Regius (29 page)

King Xen had added to the
harem 'collection' until the day he died, yet he'd never entered
these quarters once he'd been married. It was tradition that the
King added new girls for the heir when they came of age. Xelle, the
Queen, had been part of the collection, as every Queen had to be.
They were suitable matches for the future Kings and were taught
everything a Queen needed to know in case they were ever chosen.
The girls were never to be below the age of twelve when they were
brought into the harem, but they weren't allowed to be over the age
of sixteen either. If an heir or King did not show any interest in
a girl before her thirty-fifth birthday, she was to be married to a
noble or officer, a step down from what they were bred for, but an
honorable way to finish off their lives nonetheless.

Xania had bended the rules
of this place to fit his personal needs. He had no right to even
consider the harem to be his, yet after Xen's death and the loss of
hope in the royal hierarchy being returned to its former glory, the
women in these quarters had stopped objecting to the Steward's
presence. What else could they do? The heir was lost and had no
interest in the throne.

Maya knew her father would
have broken his pledge of loyalty to the Royals if he had been
around to see the way his daughter was being treated. But he was
but a pile of ash now, so Maya need not worry.

She broke out of her
thoughts when the large double doors opened, a cloaked figure
stepping inside. It was the escort. He was only to enter to escort
a girl outside of these quarters when the ruler demanded it. Maya
had gotten used to him, whereas the other girls hadn't and let out
noises of surprise and fear, moving away from him and clearing his
path.

There was something
mysterious about Digitalis, something frightening, yet Maya knew
she didn't have to fear. Like herself, Digitalis came from the Meek
bloodline and while he was only a cousin removed several times,
sharing something in common with the assassin was slightly
comforting.

"Maya." Digitalis' voice
was surprisingly soft and gentle as he offered her his hand, which
she moved to take. "I'll be escorting you to the ballroom today.
Your veil?" That meant Xania wasn't alone in the ballroom, that
there were other men there. Digitalis must have noticed the
understanding in Maya's eyes as he then nodded. "Rhamnus was called
forth, as was I." Releasing her hand so she could veil her face,
leaving only her eyes clearly visible, he added, "The Seer wished
to speak to the Steward." Maya feigned surprise as she placed her
hand into Digitalis' again so he could lead her out and into the
long hallway. She'd expected Mallow to be plotting something after
she'd asked Maya to detour Solenum to the conservatory before
bringing her to the ballroom.

That had been the only time
she'd been unescorted in the castle. Xania had believed Solenum
would be more comfortable in the presence of a Regius woman, rather
than a Regius man. The Seer had foretold it and taken advantage.
So, no. She wasn't surprised at all that she was to see the Seer
for the first time. A secret meeting with an Altor such as Solenum
didn't come without consequences.

"What is it she wants to
talk about?" Blinking, Maya looked up at Digitalis who, as always,
looked neither happy nor upset to be in her presence. She'd gotten
used to it by now and was no longer bothered by it. She belonged to
Xania and the assassin answered to that very man. Digitalis would
never disobey the Steward’s orders or go up against his views and
beliefs. He was the one Xania trusted the most.

"The question is, since
when does her mother allow her to seek out any Reinhardt?"
Digitalis was right, of course. Mallow was a question that everyone
believed would remain unanswered, Sage made sure no one could try.
Why wasn't Sage here now to stop her daughter? Maya had never seen
the Seer. Nobody had, with the exception of Sage and now
Solenum.

Although the Soldier in
command had found herself a spot as an adviser to Xania through
mutual bribery, it was a known fact that Sage’s allegiance was
still with Xen. Although the Steward was far from unsubtle about
his wants, Maya knew that Sage was smart enough to understand that
Xania’s wish was to become true King to the Regius. Their
relationship was tense, to say the least.

Releasing her, Digitalis
opened the door of the ballroom, gesturing for Maya to go inside
first. Bowing her head, she stepped in and a smile found its way
onto her lips as her gaze linked with that of Xania.

He was seated on a large
chair in the middle of the platform, Rhamnus flanked his right and
Digitalis walked passed Maya to flank Xania's left. Had she not
been part of their group, the image they made would have frightened
her. Instead though, Xania smirked slowly, reaching out with a lazy
hand and gesturing for her to come join his side. Linking her hands
behind her back, she passed Mallow who was standing on the edge of
the platform, waiting patiently for Xania to give her permission to
speak. Maya allowed herself a peek at the Seer, taking in the Altor
black hair, the pale Regius skin and the unnatural gold of her
eyes. This girl was like no other person that Maya had seen before
and the power the Seer harbored was terrifying.

"Prepare yourself." She
heard the Seer whisper, leading Maya almost to stumble in her step.
She hid it as she joined the Steward’s side, Rhamnus stepping away
to make space. She'd met him several times these last couple of
months due to Xania wishing her present when Rhamnus, Digitalis and
Xania held minor conferences. The Steward had once confided in her,
saying he didn't always feel quite as secure as he should come
across to these men and so she had suggested to have her present.
She'd be a distraction to the tracker and the assassin, giving
Xania the upper hand.

"You wish to inform me of
something?"

Mallow lifted her eyes off
the ground, the shining gold staring curiously at the assassin,
herself and the tracker all standing around Xania on the throne.
She didn't look scared, or at least, Maya couldn't detect
fear.

"I thought it would be of
interest to you that Solenum Everhart has escaped."

Maya worriedly looked down
at Xania, trying to gauge his reaction to that. She could sense
that Rhamnus had tensed while Digitalis, as always, showed
nothing.

"Excuse me?" Xania's voice
was sharp and drawn out, each syllable enunciated.

