“They’ve done well for themselves, haven’t they?” she murmured.
Dru led the way through the maze of streets. They sloped very steeply and zigzagged back and forth. It seemed to take a lot longer than it should have to reach the gates of the Council Chambers. Cierra was panting by the time they finally got there. “Why is everything so steep?” she groaned.
Dru pointed in the direction opposite the Council Chambers. Cierra followed his finger and gasped.
The Kingdom spread out below them like a huge, three-dimensional map. They were hundreds of metres above the normal ground level and the view – although dismally grey at the moment – was astonishing. It was almost possible to see the entire Kingdom. To her right, she could make out a dark mass that spread across almost a fifth of the Kingdom. Rising from the centre of it was a massive tree. Even from this distance, she could see it easily defined against the horizon and noticed that it was bare of leaves.
Towns spotted the landscape, some of them glowing with the flickering light of fires to keep the darkness at bay. A river wound its way past quite a few of those towns, providing a water source for many of them.
Most of the land was flat and Cierra thought she could see the ocean in the far distance, marking the edge of the kingdom. She could even see an island in one of the ocean bays, a towering mountain sitting atop it, casting a darker shadow over the coastline.
The town she and Dru had walked through zigzagged away below them, dizzyingly steep when she looked at it from this vantage point.
“Is this town built on a mountain?” she asked, breathless from the sense of vertigo that had hit her. She fought it away.
“Not quite,” he replied. “It’s built into a cliff face and this Council Building is at the very top. A lot of the houses here are carved out of the cliff.”
The crowded stone houses in the town suddenly made a lot more sense. “That’s amazing! People must love living here with a view this breathtaking!”
Dru didn’t comment. He still seemed annoyed at her for causing him problems. He turned away from the view. She dragged her eyes away in time to see Dru rapping sharply on a guard-house window. After a minute, it opened and an elderly gentleman peered out. He squinted at them and adjusted his half-moon glasses.
“Dru!” he cried happily. “Good to see you again, my dear boy!”
“Hello Torvven,” Dru replied. Cierra detected a hint of warmth in his voice for the first time.
“How’ve you been, boy? Saving the world and what-not? Destroying those dastardly beasts of Darkness?” He suddenly seemed to notice Cierra standing behind Dru. He leaned around and looked her over.
“Oh-ho, I see what you’re up to,” he said with a knowing grin, winking at Dru. “Getting into the business of saving of damsels in distress, hmm? Welcome to the dark, dreary Kingdom of Elturia, my dear! As usual, Dru’s lack of manners leaves us to introduce ourselves; I’m Torvven. You are...?”
“Cierra, sir,” she replied. She liked this old man and his direct, friendly way of speaking.
“Oh, ‘sir’ she calls me, did you hear that, Dru? That’s respect for you! You should learn some manners off this lovely young lady. Do you some good, it would.”
“Yes, thank you, Torvven,” Dru said, directing an irritated glare at Cierra. “I have to talk to the Councillor. He’s summoned me and you know how he dislikes being kept waiting.”
Torvven’s cheerful smile disappeared abruptly, his slightly bushy grey brows drawing down into a frown. He cast a suspicious glance at the building through the decorative iron gates. “Disagreeable fellow, that man. Don’t know who decided to put him in charge. He walks around like he owns the place, but what good has he done so far? Has he managed to defeat the Darkness? Struts around like he’s king of the world! We do have a reigning family, even if they are trapped. Won’t be that way forever and he’ll get what’s coming to him.”
“Torvven,” Dru said firmly. “Would you mind opening the gates, please?”
“Yes, yes, of course, just a second.” He disappeared from the window and a moment later, the ornate iron gates began to swing open.
Dru waved his thanks and walked through. Cierra followed.
“See you next time, Dru!” Torvven called after them. “And your little lady friend!”
Cierra giggled. Dru glowered at her. “That old man talks way too much and about absolutely nothing in particular.”
