"Ravenstorm!" Ryhon growled and grabbed Rillan by the neck, choking him. Rillan frantically tried to pry Ryhon's hands from his neck as his windpipe was blocked. He gasped and sputtered, his face bright red.
"No! Ryhon, stop it! You're killing him!" Robert surged forward and tried to remove Ryhon's hands from Rillan's neck.
<--<< >>-->
Rillan felt lightheaded. He saw dark spots dance across his vision as he tried to draw in the air that was choked off from him. He sensed rather than saw someone trying to defend him. Unexpectedly, Rillan recalled his childhood.
Rillan stood rigid as his father yelled at him.
"You are no son of mine!" Darron Ravenstorm yelled.
Little Rillan said nothing, knowing that it would lead to further punishment.
"Answer me, brat!"
Rillan raised his grey eyes and looked into his father's blue ones.
"You are right, "He said quietly, "I am no son of yours. You are my sire, but no more."
Darron trembled with rage, then removed his belt and struck Rillan with the belt buckle. He thrashed Rillan anywhere he could reach, within an inch of his life. Then he left. He simply gathered his bloody belt and wiped it off slightly before treading it back onto his trousers. Rillan crouched in a corner, bruised and bloody with an arm broken from a particularly vicious kick from Darron. His linen shirt was torn and stained with blotches of red. His blood.
"Rillan?"
Mylessa Ravenstorm stood in the doorway. Darron's wife, she was everything that he was not. Mylessa took in Rillan when it was clear that his real mother did not want the bastard son of Darron Ravenstorm. Darron made no secret about his many other children like Rillan. Kind, sweet and beautiful, Mylessa was betrothed to Darron the instant he laid eyes on her. He, already in his mid twenties, gazed upon the lovely village girl who was still a teenager. Mylessa was fifteen when she was betrothed to Darron, and he married her when she was of age, a year later. Forced to marry a horrid man that she did not love, Mylessa bore him one child. A son, Jaons Ravenstorm, was beaten and molded to become the perfect heir. Darron knew that his wife did not love him, and made sure that this one child, the product of their marriage, would be just like him. Jaons was a rebellious child at first, but his father did everything to make his son behave. Unspeakable things were done to Jaons, and he became an emotionless cruel young man. Mylessa knew that it was hopeless to try to save her son, but Rillan still stood a chance. She cared for him, bandaged his wounds and fed him when her husband was gone. Now she stood, once again, with alcohol and clean linen strips to bind his wounds.
"Rillan. Can I bind your wounds?" She asked quietly.
He turned to face her wordlessly. Then he stood up, one arm hanging, and made his way carefully to her. She gently washed his wounds with alcohol, causing him to grit his teeth and his eyes to water. Then she wrapped his numerous wounds with the linen strips that she had brought with her. Such happened every time, until Darron sent an messenger to Adviser Richard with some money and an explanation of what the money was for. Adviser Richard wad all too happy to arrest Rillan and throw him in the dungeons with the rest of the peasant prisoners.
<--<< >>-->
Suddenly, just as Rillan was about to pass into unconsciousness, the pressure suddenly left his throat and Rillan dropped to the ground sucking in mouthfuls of air. His eyes closed, Rillan concentrated on breathing, huddled on his knees.
"You could have killed him!" An angry voice growled.
"He would have deserved it. A filthy Ravenstorm." Retorted another voice.
"He will explain in due time." The first voice said.
Rillan raised his head and opened his eyes. Robert and Ryhon stared at him expectantly.
"It is true that I am Darron Ravenstorm's son." He paused, "But I am his bastard son. The son he hates. The son that he paid the Adviser to arrest."
A sharp intake of breath.
"What father does that to a son?!" Ryhon growled.
"Darron Ravenstorm does. He brutalized my half-brother, Jaons." Rillan muttered.
"Jaons?! Jaons Ravenstorm? The mild-mannered, emotionless and cruel young man?" Ryhon asked in shock.
"He was not always like that. He treated me kindly... at least, before his father got to him." Rillan defended, "Jaons was my big brother. He was mischievous, rebellious and even set fire to a tapestry in the throne room of Ravenstorm Castle. It was accidental, however."
"He set fire to a tapestry?!" Robert asked, perplexed.
"Cut him some slack. He was only six." said Rillan, "He thought that the tapestry was fire-proof."
"So tell me. Why should we trust you?" Ryhon cut in.
"Simple. I know the Ravenstorm secrets, and I have one that people will kill to know about."
It was true. People would kill for the secret that Rillan had memorised.
"Do tell."
"First, you must accept me for who I am. Then I will tell you. Upon my honor as a Ravenstorm."
Ryhon snorted, "What honor?"
That made Rillan smile. It was just a small smile, just a slight raising of his lips.
"True." He admitted, then he said, "Fine, I'll tell you."
<--<< >>-->
So he told them. He told them, right there and then, the biggest secret of Dargon. He told them about a secret world, a secret sanctuary. The sanctuary, Sagar, was said to have had the Key hidden there, and many people were willing to kill to gain possession of the Key. The Key was the most powerful artifact in all the worlds, and Reyneld had used it to vanquish all the demons. It had been lost since the Demon Wars, though.
"It is obvious. We must get it before a Ravenstorm or Thronesgar gets their filthy hands on it." Robert glanced at Rillan, "No offence meant."
Rillan shrugged, "None taken. I am aware that I come from a foul family."
"So. How do you propose we retrieve it?" Ryhon added.
Rillan looked straight at Ryhon.
"We need Jaons."
Complaints broke out.
"Not another Ravenstorm!"
Rillan was determined, "We need him. He has special powers."
"Like the Guardian powers?" Robert blinked.
"Well, now that you mention it, I believe that he is a Guardian. He shows the signs that you have told me that your friends had."
"But how do we get to Jaons, and then Sagar?"
"I can get us into Ravenstorm castle", Rillan said boldly.
A voice sounded from above.
"And I can retrieve the Key." said Prince Aidan as he landed, his magnificent snowy wings out on full display.