Emperor's Heir - Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Nalda shrieked when she saw us and had baths run up immediately. Two manservants grabbed hold of Iyagi while Nalda took me by the arm, pulling the two of us apart into separate rooms. Once settled in the tub, the old woman devoted her attention to me, scrubbing my back furiously and saving no time in giving long lectures which were filled with scores of exclamations.

“How many baths do you need child!?” She cried once. “Really! This makes two today!”

“Four,” I muttered back, thinking of my showers under the waterfall and the unexpected dunking in the pool.

“What?”

“Nothing,” I replied quickly, sinking deeper into the tub to blow bubbles.

“Hmph!” Nalda huffed, grabbing a comb and pulling it through my hair, non-too-gently, causing me to wince. Once dried and dressed, the older maid then sent me to bed without supper. She stopped me from protesting by holding up her finger.

“If you cannot stay clean and behave as a grown woman should,” she said, wagging the finger in my face, “then you shall be treated like a child until you prove otherwise.”

And then, Nalda shut the door in my face and I was left all alone in my room with my rumbling, growling stomach. However, I didn’t mind that much. I had other mysteries to occupy my mind. Namely – how to unlock the spell of a certain memoir.

Diving under the bed, I searched among the cobwebs and dust for the book. My fingers grasped at the thread worn cover and eagerly tugged it out from its hiding place. Hugging it to my chest I felt as if I was carrying a piece of my mother in my arms. Since it was her mother who wrote in these pages, I hoped to uncover a bit about my own. I opened it, only to again be met with bare sheets.

”’Name of blood’” I quoted. The key lay in the message. I knew it.

At that moment there was a soft knock at the door. Going to it, I whispered, “Who is it?”

“It’s Iyagi,” came a return whisper back.

I opened the door a crack and a plate of rolls met my eyes behind a grinning prince’s face.

“I happened to overhear Nalda send you to your room without eating,” he said, “so I thought I would try and smuggle you what I could.”

I took the plate and inhaled the warm scent of the rolls. “Thank you!” I breathed out gratefully, “I hope you didn’t get caught.”

Iyagi shook his head. “Usan stood guard and was the distraction in case Nalda came our way. Oh, and I brought you something else.” The prince dug into the folds of his robe and took out a piece of paper which he held out for me to take. “It’s a message from the Emperor. He told me to give it to you at the soonest opportunity.”

I put the rolls down and took the paper. “Why didn’t Father give it to me himself?” I pondered quietly.

Iyagi smiled softly. “He knew you were going to wonder why. His Majesty told me to tell you that you would understand once you read what’s inside.”

I nodded silently. “Thank you.”

“Good night,” he whispered back before walking stealthily away on tiptoe.

Closing the door, I broke the red seal of wax and opened the folded paper. There were several pages. The writing was a little faded, but the hand was clear and precise, written in confident deft strokes.

It was from my mother.

My dear Avacë,

If your father has given this to you it means that I am no longer alive. If so, my darling, I am very sorry! There is so much I have to say and so many questions I wish to ask. How old are you? What are your hopes and dreams? Did you marry a good man? And most importantly – are you happy? I miss you so much and long to be by your side every moment I am gone. We always had such glorious adventures together, just the two of us. But I promise you, that even though I am gone, I shall always be watching over you. And if you need me, I will be there.

But my dear, I write this note not merely for a sentiment. There is a great danger that is being released into the world. And I’m afraid it comes from our secret place – Quonxi. We both loved this land dearly and you know as well as I that so many beautiful things were created there. But there is also a great darkness. Your Grandmother discovered it first.

Her tribe, the Kacheinagh, was a proud nation. The women were especially gifted. A secret power was always bestowed upon the eldest daughter of the chieftain, coming from their ancient ancestor, who was given it by the Heavens as reward for a great sacrifice she made at the beginning of the world. Descended from mother to daughter throughout the ages, a long-lasting legacy was created. Once the daughter was born, the power faded from the mother. Yet, this special gift always proved to be different with its new owner.

When your Grandmother was born, the moon shone as bright as the sun. Moments after, there was a strange sound that history records as a loud creak. I imagine that a mighty hand had opened a special door that night. You know what door I mean. A portal was created that led to the land of Quonxi. And from that door, magic poured through. Slowly, strange mystical creatures began appearing throughout the entire Empire of Geodaehan. Some people were afraid. But others accepted them and bonded with the Quonxinites. For years, all was peaceful.

Then the darkness appeared.

They called themselves the White Winter Warlocks. Their hair was of ashen snow, their lips as blue as ice, and their eyes as black as their souls. They fed upon flesh for food and blood for drink. And they performed dark arts. No one noticed at first. But as they grew stronger in our beloved Empire, their power grew. People began losing their reason – going mad. Like an epidemic, father turned on son, mother on daughter, husband on wife. No on was safe, even with those they held most dear to their heart. The warlocks were harvesting souls.

It was your Grandmother who discovered the cause. Using all the power she possessed, she banished those evil witches from Geodaehan and locked them all back in Quonxi, on the highest peak of the highest mountain. But the spell taxed her strength and sent her into premature labor. She died giving birth to me.

Your Grandfather, my father, told me her story before he passed when I was still very young. I should have told you as soon as you could speak. But I was afraid. The darkness was unraveling, seeping back into our world. And I knew that one day you would have to defeat it. For you, my darling, are the next Chieftain’s Daughter. A great power rests in your body, transferred from mine when you were born. And should you have a little girl of your own someday, it will pass onto her.

I end this note with a bode of warning. The White Winter Warlocks have only been stayed, not ended. They will return with a vengeance and must be defeated. I fear that that great responsibility rests upon your shoulders, my child. I know not how, but I trust my Avacë will find a way. You always did. Before your Grandmother died, she received a vision, in which was revealed the secret to extinguishing the witches’ demonic power and she managed to write it down the night before expiring.

My dear – my treasure – my light of lights; please be careful!

Your mother,

Ÿĩşŧƍƞ

Tears pricked at my eyes and my fingers trembled. Conflicting emotions tore through my body, setting my blood on fire and a chill down my back. I wanted to sob and cry over the loss of the mother I could not remember. I wanted to tear my hair out in anger over the evil that took her and my grandmother so early from me. But most of all … I wanted to hide myself under a rock in fear.

Fear of failure, fear of losing everyone I loved, fear of death. These fears permeated to my core. But stronger than all of them dwelt the fear of disappointing my mother. I wanted to please her. And I knew now, that she was always near by, protecting me. I could almost feel her, a gentle touch on my shoulder, comforting me.

The air in the room no longer felt enough. My throat was dry and suffocating. Tucking the letter under my pillow, I grabbed a shawl and a lit candle before slowly opening my door. Nalda was no where in sight. Carefully, I tiptoed barefoot across the dark hall towards the entrance till I had safely stepped outside into the cool night air.

I breathed in deeply and sighed.

Stars twinkled brightly in the clear, dark sky and a soft breeze shifted through the night. Everything was eerily quiet, except for the chirping of crickets and the croaking of frogs. The sound of water in the pond relaxed me as I listened to the ripples splashing softly against sandy banks.

I crossed over to the bridge, I leaned over its edge to gaze down below to watch the moonbeams dance off the glassy surface. The candle in my hand mingled its own warm glow with the cold light of the moon. I watched as the flame flickered in the wind. Then I blinked. I was no longer staring at one candle in the water’s reflection.

There were now two.