by Mike Shelton
“What do you know of traitors?” Spittle flew from Erwin’s fleshy lips. “The commander is a great man, who will save us all.”
Shaeleen stepped back, for she would have sworn that a tendril of what looked like black fog had swirled around the man’s hand for a moment. But, in the darkness of the cell, it was difficult to tell.
“Save you from what?” she asked Erwin, who she now knew could be manipulated through his anger.
“From the queen,” Erwin said. “She is old and does nothing for our kingdom. Gabor is mostly a desolate kingdom of lava and desert, except for here, on the coast. We need more resources. But the queen has lost her strength. She only sits around, in her old age, as if waiting for some miracle to happen—for someone to come and save us all.”
Shaeleen felt the truth of everything he had said, but then a bone-chilling revelation startled her. She is waiting for me. This revelation came to her so suddenly that she mumbled it out loud.
“What are you mumbling about?” Erwin asked. “Commander Kerr sees our plight and will be the one to save us.”
“A TruthSeer is to save and protect the kingdom, not help destroy it.”
“Well, maybe destruction is needed to save it,” Erwin said. Then, as if realizing he had said too much, he stepped back, away from the bars.
“Guards,” he yelled out. “These two are to be held until the commander returns. They are liars and a danger to our kingdom.”
“No!” Shaeleen yelled louder. “I demand to see the queen and her TruthSeer.” But the guards ignored her and followed Erwin out of the room; the thick, oak door closing behind them. Shaeleen yelled out loud in frustration.
Orin squirmed in the cell next to hers, trying to say something, but the gag remained covering his mouth. “The system has become corrupted,” she said aloud to both herself and Orin. “Originally, the stones were given as a gift to serve each kingdom. Now, the strength of each stone seems to have been depleted as favors were given out over time. The rulers of each kingdom do not hold enough of their own stone anymore.”
Orin walked back closer to the bars.
“Orin, kneel down,” Shaeleen said.
He gave her a confused look but did as she requested. She then reached her cuffed hands through the bars a few inches and with the tips of her gloved fingers grabbed a corner of the gag and pulled it off.
Orin turned his head and rubbed his shoulder against his mouth as if to wipe away the filth of the cloth. “Thanks.”
Shaeleen nodded to him and continued on her former train of thought. “The rulers of the past thought that, by giving away parts of their stones, they would secure those who were loyal to them. But now, those powers flow randomly through the blood of each land. Look at you, Orin. You are powerful with speed, but you hold no stone yourself. I would guess that the king of your land only holds a small portion of the original stone anymore, just like the IntelligenceStone I received from Basil.”
A small stream of light poked its way through a barred window high up in the wall of her cell. Shaeleen hadn’t noticed this before and wondered how a window to the outside could exist in a prison’s dungeon, deep below the castle fortress.
Dust in the room reflected the light in this small stream as it made its way down to a spot on the floor, in the middle of her small cell. Shaeleen took a step into the light and basked in its warmth.
“But there is always hope,” she continued. “The light of truth will prevail in the end.” Shaeleen then lowered herself to the ground, and let the small stream of light surround her.
The two sat in silence for a moment.
Then Orin brought their minds back to reality as he said, “But how do we get out of here, Shae? You can’t do anything while locked in a prison cell in the dungeon of the castle in Riverton.”
Shaeleen took a deep breath peered up at the window and let the light settle on her face as she closed her eyes. And she dug deeply into her power.
Shaeleen felt the TruthStone weighing heavy in her pocket along with the small IntelligenceStone. She knew she hadn’t always lived a life of telling the truth. But she was slowly learning that truth was the light that powered the kingdoms and the world around them.
Shaeleen concentrated her thoughts on the small light streaming down upon her and, at the same time, brought up her power of truth. In this moment of clarity and purpose, she connected the two—light and truth—and felt peace grow inside of her. The truth then rose upon the light as if following the light up and out of the room. With her eyes still closed, she used that light to focus her thoughts.
