Chapter Eight
"A magical spell?" The king asks, simply placing me by his side as the guard stands frail at the door, sensing that his King has become tense. "Those mountains are covered in creatures that cast spells, what makes you think it is of greater power?" He is annoyed that the guard has interrupted the quality conversation we were just having, but I fear that the King knows more about this marble hall than I would like. I came through that marble hall, through that mirror, and I have no doubt that that mirror is how my father also entered this realm. I fear that the King knows more than I would like, aware that this place is how my father entered the realm whose King he would slay.
His eyes meet mine, the universe reflected within darkening, as if some storm, a storm of darkness and destruction coming for the frail worlds is will crush with its power. "My King, the reports claim of some black lightening, striking the marble hall."
The King lets me go, something I had no idea he was capable of from the second he took me. Looking to the guard that shakes in his boots, the King cocks his head to the side, a smug smile pulling at the corner of his lips, fear sinking within my heart. "That is not just some marble hall," he begins, looking back to me as vibrant colors of orange and blue swirl around in his orbs. "It is a temple, one abandoned centuries ago, as well as the one that the cursed bastard came from." The King dismisses his guard, telling him to ready him a group of fifty men on horses, weapons, potions, and a thirst for blood ready in their souls as they will ride out at the end of the day. "Do not fret, Candice, I shall not need your assistance to find this murderer."
He thinks he has found my father, that this sudden activity is due to my father, but I know one thing for sure. I know that this lightening and the magical spells are all due to me. Why? How could I be certain if I have no true understanding on how this world works or what my father is up to? Because I know my father is a smart man, one that would not go back to that temple again...because if he had returned to that temple, he would have come home long ago. And now, with the King whose name I still have no idea of, he thinks he has found my father and that this temple holds the clues. I cannot let him go there without me, not because I plan to escape for that would be stupid to escape into the mirror while surrounded by these warriors the King has just ordered to get ready, but because I could get clues. I could see if that temple holds more than I would think, perhaps clues as to what my father was trying to do here, to study, to explore, and perhaps where he might be, or at least the path he has been traveling.
"That is where you are wrong," I state, standing up before the King as I know that I need to go to the temple. I need my answers and perhaps even an escape from this man's domain. "You need me, your majesty, because I am one of the few who can understand this horrid man's language."
What do I mean by this? I left my father's journal there, I had completely forgotten it in the temple when I had woken up. I was not holding it when I woke up there on that marble slab, but I know it must be there because I woke up with my clothes, my shoes, everything I had on me, meaning that the journal my father worked so hard on must be there too. I can read Idunian, Soka pointed that out, but I doubt these people will be able to understand English or even the hints of Arabic my father wrote in that journal. My father spending much of his time in the Middle East and out of that, a passion for the language of Arabic, even teaching me the language at a young age. The King and his men will have no clue how to read it, and while I may not tell them exactly what it says, it gives me the upper hand at finding my father, I can use it to my advantage and lead these men away from my father's trace while I can find him quicker.
"The language? So, you have come across this man's transcripts before?" the King asks, crossing his arms as he stands tall before me, his shadow falling over me as I know I have to think fast here. As a child I was a great liar, always able to get away with things. I got that skill from my mother.
I nod, taking a step back from the intimidating King, taking a seat once more upon one of the outdoor chairs, making sure this one is not too close to the edge. "When he came to my pack, he told our pack that he was to help us, a messenger from some sorceress," I lie, reminding myself that I am a werewolf, one that has not yet shifted. "I was a child then, one of the five he told he wanted to teach his language to." I am digging my grave here, more and more every word I speak. "I learned his language very fast, my mother used to say I have a gift for languages, to be able to pick them up fast."
"Then he slaughtered the world you loved," the King pieces together, helping me remember the story of tragedy I made up to make us have some similar hate for the man that once tucked me into bed as a child. "So, you wish to be a translator?" I nod, telling myself to remain calm as my palms become sweaty and I look past the King's figure to see another figure in the doorway, this time a woman, one of ageless beauty. Her skin fair and not a blemish to be seen, steel blue hair pinned back in braids, bright golden eyes, and a figure of poise and strength, she looks to me, taking in my appearance as I remember Soka told me that only prostitutes have their hair down. I look like a prostitute to this woman, my hair framing my face due to the incident of being held over a multiple-story fall caused it to release.
The King notices where my eyes have gravitated towards, following their path as he turns his head to see the woman standing there. "Do you think she is a good choice for a translator, Lady Ebony?" He asks the woman who enters the room, the door shutting behind her has her dark blue dress sweeps the marble floor.