“Well, I like him,” Cierra said. “He’s the first friendly person I’ve met here.” She glanced back at the gates that were slowly closing behind them. “What was he saying about the Council Man, or whatever he’s called?”
“High Councillor Skjor. He was put in charge after the Royal Family was trapped by the Darkness. Some people feel that he’s not doing enough to protect the land.”
“What about you?”
He looked at her.
“What do you think?” she asked.
He was silent for a moment. “It doesn’t matter what I think. I just do my job and destroy as many of the Darkness creatures as I can.”
Cierra sensed that he wasn’t going to say anything else and that it would be a waste of breath quizzing him any more on the subject.
At the main doors to the building, two guards barred their way until Dru flicked the edge of his blue cape over his shoulder, revealing something on his uniform. Standing a few steps behind him, Cierra couldn’t tell what it was, but it made the guards respond instantly and let him pass. She went to follow him and almost got her nose cut off by the sudden crossing of their decorative – and very sharp – spears.
Dru didn’t look over his shoulder. “She’s with me,” he called. “Obviously.” The last word was a mutter that Cierra barely heard.
The guards stared her down then slowly uncrossed their spears. She cautiously slipped between them, feeling the urge to cover her nose to protect it from being chopped off. As soon as she was safely past – with nose still intact – she raced after Dru and the relative safety of his company. At least with the swordsman, the only thing she risked getting chopped off were her questions.
“Scary guys,” she remarked.
Dru glanced at her, an eyebrow tilted mockingly. “You’d hardly hire a friendly, bouncy young man to guard a high-security area, now would you? He’d probably invite you in for tea and biscuits.”
“Someone’s in a snappy mood,” Cierra muttered under her breath. “What did you show them anyway?” she asked, a bit louder.
Dru snorted. “It’s ridiculous, but I guess it makes them feel like they’re doing their job.” He pulled his cape away from his chest, revealing an insignia with a decorated ‘P’ on it, similar to the one on the clasp that secured his cape.
“Protector, Elite Class,” Cierra read. “Dru Silverwing.”
“They know very well who I am and what my status is,” he said. “But they insist on seeing it every time.”
“Terrible,” Cierra said, quite unsympathetically. “Maybe they like admiring it.”
Dru gave her one of his glares, but they had arrived at an impressive set of double doors and he became preoccupied. He turned to her.
“Whatever happens in here, don’t say anything. I realise this will probably be a challenge for you,” he said, his eyes hard, “seeing as you’ve asked me about a hundred questions and we barely met twenty minutes ago, but keep quiet and we might get out of this without too much trouble.”
Cierra opened her mouth and he promptly put a hand over it.
“What did I just say? No more questions! For ten minutes, stay quiet.”
She rolled her eyes and nodded and he took his hand away, turning to open the huge double doors. As he strode through, Cierra locked her lips with an imaginary key and threw it over her shoulder, following him through the doors.
2 Dru
Dru wondered sceptically how long this strange girl would stay silent for. There was no end to the questions she asked. He had strong doubts about bringing her into the Counc
il Chambers, afraid of the trouble she could potentially put them in if she spoke at the wrong time, but he had no choice. This meeting concerned her. They had specifically asked for her.
“Wow!” The word echoed in the grand chamber.
Dru resisted the urge to shake her and let out a controlled breath instead. Had it even been a minute yet?
He cast a quick glance at her. She was staring wide-eyed around the room. He had to admit, it was quite grand. Not to his taste, though. The circular room was decorated with hanging tapestries, all embroidered with exquisite patterns and colours. Where there were no tapestries, the walls were a dark wood panelling. The floor was highly polished black marble that reflected everything. He didn’t need to look up at the domed ceiling to see the cream and gold sculpted details or the glittering chandelier – he could see them clearly in the floor’s reflection. It almost looked as if there was no floor, as if the room continued beneath his feet like a huge, spherical, mirror-image chamber. The strip of deep blue carpet that ran down the centre of the room seemed like the only solid thing he could walk on. No matter how many times he entered this room, he always felt unbalanced because of this illusion.
