Chapter 15 Glade
“How could you not wake me last night, Glade? Going into that bizarre tunnel alone. What were you thinking?” Jion scolded me, trailing behind as I steered him through the hidden tunnel.
“I wasn’t alone,” I reminded him. “Tempal was with me. Besides, you were asleep, and I needed to debrief my guards. It could all wait until morning.”
Jion raised a skeptical brow as he teased, “Tempal was your escort of choice? You’d have been better off with one of the scullery maids. I still don’t understand why you enrolled him in the Castle Guard in the first place. He’s…well, less than effective.”
“Tempal is a good man,” I reassured him. “He may not be the best fighter, but he’s loyal. That must count for something.”
Jion grimaced as he strolled along my side. “You’re lucky that bloke could summon enough Light to save your ass. Next time, just wake me. I would have gone with you—little brother,” he added with a spirited wink.
I stopped in front of the cavern entranceway and turned to face my elder brother, who, as usual, looked down his nose at me.
Jion stood a full two inches taller. Even though I was considered tall by Ornathian standards, he’d always been the larger one, and it didn’t go unnoticed.
I’d heard tales of younger brothers eventually matching or even surpassing their elders, but Jion and I were different.
He’d always be my big brother, both in stature and in presence.
“I’m fine,” I huffed, exasperated by his pestering. “I killed the damn thing, didn’t I? It was easy.” A lie, but one I needed to tell myself as much as him.
Jion scoffed, giving me a doubtful look as he brushed past my shoulder and approached the cave. “Right. Easy,” he muttered. “So, this is it?” He gestured to the darkness beyond, as if expecting it to answer him.
“Yeah, this is it.” I nodded, but a prickle of unease crept up my spine. I knew the beast was dead… I’d watched it fall. Yet, the cavern’s memory lingered like an eerie shadow, and some cowardly part of me wished it had all just been a fever dream.
Jion, always prepared, retrieved a small lantern from his belt, then extended his other palm upward. Effortlessly, his hand glowed with soft, golden Light, casting a warm halo that pushed back the darkness around us.
Jion had wielded Source Light efficiently since he was a boy, mastering it with an ease that felt almost unfair. Naturally, Father had ensured he had only the finest tutors, the best of the best—no expense spared for the heir to the Ornathian throne.
“You make it look so easy,” I mocked, unable to hide the hint of envy in my voice.
Jion flashed me that cocky grin of his, shrugging like it was the simplest thing in the world. “It is,” he nonchalantly replied.
Rolling my eyes, I mimicked his every move, pulling out my own lantern and igniting it with my Light. The glow filled the space, casting golden hues over the ancient stone walls.
I led Jion to the far side of the cavern where the same eerie handprint lingered at eye level.
“Watch this,” I said, trying my best to sound confident and at ease as I lifted my right hand and pressed my palm to the centre of the etched handprint. I held my breath, waiting for something to happen—anything.
But there was only silence. Nothing stirred. Fiery heat rushed to my cheeks as I pulled my hand away.
“Riveting,” Jion drawled, crossing his arms over his chest. “Are we here to watch you pat the wall?”
Last night, the door had opened the moment I placed my palm within the markings. I couldn’t understand why it wasn’t working now. I stared down at my hands, clean and unmarred… Too clean.
An idea kindled in my mind, a stupid one at that. However, I reached for the dagger strapped to my belt and unsheathed it.
“Glade!” Jion warned, a flash of alarm crossing his face.
But before he could intervene, I sliced the blade across my palm.
Blood pooled in my hand and trickled down my arm. However, I ignored the sting and pressed my palm against the etching once more. Just like last night, the wall smouldered with a faint crimson light and stung to the touch before dissolving into nothingness, revealing the darkened cavern beyond.
Jion’s eyes widened, and he tentatively reached through the newly formed gap, his hand swiping at empty air. “It…it’s gone,” he whispered in disbelief. He spun back to face me, skepticism in his gaze. “How did you do that?”
I held my hands up in surrender, shrugging at the same time. “I have no idea. Last night, after the attack, I was covered in blood… Maybe the door needs a blood sacrifice to open.”