Shaeleen’s perspective began to change. She was no longer in the prison cell, but was now looking down onto the castle of Riverton itself. She could now see that the dungeon prison they were in had been built into the wall of a cliff that rose up from the seashore below and that the small window had been carved out through the cliff.
Using her power of truth, she floated on the light that came from the sun and covered the capital of Gabor. She expanded her view and now could see the Bay of Jalen to the south and the sea to the east. She flew within the light over the city. Riverton was almost as large as Stronghaven, though not as well kept. She could see buildings crumbling in certain quarters and the poor already begging in the streets at this time of the morning.
Maybe Erwin had had a point—the queen did seem to be letting the kingdom go. But that didn’t make it right to abandon her. And it didn’t mean that Commander Kerr was a better option.
Basking in the light, she continued westward, over the city, until she came to the inn they’d eaten at the previous night. She grabbed hold of a ray of light with her mind and flew down it into the inn’s dining room. She saw Harold, Genevieve, Aaron, and Marianne with her son on her lap. They sat having breakfast at a long table. It seemed darker the farther she went into the room, and then Shaeleen’s own vision clouded and dimmed. She felt the connection with her power weakening.
Shaeleen caught snippets of the family’s conversation—it was about her and Orin. She smiled at their concern. A speck of light from a window rested on Genevieve’s hand as she rested it on the table. Shaeleen used that speck for her focus. Through the light, she touched it and showed Genevieve the truth of what had happened. As Genevieve gasped and looked around the room, her hand was pulled away from the light.
Shaeleen felt Orin calling to her in the cell inside the castle dungeon. She could tell her body was weak and tired. She moved back through the light to a nearby window and then back outside again.
Her thinking dimmed, and she felt so very tired. Flying as fast as she could, she made her way back over the city in the blink of an eye, following the light. She spied the small window in the cliffside. The sunlight no longer shown directly through it, but she pushed toward it nonetheless. As she approached the shadows over the cliff, she struggled to stay alert. Then, as she left the light, her powers diminished and she could barely stay conscious.
“Shae!” Orin yelled out. “Wake up!”
Orin’s voice focused her for one final moment, and then she fell over on the floor in the dungeon cell. After a moment, reality slowly came back to her. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times in the darkness, the window now only a small, dim shape far above their heads.
“What were you doing?” Orin said, panic filling his voice. He stood at the bars with his face pressed against them.
Shaeleen forced herself to sit back up. Her eyes were heavy, and she needed to sleep.
“I went for help, Orin.”
“What are you talking about, Shae?” Orin took a few steps back. Then he came to the bars again. “This place is making you crazy.”
“No.” Shaeleen smiled and then put a hand to her head. She was so tired. “It brought clarity to me. The light, Orin. Truth and light go together.”
“Guards!” Orin yelled out. “Shaeleen needs help.”
“Orin,” Shaeleen said, bringing his attention back to her. “I am fine. I just need to rest,
that’s all.” She scooted back to a corner of the cell and laid her head against the black stone wall. Its surface was cool, which helped to settle her mind.
“Shae?” Orin pleaded once again.
“Don’t worry, Orin,” Shaeleen whispered. “Get some rest. Help is on the way.”
Shaeleen closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Although food and a fresh chamber pot had been brought to Shaeleen and Orin a few times a day over the next two days, Shaeleen still found herself anticipating their next meal. Always three guards had come—one entering their cells while the other two stood guard at the door. But the light from the small window high in the wall was the only indication they had of what time of day it was now.
Their meals had each consisted of a few pieces of fruit, a piece of bread, and a cup of water. Even though it wasn’t much, Shaeleen still listened carefully for the key to turn in the outer door.
Finally, the usual three people came in. A guard came into her cell, and, as usual, Shaeleen stayed in the back corner and didn’t give him much notice. “Shaeleen,” the guard whispered. Shaeleen whipped her head up and found herself looking into the beautiful, dark eyes of Aaron. Her heart leapt, and she called out to Orin.
