Chapter 10 - Bitter Truths

Sharumez and Jenu arrived at the royal gates. They were even more stunning up close because the giant diamonds decorated on them were clearly seen twinkling in the sunlight.

The gate complimented the snow-white castle that stood behind it. They felt so tiny looking at the castle because it was the tallest building they had ever seen in their lives. It wasn't their first time seeing it but it was definitely their first time close to it.

Four brutish warriors guarded the gates with their weapons drawn. They refused to open the gate until Sharumez and Jenu showed them some identification. Sharumez and Jenu took out their documents and showed the guards.

One guard examined the documents and when he was satisfied, Sharumez gave him the official letter he received. The guard nodded his head and two opened the gates.

"You may go in." he said to Sharumez. "But as for you," He turned to Jenu. "You will remain here with us. The letter only specifies that the king wants to see him and not you."

Sharumez frowned at Jenu, but he held his shoulder. "Go ahead, Sharumez. I will be fine." Jenu assured him.

"I will see you soon my friend." Sharumez hopelessly gave in.

Two of the guards escorted Sharumez to the castle. On the way there, Sharumez saw at least a couple dozen guards patrolling the roof. He saw others all over the yard and a handful at the door. When they finally got to the door, one of the guards turned to Sharumez.

"You will proceed with him." He referred to another guard at the door.

Sharumez followed the guard into the castle. It was decorated with the finest antic furniture and dazzling chandeliers. The wooden floors were sparkling clean. They were so clean that they would make anyone worried if their shoes were dragging dirt on to them. Sharumez looked back just to make sure, and he was relieved that he wasn't.

The guard led him up a flight of stairs and came to the throne room. There were several guards outside the room. The guard that escorted Sharumez gave his letter to the head guard there, and he went into the throne room with it. After a few minutes, he returned.

"His majesty, King Raglan, will see you now." he said to him.

Sharumez nervously walked into the throne room. He saw more guards standing along the walls of the large room. King Raglan sat on his throne with his legs spread apart. This time around, neither Queen Lavila nor Prince Meelzib was with him.

The only person that was up there with him was a maiden fanning him with a giant leaf. King Raglan's smile made Sharumez feel even more nervous. Sharumez bowed down before his king.

"Your majesty, I am here as you commanded." Sharumez humbly said.

"I am pleased that you have come in good time." King Raglan held up his hand and the maiden stopped fanning him. "I, however, request that you pardon me. You see I have been sitting here all morning and I would like some fresh air." King Raglan slowly said. "Would you mind coming outside with me? I would like us to talk from there."

Sharumez followed King Raglan outside to a terrace. It had a table and two chairs that were positioned opposite each other. There were only two guards there. King Raglan sat down and gestured for Sharumez to take the other chair. Sharumez and the guards stretched their eyes astonished at that.

Sharumez swallowed hard, "Please forgive me my king but I cannot sit with you like this." he humbly declined.

"And why not?" King Raglan asked him.

"I am not worthy your majesty." Sharumez said without looking into King Raglan's eyes.

King Raglan laughed. "You must understand that I am too tired to sit on my throne. I have seen at least 50 people before you. Sit down here with me. I am not asking you but commanding you. Will you refuse your king?"

"I wouldn't dare to, your majesty." Sharumez said and King Raglan pointed to the empty chair. Sharumez pulled the chair back and sat on it.

"So, you are Sharumez the carpenter of Gemhules...the man with a gifted daughter." King Raglan started.

"Yes I am, your majesty." Sharumez answered making sure not to make any eye contact.

"What is her name?" King Raglan asked.

"She is Sharaina, your majesty." Sharumez quickly answered.

"Have you brought her with you?" King Raglan further asked.

"No, she remained in Gemhules, your majesty." Sharumez explained.

King Raglan sighed at his explanation. "I was hoping to see her. It's alright however." he leaned towards the table. "I want her to begin her training."

His words hit Sharumez hard. His fear had come to pass. He felt as though his world blackened and someone poured cold water on him.

"You see, it is extremely rare for a warrior darkas god to activate their powers early and worse without the help of an instructor. This therefore makes your daughter special. She is going to be a gifted warrior one day." King Raglan said with so much amusement.

Sharumez was silent. He didn't know what to say or do. King Raglan saw that what he had said bothered Sharumez.

"I know that you aren't ready to accept this Sharumez. As a father, I understand your sentiments over this issue. How old is she exactly?" King Raglan asked Sharumez.

"She is only 80 your majesty." Sharumez answered.

"So, she is 20 years early? How fascinating." King Raglan said as he rubbed his beard.

"Sharumez, I can assure you that getting her to begin her training now will not only benefit the army but herself as well. Let's say we leave her alone until she turns 100 years, what happens when her gamarax levels become low because of the continued use of her powers?

"Where will she find vampires to feed on and how will she access them? She has to be taught how to hunt and open portals to Earth." King Raglan explained.

Sharumez sat quiet deep in thought. King Raglan saw that and continued in his pursuit to convince Sharumez.

