Chapter 25: Discussion
Balon, Kaerys, Renna and Aela gathered inside a luxurious, opulent room, on the tallest peaks of Redrock canyon. Well…as luxurious as a slave city could get. It was a far cry from the splendor and grandeur they were regularly predisposed to but atleast the view from above was quite breathtaking.
Each sibling sat on an intricately carved chair made out of red-iron wood. Kaerys sat lazily with her legs crossed and a hand on her cheek. Renna sat straight and uprightly, her hands resting on her lap. Aela laid back on her chair with her feet up, resting on a kneeling servant's back. The three sisters turned their heads in the same direction, where they heard the creaking of wood.
The artisan chair was exquisite, but its delicate design proved a challenge to the mammoth of a man that was their brother. They watched as Balon unabashedly squeezed into the seat of his chair, his bulging muscles already pressing out of the openings. He kept a straight and stoic face as he easily wrapped his hands around the thick wooden armrests. It looked as if a full grown man sat on a play chair meant for children below the age of six.
“...”
“...”
“...”
“...What? Is something wrong?”
Balon asked with his deep, booming voice.
The large youth gave off an air of casual dignity but within his mind he could not stop himself from feeling…a little shy.
Kaerys and Aela turned their heads away from him, suppressing their laughter. Renna just shook her head.
The auburn haired, green eyed girl spoke with a serious tone.
“The other empires will wonder why four descendants of our royal lineage are in one location.”
Kaerys in her enchanting and carefree voice replied.
“Obviously we just wanted to come out and play. What’s the problem?”
“Stop joking, sister. Maybe that’d work for all the other empires but they know our tradition. They know there must be something valuable here worth taking.”
Aela raised her eyebrows while letting out a beautiful smile.
“And you all don't even know if the core exists.”
Kaerys looked over at Balon and her two sisters did the same.
“Doesn’t matter now if it exists or not, royals and nobles are going to flood this place very soon.”
Balon laughed slowly and deeply, like one of those giants or titans.
“Bring them on then!”
“Maybe some of the men trying to court you all will join in on the fun in an effort to win your hearts.”
Kaerys simply smiled while Aela zoned out, already thinking of how she could move those pawns. Renna’s face though, turned sour.
“People from the other empires will come and they are able to bring fighters stronger than themselves. Do you all not understand this? There is past history of this happening and heirs falling! Do you not read your history books!? Do you not listen to your assigned mentors!?”
To this question the other three siblings simply looked away, they indeed did not.
“Why have you brought us here, Renna? Get to the point.”
Aela said.
“I’m sure you’re all thinking the same thing as me. There’s something…off about this place.”
“So?”
“So the chances of a core being here are more than likely…and the danger that encompasses it too.”
“I want us to band together temporarily, so that we can protect each other and make a great contribution to our kingdom when we find the core.”
The three looked at her weirdly.
Aela bursted out laughing.
“That sounds just like you, sister.”
“What if I want it for myself? Everyone apart from you wants it for themselves.”
Balon also chimed in.
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“I am the strongest here, why would I need help?”
“There will be threats greater than all of us put together.”
“No, actually, there already is quite a colossal threat. Brother, one of your protection spells was completely destroyed by some thing lurking in the darkness after you fought that boy.”
“I have two more of them.”
“Well we each have three. With that, we allocate them as we need to as we explore some leads.”
“Actually, I also have two.”
The remaining three siblings looked at Kaerys.
“What? Things happen.”
She shrugged nonchalantly.
Renna took a deep breath and bit her lip, continuing on with her proposal.
“All the more reason to then.”
“What leads do you guys even have? For all I know we only have one.”
Aela said, and Kaerys replied.
“My partner.”
“Your what!?”
Renna shouted.
“If I say that he’s mine, then he’s mine. That’s all there is to it.”
“So you know his whereabouts then?”
Balon suddenly asked.
“You don’t.”
“And that’s because he’s already accepted my offer.”
The three sisters widened their eyes, Renna’s alliance pact was already falling apart.
Kaerys looked at him with doubt and in her eyes…flashed a hint of denial.
“He’s not the type to kneel.”
“Then why don’t we bring him in then, so you can ask?”
“Monti!”
The doors burst open as the most average looking youth pathetically ran in.
“Yes, my lord!”
“You said that you and the scouts found him, did you not?”
“Yes, sire.”
“And that he accepted to be under my service, correct?”
“It took some convincing, but yes sire.”
“Good hahaha! Bring him in!”
The two sisters sat up correspondingly while Renna leaned in from her chair to closely observe the youth. Balon, on the other hand, broke his artisan chair from his enthusiastic pride, so he stood there with his arms crossed.
The sisters minds’ raced with thoughts. Even though he did not defeat their brother, a human without a bloodline becoming so powerful in this backwater territory was already a great achievement— no a miracle. The youth would easily strengthen their groups should he choose to…transfer to their own. Each young lady was already thinking up schemes to somehow do just that.