Then one of the guards at the door said, “Genevieve felt you were in trouble, and after what you did for us, we had to try and help.” It was Harold.
Shaeleen turned from Aaron to Harold and then to the other guard. The third man pulled out a set of keys and unlocked their two cells.
“I’m Marianne’s brother, Shem,” the man said. “These two vouched for you—and, from what I heard, you made the commander quite angry, and…well…I don’t like the commander very much. He has overstepped his bounds. I am loyal to the queen.”
“And that is who I need to see,” Shaeleen said. “But first, is there any way you can unlock these?” She held her hands out in front of her.
Shem shook his head. “Sorry, I was only able to get keys for the cells. I cannot unlock either of your shackles.”
“It’ll actually be easier this way,” Harold spoke up.
Shaeleen was confused. “How is being in shackles easier?”
“We will escort you out of here,” Aaron said, continuing his father’s explanation. “And, with the shackles still on, there won’t be any questions.”
“But we have to hurry.” Shem motioned them out of the cells. Marianne’s brother was tall, strong, and good-looking. His dark hair contrasted nicely with his bronzed skin. As he reached his hand out to pull Shaeleen along, she suddenly became aware of how horrible she must look. And smell. She could hardly stand this. What I wouldn’t do for a change of clothes and a chance to freshen up.
Shaeleen tensed up as they met the first guard directly outside of the prison door. This would be their first test.
“Orders are to keep the prisoners here,” the guard said as he put his arm out to stop the group.
“Orders have changed,” Shem said with a voice of authority. “You know how that is?”
The other guard nodded his head in understanding.
“Just doing my duty,” Shem continued. “Was told to bring them to the TruthSeer. He’ll find the truth from these scum.” Shem pushed Shaeleen and Orin forward, while Aaron and Harold followed from behind. The guard seemed convinced and waved them on.
After winding through a few hallways and up a flight of stairs, Shem directed them to a doorway at the end of a dark hallway.
As soon as they all entered, Genevieve and Marianne came up to Shaeleen and Orin and gave them hugs, though Orin didn’t seem very comfortable with it.
“Glad to see you are safe,” Genevieve said to Shaeleen. “You did send me a message, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” Shaeleen said. “I’d hoped you would understand.”
“I don’t know how you did it or who you really are, child,” Genevieve said, “but we owed you. Now, let’s see what we can do to get you out of here.”
Shaeleen shook her head. “I have to speak to the queen first.”
“Shae!” Orin said. “It’s too dangerous here.”
Harold cleared his throat. “Look, Shaeleen. You helped us out and so we helped you. I’m sure you think you have a good reason to see Queen Victoria, but she doesn’t see people anymore.”
Shaeleen took a deep breath. She didn’t travel all this way, just to be stopped now. “I know it sounds trite, but the fates of our kingdoms depend on it. I must see her.”
Shaeleen watched Harold sigh and look at his wife. Genevieve walked over to a small basin of water and dipped a cloth in it. “Well, let’s see if we can clean you two up a bit. Then we’ll see what we can do.”
Marianne grabbed a comb and headed over to Orin.
“Ouch!” he yelled out once she started combing through his dirty mop. “That hurts.”
“Stay still,” Marianne said. “Don’t you ever comb this hair?”
Orin just grunted in response and Shaeleen chuckled. Boys!
“Better do what she says, son,” Harold said. “She’s as stubborn as her mother.”
Genevieve glared at him, but then a small smile formed on her mouth, and she laughed.
A quarter of an hour later, Shaeleen and Orin were a bit more cleaned up. Nothing could be done about the clothes, with the shackles on their hands, but at least their faces were better.
Shaeleen turned to Shem. “You are stationed here in the castle?”
Shem nodded in the affirmative, and a plan began to form in Shaeleen’s mind
“Is what Harold said true?” Shaeleen asked. “Does the queen not see visitors?” she asked.
