Chapter 6
The BLUE-eyed prince
Whispers from the Aspen trees touched her ears, and even though it pained her to do so, Adalia smiled. She was almost home. A warm glow in the distance told her the Lucius Gate was just ahead–she choked on a sob as her knees dragged across the ground. Every move she made was like fire ripping through her body.
Adalia’s vision blurred, her breath coming in slow and pained as she dragged herself towards it. Relief washed over her as it crept closer. The familiar wooden structure was a comfort. The glow of the lamps—like a warm embrace from a loved one. Voices she couldn’t quite make out touched her ears.
Hands grasped her arms as she tried to stand on her feet. The world spun and a loud ringing pulsed inside her head. Adalias’ vision tunnelled as the people around her moved in slow motion. She was crashing, and she was crashing hard.
Cold blue eyes came to the forefront of her mind. Had he really just let her go . . . just like that?
“Help me. Quickly!” someone cried.
Adalia was gathered into warm arms and rushed through the gate. As soon as they reached the other side, a team of Lightner soldiers landed with a mighty thud. Their boots shook the ground, and the force pulled Adalia from her weakened state.
A familiar face hovered above hers, and she let out a choked sob.
Nikolas gently eased Adalia from the guard’s arms and nodded in thanks towards those who had helped.
“Nik, I’m so sorry . . .” Adalia whispered to her brother.
“Shhh, you’re safe now. I’m here.” Nikolas pulled her closer to his body and shot into the sky. Finally safe, Adalia let down her guard, and exhaustion swept her into unconsciousness.
Adalia came to. A cool cloth lay on her forehead. Sunshine poured into her room and birdsong floated in on the breeze coming from her bedroom window.
She looked at the person by her bed and then burst into tears.
“I thought I would never see you again,” Shiloh said as she threw herself into Adalia’s arms.
“I’m so sorry. I thought the same.” Adalia pulled her closer.
“Never leave me again,” Shiloh sniffed as she reached for a tissue to wipe her nose. “I want to know everything. How did you escape?”
Adalia winced as she pulled herself up into a seated position. Shiloh leant over her and helped prop some pillows behind Adalia’s back. Her bed felt incredibly comfortable after enduring days on a hard stone floor. She made a silent promise to herself to never complain about it again.
“Where’s Nik? I don’t want to tell the story twice. Once he’s here, I’ll tell you everything,” Adalia replied softly.
Shiloh nodded and rose to her feet. “Don’t you dare think about moving from that bed while I’m gone.”
Adalia chuckled and then hissed through her teeth in pain. “Trust me, I’m in too much pain to go anywhere. In fact, I think I might stay here for a week.”
“Good, because I would not let you leave the house, anyway.” Shiloh winked at her and quietly slipped from the room.
Adalia smiled as she closed her eyes and let her body relax. All the familiar smells and sounds came rushing in all at once. She truly thought she would never see or hear it all again. She was certain the Prince of Darkness had never known such peace . . . He’d set her free. Even without the kiss.
Why?
Wasn’t he just like the rest of them? He certainly hadn’t interfered when his father had yanked her around or placed his hands inappropriately on her body . . . but he also hadn’t joined in on the degrading comments and gestures either. Did the cost of her freedom come at a price? Would he seek her out to claim it? A plethora of questions hammered at her mind, and Adalia felt an overwhelming desire to seek the answers.
The door to her room flew open and her brother entered with a concerned Shiloh right behind him.
“What is it? Are you okay?” Nikolas dropped to his knees beside her bed.
Adalia smiled weakly. “Hello to you too.”
“I’m sorry. I rushed here as soon as I saw Shiloh.”
“I’m fine. Stop fretting so much. It will give you creases on that pretty forehead of yours.” Adalia brushed his chestnut hair from his face.
“We thought you were gone Ada, I was gathering a team, and we were coming for you, I promise.” Nikolas’s eyes were filled with pain as he wrapped his sister in an embrace.