Maya knew to stay away from
him when he entered this mood, but the hold he had on her waist was
painfully tight and didn't allow her to step away.

"She's gone." Maya watched
the Seer curiously as her head tilted back, golden eyes unfocused
momentarily, becoming a shining pool of emptiness before they fixed
their attention back onto Xania. "She is with Calycanthus Esquivel.
I have seen it just now. They are in the Immortal
forest."

Maya wasn't aware of the
exact details when it came to the Steward needing Everhart and
Esquivel, but she knew they were important to whatever he had
planned for the future of the Regius. With them gone... She winced
as Xania's nails dug into her skin, leading her to let out a
whimper as she tried to squirm out of his hold. He wouldn't let go
though.

"Mallow." Xania clipped
out.

"Yes?"

"Where is Sage?"

That was a terribly good
question
, Maya thought.

"Iodin City," The Seer
answered simply. When Xania kept silent and waited, she elaborated.
"Elder Rose Saxton was spotted along the forest border. It is
believed she is looking for a lost Altor researcher. Sage was close
by, saw a chance and took it. To bring down an Elder
is-"

"Very favorable for the
Regius, yes." Xania finished. "How is she progressing?"

"She forgot that Altors
have a tendency to travel in packs."

Maya let out a high-pitched
noise of pain when Xania's nails drew blood. She shut herself up
though when the Steward looked grimmer with every second that
passed.

"How long before Pieris
ends Sage?"

Maya momentarily forgot her
pain as Xania's words registered. It made sense. The only reason
for Mallow to step out of the conservatory without doing any
serious damage to Sage's rule and Xania's deal was if her mother
were to die.

"Time is not always the
most precise thing in my visions." The Seer answered, seemingly
unaffected by her mother's probable death.

The Steward sighed. "You
will now tell me who let them escape and-" The Seer's gaze never
seemed to falter as she waited patiently for Xania to finish his
request. "You will look into the future and tell me if I need
Everhart and Esquivel alive." Xania smiled knowingly. "You must
know I don't need them to make my wish become a reality. It's whom
they have control over that I need."

"Dead or alive." She
started, frowning down at the ground suddenly. "It won't
affect
your
future." His tight hold on Maya lessened. The Regius in the
room, with the possible exception of Digitalis, were most likely as
surprised as her when the Seer gave permission to have her own
half-brother killed.

"Digitalis." Was all Xania
said in response to this, and the assassin silently and quickly
left the room. Maya noticed that Mallow's lips parted in slight
fear as the assassin passed by her.

"Who freed Solenum?” The
Steward demanded.

The Seer's eyebrows twisted
in a way that told Maya she was most likely upset. Detaching her
golden gaze from the ground, a soft exhale escaped Mallow and her
arms fell to her sides before she closed her eyes and
breathed.

"Robinia
Kowalski."

* * * *

Too many visions in one
day. It would take its toll on my body in the future.

"Solenum!"

"Cali?!" When the brave
girl's hand closed around that of her best friend, she finally
opened her eyes and allowed herself to see that the roots had
carried her out of the place that would haunt her for the rest of
her life.

"Solenum." The boy
repeated softer this time, pulling his friend out of the hole and
instantly into his arms. Solenum welcomed the embrace, her arms
tight around Cali’s neck as their hearts healed just a bit thanks
to their reunion.

So much had changed since
they'd last seen each other. They'd been categorized as clueless
Civilians. Altors that needed to be triggered, but unaware of the
responsibilities they were to carry on their shoulders. They'd been
happy teenagers, believing their lives boring.

As they held onto each
other, there on the forest ground, they realized that they both had
taken that life for granted.

"I am so tired." Solenum
whispered as she framed Calycanthus' face to take a good look at
him.

"I know.” He could see it.
“But we have to keep moving. We aren't safe here."

"We aren't going home yet,
are we?" Her voice was fragile as she let her friend pull her onto
her feet. Although Calycanthus didn't answer her with words, she
was able to read the answer to her question off his
face.

They started running,
deliberately allowing themselves to get lost in Immortalis
Silva.

Seven people were currently
running with a defined purpose in the country of Zinc. These seven
would play major roles in the future of this land, triggered the
moment they all started to run as fast they could. My father,
Kalmia, once showed me through a vision that running away from
things wasn't always a bad thing. Sometimes they could lead to
good, while other times it could be worse. There were also moments
where you had to let go of your pride and take those brave steps.
Because although running away was often viewed as cowardly, while
you ran from wrong, you also left a lot of right. To step away from
something good, takes a certain amount of bravery.

All seven were hearing and
seeing the same thing. Their footsteps resonating off the wet
forest ground, leaves and branches hitting them in their faces as
they pushed past the trees, trying to gain speed, yet the soles of
their shoes were slippery on the mud. The difference was how they
looked at these surroundings. While Solenum and Calycanthus did not
worry about the trees, they worried of what followed them. Galax
and Datura, although not physically present, were right there with
the cousins.

Delph Riddle, the Civilian
boy who’d once shared a room with Cali, although not truly within
the forest, dreamt of being lost in it, running away from sounds
that terrified him down to his very core. He wanted to shut the
forest out, wishing to be blind and deaf to all he had
learned.

I myself neither
concentrated on what lay ahead, nor what was behind. Neither did I
shut the forest out. On the contrary, I was watching the trees
carefully, knowing that if I followed my vision exactly as I saw
it, that I would run into the person that had the cousins so
worried.

Digitalis knew
Immortals Silva
like no
other. It was his playground and currently, he was hunting. If I
wanted the vision of the future I was striving for to become a
reality, I had to end his hunt and face the most feared creature in
all of Zinc. The ghost assassin was not someone you purposely
distracted from a job, yet that is exactly what I intended to
do.