What would happen if I were to be caught?
Nerul didn’t say anything after catching me in the hall, but if I helped Takana get away, he would know that I was the one responsible for her escape. Even though he didn’t want her to be killed, he would never betray our father or our kingdom, which meant that he would punish me. Or worse, kill me.
I stayed awake in bed thinking until darkness had taken over, but in what felt like only a matter of minutes, light filled my room, and it was morning. An early morning.
My mind instantly got to work.
Around this time, the guards that led the prisoners to the dungeons were just now getting up to leave the palace so that they could bring more in tonight.
The one that had the keys on him was Ailre, a friend of Seri’s. He was especially cruel to the Light Elves but has only ever displayed kindness in front of others. Kind of made me wonder what his true self was like.
Nevertheless, if I could get the keys from him in time, then I could possibly get Takana out without being caught. It was risky, but even after thinking of all the negative outcomes, I was going to do everything that I could to help her. I would just have to come up with a well-thought out lie to tell Nerul afterwards.
If I wanted Takana to live, I was going to have to be brave.
I slid out of bed and dressed in my black daily combat clothing before throwing my cloak over my shoulders and buttoning it across my chest. I thought about pulling my hood over my head but didn’t want to seem suspicious if I were to be caught.
Mostly, everyone but the servants were still sleeping. The sun had just risen, and royals had no reason to wake up any time soon like the workers. Training wasn’t even for another few hours.
All I had to do was take most of the back halls, bump into Ailre, snatch his keys, and get Takana out.
But what about everyone else?
I didn’t know the other Light Elves, but who was to say that Takana was more important than them? I knew that I couldn’t set them all free because that would put the palace in danger, but...How could I only let one prisoner go?
I never had to make a decision like this before. To go in and only save one person that I valued when there were others that probably deserved to live just as much as her. These were the kinds of decisions that warriors had to make, and ones that I was sure even Nerul had made once before, but what was his decision?
Did he save one, or did he save all?
Now that I was thinking about it, Nerul was heartbroken because he didn’t get to save the one that he loved. If he had a second chance to try but had to choose between her and his warriors, I was sure that he would pick the one he cared for most.
It was selfish, but bonds could be unbelievably strong, and loss, extremely painful.
~White Heart~
I slipped outside through one of the side exits of the palace and jogged around the front with my eyes searching for Ailre. Like I had assumed, only the workers were up, these being gardeners who diligently trimmed the bushes and paid me no mind.
Still, just to be safe, I tried running quietly, but my feet crunching over the gravel made that impossible, so I moved as quickly as I could.
Slowing to a stop, I was sure that Ailre would be walking out by now because I had seen him many times during early training sessions with Seri. He should’ve been walking towards the palace walls by n―
“Calen?” I heard Ailre say from behind me.
My eyes widened as I slowly turned around to face him. He was tall with dark brown skin, long locs that hung down to his shoulders, and cold green eyes that only ever softened when they landed on me. “Oh, Ailre. Hi.” I smiled nervously.
Ailre’s lids lowered with a slight smile on his lips. “Up to train early this morning?”
“Y―yeah,” I chuckled. “Have to get strong to fight in the war.”
“That’s good to hear.” He placed his hand on my shoulder. “Someday, you’ll be just as strong as your brothers.”
Glancing down, I noticed that his keys were on his right side, attached to his belt. Without wasting another moment, or thinking for that matter, I threw myself into him and wrapped my arms around his back, quickly unhooking his keys in the process.
Ailre stiffened. “Oh, um…”
“Thank you for believing in me,” I said off the top of my head as I looked up at him. “Not too many here do.”
Ailre chuckled. “Oh, you would be surprised. Now, I have to get going, but I’ll see you around. Stay safe and continue to get stronger, little one.”
It was hard to believe that he could be this nice after seeing the things he’s done to the prisoners. It was almost as if he wasn’t as bad as I thought he was.
“Okay,” I said, uncomfortably still holding onto him. “You be safe too.” Not wanting him to see me with the keys in my hand, I quickly stepped away and ran back the way that I came.
As I ran into the palace, I hoped that he didn’t think I was being suspicious. Maybe a little off, but no one saw me as normal. I was either too kind, too soft, or too innocent, so it was possible that he didn’t suspect a thing.
~White Heart~
What am I doing? I wondered as I crept down the dark steps towards the dungeon. Was I really about to betray my family and my people by setting a Light Elf free? One that was known to kill our warriors on the battlefield and probably even made and attempt on my brother? Am I really going to do this? It’s treason.
I wanted to stop myself and turn around. Pretend that I never met or cared for Takana, but my legs just kept moving, and they didn’t stop until I reached her cell.
I was glad that they didn’t.
Takana was slumped against the cells bars with her legs curled under her and her hair covering most of her face. She wasn’t moving, but I was relieved to find that her chest was steadily rising and falling.
“Takana,” I whispered. “Takana, wake up.”