“It’s okay, I’m okay now. And I’m glad you didn’t come for me. There was no point endangering your lives as well,” she answered as she stroked his hair.
Nikolas was her only sibling, and they’d always been close. He was at least five inches taller than her, about six feet, with the body of a well-trained warrior. Many female Lightners would bat their eyes at him no matter where he went in Lucius. His hair was a lighter shade of brown than Adalia’s and, in the sun, it threw a hint of red. They shared the same honey soaked skin, but Nikolas sported more almond-coloured freckles across his body than Adalia did. Nikolas’s good-looks and emerald green eyes garnered much attention, but no more so than his wings. They were massive and towered over his head as he walked. The deep, scarlet red feathers were unlike any other in all of Lucius.
“Tell us everything,” Shiloh said as she sat on Adalia’s bed.
Nikolas rose and retrieved a wooden chair from Adalia’s desk and placed it beside her.
And so she did. Every detail about what had happened over the past few days.
“They are all so horrid to one another. There is no happiness, no joy, no life,” Adalia continued.
“So, how did you get out? How did you get back across the Veil?” Shiloh questioned.
Adalia fiddled with her hands. “The prince took me from the cell under the cover of night and walked me through to The Grey.”
“The prince?” Nikolas asked with a sullen look on his face.
Shiloh’s brow furrowed. “The Oscuro prince?”
“Yes, the prince set me free.” Adalia locked eyes with her brother. “And before you ask, I do not know why.”
Nikolas rose and ran a hand through his hair as he paced the floor of her room. “We have to retaliate. They have to know what the consequences are for harming a Lightner.”
“No Nik, I don’t want revenge. I’m okay and safe now. Let it be.”
Shiloh shook her head. “This should never have happened, Ada. It’s a miracle you are home.”
“Shiloh is right. We will need to tighten up the patrols and station more guards at the Gates for all The Grey. This can not happen again. It’s a miracle that anyone made it out of that place.” Nikolas folded his arms across his broad chest.
“I agree, but for now I would like to sleep in my bed, where I know that when I wake, no one will hit, beat, or force me to serve wine to a bunch of Thorns and their horrid king.” Adalia sighed.
“I will never let one of them lay a hand on you ever again, Ada.” Nikolas stood by her bed and squeezed her hand.
“I know you won’t. Now get out of here and let me sleep,” she said, offering a smile.
Her brother and Shiloh left with the promise of being nearby should she wake and need something.
Adalia nestled into her blankets, heavy and warm, and drifted off to dreams of nighttime, and its breathtakingly gentle embrace.
“I am so happy to see you safe within these borders, Adalia. I am immensely sorry for what you went through to get back here.” The King of Lucius sat on a throne of solid gold. The room was large enough to hold thousands. Its walls consisted of floor to ceiling windows that looked out upon the Kingdom. The floor, made of sapphire blue glass, glittered as the sun cast its rays across it. It was Adalia’s favourite room in the entire palace.
It had taken her three days to heal to where she could dress herself and move around with minimal pain. The king had wanted to see her as soon as she was able.
“I am so thankful to be home, Your Highness.” She dropped to one knee and knelt before him.
“Stand, my child, and walk with me.” The king motioned for her to rise as he, too, stood from his seated position and walked down the dais stairs towards Adalia.
“Tell me, is the King of Oscuro still planning a war?” he asked with concern as they walked from the throne room and down a hallway.
“I cannot say my king. He spoke very little to his subjects or his son when I was in their presence,” Adalia answered. “But it would not surprise me. He asked me on more than one occasion if you were planning a war against him, but I never answered.”
The king smiled, but his brown eyes were sad. “He was once such a good man. It’s heartbreaking to watch what he has done with his life.”
“What happened?” Adalia asked.
The idea of the king knowing his enemy as if he had once been a friend surprised Adalia. She’d never really questioned how the King of Oscuro came to be, and presumed the two kingdoms had simply always existed, light and dark.
