Chapter 3

Three walls of stone, one of metal bars. Evryn had memorized the shape of every rock before her. It was a puzzle that she could put together in her mind even if she wasn't looking. That's what she did everyday, tested herself by closing her eyes and trying to imagine exactly how the wall looked. She liked to think that by connecting the pieces of the puzzle, she also kept herself connected.

They hadn't sent any extra guards to specifically watch her. After her short streak of bravery, she was in an even worse state than before. The guards must have realized that.

That day was even darker than the previous days down in her cell. The torch across the hall hadn't been lit. Its flickering orange light hadn't reached the dirt floor she called her own. When holding her hand out before her, Evryn couldn't make out a single crease on her palm. She only saw her hand's silhouette.

She hadn't bothered to check on the progress of the new children. In her return the previous morning, she had done nothing but repeatedly punch the ground. It didn't hurt. She didn't have bruises on her knuckles as she should have. The only bruises she had were from the guards who dragged her back to the cell.

When a small voice floated to her ears, she couldn't tell if she'd imagined it or not. At first, she couldn't make out any of the words that were said, as she really wasn't listening. But then the voice tried again.

"Evryn?" Just over a whisper.

She crawled forward from the corner of her cell, gripping the metal bars with both hands. She squinted, trying to see through the darkness. There was nobody. The voice had been in her head, it must have been.

"Evryn." Again.

It sounded so real. So unfamiliar. How could she imagine that? Her sanity was slipping. There were torches further down the corridor, illuminating two guards at the end of the row. None of them had moved at all. They hadn't heard what she did.

"Evryn, over here." This time the voice was different, quieter yet clearer. Evryn redirected her focus yet again, trying even harder to push away the darkness obscuring her vision.

Then she saw it. Rather, she saw them. It was the cell of the new children. She could barely make out their forms, pressed against the metal bars. All five of them were there. Still alive.

Why were they talking to her? "What?" She whispered, her voice dreadfully scratchy. In the moment that there was no answer, she had begun to confirm that she had indeed gone insane.

"W-why are we here?"

Evryn's grip slackened, her hand falling down to the floor. She squeezed her eyes shut.

When she arrived, there had been two boys and two other girls, all older than her. She had been innocent and clueless. She had been promised a future, the only obstacle being the other four children before her. She had known nothing about them. They had assumed her harmless.

If only they had been right. If only she hadn't strangled them all, one by one, in the dead of night. All by herself. How did she do it? How had she been capable of such a thing?

Every day since, she had endured the consequences of such a crime. She had given up on the future she had been promised. It simply wasn't coming. If only she had killed herself when she had the chance.

When Evryn opened her eyes again, it took her eyes just a short moment to adjust. All five children were still huddled inside their cage. They were waiting for her answer. Why were they there?

"Kill yourselves." She said, her throat tight and raw. "I don't know why you're here, but you'll regret living through this."

•••

Hadrien hadn't slept at all. Instead he had spent the night pacing and the morning outside. He watched the sun rise from a small bench in the east garden. It was his favorite spot, with willow branches that swayed in the wind all around it. His mother had sat on that bench with him countless times. She told stories of valiant kings and fierce queens. If only she could see the king he'd become. What a shame.

He was the first one to arrive at breakfast. There would be several guests joining him that day, one of which being General Landolyn. It had been Kendric who accepted the requests. They all had some kind of news to share with their king. A great deal of guests would  come from afar and and stay for the ball. The castle would soon become crowded.

Kendric arrived with the General only minutes after Hadrien had. Both of them looked noticeably content. The king surveyed them, hoping to catch some of their conversation. He didn't, however, for as soon as Kendric spotted him his smile vanished and whatever he had been saying remained unfinished. 

The General bowed. When he rose, there was a smile plastered upon his face. His teeth were crooked and yellowing, a stark contrast from his daughter's. Hadrien had only met the man once, before he was king. That was too long ago to notice any changes in the man.