Lady Ebony looks to me once more, taking me in once again as her eyes scan over every feature of my body and clothing. "I believe that the profession of a translator is the humblest job this...woman could ever achieve." She thinks me to be a whore. "Where did you find her, the streets? Or did she come crawling into the palace asking for spare change and you took pity on her?"
Tension rises. I can see it in how the King now holds himself, shoulders tense, fists forming as his knuckles turn white, and as if a wave of annoyance rolls off him. It is as if the room darkens, the air no longer light, but like a weight upon my chest. "And you are judging yet another guest within the palace walls at just appearances. You should do a double take at yourself, Lady Ebony, especially at that pearl necklace around your neck and remind yourself that you gave yourself to a noble to earn those."
"My King, she is a whore-
"She is no whore, but a weary traveler that has a talent to offer me."
"What talent? She is probably going to rob you of your finest treasures-
A growl fills the air, shaking the walls and floor as my skin pales and I grab onto the chair for support, afraid of what this male is capable of. I may be playing with fire here that is more out of my control than I had anticipated. But the King seems to have a form of trust for me that is not common, something I can use to my advantage as well as a pray works out for me the best. "Know your place, Lady Ebony, for as much as you like that tongue of yours, I could easily cut it out."
That shuts her up for good.
"Now, Lady Ebony, did you have any intellectual commentary to add to this conversation that is worth interrupting my private hours for?" The King asks, now blocking my view of the woman of poise, his intimidating figure standing before me as I truly wonder what this man is capable of. He is a King, one with revenge strong in his blood for my father, a man that is not human, and eyes that tell me he is more than what he appears. He already appears to be a man of power and has proved himself to be so with that crown and the way he holds himself, but the way he growls, conducts himself, demands upmost respect from those under him, and the way others act around him, I know that I do not want to be around this male more than I must. But he is the way to find my father, how he has the best trackers working for him, the best warriors, those that know the lands of the realm more than I could ever. Staying beside the King is my best bet at finding my father, but I must also deceive this male more, to be able to escape his clutches as him and his men are led in the opposite direction of where my father is when I go to him.
The door shuts and I am informed that Lady Ebony has left the room, angered by the commentary of her tongue one day cut out of her mouth. One way to silence a woman who seems like her main power are the words she speaks with a silver tongue. "How much would it cost to hire you as a translator?" the King asks. "Paid in gold, silver, jewelry, or some other form of riches to you?" I have no money, no form of currency that this world uses. If I make my way and part with the King and his men, I will need money to pay for things, for food, shelter, and perhaps even a weapon to protect myself as I am simply a human in a world of the supernatural. "Recognition, fame?"
I shake my head, thinking of what I would need most. "Just gold coins will be enough, your majesty." He nods, crossing his arms as his eyes meet mine and once more I am pulled into a trance. The hairs on my arms raise, a gentle spark felt upon my upper left arm, right to where his fingers brush my skin, as if afraid to harm me. He barely touches me, as if I am made from glass, as if he is afraid I will break. Why? Is it some strange attraction? Perhaps he senses that I am not like the rest of the people who have passed through his palace, perhaps sensing a connection to my father and the man that killed his own father. That is all I can expect from this strange connection that this King seems to feel for me, a human in hiding. "Enough coins to make the journey back to my home after we have found this monster."
"Would you be willing to go home?" He asks, tilting his head to the side, and just as I rise to my feet to tell him that I would love to leave this palace for my home, I realize just how close we stand to one another, how our chests almost touch. His hand seems to levitate upwards, knuckles brushing my jawline, dancing across my skin as if feathers. "To leave this palace of marble halls and riches, of books dating back centuries holding so much of magic that scribes are not yet able to translate? There is work here within these walls that you would be praised for."
Finding myself surprised by this offer of a job, I still shake my head. "I am not one to be recognized for the work I have done here. I came to this palace for one reason only and once that justice is served, I will return to the pack that I call my family."
"To return to a society that probably does not recognize women as their equal?" He knows the society that I talk of better than I do because he is from here. I have no desire to go to those societies because I do not belong there, but I belong in a world of humans. I belong in a world where magic is just a trick that few preform and where science is what explains what I see every day. "You are a woman living in a reality that your society does not wish to represent. Here, within these walls of the palace, you could expand your knowledge, learn more than just simple laws and of magic, but help make those laws, see and even preform that magic, and be an equal to those around you."
His presence, his very essence, it seems to consume me, those eyes puling me and entangling me into his world as what he tells me, it would be appealing if I was who he believed me to be. "I require a simple life to keep my happy, nothing more or less. I will take what you pay me to return home and give me a safe journey there when this is all said and done. I will return home when I find what I have been looking for." Silence fills the small gap between us as the King keeps himself close to me and somehow, I do not move away. Could it be because I fear him lashing out if I move away? Could it be a sign of disrespect if I move away? "Now, when do we head out to this temple?"
