Spirit Followers Page 11

  colliding with the ground. “Keep trying. You are improving. The

  slingshot also strengthens the muscles in your arms.” Cam was

  finding the slingshot more difficult to maneuver now that her arm

  was growing tired. “Eventually, you must also learn to handle the

  slingshot with your non-dominant hand just in case you might lose

  the other one.”

  “I have no plans on becoming a warrior.”

  “You may becomeone yet.” Saffira’s hand clamped down on

  her shoulder. “What weapons are used in the Medulla Realm?” “Bow and arrows, slingshots, though they are hardly ever

  used. They also make their own traps and snares. The closest we have to warriors are called Forest Fighters or to the young Tree Jumpers. They learn how to swim, ride horses, and leap from place to place on high ground.” She paused, selecting another stone from

  the basket Saffira held. “Only a select few are such warriors.” “I do not see why the Medulla Realm would be in need of

  soldiers at all,” Saffira laughed.

  Cam cast a glance sideways but did not offer an explanation.

  “They fear you,” she thought. “Or something to that effect.” Any

  further thoughts or words Cam had on the matter died when her

  stone hit an acorn upon a designated branch. It fell with a satisfying

  thump. “I believe that was chance, but I am beginning to like the

  feel of this.” She glanced at the slingshot in her right hand. “Keep it. It is a gift from me to you for finishing your

  training.”

  “Finished?” Cam clarified, surprise marking her expression. Saffira nodded. “Thereis nothingmoreIcan teachyou. Iwill

  give you one more gift.” Saffira’s hand reappeared from her pocket

  with the small bottle of Gnosi magic she had taken that morning.

  She handed it to Cam. “This is your year’s amount. New Royals do

  not participate in the ceremony their first year but receive their

  rations when they complete training in each realm. Use it wisely.” “Thank you for all you have done. I owe you a great debt.” "Nonsense," Saffira replied. "It is my duty." She lifted her

  eyes to the setting sun which cast fuchsia rays over the gold-laden

  fields and blue painted sky. "We should return to the castle in order

  to prepare you in time for your dining plans."

  Cam’s sisters and Caleb were presently collected, and they

  made their way across the river just as the sun was swallowed by a

  bejeweled darkness.

  Twelve

  Candlelight summoned Camaria in flickering motions toward

  the designated room for her evening plans with Apollyon and Riah. She crept into the chamber draped in a cashmere, ivory, and ruby form-fitting gown that fell in ripples at her feet and enclosed her arms in thin sleeves. The cool evening air touched her skin through the open windows. Sheer curtains fluttered in the breeze and made the flames dance above the wax laid upon the table.

  Apollyon rose when Cam entered. He kissed her hand as Riah remained in his seat at the end of the polished table opposite from Apollyon. “This is a private chamber Riah and I share,” Apollyon said as he guided Cam to her seat in a high-backed chair with a plush, crimson cushion. “Riah’s mother, my late wife favored this room and our time here above any other.” A small smile ghosted over his features while Riah remained expressionless. “I do hope you like venison. It is rare that we eat it. Many like the deer in the forests.”

  It was not Cam’s favorite even though Fiera had killed deer countless times and insisted that she try the meat. Nevertheless, she took ahearty portionwhen Riahpassedher theplatter. “Saffira tells me you have completed training. It is quite an accomplishment to have done so this soon,” Riah spoke out.

  “That is what she said,” Cam replied. Apollyon’s knife and fork scraped against his plate as he cut his meat. The Gnosi Realm leader proceeded to give her an account of how most trainings progressed. Cam took this opportunity to observe the room. This room was diverting from the rest within the castle simply because it appeared as if it were a patchwork quilt. Various pieces of future, instruments, books, maps, and other items were scattered about the room in a fashion which was hardly neat. This gave it a homelike feel, and Cam felt as though she were peeking into a past she should not see. She wondered about Riah’s mother and where she had gone. She did not ask, however, and diverted her attention back to what Apollyon was saying.