“Very rarely, miss,” Shem answered. “Lately, it’s been the TruthSeer’s apprentice that handles most of the royal business.”
“Erwin!” spat Shaeleen.
“I see you’ve met the man.” Shem grimaced. “He’s an arrogant pig.”
That he is. “What about TruthSeer Justyn or the royal heir?” Shaeleen continued, working on her plan.
Footsteps were heard in the hallway outside the room, and everyone went quiet for a moment. Shem waited until the sounds were gone then stuck his head out the door.
“Guards are heading to the dungeon,” Shem said. “They must know you’ve escaped. They will be looking for us.”
Shaeleen groaned. They wouldn’t have much time. She turned to Orin with a questioning look. Could he speed them out of there?
“I can’t,” he mumbled, surmising what her questioning look meant. “I can’t access my power with these shackles on. They won’t let me move.”
Shaeleen paced for a few moments and then turned to Shem. “How are your acting skills?”
Shem raised his eyebrows.
“You’re going to pretend to capture us. Aaron and Harold will help.” Shaeleen revealed her plan as it came to her mind. “You will push through the castle and toward the TruthSeer Justyn, and I will yell out, demanding to see him.”
“But—but—I don’t know where Justyn is. He is old and sends Erwin to do his bidding,” Shem said.
“It won’t matter,” Shaeleen continued. “We’ll cause enough ruckus that he will find us. Get me above ground and to some light, and I will find him.” She didn’t know if she could do it again, but she would try. It was the only plan she had at the moment.
The three men nodded, and Shem headed to the door.
“And, Shem,” Shaeleen said, “this must look real.”
Shem’s eyes opened wide.
“I mean it!” Shaeleen said. She wasn’t going back to that dirty cell. We have to see the queen and then get out quickly.
Shem nodded and opened the door.
“Help!” Shaeleen screamed and struggled away from Shem, running down the hallway. “Let me go!” Her heart pounded, and she put all she could into it. She hoped Shem would play his part.
“Get back here!” Shem yelled. “Where are you going?”
Shaeleen turned her head
back to him with a look telling him to do better. “I must see the queen,” she yelled out.
Orin ran after her. “Shaeleen!”
Coming to the end of the hall, two other guards met them at the same time that Shem, Harold, and Aaron caught up.
Shem grabbed Shaeleen, and Aaron grabbed Orin, who kicked Aaron in the shins.
“Aaaargh!” Aaron yelled out and grabbed Orin tighter.
Shaeleen struggled, but Shem put his arm around her neck and Shaeleen let him hold her there.
“I caught these prisoners,” Shem said to the two new guards—his acting ability shining forth. “I’m taking them to the TruthSeer. He will find out what’s going on here once and for all.”
“They should go back to the prison cells,” one of the guards said.
Shem shook his head, and Shaeleen stomped on his foot to make things look good. One of the other guards slapped her across the face. She spat at him.
“Upstairs, now!” Harold said. Being older than the other four men, he brooked some level of respect, and they all obeyed. Coming to a flight of stairs, they pulled Orin and Shaeleen up to the next floor—the ground floor of the castle.
Early morning light brightened the candlelit room they stood in. A few servants scattered in front of them, busy with their own duties and not wanting to get involved with the guards’ affairs. Shaeleen was sure it was beautiful, but she didn’t have time to look around.
“The queen!” Shaeleen yelled out, still playing her part. They only had a few minutes left to see whether the ruse would work or not. “I want to see the queen!”
Shem smacked the back of her head and then clamped a hand over her mouth. She bit it, and he pulled it back, roaring in pain. A few drops of blood dribbled down his wrist. At the same time, Orin somehow pulled free from Aaron and began running up another flight of stairs—a wide, carpeted staircase that obviously led to better rooms.
The two other guards raced after him, and Shem pulled Shaeleen along. “That wasn’t necessary,” he whispered in her ear. “That hurt.”
Shaeleen didn’t say anything, but turned her head and tried to convey an apology with her eyes. Shem didn’t look altogether convinced.