"I am pleased to be in your presence once again, your highness. I believe that you met my daughter, Terra?" The general spoke with the smile still glued to his face.

Strange he should bring his daughter up first. To the king that only meant one thing; the General must have been certain that their stroll had gone well. Therefore he fully expected the king to be happy to speak of Terra. Lady Terra either lied to her father about the results of their meeting or simply hadn't spoken of it to him. Either way, Hadrien, for appearances sake, would speak highly of her.

"Ah, yes. It was a pleasure speaking with Lady Terra. You have raised a fine woman, general. A very fine woman indeed."

Relief flashed across both of the older men's faces. Hadrien held back the laughter he felt in his throat.

"Thank you, your highness. I am pleased to hear such news. I assure you that she will not disappoint, I have always thought her worthy of royalty."

Hadrien did not reply, deciding not to discuss Terra any further. Instead, he took his seat at the end of the long table and folded his hands together in front of him.

When the meal was served, two lords had joined them. Both of them came mainly to request for donations from the castle. Hadrien accepted both of their requests, as it was his role. The prince of Ollark also made an appearance, updating the king on the happenings of his country. Their alliance was still secure and his sister, Princess Gwyneth, had married the king of Dysineth, a small island country in the Istillen Sea.

Hadrien listened with as much attention as he could give. Kendrick talked a lot for him, but he made comments every so often. It was the same type of information he heard on a daily basis, accept then it had been given directly from the people to which it applied.

The only truly interesting news he heard was from the Duke of Pellone. The duke was a petite man, balding on the forehead. He seemed slightly odd of mind and stuttered an awful lot when he spoke.

"There is an army amassing just outside of Pellone," he began, eager to get the information out. "M-must be twenty or so of them, just staying in one place. The thing is though, they haven't a-all stayed. They come and go, like birds to a nest. Ten or so come and another ten leave. I had sent some spies up to see who they were and they told me that the army had no weapons with them. N-none."

Hadrien adjusted his position in his chair, resting his hands on the table. "How then, duke, do you speak of an army if they have no weapons?" He interrupted, asking the question that must have been on the minds of everyone in the room.

The duke's eyes darted around like a lizard's, seemingly frantic. "T-that's what I would have thought, if my spies hadn't given me reason to believe otherwise. You see, my spies found this." He reached into his pocket and brought out a carefully folded, but wrinkled sheet of paper. The whole table was paying attention then if they hadn't been already. When he unfolded it, the poor man's hands were trembling.

It was a map of Vendetta. With three bright red exes,  one in the small town of Heiden, one in the slightly larger town of Riffaw, and one right on top of the castle of Vendetta.

The duke pressed a thin finger on top of Heiden. "My s-spies told me that their first attack would be on Heiden. And then R-Riffaw. Which leaves the castle for the final destination."

The questions piled on top of each other in Hadrien's mind. "An army of twenty people. With no weapons. I'm not seeing why I should feel threatened by this."

"Yes, yes. You have no reason to be  t-threatened, your highness. I just thought I should give you warning." The duke paused, as if considering whether or not to go on. "There is one last thing, however. The army is from Dwoore."

The king laughed. "I do not fear that land as my cowardly father did." Under the table, he felt Kendrick nudge him with his leg. Hadrien ignored his advisor. "When is this so-called attack?"

The mention of Dwoore had spiked Hadrien's interest in the matter. It was true that he did not fear the country, but he was no fool. He knew that the king, King Wruil, and his wife Marietta were the most powerful royals to pass through their castle.

"That I do not know." The duke replied. He took the map and folded it up once again. When he was about to place it back into his pocket, there was a sudden crash as the doors of the room were whipped open.

Standing in the doorway was a distressed guard. "I apologize for interrupting, sire, but King Rubigo has arrived and demands your presence." There it was again. A demand of him. First, from his very own prisoner. Now, his beloved uncle, the king of Malkane.