"It is of utmost importance that she learns how to use her powers responsibly. As she is now, she is a risk to be around. There's no telling what she would do in her anger and you know how emotionally unstable young girls around her age are."

King Raglan's words took away the look of worry from Sharumez and replaced it with sheer fear.

"I understand what you are saying my king." Sharumez found his voice and with a heavy heart, he proceeded to say, "I will send her to the Great Academy as you wish."

"I knew that you were a wise man the moment I set my eyes on you Sharumez." King Raglan smiled. "We are recruiting after 30 days. Be sure to send her to the academy then."

"On your way out, pick up her special admission letter. She will not be let in without it." King Raglan said.

Sharumez got up and after a bow, he left. He picked up the letter on his way out. He decided not to open it but let Sharaina open it herself. When he was out of the castle, he found Jenu lying down on the lawn in the shadow of his horse. Jenu saw Sharumez approaching him, and he got up and ran to him.

"What did the king say?" He anxiously asked.

"She is going to have to leave home, Jenu. My little girl will not belong to me anymore but to Dark Star. As young as she is, she has no choice but to join the army." Sharumez's tears fell. He hastily wiped them, enduring the lump on his throat. "Come on, let's go." he painfully said and Jenu slowly nodded his head sympathetically.

****

In a castle hall were four maids cleaning and dusting. Among the four was Emelinia. As she swept the floor, her sky blue hair kept getting in her face because her headband was loose.

She paused and started to untie her headband. When it was off, her star birthmark was visible. It was solid light purple just like the marks of the other seers in the kingdom. She was a seer darkas god whose powers hadn't yet matured.

She successfully tied her headband, and continued to sweep. As she swept, she listened to the chatter of the other maids. She was an introverted girl, so she often kept to herself.

Often times she watched her fellow servants chat with each other from afar. The other servants took notice of this and found her odd. Some just found it as a good excuse to pick on her. The three that she was cleaning the hall with were no exception.

With the corner of her eye, she saw them smirk deviously at each other. They whispered things to each other that Emelinia couldn't hear. Before she knew it, they started walking towards her.

Emelinia tensed and looked away from them. When they got close to her, they heard the hall room door open. One guard walked in and looked grimly at them.

"The queen seeks your presence." he coldly said and the maids immediately turned away.

Emelinia remained thinking about why Queen Lavila decided to see them all of a sudden. Emelinia's heart skipped a beat. She dropped her broom in fear.

Is it possible that the queen has found out about what I did? She panicked.

Emelinia bit her lower lip as she pondered. She was with the very three maids the day she overheard Queen Lavila and Prince Meelzib. It is because of this that she completely refused to believe that it was a coincidence that the queen demanded to see them.

Queen Lavila knew that she was alone with Prince Meelzib and neither of them would have warned Ulanos. The only logical explanation was that someone heard them from the balcony directly below.

Queen Lavila most likely viewed the work schedule for that particular morning and came across their names. Emelinia felt overwhelmed by fear.

I must get out of here. Emelinia decided without a second thought.

Emelinia peeped at the guard and three maids turning to another hallway. She ran for it in the opposite direction. Emelinia ran down a flight of stairs and when she was finally on the first floor, she played it cool so as not to attract attention to herself. The guards paid no attention to her as she made her way to the gates.

"Where are you going?" One of the gatekeepers asked her.

"Her highness, Queen Lavila has sent me to the market for a personal errand." She answered, shocked at how calmly she did it.

The gatekeeper looked at her from head to toe before proceeding to open the gate. Emelinia sighed in relief when she was finally out. She walked quickly without even daring to look back.

Escaping the Queen Lavila was the only thing on her mind. She had to find her way back to her home village. She didn't know how she was going to do it because it was days away, and she had no money on her.

****

The three maids bowed before Queen Lavila and Prince Meelzib. Queen Lavila angrily glared at them whereas Prince Meelzib appeared indifferent. The girls were petrified and confused. They wondered what wrong they had done.

"I am told that you were the ones that cleaned the room directly below my son's bedroom balcony two days ago. I said some personal things that day and one of you told that information to my enemy. I want to know who." Queen Lavila darkly said to them, and they trembled in fear. "Speak!" She raised her voice and they screamed.

"It wasn't I, your highness." one of the girls said. "I was dusting the furniture with these two. Only Emelinia was waxing the balcony."

"Where is she?" Queen Lavila asked.

The girls exchanged puzzled looks. They looked around, and noticed for the first time that Emelinia wasn't with them. They fearfully bowed back down at Queen Lavila cursing Emelinia in their hearts.

"Answer me!" Queen Lavila exploded and they screamed again.

Queen Lavila's eyes turned red, and she focused her gamarax on the girls. They rose up into the air and they were instantly paralyzed. Queen Lavila brought her fingers together, choking them until they fell unconscious. She slammed them against the wall screaming in anger.

"Send out troops to find that stupid girl! If the king asks, tell him that she has stolen my jewelry." she ordered the guards.