  “As you may know, each realm possesses a collec tion of magical items. These items have little magic and most are not harmful. Where the magic comes from, no one seems to know. Nevertheless, Riah and I would like to bestow one of these as a gift to you.” Apollyon summoned a servant who stood parallel to the entrance.

  The servant scurried forward with a maroon cloth in hand. Upon the cloth was a polished sword with a diamond hilt and with it a white sheath. Apollyon handed the object carefully to Cam. “This sword’s magic can only be used once. When used, it wields much power,” he said in a low tone.

  Cam accepted the gift gratefully. She had never beheld a sword so beautiful. It was heavy in her hands as one might expect from a diamond hilt. “Mother admired it much,” Riah said softly. Cam turned her head and saw his expression was shadowed with subtle sadness. “Now you must admire it as well. Even after you have used it, keep it.”

  “Do you give all your guests gifts such as these?” Cam asked with glinting eyes.

  Apollyon smiled and shook his head. “Hardly at all, Miss Camaria. You have our special attention.”

  “And why is that?” she asked.

  “We hope that you will appreciate all that we have granted you here so that when you return to the Royalty Realm, you will make decisions in our best interest.”

  “Do all realms bargain for a new Royal’s favoritism?” she asked outright without remembering that she had decided on posing the question.

  She half expected Apollyon to return with a sharp reply, but he laughed instead, throwing his head back. “It is part of the game. Though there are no fatal disagreements, you know the realms have their squabbles. Each wishes to come out of these arguments unscathed, Camaria. It helps when the Royals are in favor of us.” With this, he raised his wine and took a lengthy drink.

  “You could cease arguing. That would solve the problem,” she remarked.

  Apollyon laughed once more. “Quite true. I wish you were remaining here for a while longer. I would be delighted to witness your participation in our debates. We indulge in them for entertainment. It is rare that they become bloody.” Apollyon’s expression revealed amusement at Cam’s reaction to this.

  After a moment of silence in which iced fruit was set before them by a servant Cam asked, “Who painted these?” She fluttered a hand in front of her, motioning to the wall opposite her. The wall was set with many framed images created with what appeared to be charcoal and black paint.

  Riah replied with a faint smile. “My mother made most of them. I did a few. Would you like to see?” Cam nodded and rose after him. Riah led her around the table and held a candle before them so she might see the two painting pinned to the wall.

  Cam’s fingers reached out to trace the outline of what appeared to be the Castle in the Air. But this painting portrayed the structure as dismal and dark. The paint had been applied in hasty scratches in some places and in others, careful brushstrokes. “It is how I see it sometimes,” Riah murmured with a shrug when his father was preoccupied with speaking to a woman who had entered.

  “And this?” Cam inquired as she turned to a painting which held two young children a boy and a girl as well as a woman over watching them. Although it too was painted in black, the image portrayed happiness. The children were laughing amid swaying grass. When Cam turned, she found Riah with parted lips and a grave expression.

  “A glimpse at my
childhood.” He gave a sad smile. “It’s gone now.” He paused and turned back to the table where Apollyon was whisperingat thewoman’s neck. “I willescort you to your chambers Camaria if you will allow me,” Riah said.

  Cam nodded. "Thank you, Lord Apollyon for your splendid hospitality. My sisters and I will remain in your realm for the remainder of the week if you consent so that we may indulge in its full extent of beauty."

  “And to continue training in combat,” she thought.

  “Of course I consent!” Apollyon announced. He rose on slightly swayingfeet, pattedhis stomach andsaid, “Iwill retire now. I will speak with you in the morning son.” Apollyon swung from the room with the woman on his arm.

  Riah offered his arm of which Cam took. “I am glad to have met you,” he said quietly. They turned a corner and walked the length of a torch lit passage toward the western side of the castle where Camaria and her sisters had been given chambers.

  “I do not know if I can say the same.” Aloud, Cam stated, “Your father makes for pleasant company.”

  “And what of myself?”

  She glanced sideways at the young prince to find his glinting gaze upon her. She shrugged, ushering a chuckle from him. Presently, Riah swung her before her chamber door and stood beneath the light of an overhanging torch. The light caused his raven hair to appear sleek and shiny.