Jion grimaced, his eyes narrowing. “Blood magic… That’s some dark shit. The doorway only responds to a sacrifice?”
“Seems like it,” I replied, trying to mask my own unease.
Jion lingered, still transfixed by the impossible void, as I stepped in, holding my lantern aloft.
The supply closet was exactly as it had been the night before—unremarkable, save for the latched door. Jion entered, brushing past me, before climbing the ladder and pressing his full weight against the door.
“Damn thing won’t budge.” He winced, slamming his shoulder against the wood once more. “It must be locked from the other side. You were right, Glade—about the traitor. But where does this hatch lead?”
“I’m not sure. But we’ll scour the castle until we find out.”
Jion nodded firmly, concern tightening his usually relaxed features. “And the creature? Show me.”
I nodded and led my brother out of the cramped space and back into the damp cavern.
Shadows danced across the damp stone, though the soft glow of the Light barely pierced the darkness. Every noise, every echo, each creepy drip of water hitting the floor awoke goosebumps on my skin.
I moved conscientiously, my eyes fixed on the emaciated body sprawled on the ground ahead.
Its pale, twisted form was a grim reminder of the conflict from the night before.
My every step felt heavier with apprehension.
What if there were more of these creatures lurking in the shadows, watching me from beyond the reach of my Light?
At last, I reached the mangled body, its headless form slumped lifelessly across the damp ground. The stench hit me at once—a putrid, sickly-sweet odour that forced me to recoil, pressing a hand over my nose and mouth.
“Is that it?” Jion asked, stepping closer to examine the grotesque crumpled form. “Goddess, what is that thing? That doesn’t look like a typical Tenebranian.”
“It’s not. I told you, it mutated somehow,” I restated, recalling the creature’s unnerving speed and agility. “It moved differently. This thing was far faster than any standard Tenebrae.”
Jion knelt beside the creature and prodded its lifeless arm with a stick he had found nearby. “What could it be doing down here?”
All night, I’d wrestled with the same thought, tossing and turning as I lay awake, squeamish in my silk sheets. What, or who, could draw such a heinous monster beneath the castle?
“It was probably part of the Tenebrae’s next planned attack on the castle,” I surmised. “They know Jane is here now. They’re raising the stakes because they’re worried that the prophecy might come true.”
Jion rose to his feet, his upper lip curling in disgust. “Yeah, that makes sense. But why this thing? They’ve never sent any creatures like this before. Usually, they’ve sent weaker expendable scouts.”
I shrugged, though a smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth. “No idea. Looks like you better hurry up and marry the poor girl.”
It was a lighthearted jab, but beneath the teasing, I felt a pang of sympathy for Jion.
Jion let out a resigned sigh, his hands planted firmly on his hips.
“It appears so,” he murmured. “Send your men down here to retrieve the body. I want it brought to the king and the council members at once for inspection. Seal that damn hole in the forest too—at once. Goddess knows we need another creature finding their way down here. There’s something suspicious happening in this castle right under our noses, and we need to get to the bottom of it. ”
With a nod of respect to the heir and technically my superior, I replied, “I will.”
“Good work, Glade.” Jion acknowledged me with a nod before making his way toward the ladder.
Despite the eerie atmosphere of the cavern and my desire to escape its disturbing aura, I felt compelled to call out to him, “Jion?”
He stopped and turned to face me. “Yeah, Glade?”
Our family wasn’t one to openly discuss feelings or emotions, but I needed to break that mold right here, right now. I wanted to understand what was going on in his mind.
“How do you feel about the betrothal? How do you plan to handle it?” Goddess, this felt strange. “How are you feeling? About Jane and the wedding and everything…” I trailed off awkwardly, my gaze falling to my feet as they kicked a pebble to the side.
Jion took a moment to clearly contemplate how to answer.
Finally, he spoke. “From the time I was thirteen years old, I was told about this great prophecy and how my marriage would be the key to defeating the Tenebrae and their destruction of the universe. But honestly? I never really believed it. I thought it was just a made-up story created to bring hope to our people. I didn’t think Father would find a survivor of Domus.
” He shook his head. “I can’t even begin to fathom how Jane survived the destruction of her home planet.
How does a baby end up on a world millions of light years away? ”