Archer Lumen: Earth's Version of Hell (Unfinshed)[Edited Up to Escape]

Chapter 8 | The Cause

Chapter Eight

“My lord!” Kade called as he strode into the throne room. It was a large space, with two long dining tables lining the aisle that led to the throne. The ceiling stretched over thirty feet, with banners of red and yellow hanging from their banisters. Kade’s boots made a sound that echoed through the room, but he didn’t care. He was too excited to care.

  He approached the throne now, glancing at the pedestal that held the pulsing fiery orb only once. It was a conflagration of colors, reds, yellows, oranges and their ilk. All the colors that shot through the sky at sunrise. The Sun Reality would dim to purple and orange and sundown, which made it fairly unique. Kade knelt down at the foot of the throne and trained his gaze upwards, meeting the golden gaze of the Sun Keeper.

  “Kaden Carvet,” the Keeper greeted. “Why are you here?”

  “I wished to tell you of my progress,” Kade replied.

  Cyrus was an intimidating beast. He had copper skin and his face looked as if it had been carved from the same metal. He usually wore a scowl, but now he grinned broadly, displaying a row of glimmering whites. He had a robe on, but Kade knew that underneath was a shirt that had been doused in the blood of the enemies of the first war between the kingdoms. Cyrus had lived through that, and he’d lived through the second as well. Kade knew that as a Keeper, Cyrus would live until he was killed with a blade.

  Atop the Keeper’s shaved head was a crown of gold and rubies. It was nothing special, but that didn’t matter. No one in the Caanan Empire wore crowns anymore. No, status was determined by the amount of wenches and acres they owned.

  “Ah!” Cyrus rumbled. “Does your brother detect something?”

  “He’s my half-brother,” Kade corrected. He rose to his feet just as a pair of women emerged from the hallway leading to the Keeper’s quarters. “And no, I don’t believe he does.” Kade neglected to mention the scuffle that occurred when they’d first met.

  “Bah, that doesn’t matter. Make sure that he doesn’t. We might be able to end my sister’s Guardian before he discovers how to control his abilities.” Cyrus’s eyes lit up as he spotted the women. They were beautiful indeed, dressed scantily to entertain a man’s imagination. Kade pointedly looked away. He was only thirteen, and his plan was to marry first. That was a secret he’d kept to himself. “Farewell, Carvet,” Cyrus said and he rose from his throne. Kade nodded and began to walk to the door when Cyrus called after him, “How was your last catch?”

  Kade answered without turning or stopping. “Good.”

  Then he pushed open the large double doors and welcomed the cold dawn air.

  The Rising Castle was said to have been cursed by the gods to rest on air instead of land. It stood on a large craggy section of rocky land, and due to the height, the air was almost always cold. Kade approached the edge of the land, kicking away stray pebbles. Through the clouds he could see the city of Cano. The Rising Castle was over the housing district, so he saw torches as men and women alike left their homes to go to work.

  “Kade!” a voice called his name and his hand went to his waist, where his blade should have been. That’s right, Kade thought. I left it in my room.

  He whirled around to see Jael running up to him. The dark-skinned man’s eyes glittered brightly as he neared Kade. He stood a foot taller, though Kade didn’t let that cow him.

  “What is it?” he asked curtly as he turned back to the scenes below. Kade had never liked Jael. Not completely. Being the Sun Prince, he’d gotten along with Leif―the Light Guardian―better. He naturally disliked any follower of Fallon or Archest.