Oracus: The Lavorian Rider

Thirty - Past And Present

"I'll take that as a yes," she said, a huge smile spreading across her face.

*

Oracus stood over Catania and Alticon's dead bodies, their blood merging and beginning to flow through the rubble. It was another ache in Oracus's heart that could be added to all the others, seeing his mother dead. But at least she was at peace now, and no longer being tormented by the secrets she was keeping.

Oracus wiped the tears from his cheeks when the damaged ceiling above him creaked. If he could have stayed alone with the bodies a while longer, he would have, but he needed to get them out before the room caved under the weight of the mountain.

"How do you think the people of Tallarin will react to this?" a voice asked from the doorway.

Oracus looked up to see Quent watching him. He sighed gratefully. "I never thought I'd be glad to see you," he said. "Help me get these bodies out before the ceiling collapses."

Quent shook his head and smiled. "I don't think I can help you with that."

"If you don't then their bodies will be buried here," Oracus protested.

"That's a shame," Quent said. "But if I die trying to get them out, nobody will know what really happened here. And I think it's important the surviving people of Tallarin know you killed their Princess!"

"No, Quent, I had to," Oracus said. "Did you not see Jowra controlling her?"

"What I saw was Princess Catania pleading for her life, and instead of sparing her, you shot her with an arrow. And poor Alticon was just collateral damage."

"You can't be serious?" Oracus said in desperation.

"If you live beyond today, you could deny it. But would they believe me or the Vassath Rider who is powerful enough to destroy half the palace?"

Oracus stood with his mouth open. If he hadn't been in pain or stuck behind a mound of debris, he would have killed Quent with his bare hands.

"I did try to stop you, but you were far too strong for me," he continued, tapping the doorframe nonchalantly with a finger. "Somehow, I managed to escape, but there was no way of me recovering Catania or Alticon's bodies."

"You liar!" Oracus shouted. He grabbed his bow, but before he could nock an arrow to the string, Quent was gone.

"Bandor, the ceiling is falling in Catania's quarters," Oracus said worriedly in his mind. "Where are you?"

"I'm coming for you," came the reply. "I'm running up the palace steps."

The walls were crumbling now and the floor was beginning to lurch dangerously. Oracus felt his heart thumping inside him and he wondered if he could even get himself out, let alone Catania and Alticon.

"I'm going to be buried in here, Bandor. I'm stuck!"

The ceiling creaked again and more rubble fell into the room. Oracus backed away, but a lump of rock caught his head and knocked him to the floor.

"Hurry, Bandor," were the words that left his lips. "Hurry."

*

Four years passed by and Catania still skipped through Melzor's streets to see Padaquin most mornings. She was no longer the naïve girl she had been before, but that didn't stop her loving the farmer's boy more than ever.

Their regular trysts on the farmyard were still a risk, but Catania hadn't once been caught by her father, so naturally she visited the farm more and more. If her father hadn't noticed her disappearances thus far, he was never going to. He obviously had more pressing issues to concern himself with; like the rebellion.