  “One more thing before I depart.” He reached into his pocket and pulled from it a tiny jewel. “For your necklace.” He pressed the diamond into her palm and enclosed her fingers over it. His hand was warm on hers. Her chest fluttered with the sensation of his lingering touch. “Goodnight.” She whispered the same word after him as he melted into the shadows.

  “You have completed training already?” Terra asked when

  Camaria showed her sisters the diamond pressed into her palm. “Apollyon has said so.”

  “When may we leave?” she inquired. Cam did not know. She

  did not desire to leave in haste, not after befriending Saffira and wishing to have the same happen with Riah. She told Terra that perhaps when the week had concluded.

  “We have to locate Caleb before we depart,” Cam added. “Where is he anyway? He disappears for most of the day.”

  "I think something happened with him and Fiera," Terra replied. Fiera, to Cam's surprise, did not glare, but only rolled over with a groan and pressed her face into the pillow.

  Cam returned her gaze to Terra who was folding her clothing into neat piles beside her bag. She sensed that Terra was set at unease. She questioned her. “It is just that…Apollyon, he gives me horrible sensations whenever I pass him…”

  "Yes, that's right," Cam scoffed. Terra's expression was sincere, but Cam still added: "There is something you are keeping from me." Terra shook her head gravely. This was not a motion of denial but as if to force the thought from her mind.

  Cam felt as though she had only just fallen into sleep when she

  was aggressively shaken awake. She sat bolt upright in bed to see Caleb darting among the shadows, fully dressed, beside her with an anxious expression on his face. “Whatever is the matter?” Cam asked groggily. Her attention was diverted to another figure at the end of her bed. Saffira was throwing their things into random bags.

  “We have to leave immediately,” Caleb replied gruffly. He gripped her upper arm and pulled her from the bed.

  “Why? What has happened?”

  “Be quiet! Put these on.” Saffira threw Cam her clothing which she pulled on hurriedly. Adria and Mista stirred beside Cam. “We must make haste. Once we are outside I will explain.” Saffira swung two of their luggage carriers over her shoulder, and Cam grabbed hers as soon as she had slid on her boots.

  Fiera and Terra appeared in the hall barely awake a moment later. Caleb led them through the shadowy hall to the front of the castle in a pace Cam found difficult to keep up with. Chilly night air bit at Cam’s face as she stepped from the castle. At the end of the bridge, crossing from the land to the castle over the river, stood six bridled horses tied to trees. Fiera and Terra swung onto their steeds as Saffira and Caleb pushed the younger two onto theirs.

  “Explain,” Cam ordered, her tone ice. Caleb and Saffira whipped their heads to view her. Their fearsome faces slackened into softness.

  “Apollyon has planned to revolt against Mirabelle,” Caleb uttered solemnly. Cam’s eyes grew wide. “He plans on sparking a war and overtaking the entire nation. He had hopes that you would take a liking to him and Riah and eventually join forces with them, becoming a spy in the Royalty Realm. If you were ever to revolt against him, he would execute you. That’s why we must flee tonight.”

  Saffira nodded in agreement. The word executed hit Cam like a rock thrown at her skull. “Why would he kill me? How do you know this?” Cam queried.

  “Becausesomeonecouldhave toldyousomething, likeI just did. I did not trust Apollyon’s intentions once I overheard passing words between him and a strange guest he keeps on the uppermost floors. What did you think I was doing these past days? Hiding from you?” He spoke as though to amuse, but his expression was grave.

  “I did not think you were spying on a nation traitor,” Cam gasped out. Her gazed slipped to Saffira who was pale and panting. “Where must we go? And what must we do?”

  “Travel to the other realms,” Saffira told her, folding her hands in hers. “Enter the realms under the pretense of training and inform their leaders of this development. Earn their trust and choose your words wisely.” The next moment Saffira’s arms were aroundCam’s shoulders in atight embrace. “Ifyouencounter Peter, tell him too,” she whispered.