Dru looked back at Cierra in time to see her mouth opening again and gave her a warning glare. She shut it.
He began walking down the plush blue carpet, heading towards the curved, oaken table that sat at the opposite end of the room. Seven people sat at the table, watching sombrely as he approached. They were all dressed in rich silken and velvet materials, adorned with jewels and crystals. It had always disgusted him how these so-called councillors had taken advantage of the fear the Darkness had instilled in the people. They could do almost whatever they wanted and no one would stand in their way. If the Protectors weren’t spread so thin trying to battle the Darkness everywhere, they probably could have done something about their mild tyranny. If he didn’t know better, he’d think that the High Councillor kept them wide-spread for that exact reason.
He pushed the poisonous thoughts away. The Kingdom of Elturia was having troubled times and they all had to stick together, no matter what he thought their ulterior motives might be. Besides, the Council was the main driving force behind the eventual eradication of the Darkness. He was sworn to protect Elturia and its subjects – helping the council was the best way to do that, no matter how much he disliked them.
He knelt half-way down the carpet, motioning at Cierra to follow suit, keeping his eyes downcast. The councillors sat in utter silence, not even a rustle of their extravagant clothing to be heard. Almost a full minute passed after he’d knelt, with no one saying a word. The air was heavy and he could almost feel the disapproval of the council laced through it.
Finally, the light squeal of wood against marble echoed around the room as a chair was pushed back. Someone had stood up and Dru didn’t need to look to know that it would be the High Councillor. He was glad he was not required to meet the man’s eyes. The few times he’d seen them, they had made him extremely uncomfortable. A confusing mix of black and dark green, with tints of red and purple, they were exceptionally odd and always seemed to regard everyone else with contempt. Dru suppressed a shudder.
“Dru of the Elite,” the High Councillor began, his voice ringing through the room. “You have disobeyed one of the most important rules that the Council put in place, a law that was instituted in order to keep the people of Elturia safe. Bringing someone back from another world is strictly forbidden and one of the highest offences. Do you think the Council sets these rules just so that you can break them? Do you believe yourself above the law? Being a Protector does not grant you that right.”
Being a Councillor doesn’t grant you the right to make up your own rules, either, Dru thought bitterly, keeping his eyes locked on the weaving of the blue carpet. “I’m sorry, High Councillor Skjor. It won’t happen again. I’ll send her back immediately.” As I should have done the second she stepped through.
He felt Cierra stir next to him and shot her a quick look. She was frowning, looking at the High Councillor in disgust. He dug an elbow into her side and she looked back down, glaring at him. The last thing he needed was her opening her mouth and making his situation worse. If that was even possible.
More chair-squealing filled the room as another Councillor stood. “For this transgression, you shall be severely punished,” a woman’s voice informed him. “As a Protector, it is your duty to put the safety of the Elturian people first, and with this act, you could have put them all in serious danger. As such, your right to be an Elite – or even a Protector at all – may be in question.”
Dru’s heart stuttered and his stomach dropped, rapidly filling with a panic that he rarely felt. No. They couldn’t. They couldn’t take his badge from him. He was made to be a Protector, he’d even go so far as to say he was born to be a Protector. He’d strived to be one of the few Elite since he’d joined them and had been the youngest Protector ever to receive the title. It was his life, now. He couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
He shook the thoughts away and forced his anxiety to subside. He needed to think clearly. He knew they didn’t have the authority to do it. Only the Protectors had the power to strip another Protector of their rank. Then again, the councillors hadn’t let much stop them from doing whatever they wanted lately.
Dru was shocked out of his apprehension when Cierra stood up abruptly.
“That’s not fair!” she said, facing the councillors defiantly. They all appeared to be as stunned as he was – no one said a word. She took advantage of the silence.