I had never seen her during the day before, so when she tiredly raised her head to look up at me, I was surprised to find that she was even more prettier than I thought. Even through the dirt smudges and bruises, she was the most beautiful person I’d ever seen.
“Calen?” Takana croaked.
My chest ached at the sight of her in this weakened state, but when I looked down at the keys in my hand, my heart began to pound, distracting me from the pain. It was time to get her out of here.
I looked back down at Takana, who was watching me with an intensity that I didn’t understand. It was somewhat intimidating since this was going to be the first time that I faced her without bars separating us. What if she really was evil? What if she turned on me as soon as I opened the cell? Facing her now, it felt as if I were looking at a complete stranger.
But…she wasn’t, was she? She was my friend.
Taking a deep breath, I put the smallest key in the lock and twisted. Surprised that I got it right on the first try, I slowly opened Takana’s cell.
Takana steadily got to her feet. “What’s going on?”
I swallowed. “I’m getting you out of here.”
“But…why now?”
“My father,” I sighed. “He plans on having you all executed.”
Worry shifted over Takana’s face, then she turned to Ms. Arkana, who was watching us with her hands wrapped around the bars.
I turned to Ms. Arkana with a lump forming in my throat. “I can’t save everyone.”
Ms. Arkana gave a halfhearted smile. “I know. We all do. Just help Takana get far away from here, sweet girl.”
I lowered my head. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry. We all have to die sooner or later. I’m just happy that Takana won’t have to lose her life so soon.”
Ms. Arkana and Takana locked eyes, exchanging their goodbyes without words, before Takana turned to me. Her golden irises glossed over and glistened in the sunlight shining through the bars, and for a moment, I thought that she would begin to cry, but instead she raised her chin and took a
deep breath, then stepped out of her cell and faced me.
Hesitantly, I reached down and took her hand into mine. “Let’s go.”
Takana nodded, glancing at Ms. Arkana one last time before following behind me.
Chapter Six
The entire time that I led her through the back halls, I feared that someone would spot us, but it was still too early. No one was up just yet, so all we had to do was keep out of sight of the workers, who had no reason to be back here anyway.
We ran through the deserted part of the palace where I came to be alone from time to time. Halfway through, I had to help Takana get to our destination by throwing her arm over my shoulder and practically carry her up several flights of steps. Our last obstacle was to walk up a long spiral stairway that led to the rooftop of the palace.
Once we were there, the sun was high in the sky and everyone should’ve been getting up to start their day, but from here on out, getting Takana to safety would be easy.
“Are you alright?” I asked.
Takana nodded as she tried to catch her breath, then she stood upright and stared out at the view beyond the palace wall. “Your home is beautiful.”
I turned to face the view of the tall stone buildings in Capital City, surrounded by a forest of green trees. Even further out was a large lake that glistened under the rays of sunlight shining through the clouds.
“Thank you,” I said.
Zaos, I need you, I thought.
“On my way, Princess,” he said back through his mind. “I am always close by.”
When I turned to look at Takana, I found myself frozen. The soft breeze blew her hair across her neck and chin, and the sun made her porcelain skin look as if it were glowing. Especially, her eyes.
She’s really the prettiest person I’ve ever seen.
Takana slightly turned to look at me through sad eyes, and I wanted to console her, but when she tried to smile, I found myself lost for words.
“Calen…” Before I could respond, she threw her arms around me and held tight. “I am in debt to you, always.”
I hesitantly hugged her back. “Don’t worry about it.” When she pulled away, I offered a smile. “Friends are supposed to protect each other. Right?”
Takana’s eyes glistened, then she gave a half-hearted smile. “You are my first friend.”
The thought that she was going back to a place where she had no one made me worry, but it was better than being held prisoner, and a much better alternative to being executed.
When a gust of wind blew at us from behind, we turned to find my black feathered eagle, Zaos, standing behind us. He was my first loyal friend and future war eagle that was triple my size and had the ability to light the sky with blue flames.
“I have come, as you asked, Princess,” Zaos said in a deep voice, lowering himself to the ground.
Takana didn’t even flinch, already familiar with Zaos’ kind.
I stepped towards him. “Zaos, I need you to take Takana home to the Brightstone Kingdom. At least, close enough to it so that she could get back safely.”
Zaos’ large blue eyes moved to Takana, then back to me. “You’re wish is my command, Princess, but are you sure that you want to commit treason?”
I glanced at Takana, then swallowed. “I’m positive.”
“Alright, then I will take Takana Telerie back to her home.”
I was surprised that he knew who she was but didn’t want to think too much into it. It was hard to imagine Takana being a cold-blooded killer.
I took Takana’s hand and led her over to Zaos, then helped her up the ladder on his side so that she could get settled on his saddle.
Once she was comfortable, she grabbed the reigns and looked down at me. “I will miss you, Calen.”
I licked my lower lip. “We’ll see each other again…when you find that meeting place.”
When Takana smiled this time, it didn’t seem sad or forced, and instantly, the aching in my chest stopped.
“We must leave now,” Zaos said as he stood tall.
