I opened the box and was amazed at what I saw.
The Scroll of Felmair.
A crimson ribbon bound the scroll, but I could see the faint lines of script peeking through. The natural quality of the paper had been compromised with age and had given it the transparency that allowed me to see the ink jotted down centuries before.
Behind me, Nathan's breath caught.
"I-I don't believe it," he choked, casting a lingering shadow across the scroll as he took a step closer.
My muscles tensed in response.
Was his surprise feigned? Had he purposefully allowed me to stumble upon the ancient relic to throw me off his path?
Could he truly be the king's traitor?
Pushing aside my suspicions, I gave the ribbon a tentative yank, unraveling the decorative knot. The ribbon fell to the floor as I stood to my feet and opened the scroll.
"Matthias Alexandar of Welvim
The King's Humble Advisor
I hope that this never is read, for it would mean that I have perished at the hand of King Perroan, that evil tyrant. However, if by some twist of misfortune it has come to pass and you are reading this, then it would mean that the kingdom has fallen and my king along with it. Although I'm not inclined to serve a given deity as my king does, I pray this has fallen into the hands of someone trustworthy for I hereby reliquish all claims to the power. If you speak it, it shall be yours.
A word of caution, the power can only be transmitted to the lineage of our people. The weight of it will crush those not of rightful blood.
Long live King Drew."
There was no denying the tendrils of energy that snaked their way up my arms as I read the letter. Whoever had left their power behind for the discoverer of the scroll, had been powerful indeed.
It was tempting to speak the command aloud and claim the power for myself, but Nathan's loud intake of breath over my shoulder startled me, grounding me to reality once more.
"The legends are true?"
I nodded, carefully rolling the scroll up and tucking into the pocket of my dress. Worrying at my bottom lip, I glanced around the tunnel.
"We need to go before we're discovered. I believe that is the way back out-"
My words were caught off as voices ricocheted off the stone around us. Nathan adjusted the torch in his grasp, meeting my gaze in alarm.
"They've detected our presence," he murmured, but that was less likely than the probability that someone had betrayed our whereabouts.
As there was only one person who knew our plans, that would mean the man standing by my side was the traitor and that I was in mortal danger.
Noticing the suspicion that narrowed my eyes before I could think to hide it, Nathan's eyes widened.
"You don't think I told them, do you?" he stammered, retreating a step.
I swallowed. I needed to tred lightly lest he bolt. "I think someone has betrayed us. Also, I think we don't have time to discuss it now. Would you like to hold the scroll?"
The hunger in his eyes was undeniable as the scroll hovered in my grasp between us. Taking it would merely cause my suspicions to grow, if not confirm them, but denying it would mean to pass up the opportunity to take the power for himself.
As if reading my thoughts, he scowled. Shaking his head at the offer, he gestured me to keep the relic, but it did nothing to diminish my doubts.
"Let's go," he muttered, taking off down the tunnel.
Bounding after him, I listened to the heavy footfall chasing after us. We came to the mouth of the tunnel and Nathan doused the torch into a snow drift at the entrance. Steam rose above it and dissipated into the night air.
The snowstorm was one for the ages, having dispensed several feet of white powder across the mountainous terrain of the kingdom. Not that the snow was as uncommon as the season in which it came- summer.
Just days before, farmers had been slaving over crops and ladies filled the fields, passing out water for those stricken by the heat as they poured over their harvest. The untimely storm had stirred the superstitious spirit of the kingdom, leading people to believe that a curse had befallen on the people after the king's ascent to the throne.
They were only partially correct.
"If we are to escape, we will have to find their horses," I said as we stumbled through the snow, leaving behind a trail only a blind man wouldn't notice.
The voices were close enough that I could hear the leader issue commands to his men to follow the tunnel outside. Nathan glanced back over his shoulder.
"Aye," he muttered, but he didn't peal his gaze from the entrance of the cave.
Instinctively, my palm rested on the hilt of my sword strapped to my waist just before a bolt of lightning struck the sky with such force that the earth trembled. The snow that piled around my knees kept me from falling. Nathan's wide eyes took in the storm brewing overhead as he came to an abrupt stop at my side.
Only the twitch of his hand warned me of his intent, seconds before he revealed a silver dagger and plunged it towards my chest. I pivoted and unsheathed the blade at my waist, angling it and deflecting his meager blade with ease.
Surprise rounded his parted lips. The dagger in his grasp was loosened upon the impact of our weapons and it sailed in the air before landing in the white that blanketed the side of the mountain, several feet away.
I kept my blade level with his throat, having no time to flee before the soldiers appeared from the forbidden cave and swarmed the area.
Torches carried by the soldiers illuminated the night. The shadows trembled beneath the menacing flicker of the flames.
I risked a glance up as the men encircled us. They parted as the leader approached, his face a familiar one.
My stomach churned. "Lord Uldrik?"
"Aye, lass, it is me." The Lord of Gernum flashed a devilish grin. "It's been years since I've seen ye. Tell me, how fairs the queen?"
Emotions trumped sense at his remark and I turned my weapon away from Nathan and delivered a blow to the man's open flank. His quick reflexes blocked my attack.
"Now, now," he reprimanded, moving his weapon side to side in the open air like a parent would an index finger. "We mustn't be impulsive. I have a surprise for ye, princess, and I think ye will be in a very different mind when I show ye."