Pulling away, the King takes in my appearance once more, the simple dress I wear, my hair undone, and a fear in my eyes cloaked by a feeling of ambition and excitement to leave this palace. "You are a unique woman, Candice," he whispers, voice softer than I have ever heard him speak, and as he turns to the door, he takes my arm, pulling me gently along with him as I use my free hand to pull my hair back and appear less of a prostitute. "I will have a maid send you a change of clothes for travel and get you a horse saddled up in the stables. After you change, head down to the stables and we will be ready to leave." That quick. It seems like I just arrive in this strange new world and now I am heading back to the mirror and temple where I had first arrived. As the King pulls me along with him down more stairs and halls, soon we come before a door painted lavender, women's voices behind as he lets go of my arm. "And, Candice, I will try everything I can to keep you here, to persuade you to stay within the palace walls," he states, looking right into my eyes as he says these words, this promise to me.
"Persuading me to stay within the walls of a palace that holds nothing I find valued to my heart, my King, that will not work," I reply, pulling away and turning the knob on the door as the King's eyes darker. "I shall see you at the stables."
I leave him in the hall as I enter the room and the lavender door shuts behind me as I take in a room filled with three maids packing up a golden trunk, shoving articles of clothing into the trunk. "My Lady," one of the women greet, and right away, as her bright green eyes meet mine and I spot the delicate, almost transparent, silver wings of hers, I know these women to not just be maids, but fairies. The size of perhaps a Hobbit, her blond hair is pulled back into a braided up-do, her smile wide, and holding out for me a simple dark purple dress for the ride ahead. "The King has informed us to pack you a trunk for two weeks, three pieces to be for celebrations or more elaborate dinners, seven for travel, and four for the purposes of more casual attire as you accompany the King and his guards." I nod, realizing just not the duration of time that I will be out on a horse and trying to find the man I know to be my father.
The fairy takes my hand, taking me past the other three fairies that look like her, right to a small changing area where she places the purple dress upon a hanger and helps me out of my dress, leaving me in a plane pair of bra and panties, confusing the fairy. I guess I am not in their typical form of undergarments. "These are...interesting," she comments, offering me a forced smile as she grabs me something similar to a night slip I would expect my mother to have worn thirty years ago. After the garment is on, next comes the dress, the dress falling over my head and onto my body, the sleeves fitting my arms well, golden embroidery on the ends, the front simple with a small slope to the top of my breasts, the back fully covered, a tad bit snug around my waist, and hitting the floor with a sense of elegance as a gold fabric belt with royal blue embroidery is along my waist. Handing me a pair of brown riding boots, the fairy places them upon my feet, another working on my hair, braiding it back as I notice how quick this day has gone. One moment I am in the library and next thing I know the King has picked me up from the crowd, taken me to a balcony, held me over that balcony, I persuaded him to let me translate for him once we get to the temple where I arrived in this strange realm, and am now being dressed by fairies as warriors and the King and also getting ready for what seems like a long two weeks of travel. I have only ridden on a horse twice in my life, once at a camp where I learned that I could never be good at horseback riding, and a second time when my mother thought it would be a good bonding activity almost ten years ago.
"Are you ready to go, my Lady?" the same fairy asks, a gentle smile offered to me as I simply nod my head but know deep down that I am sure as hell not ready for what awaits me. I am scared, worried that the King will find out I may not be a werewolf unable to shift, but a human. Hell, if I am not careful, he will perhaps even uncover that I am Heka's daughter. Taking in a deep breath, I try and focus on the plan I have ahead, the plan that is changing with every event that has occurred. I need to be prepared for the worst, I need to know what to do if things do not go my way, because if I am not, I could be murdered just as these people plan to do to my father if they find him. "The King does not take too lightly to those who are late in his presence."
I need to do what I can to keep the King under control and trust me more than his best warriors. "I am ready."
The fairy nods, opening the lavender door for me as we once more travel down the hallway, the long, white marble floor stretched before us as royal blue swirls can be seen in the floor, like crystals in the marble, reminding me of an ocean with the vibrant shades of blue. The walls are white with gold patterns, the windows stretching high, displaying the marble buildings beyond the palace and to the capital as the snow still falls upon the ground. It is moments and views like this that I am in full awe of this realm, of the magic that seems to keep this world alive and unique. Compared to the world I was raised in, this is what I would like to think magic capable of, of creating lands of beauty and as if created by a god or goddess talented in the arts. This world is filled of so much beauty, yet I know that a darkness is also part of this land, a darkness that I have yet to discover.
