CHAPTER 31
HAKKEN PROMISED to send Sollel a message after arriving in the city of Ager, and after four days in Sarnau, a message strapped on a needletail bird arrived. It was from Hakken.
My lady,
Ager is very dangerous right now. There's a wanted poster in the city with our faces on it, and soldiers had been chasing me nonstop since I arrived. My lady is not part of the wanted list though, but still, be careful. I have a bad feeling about this. I'm now in hiding, so don't look for me when you arrive. I will look for you instead. Be careful, my lady. I heard a warlord from the empire arrived days ago.
—Hakken
Sollel burned the letter after reading it and sighed. A trap, huh? she thought. Sollel was not surprised, but she was worried of Zassia. By now she realized that the Kingdom of Treterra had thought that Zassia was the Mistress of Flame. It was because Sollel was hiding in the forest when everyone was fighting on the noble's hill.
Sollel thought that it might be a blessing in disguise that she was in the forest, but realizing that Zassia was now in trouble because of her, she couldn't call it a blessing anymore.
Sollel looked outside the window while thinking. It was already dark outside, and the moon was high up in the sky. The whole town looked serene from where she was looking, but Sollel knew it wasn't. Demi-humans and halflings were being exploited and enslaved, most races were going extinct, and some were in hiding, afraid of being hunted to extinction by humans whose greed were insatiable.
Sollel's fist clenched tightly. How long are they going to hurt others for their greed and convenience?!
Staring at the sky with her clenched hand and tightened jaw, Sollel couldn't help recalling the deities who blessed them and the promise they had made to them.
I'm sorry for breaking our promise. I wanted to use the moonrite stone for everything that has happened, but that'll be an excuse. It was our fault for letting our guards down and trusting the humans. But I will make it right. I will make everything right again.
The deities already told them before that they would not intervene whatever would happen in Azitera; they left all the responsibility to Yther's queens. It was their duty to turn everything back to the time when everyone was living in harmony since it was partly their fault that the harmony was disrupted.
After I burned those greedy humans, of course. Sollel took a deep breath and looked at her bed where Naya was sleeping.
To avoid blessing Naya with her flame, Sollel asked Cira to name Naya since she couldn't remember her own name, and Cira picked the name Naya. As much as possible, Sollel didn't want to bless a stranger. She blessed Zassia because of her belief, and she accidentally blessed Grath, but there was no regret since he was loyal. But blessing someone she didn't even know...she would not do it again.
Sollel's head turned to the door when it opened and saw Cira enter.
"Why are you still awake, Your Highness?" Cira asked and placed the lamp she was carrying on the table in the corner of the room.
"I received a message from Hakken." Sollel sat on the edge of her bed, the one Naya was occupying. "It's dangerous in Ager. Everyone, except me and Naya, are on the wanted list. He said soldiers had been chasing him ever since he arrived and all your faces are posted on the wanted list."
Cira sat on her own bed and sighed. "Do we really have to go to Ager?"
Sollel nodded. "I have to know where they are hiding Gatria. All I can feel is she's all over Ager. If she was not in the city, we'll leave immediately."
Sollel couldn't pinpoint Gatria's presence. All she knew was that she was all over Ager and the nearby places. Maybe because of Gatria's blood on the soil that Sollel was having a hard time identifying Gatria's exact location.
"Then we'll leave for Ager tomorrow?"
Sollel nodded at Cira. "But before that, we have to make some plans. We can't just storm in. It's a trap, after all."
Cira immediately became serious. "What do you have in mind, Your Highness?"
Sollel opened her mouth and explained to Cira her detailed plan. Of all her companions, it was Cira whom she trusted the most and the only companion who knew about her weakness to the moonrite stone.
Cira nodded after hearing Sollel's plan. "I'm sure they would take the bait."
Sollel nodded back. "But first, I have to secure an identification. Hakken is not with us. I can't lie my way in anymore."
"Leave it to me," Cira said and even puffed her chest. "I'll take care of it first thing in the morning. I heard that there's some sketchy town officials here in Sarnau."