“You’re blaming him for something that isn’t his fault. You haven’t heard his side of the story. How do you know what happened? How do you know what the circumstances were? For your information, it wasn’t his choice to bring me here. I came here of my own accord. He tried to send me back, but I refused to leave.”
At eye level with her fists, Dru saw them clench, the skin around the knuckles going white.
“He doesn’t deserve this punishment.”
If the situation hadn’t been so dire for him, he would have laughed out loud. It had been too long since someone had defied the Council. Their faces were priceless. However, she was making things worse for him. He urgently tugged at the sleeve of her ridiculous purple-and-green striped pyjamas. He vaguely noted that the material was almost threadbare, the hems just a little too short.
She tore her sleeve from his grasp and he watched in horror as she stalked all the way to the oak table.
“Dru is innocent and I will not sit here and let you make up absurd verdicts that you simply feel like dishing out. You know nothing about what happened. He saved me. I’d be digesting in a monster’s stomach right now if it weren’t for him. He doesn’t deserve punishment; he should be receiving a medal!” She banged her palms against the table for emphasis.
Dru sighed in defeat. Now she’s done it.
The lady who’d spoken before addressed Cierra, condescension clear in her voice. “Even if Dru did not intentionally bring you here, it is still through his negligence that you managed to follow him. He should not have left the portal open long enough for anyone or anything but himself to get through. It’s a danger to us all if things keep turning up uninvited and unwanted.” She said the last word looking pointedly at Cierra. “As for him saving you,” – she shrugged – “that’s his job. Medals aren’t given out just for doing your job around here.”
He saw Cierra’s shoulders stiffen. “Maybe you should start giving them out. People might be a little more grateful!” The comment sounded incredibly childish.
“Enough!” The High Councillor slammed his fist into the table. “This girl does not need to know more. She will be sent home immediately.”
Dru watched as Cierra put her hands on her hips. He’d given up hope that she might back down. He didn’t think the situation was redeemable now, anyway.
“Excuse me, but ‘this girl’ thinks she deserves to know more,” Cierra told him. “And I a
m most certainly not going home. Not until I say so. I refuse to be treated as a child or an idiot. You have absolutely no control over me, thank you very much.”
The Councillor’s face had grown red and his strange eyes blazed. “Insolent child! Be silent!” he roared. “You will do as I say! I am the one in charge around here!”
She didn’t flinch. She stood in front of the Councillor for a moment longer, then turned on her heel and stalked back to where he was still kneeling. Her face was livid. When she reached him, she turned back to the councillors.
“Fine. I don’t need you pompous freaks to tell me what’s going on. I’ll figure it out for myself. Come on, Dru.” She turned to leave. Dru stood uncertainly.
“STOP!” the Councillor thundered. “I order you to stop.”
Cierra’s voice was icy. “Let’s get one thing straight. I am not one of your Kingdom’s subjects. You can’t make me do anything.”
“Guards!” the High Councillor yelled. “Take them away!”
Dru’s hand instinctively went to his sword as a dozen armed men rushed in to restrain them, but he didn’t draw it. These men weren’t his enemies.
The Councillor sneered at Cierra. “I can’t make you do anything? How about I make you take a little trip to the dungeons.”
Cierra was struggling violently against her captors. “Stop it!”
The Councillor waved his hand and the guards started to haul them roughly away. “Take them to the eastern dungeons,” he instructed. “You’ll like it there; the best accommodation for felons, guaranteed.” He sniggered, the sound bouncing around the chamber.
“Let me go!” she screamed.
Dru glared at her. This was all her fault. He should have shoved her straight back through that portal the second she’d stepped through. He should have taken her back the second his communicator had beeped and avoided this whole mess. Now he was not only going to lose his position as a Protector, but he also had the pleasure of languishing in a dank dungeon thanks to her.
Part One - The Twilight Swordsman (The Unfinished Prophecy Book 1) Page 2
