and upbringing into consideration.”
“I do not see how much onecan consider whileintoxicated,” she answered calmly. “I might also add that one’s ‘homeland and upbringing’ as you call it does not the boundaries you mustn’t cross.” When his eyes met hers, she smiled softly. “I accept your apology even if I do not believe it to be genuine. I doubt you will refrain from doing something of the sort again to some other young woman.”
Riah glared at her for a moment but decided to disregard her last remark. Instead, he asked, "Where are you headed?"
Camaria told him of her purpose and destination. “Saffira failed to tell me the way, however.”
"I will show you. That is if you can stand my company." Cam nodded, grinning slightly. Riah led her into the thick canopy of trees where they presently crossed a small stream and made their way to the crest of a hill. "This is a short cut. Quite full of brambles but faster if you have a sword in hand," he explained as he hacked aside the pestering plants with his blade.
“May I ask you a question?”
“Of course,” he replied. “And do not ask permission to ask questions.” Riah glanced over his shoulder. “It makes me feel like a prince.”
“But you are a prince.”
"My father is not king and my mother is not a queen. I am no prince." Cam was pleased to find he was smiling.
“Whyis it thatGnosiclaimstheyvaluefreedom,andyet they are the only realm besides the Royalty that has servants?”
Riah paused in his hacking and turned slightly to eye her. She ceased suddenly, nearly knocking into him. “Not many people ask such a thing.” His gaze traveled her face for amoment before he continued. He turned, continuing his mount towards the hill’s top. “The servants in our realm are from the age of the Shadow Bearer War. You have heard of it, correct?”
Cam nodded. She had heard the story from Grandfather. He had told how before the Spirit Follower Rebellion, nearly three decades ago, Shadow Bearers had crawled into the land from the northern mountains and infested Mirabelle. They ravaged the nation and its people until a great lord and general defeated their leader.
"The servants," Riah went on, "Are those who aligned themselves with the Shadow Bearers during that time. Since the day victory was won for Mirabelle, those traitors were made servants in our realm as punishment. Their children, also, must pay the price. Those who had originally aligned had all access to magic stripped from them and must spend the rest of their lives in servitude. Their children have the opportunity to earn freedom."
“Seems rather harsh that the children should have the same punishment.”
Riah shrugged. “The leader before my father enforced the law. I believe that leader also created it.” The conversation ceased as they found themselves at the hill’s summit. The land sprawled beneath Cam in a blanket of golden grass. The tree line ended a few yards from where Cam stood beside the supposed prince.
“Thank youfor showingmetheway,” shesaid as shenodded in his direction. Riah waved at Saffira below who was arranging a target with Fiera.
“Would you accompany me and my father at our evening meal later on? We would both be pleased to become further acquainted with you.”
“Is thissomeployto getmeintobed?” Cam wonderedaloud. She had not meant to ask it aloud and became suddenly red in the face. Riah did not glare as she expected, however, but laughed aloud.
He shook his head. “No…I doubt you would even accept such an offer after my behavior last night.”
She nodded her head. “Yes, I am sure that would be a suitable way for me to spend my evening.”
Riah flashedhischarmingsmile.“Untilthen.” Hedippedhis head before clamping her on the shoulder and leaving her alone on the hilltop.
Nearly an hour later, Fiera had worn herself weary from shooting
at targets and watched as Caleb leaped with Mista in the swaying golden grass. Each flashed a shining blade in the air. The song of clashing blades met her ears followed by a squeal. Terra and Adria stood several yards to the left, examining an array of smaller blades.
Saffira approached Cam as the later gathered her arrows and returned them to the quiver. "Not much luck with archery?" Cam shook her head. "I want you to try this." Saffira held out a weapon of minuscule size in comparison to the others. Leather was woven into a pocke
t with rope extensions on either side.
“Not many choose a slingshot,” Cam remarked, eyeing the weapon. “I read a book once about the barbarian tribes who once inhabited the deserts and killed their enemies with armies swinging these.”
“It does not appear as an intimidating weapon but proves to be both useful and deadly when handled properly. Allow me to demonstrate.” Saffira fished a flat stone from her pocket and laid it into the woven center pocket. The rope was clenched in her fist when she swung the slingshot above her head. Cam watched as the stone was released and hurtled toward a squirrel perched on a nearby branch.
The stone collided with the squirrel’s abdomen. I t plummeted to the ground. Cam heard Fiera’s bark of laughter and saw her dart toward the fallen squirrel. “The stories say that giants despise the use of slingshot. One died when one was used,” Saffira said with a grin. “He was a barbarian. Now, you try.”
Cam took the weapon in her hand as well as the stone that Ira produced from the woven basket full of creek fetched stones. As Cam swung the slingshot over her head and fired shot after shot, Saffira asked, “Did Riah apologize?”
“Yes,” Cam replied curtly. “He also invited me to dine with him and Apollyon.”
Saffira’s brow rose, and she shook her head. “Be careful,” was all she said. Cam nodded. “What is Gnosi Realm’s main choice of weapon?” “Words,” Saffira answered. “Words, deception,
manipulation. Not all of us, mind you. You will find that words are
more destructive than a sword. Most times, we use to more than our
magic.”
"Then why do you have us learn swordplay, archery and
such?"
“So you will not fall flat on your face in failure once you
reach Cinis Lumen,” Ira said with a wry smile. Cam sent another
stone hurtling through the air. This time, it hit a branch before
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