Sollel smiled at Cira. "Thank you, Cira. I don't know where will I be without your help."
Cira beamed at Sollel like she was the happiest elf in Azitera. "My pleasure, Your Highness! Helping you is my first priority."
Sollel's smile widened. "How about Xeke? Is he part of your priority? He'd been helping you a lot."
Cira pouted like she was against it. "It's not that I dislike him. It's just that...I was kicked out of the sacred forest partly because of a man, so I'm not really looking for another trouble."
Cira seldom mentioned her life in the sacred forest before she was kicked out, so Sollel was intrigued. "What did you do exactly?"
Cira shrugged and lay on her bed. "I don't want to get married yet because I have so much research to do, so many goals to achieve," Cira said as she stared at the ceiling. "But this man was forcing me to. I told him again and again that there's more to life than getting married, but he just won't listen. So I broke one of our taboos and was kicked out after."
"I'm curious..." Sollel drawled as she studied Cira's expression. "You said you went to a taboo place...that's why you were kicked out. What and where is that place exactly? Elves have a gentle nature and are very forgiving, so for them to kick you out..."
Cira was silent for a long while before she finally answered, "I went to Yther."
Sollel froze, her eyes and lips wide in shock.
"It was a taboo place for all the sacred-forest residents." A sad smile appeared on Cira's lips. "But it was the center of my research. My grandmother, my mother—they both believed that the Yther queens are just out there, hidden." Cira sighed and whispered, "I just want to find them...to find you..."
Sollel's face softened. "Cira..."
Cira glanced at Sollel and smiled. "I'm glad I found you, Your Highness. You are my hope—the hope of all the elven race."
It was a heavy burden and a huge responsibility to be someone's hope, but Sollel accepted it gladly. "How's the sacred forest? For you to come look for me, I assumed the forest is not doing well?"
Cira nodded. "The sacred forest had been a mess for a couple of decades now. Landslides...and trees dying. Not only that. Humans are also trying to hunt us down and enslave us for our healing abilities. If not for us, the elven warriors, we would've been slaves by now." Cira's face darkened. "Humans are trying to expand their territory, and they're eyeing the sacred forest."
"Which kingdom?"
"The empire." Cira took a deep breath and sighed. "Though to get to us, they have to conquer the Dwarven Kingdom first, and I don't think that's going well. The Dwarven Kingdom will not be conquered just like that."
Sollel understood why the Elven Kingdom had not been conquered yet, and it's because of the Dwarven Kingdom. They might be small in numbers and in stature, but the dwarves could make an indestructible defense.
"What did the dwarves do to defend themselves?"
"Their king built a wall on the border, protecting them and us." Cira sounded relieved.
Sollel smiled, feeling proud of the dwarves' deeds. "You can always count on the dwarves to make a solid defense."
Cira nodded. "Indeed. But there are still a number of humans who could enter the forest, looking for weak elves, and some imperial soldiers scouting the forest. I don't know how they're bypassing the dwarves, but it has been our problem ever since. Our king already spoke to the Dwarven king, and they are working together to protect their territory together."
Sollel was happy to hear the Dwarven and Elves alliance. "I'm happy to hear that."
Cira nodded and became silent. After a while, she spoke quietly. "Your Highness, may I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead."
"What..." Cira took a deep breath, bracing herself. "What exactly did the empire do to you when they imprisoned you?"
It was a bitter memory for Sollel, one that could enrage her in a matter of seconds, but for Cira, she calmly answered, "I was weak due to the moonrite stone. My memory was hazy, and I kept losing consciousness, but I remember a few. At first, they tried to defile me."
Cira gasped in horror and anger boiled inside her.
"But they couldn't," Sollel continued, calming Cira down. "My flame is protecting my body. The empire wanted to have an heir that would inherit my power. For that to happen, they sent the crown prince to my cell. But...unfortunately for them, their prince left my cell burnt and dead. You see, my flame is very protective of me. Unless I've given my consent, no one can defile and enter my body. It's the same as the other queens.
