Without facing any more troubles from the cliffs, they plunged into the overhead mist and came out the other side to Vakenes. It was like they had experienced a breath of fresh air as soon as they saw the Vakenian sky and its bustling population.
The Vakenians noticed the griffins in the sky and spotted their king, bursting out in cheers. Calista felt her body jolt up, hearing their cheerful cries. Most of the griffins' backs traveling back were vacant, their owners an eternal part of the Forbidden Cliffs, and the sight filled Calista with a strange melancholy.
They arrived at the palace soon. As they dismounted their rides, Aurora came rushing through the palace throne-room and into the yard. Her steps were filled with ecstasy and she embraced Zayden in a tight hug. The siblings inhaled each other's scent, finding comfort in the other's presence again.
Next, Aurora embraced Calista and she was again surprised by how much her warm presence filled everyone with comfort, their hearts welling up. When Calista broke apart from her, she noticed the slight frown on her face but it disappeared just as quickly as she had noticed.
Zayden took out the Stormrage from his sheath and held it out for Aurora. Aurora halted, staring at the magnificent sword. She seemed to be lost for words, her eyes brimming with tears. She cupped Zayden's face with one hand and put the other on Calista's cheek, looking at both of them as though she was the motherly figure and they the children. But it was just her filling with gratitude and joy for the moment.
"You are extraordinary, truly," she said, her voice a low whisper. She looked down at the sword again. "I never thought I'd see it again. Despite the reasons we need it for, I'm glad it's out here again; the thing Father loved the most."
Zayden smiled at her and turned back to look at his remaining soldiers. "Despite the triumph of our journey, we ended up losing more soldiers than we could afford. Since their bodies cannot be retrieved, we'll send condolences to the families. The rest of them need to be tended to for now."
Some soldiers who had been patrolling the courtyard took the injured with them, leading them to the healers' quarters.
Aurora touched Zayden's face again and traced the line of the scar that ran down his eyebrow to the side of his face. "You need rest too. Come to your chambers at once."
She sounded convincing, and Zayden noticed a hint of anxiousness in her tone. He grabbed her hands and held them close to his heart and spoke to her in a calm voice. "I will, but first we need to leave for Erini. Calista needs to—"
"No!" she suddenly yelled, cutting him short. As Zayden looked at her with surprise, Aurora pressed her lips together and turned away.
"Aurora, what's wrong?" asked Zayden, his nerves telling him something very big was wrong.
Serafiel Ransley stepped forward, his eyes gazing into the shade of the throne-room. Slowly, he reached for the handle of his sword and took it out of its sheath. Calista watched as a part of her suspected Ransley was betraying them.
He moved swiftly, his sword reaching out behind Aurora, blocking the path of an arrow about to dive into her back. The clang of the sword shook them out of their reverie, and Zayden immediately pulled Aurora behind her. Her wide frightened eyes clutched his arms a little too tightly. This wasn't the fear of the unknown, Calista thought, but the fear of the known.
"The attacker's in there," Ransley said, pointing into the throne-room from where the arrow was unleashed.
The six of them—Calista, the royal siblings, Ransley, and the Commanders Kendrick and Darin—stood silent in the courtyard, gazing out into the shade of the room. The attacker wasn't visible to them but they knew they were standing in plain sight.
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The Shadow Wanderers
الخيال (فانتازيا)Legend has it, if you stand at the edge of the cliff at the crack of dawn holding a candle and your most beloved possession, you can open a doorway between dimensions. So when Calista Davis turns a deaf ear to every mock she's gotten from the peopl...