“Hundreds of years ago, the King of Oscuro was my advisor and head of music here in Lucius. I was king, as I have always been since the beginning of time. And he was a man of justice and honour. Together, we took care of Lucius and its people, but over time, jealousy poisoned his soul. I thought it might wane with time, but it only deepened. He wanted to be king. He wanted the people to love him the way they loved me. And I could see that his heart was turning black. I knew he would never be a righteous king, so I told him that if he continued this path, he would have to leave. He didn’t take the news well at all and left in the middle of the night, taking a third of my subjects with him. He sold them a lie, and I was devastated to find they’d believed it,” the king explained.
“I did not know he was head of music, but it explains why he was always playing his veslo at the palace,” Adalia added wistfully.
The king’s eyes were kind as he smiled. “He was an exceptional player.”
“I’m sorry things turned out the way they did,” Adalia said.
“Everyone has a choice, Adalia. He chose. And now must live with the consequences.” The king’s brown eyes crinkled at the corners. He was an ordinary-looking man, with shoulder-length brown hair, a slim face and a lovely smile, but his eyes made him beautiful.
Adalia nodded. “Because of my unfortunate incident, I would ask permission, my king, to double the border patrols and the amount of guards stationed at the Gates for a while. I don’t want to risk another Thorn entering The Grey or the rare chance that a Lightner falls through the Veil into Oscuro and suffers those consequences. I would also like to send out small groups to assess the Veil completely, looking for any weak spots or tears.”
“You do what you need to, Major. My army is your army and I trust you wholly,” the king replied.
“Thank you, my king. Light guide you.” Adalia bowed before him and left his side, heading straight for warrior central . . . the compound.
It felt good to stretch her wings. It’d been far too long since she used them at their full strength.
It wasn’t long before the compound came into view.
Everyone clapped and cheered as soon as Adalia’s boots hit the ground. She stood in awe for a moment. Why were they cheering for her? She didn’t win some great battle or destroy a legion of Thorns. Though she appreciated the warm welcome, she didn’t feel as though she deserved the attention. After a few seconds of feeling embarrassed by all the faces grinning at her, she motioned for silence.
“Your welcome is sincerely appreciated, yet let it be known that I do not lay claim to the title of hero. I hold the firm belief that every one of you would give chase to a Thorn with unwavering determination if it meant safeguarding an innocent from their web of deceit. Do I entertain the thought of you venturing into Oscuro? No, never. Do I expect you to tirelessly patrol every inch of the Veil, resolutely standing as a shield against their malevolent advances? Absolutely. The homecoming I experience is a gift beyond measure, and I thank you. However, what I witnessed on the other side of that border only serves to stoke the fire within me, strengthening my commitment to protecting those in The Grey. Let not your vigilance waver, not even for a fleeting heartbeat. As of this day, we shall enforce back-to-back patrol shifts, ensuring that no more suffer at the hands of the King of Darkness, and his realm.”
With these words, Adalia’s speech finished, casting a hushed stillness over the multitude.
“We will not yield to the darkness,” someone from the crowd cried out.
A second voice echoed, “We will not yield to the darkness.”
Within moments, the entire compound was chanting in unison, and Adalia grinned.
They would not yield to the darkness.
“Nice speech, sis.” Nikolas grinned at her as they walked to her office.
“It’s not about me. I just want every Lightner to understand the seriousness of the situation. I won’t allow anyone to experience what I went through. If I can save someone’s life, I will.” Adalia smiled at her brother. “Now let’s go make The Grey safe.”
“As long as you’re ready?”
“Ready and willing.” Adalia grinned.
Nikolas returned her smile, and the duo geared up. Adalia sheathed her duo of onyx handled daggers into her left and right boot. She placed another dagger on her right thigh and took her bow and arrows from the hook beside the doorway. It was better to be over prepared.
Her mind travelled to the blue-eyed prince, still baffled as to why he let her go. Would she ever be able to thank him? Did she want to? Adalia despised everything his title represented, but despite all of that, he still set her free, regardless of the kiss.
On that alone, she felt she needed to say thank you purely out of the kindness of her heart . . . but how?