Steps upon the stone resounded into the room. The family of dragons all stared expectantly at the door. What passed through was a brown haired teenager, he had a lean figure that boasted agile but strong and well-built muscles. His face would have been quite handsome, if not for the red, large, hand-shaped mark on it.
“...”
“...”
“...”
“...Monti.”
“Yes, sire?”
“Monti, who is this?”
“My lord, this is the one who boasted the name, Arem, The Dragon. After his defeat he relinquished the title, as you ordered, so just Arem.”
“...”
“What about the one I fought a week ago?”
“That one’s name is Zan and he has many titles.”
“...And where is he?”
“No one has seen him since the fight.”
“...I see. Good work, Monti. You may go.”
“Thank you my lord!”
Monti scurried off with a clueless innocent smile. Balon looked to his three sisters as they all held a face of amusement, he did his best once again to keep on a straight face.
Kaerys held a face that with one look, said something along the lines of “I told you, so.”
“Why would you keep such a useless thing?”
Aela immediately asked the thoughts that Renna and Kaerys were having about his distinguished servant.
“My business is my own.”
Balon walked up to Arem.
“I can work for you but I’ve got things I want, okay buddy? I’m strong and I know my wor–”
SPLAT
Arem’s head burst like a watermelon, a large fist appeared where his head used to be. The headless body fell flat to the floor as blood leaked out.
“...”
“...”
“...”
“You couldn’t have taken him outside?”
Aela complained.
Renna then came forward once again.
“So regarding my offer…”
…
Deep below the towering iron mountains and steel peaks. Even deeper below the depraved yet bustling slave city, laid a system of maze-like tunnels and gigantic open caves akin to oceans of stone. In one of these tunnels was a spacious living quarters, filled with commodities and items normally unavailable for the rest of the cave’s inhabitants.
Fruits and vegetables, sleeping bags, hairbrushes, oils— even candles and a mirror littered the space. A few ragged dolls made of intricately woven silk laid on the floor also. Although time and play wore them down, the quality of these toys still shone. Unknown to the children, most if not all of these dolls were stolen.
In a large open area of the living quarters, a happy and unproblematic family consisting of a mother and her two daughters were peacefully discussing the events of last week. Particularly…the night of the event.
THUD!
A skinny boy with blonde hair collided against the rough, hard stone wall, his head bouncing off the rocky surface with a thump.
“Get out! Get out! Get out! I don’t want to ever see you again near my daughters or you'll pay!!!”
The furious mother shoved the boy while hurling profanities at him. A mirror was thrown right after and glass shattered on the boy's face. As the blood stained broken glass fell, Valerie saw her own twisted expression in the red.
Despite telling him to get out, she was more preoccupied with pushing him into walls and throwing random objects at him.
Vivian had finally seen the large bruise on Yela’s back. The girl did her best to hide the large purple bruise, always making excuses why she couldn't change in front of her own mother, why she couldn't enjoy the oils that she had gotten for her oldest daughter's skin, etc.
When Vivian finally saw the mark, she was calm and collected, she was understanding and compassionate. Asking her daughter for all the details on where she went, who she brought with her, what happened, etc. She made it a priority not to let her daughter feel any sort of anger, sadness or disappointment that she was feeling.
When she finished the whole talk, she asked her daughter to wait for her friend to come…until she finally exploded all her rage at him.
Yela hid the full extent of what happened and made sure to be vague with her descriptions but Vivian was well aware of all the things that happened in that event. In that butchering, in that massacre. The idea that she could very well have lost her daughter that night made her heart drop.
Luckily she was with Cole, who was well attuned to the darkness of the caves, unlike many of the newcomers. Unfortunately, that statement went over her head when her daughter shared her romantic adventure.
“I will kill you if you ever get near her again! Get out and never come back here!”
A crying little girl held her mother back from the boy with her body. Tears of salt and rain bled out of her eyes like her wounded heart. Her wails that echoed throughout the cave contained a profoundly tormented sadness.
“I was the one who brought him along, Mom! Why are you doing this?!”
“I don't care! You could have died!
“Leave! Now!!!”
Blood, hair and tears covered Cole’s face as he dragged himself lifelessly towards the exit.
Kara watched the whole thing from the sidelines as stars fell from her eyes also. A deep choking pain locked her throat, her chest hurt even more every time she found herself gasping for air every few moments. Watching the whole thing take place and watching as her first friend left her…it broke her fragile little heart.
Before Cole’ body fully passed through the stone opening, she ran out and hugged his waist.
“Kara get away from him! Right now!”
Cole felt Kara press her face onto his stomach as more and more tears escaped from her eyes. He could feel her tears and snot— her tiny gasps of air as she struggled to breathe.
The blonde youth bent down to one knee, and hugged her into his frail figure.
“Get away from her!!!”
As he stood up, he ruffled her hair one last time before disappearing into the darkness.