“Goodbye, Takana.”
“Goodbye, Calen.”
When Zaos took off, a gust of wind nearly blew me onto the ground, but I caught my footing and watched as they flew under the morning light.
~White Heart~
“Nerul, please. I swear that I have nothing to do with this!” I heard Ailre say as I turned down the corner of one of the back halls. I planned on leaving his keys on the steps that led down to the dungeon so that he would believe that he’d only dropped them, but my plan went straight out the window with Nerul on the hunt.
I wasn’t sure when they realized that Takana was gone, but the sun was just now setting, and Nerul had seemed to find his culprit, or at least, who he wanted it to be.
“Someone must’ve snatched my keys. I came back early when I realized that they were missing, and that’s when another soldier told me that the Telerie girl had escaped. I remember leaving the palace with the keys. I swear. The only person that I remember running into this morning was...” He clenched his teeth and looked away. “Calen. Calen must’ve done this. She did seem odd and in a hurry this morning.” He looked back up at Nerul. “I don’t know why, but she had to be the one to free ―”
I saw Nerul make a move before even Ailre did and dropped the keys when he plunged his sword into Ailre’s stomach.
My hands shook as my eyes filled with tears, and I stepped out into the open as Ailre grunted and fell into Nerul. Even though he wasn’t a good man, he didn’t deserve to die like that. Especially, when he did nothing particularly wrong. He was only killed so that I wouldn’t be.
“Thank you for telling me, Ailre,” Nerul said as he let Ailre fall onto the floor. “You were a great warrior.”
Nerul stared down at Ailre’s body before slightly turning to look at me over his shoulder. “Calen…”
I was shaking, unable to answer. There was just so much blood on the floor and covering his sword that that was all I could focus on.
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I wondered if I did the right thing. I never expected this to be the outcome of saving a friend. I never thought that someone else would die in her place.
When Nerul completely turned around to face me, his expression was stone, but his eyes…How could he kill someone in cold blood and look so troubled over it?
“Calen, you weren’t supposed to see ―”
I stepped back when he took a step towards me, then in a panic, I ran back the way I came and left him standing there.
I ran all the way back towards my room where I saw Seri walking towards his own, and in a need to be comforted, I threw myself into his arms and pressed my face against his stomach. He didn’t know what was going on but wrapped his arms around me anyways, holding me tight.
“Everything will be alright, Calen,” Seri soothed. “Don’t worry.”
Chapter Seven
Three Years Later…
I stared into the black casket at my father’s motionless body and couldn’t believe that our strong king had only amounted up to this withered old man before me. He used to be feared and respected, but now, he was just the king that had lost his mind and was killed at the hands of his own son.
When I asked why he went mad, mother explained that he couldn’t handle the power of the stone and was taken over by darkness. It’s happened to previous kings, but not all of them. I guess our father just wasn’t as strong as we thought.
Nerul ended up inheriting the Stone of Darkness but insisted on also keeping the sealing stone that he was given at birth. Usually, new kings used the Stone of Darkness to take the magic back from their own sealing stone so that it could be its replacement, but my brother didn’t want to do things the way that the previous kings had done. He didn’t want to risk being overwhelmed with darkness when he already had so much of his own.
I reached down and took my father’s cold hand, hoping that I would feel some sort of sorrowful emotion from his death, but there was nothi
ng. I couldn’t feel sorry or sad that he was gone because there was nothing for me to miss. He and I had never grown a real relationship, and after what he did to Seri, I found it hard to want anything from him. Still, I thought that there would be something. I promised Seri that I would never change, but it seemed that the soft part of my heart was hardening.
Nerul, my new king, stepped up beside me and glared down at our father’s body. “Mother is ready for him to be buried.”
I wasn’t sure how Nerul felt, but I knew that he couldn’t have felt good about what he had done. Even if our father was responsible for Seri’s death.
I took Nerul’s hand and sighed, then lowered my head when his grip tightened over mine. It was just like the time that we stood in front of the Great Warriors Monument together, gazing at our brother’s name that Nerul carved in gold using magic.
Seri left no remains, so there was no body to bury after the Battle of The Blood Volcano, a battle that our father had sent him into after he defended me.
I had lost another duel, but knew that I was showing great progress, only our father didn’t think so and attacked me using magic. It was our first sign of him losing his mind, but at the time, we did nothing about it, and so our beloved Seri was sent out to die.
The day we received word of Seri’s courageous death, Nerul and I stood in the rain for what felt like eternity, but I found myself never wanting to leave his side. Especially when I spotted tears streaming down his cheeks.
His eyes were so blue that day…
Ever since then, Nerul and I had grown closer than ever. He may not have expressed his love or even really spoken to me for that matter, but our bond felt stronger. I could tell by the way he looked at me from time to time, or how he made an effort to encourage me when I was feeling down.
“Are you ready to be king, Brother?” I asked Nerul as I looked up at him.
White Heart: The Prophecy (The Blackened Souls Series Book 1) Page 3