  Cam was left in momentary shock and therefore did not reply. Reluctantly, she climbed onto her horse. A gust of wind rushed from the nearby trees and Saffira’s dark hair scattered across her face, revealing her neck. For a moment that passed too suddenly, Cam glimpsed ink crawling over her shoulder in the shape of a dove. Time did not allow her to inquire about this.

  Saffira watched the six travelers ride into the forest until they had melted into the shadows and were out of sight. Caleb took the lead on the mountain paths which were clear in the brilliant moonlight. Cam felt as though she had just barely escaped with her life.

  "We will return to home first," she announced into the cool air. Terra turned to look at her questioningly. Everyone had assumed they would travel to the Cinis Lumen first, for they were the realm with the soldiers. "It is our home. We warn them first." Training was not held at such a high value anymore. Cam desired most to ensure the safety of her homeland and people.

  “Lord Kazbek and Lady Silva’s home in Medulla holds many strange secrets. Some rooms give me uneasy feelings. The roses in Lady Silva’schambers andsitting-room are blood red and never die. Kazbek’s father hides scrolls in his chamber and scolds anyone who ventures near them. Their daughter Fiera is forbidden from descending to the cellar. Their grandfather forbids this even when their parents allow it. The ballroom is off limits except for special occasions. Even so…there are times I will hear Lady Silva murmuring a strange tune from beyond those doors…”

  -From Cassia Caddell’s diary written during her stay in Medulla in the Third Age

  Thirteen

  It was mid-morning when the six travelers passed through the

  forest upon which they had been robbed before their arrival in Gnosi. Cam felt somewhat relieved at the thought of returning home. It seemed as if far too much time had passed for Cam to be away from home. This was dwelled on little, however, with the revolt looming in her mind.

  “It will only be a few days at home,” Cam told Fiera, for she knew her eldest sister was not particularly pleased with the arrangement.

  "Mother and Father may make me stay. They might make all of us except for you to stay since the journey will be undoubtedly dangerous from this point forth. Now that you know of Apollyon's schemes, he will no doubt send someone after you."

  “I’m sure I can convince your parents to allow me th e extended p
rivilege of your company,” remarked Caleb. “And besides, you have me to protect you.” He smirked, and though his efforts amused Cam, she felt pity for her elder sister.

  “I just hope we can warn everyone in time and that Ira remains safe." “Ho w can we be sure the other realms will heed to our warning? What if they all decide to take Apollyon’s side?” Fiera countered.

  Caleb answered the question for Cam. "I would think that since your family leads the Medulla Realm we'll have them on our side. The inhabitants of the south are good people. At least Tyron their leader is. He won't believe you at first, however."

  “What about Imber Fel?” Adria asked from the end their line.

  “Gnosi and the realm by the sea are the two closest related realms, but Imber Fel will make all effort to prevent their own involvement. They wish to keep the peace.”

  “So what’s the point in going to warn them?” Fiera asked.

  “So that they can at least save themselves, and you never know, they might side with us." Adria's tone was unusually snappish as she finished the remark.

  “I’m hungry!” groaned Mista who had taken no particular interest in the conversation.

  “We don’t have any food with us,” Fiera told her dryly.

  “What? How are we going to live if we don’t have food?” Mista was becoming hysterical. The fact that Mista had gained little sleep the previous night had been evident throughout the morning.

  “We’ll hunt for food,” Caleb and Fiera said in unison. They shared an awkward glance.

  “I can hunt on my own,” Fiera told him.

  “I’ll have it sooner.”

  “You can get a fire started while I hunt.”

  “You can both hunt. The more the better if we’re going to keep Mista fed,” Terra interjected.

  “Let us hunt now. This is a good spot to camp,” Caleb suggested. They had just ridden into a clearing of a more pleasant forest south of the Royalty Realm and north of Medulla.

  Caleb and Fiera both dismounted from their horses and grabbed their weapons. They rushed into the woods. They were gone for nearly twenty minutes. In the meantime, Cam and Terra set up camp while Adria tended to the horses and Mista walked aimlessly about the clearing.