As we take staircase after staircase leading down, soon enough I hear the sound of horses, of metal banging against metal, voices shouting, and commotion. It is a tight schedule after all. Taking in a deep breath to help calm my nerves, soon enough I am surrounded by massive men, tall, muscular, dressed in crimson red and silver, three carrying the palace flag on poles as they mount their black horses. Those dressed more importantly with embroidery on their armor, they ride upon black horses, each horse with their tail braided, what looks like beads woven into the hairs. The beads have engravings on them, engravings that seem to glow with shades of silver or gold, symbolizing something I am not yet aware of. And in the middle of men shouting orders, tossing around swords to others, handing others long and deadly arrows, and running around, in the eye of the storm stand their King, his royal robes replaced with a simple black fur cloak that falls to his ankles, the hood of the cloak down as it spreads across his shoulders, the inside of the cloak a crimson material from silk. Dressed for a long journey, his boots are warm-looking, black pants tucked in, a leather sash going across his chest, stretching from his left shoulder to his waist as I see knives stored there, a compass, a few beads like his more important warriors, and what looks to be a small glass bottle filled with a type of gray sand.
His eyes meet mine, a swirl of purple, blue, silver, and black, his eyes dilating, hand reaching up to run his fingers through his dark locks. You can tell he is the man of importance out of this group. As a warrior walks before the line of gaze we hold, a weight is places upon my shoulders, my reflexes quick as I turn around to see the fairy placing a cloak just like the King's on me, but this one is the fur of what a fox would have, a mix of red and brown, warming me up instantly as the stable doors are pulled open and the cold air enters.
Looking back to where the King stood, he is gone, the eye of the storm having moved as I hear his voice, stern and sharp, commanding someone to grab someone a horse. As I try and find where he has gone, I meet a pair of gray eyes, a man holding their reins of a gray horse. "Lady Candice, your horse as promised by the King Kyril."
Kyril. So that is the name of the man that wishes to murder my father, the man who has hired me to become his translator. It suits him.
"Do you require help, my lady, to mount your horse?" the warrior asks, seeing that I have not yet climbed onto the horse as it seems like everyone else is doing so.
"No thank you, I've got it," I inform, hoping I still have the upper body strength that I once did when I did gymnastics years ago. Taking the handle of the saddle, I pull myself up, swinging my left leg over as I realize that I have just mounted the horse no lady should. Quickly I fix my mistake, my legs on the same side as I remember an old scene from a childhood movie of a princess learning how to rise a horse. I may not have a fake leg to fake how I am sitting and get away with my legs on either side of the horse, but I do know that this is very uncomfortable. After looking around, I realize a very common component of this group set out to the temple: I am the only female on this journey.
Just as I look to the gates of the stable and how more men are outside the stable walls, on their horses as they wait for everyone inside this one, a midnight black horse pulls up beside me, the eyes of the horse pitch black, the reins of the horse an obsidian color, and the man upon the horse is the one that has offered me a job back in the palace when this journey is done. Little does he know I will be gone the moment I know where to find my father. "You look a little uncomfortable, Lady Candice, have you ever ridden a horse before?" He points out, but it not that which makes me raise an eyebrow, but the fact that he has just placed the term lady before my name unlike before when he would just say my name.
"Just not familiar with them," I reply, looking back to the outside, the snow falling still. Kyril nods, pulling forward to meet my gaze once more, pulling his hood on as the chilly air only gets closer to reaching the main source. I follow his moves, pulling my hood on as the warmth surround me.
Kyril nods, trotting his horse to stand before mine, facing me as his men exit the stable, soon enough just leaving the two of us and a couple of others alone in the stable. "My King, I do believe that these men are waiting on us to begin the ride," I point out as the warriors await us outside, to begin our ride.
"Remember that promise I made to you, Candice?" He asks, using my name with no title before it as only a few stable boys are around us.
"I do, how you will try and persuade me to take a job within the palace walls," I reply, hoping he will leave it at that and nothing more.
Kyril allows for a smirk to pull at his lips. "Consider is more than a job of a translator, but also a companion to your King." And just like that, he pulls the reins of his horse away, the horse trotting out to the warriors awaiting as I stand frozen in the stables, understanding now that it will take a lot more than just his trust to win over to get out of here. A lot more than I would like to ever have to deal with. Taking in a deep breath, I leave the stable with my horse, only for a warrior to come up to me, leading me to the front to where the King awaits me, a sly smile upon his face as we set off into the winter cold.