The scenery continued to roll past us and the sun danced through the sky. We stopped only a brief moment to identify ourselves after crossing the border and rode at a grueling pace the rest of the time, only speaking when we had to. As the moon joined the sun to continue their tango, the stars joining in the background, Barrett broke the mutual silence. "We are almost there," was all he spoke when the castle came into sight, the sky behind painted a masterful array of colors, the sun's finale as it gave way to the moon.
Lanterns were being lit and as we approached the gate, the very last of the sun's rays vanished into the valley. The horse slowed to a trot and finally stopped as a guard stood in front of us. "Who goes there?"
"Barrett of Doxly," he responded.
"Sir Barrett," the guard saluted, "The king is expecting you." Barrett nodded and proceeded forward when the guard spotted me. Stopping Barrett's horse, the guard turned to me, "And what is your business at the castle ma'am?" Barrett turned his head over his shoulder to await my answer.
"I am here to see the King as well," I spoke in an authoritative tone.
The guard eyed me with curiosity. No doubt my face and features appeared eerie in the moonlight with the flickering of the lanterns. He scoffed at my statement. "No one sees the king without permission."
"I do," I informed him as I lifted my sleeve to show the tattoo.
"Of what relation are you to Alex of Gloriana?"
"I am Alex of Gloriana," I asserted in a frustrated tone. "And you will let me through or explain this to the King when Sir Barrett tells him."
He considered his options for a moment and nodded, letting go of the reign on Barrett's horse. "Lady Alex," he said, the words sounding like acid as he moved aside to let us through.
As Barrett trotted the horse through, he spoke again. "He seemed happy with you," he commented. When I did not answer, he changed topics. "So how does your necklace work?" I looked at him with confusion. "You didn't notice? When you got angry?"
"I did not get angry," I snapped. "I merely asserted myself."
"Well," Barrett continued, "When you asserted yourself, the light was dim but it expanded in front of you, as if creating a shield."
I took the orb in my hand, "Curious, I've never seen it do that before."
"Maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me," he excused the thought, "I was looking over my shoulder, so who knows what I really saw?"
"It was probably nothing," I muttered, pushing the information to the back of my mind, filing it away to consider another day. The horse stopped in front of the stairs and we both climbed off as a young, dirty looking boy rushed toward us from the direction of the stables. He nodded to us before taking the horse's reigns and leading her in the direction he had approached from.
As we reached the top of the stairs, a guard eyed us. "The King is present, all civilian weapons must be delivered."
"Barrett of Doxly," Barrett said and the guard waved him through.
"Alex of Gloriana," I told him. The guard placed a hand on my shoulder, laughing. I pulled from his grip. "I said Alex of Gloriana, now you will let me pass." I angrily flashed my tattoo. Barrett's eyes got huge and I looked down to see the dim light disappear from my chest.
"My apologies," the guard venomously spat. "You may continue Lady Alex." Nodding, I walked past him and made my way into the front hall.
"Henry!" I exclaimed with a smile when I spotted the well dressed man in the hall.
YOU ARE READING
The Anaki Prophecy
FantasyBook One of the Anaki Series. Alex of Gloriana is a Knight of Marida who has spent her life in search of the hooded man from her past. But while in search of him, Alex will discover her destiny and what she was always meant to find.