A chill slivered up my spine, turning my blood to ice as I watched him gesture to the men and a few that were hidden came forth dragging a limp body with them.
"No!"
Jarid didn't respond to my cry, didn't so much as flinch. His body was caked with blood, but I couldn't tell if all of it belonged to him or not.
"Be a good lass and give me that scroll, then ye can be sure that I will return him to ye. If ye refuse, I will cut him up, bit by bit, making 'im suffer like yer father did me." Uldrik's eyes somehow managed to darken a shade, despite their already black depths. Staring at them was like falling into bottomless black pits.
I sensed the illusion of magic there. No doubt, it had been his desire to intimidate. Clenching my teeth, I idly pressed my palm against the scroll, drawing it closer to myself. Reliquishing it would cost the war, but not forfeiting it would cost Jarid his life.
Could I sacrifice someone I loved to save thousands?
I felt the answer breaking my heart before I could speak it aloud.
"I will not give you the scroll, Lord Uldrik."
The man seethed, "Then his blood is on yer hands."
All at once the soldiers attacked me on all sides. My skills with a blade outmatched them all, but there was no chance at defeating all of them single-handedly at once. Nathan had disappeared, but I could care less. The man would be executed for his treason if he ever showed his face in the kingdom again- that was, if I lived to tell the king his crimes.
The strength in my muscles began to wane after I had managed to cut down several of the men. Sensing my eminent defeat, Uldrik pounced at the chance to end me himself. At the broad swing of his weapon, the soldiers stepped aside and watched the fight wordlessly.
Three. Three swipes was all it took him to render me weaponless and defenseless. Triumph glinted vehemently in his black eyes as he hit the side of my head with the brunt end of the hilt of his sword, throwing me off balance.
"Ye have been defeated, Ayla," Uldrik boasted. "Now, hand me the scroll or know the taste of my blade."
Tightening my hands into fists at my side, I glared up at him in open defiance. A smirk tugged at his lips. He wanted this, wanted me to refuse him so that he could destroy me.
"So be it." He raised his weapon and took aim at my neck. I closed my eyes with baited breath.
But the attack never came.
At the sound of Uldrik's startled cry, I opened my eyes and saw Jarid raining down an impressive array of strikes and counterstrikes upon the man. Unbidden, hope stirred within my chest.
With a sweep of his sword, Jarid threw Uldrik off his feet and into the snow, speckling the air with icy powder. Towering over him, he pressed the tip of his weapon against the man's jugular.
"What are ye waiting for?" Uldrik growled, eyeing his men with disdain. "Seize them!"
But the soldiers merely looked at one another, wearing uncertain expressions. Like her, they had been subjected to the man's cruelty. He had lost their loyalty long ago and now that he was no longer in a position to threaten their lives, the soldiers were not compelled to save him.
Exhausted, I scooped up my sword and went to Jarid. There was so much I longed to tell him, but there was no time.
"Where is the king's army?" I asked, shifting my attention to Uldrik.
He spat in the snow. The spittle was stained crimson. A malevolent laugh left his bloodied mouth.
"Yer too late, princess. They are closing in on the castle as we speak. Yer brother will lose his crown tonight and then the king will enslave yer people."
I glanced to Jarid, but worry knotted his brow. It was evident that he thought the evil king's forces would win against our own.
There was no hope of my brother winning. Unless...
"The scroll," I murmured to Jarid, snatching the relic from my pocket. "It's our only chance."
"But the legend says it has to be a blood relative of King Drew's people," Jarid replied with a shake of his head, his voice gritty from disuse. "You are not."
I touched his arm, hoping to reassure him when I couldn't feel anything but fear and dread.
I raised a brow. "Are you saying I'm not strong enough, Sir Jarid?"
He chuffed, undoubtedly remembering the time he had taunted me when we were young for being a 'silly girl who had no business playing with swords.' He had called me weak, but that was before I had bested him in front of the king. What had been a few years ago, felt like a lifetime. So much had changed since then.
"You are strong," he said, "but this isn't a game, Ayla."
"I know," I answered with a decisive nod. "It is not a game. It is about life and death, and I am only one compared to thousands."
The decision was easier to make than the one Uldrik had asked of me when he offered Jarid's life in exchange for the scroll.
Giving Jarid no time to react, I took a few steps back and gripped the scroll.
"I claim Matthias Alexandar's power." My voice was drowned out by a surge of energy so raw, I could hardly stand beneath its weight. I knew I would not be able to bear it for long.
"Ayla." Jarid's gaze was filled with anguish as he looked at me.
I forced a smile, but it felt more like a grimace.
Though I longed to tell him that I had grown to love him, I wasn't sure the sentiment would be reciprocated. I had always assumed that death would make one more courageous, but instead, I found that it made me more cowardly than ever.
It would be better to face death not knowing if he loved me, than to die with the certainty that he didn't.
A rumble of distant thunder of hooves sent a shiver of forboding through the atmosphere. The soldiers were fast approaching the castle. I felt the energy surge through me as I pictured the inner bailey of the castle. The power within me swelled, confirming that it would transfer me there within a blink of an eye.
Jarid's eyes widened as the energy pulsated through my veins. Just a moment before I vanished, I saw his mouth move, but it wasn't until I was at the castle that my mind deciphered what they were.
"I love you."
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