"After that, because of what happened to their crown prince, they started beating me through lashes and other weapons as punishment and to take out their anger. I don't know how long did I experience the beating since I kept losing consciousness, but I think it stopped when a new emperor was crowned. And with a new leader, they started cutting me to draw blood—lots of it. Like Gatria, my blood was used to strengthen their weapons. My blood was poured on the wall to strengthen their fortress. My blood was used to for money and prestige while I was chained to the wall inside the moonrite prison."
Cira was shell-shocked listening to Sollel.
"So many years passed, I already lost my sense of time. I wanted to end my suffering, but I didn't want to take my own life. The betrayal, the rage inside me, and the vengeance I swore to myself were the only things that kept me alive and going. And then...out of nowhere, someone came and took me out of that hell. I don't know who this person is, but I owed that person a lot. My memory was hazy. I couldn't even remember my savior's voice. How I wish that person is with me today."
Silence fell the room after Sollel shared her story. Cira was still gaping as rage built up inside her, while Sollel was looking at the lamp, with no emotion on her face. Aside from the two, there was Naya who was sleeping on her side, her back on Sollel, and her eyes opened, listening to Sollel's story.
"We should sleep." Sollel broke the silence and lay beside Naya. "We have an early day tomorrow."
Cira nodded and turned her back on Sollel to hide the tears falling from her eyes. She couldn't imagine the suffering Her Highness had been through for nearly two centuries. All she could do for Queen Sollel was to help her with everything she got.
While Cira was crying, Sollel was fixing the blanket so Naya wouldn't feel the cold before she closed her eyes to sleep.
♕♕♕
IN THE EMPIRE, in front of the emperor was five people—five powerful people under the empire known as the Wraiths. They were the empire's powerful assassins and executioners. It was said that one could only see them when they're on their deathbed.
And at that moment, the five members of the Wraith received an order from the emperor.
But instead of execution order, it was a capture order.
"I beg your pardon, Your Majesty, but why capture the woman?" Drandev, a dual-sword wielder of the Wraiths, asked the emperor with his head lowered.
"I, too, have the same question, Your Majesty," said the only woman member of the Wraith, Lura Valweyn. She was an elf and an outstanding warrior and healer. "We only handle execution."
"This one is different," said Emperor Gabrien. "She has more value alive than dead."
The next to raise a question was the Wraith's high flame sorcerer Radus. "If it was to capture, why not the general, Your Majesty?"
Emperor Gabrien's face darkened. "Unfortunately, they're having a hard time tracking down the escapee. According to the spy I sent to track the escapee down, the escapee is now in Sarnau, going to Ager. I want her captured before she reached the city of Ager's gate."
Then Emperor Gabrien handed down a sketch of a woman to the member of Wraiths. "This is what she looked like. My assumption is that she must be wearing something to cover her hair and eyes. That said, be wary and vigilant to everyone wearing a cloak and a hood. I want her back in prison in no time. I'm counting on you five to deliver her to me. But be careful, that woman's flame can devour any living."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" the five members of the Wraiths answered in unison with their heads lowered and their tone filled with loyalty and confidence that they will not disappoint His Majesty, Emperor Gabrien.
After leaving the throne room, the five members of the Wraith walked side by side.
"Our target is a flame sorceress," said Drandev and glanced at Radus. "Can you win against her?"
Radus smirked cockily. "No one can escape my flame. My flame is one of the strongest in Azitera."
The water sorcerer of the Wraith, Oxar, spoke too with a condescending tone. "With me and Radus, that flame sorceress is no match for us." Oxar had defeated countless flame sorcerers, and he was undefeated.
The wind sorcerer of the Wraith, Onyll, nodded. "With us five, there is no escape for her." Onyll was one of the highest wind sorcerers in all of Azitera; when it comes to aerial battle, no one could best him, and that made him confident.
"No worries." Lura had a smile while walking with seductive gait. "If ever she fought back, I will heal all of you. I was the best healer of the sacred forest after all."
Everyone smiled with a hint of smirks because they all knew that no one could best them...not even the mystical beings blessed by deities.
CECELIB | C.C.