Chapter 10: Monsters Lurk in Shadows

Finnian Northguard

"You set a murder of crows on one of your handmaidens…?" I can't help the smirk growing on my face as Luthera turns an interesting shade of red. "To impress a boy?"

"First of all, they were ravens, not crows." She corrects, looking off to the side.

"The difference being?" I ask, quirking an eyebrow at her.

"Ravens are a fair bit larger."

"That doesn't exactly help your case, my dearest."

She scoffs before waving me off, a pink tinge still glowing along her cheeks. "I was twelve. Surely you did your fair share of foolish escapades when you were younger."

I lean back fully, resting my back against the carriage as I raise my hands in surrender. "I did indeed."

Luthera looks at me expectantly for a few moments before huffing quietly. "Well, spit it out. I shared one of my stories, after all."

"Well…" I trail off, feeling a small smile tug at my lips. "I remember when I was 11, Kai was 15. I stole his sword, Langris, one day and took it out to the training yard."

Luthera quirks an eyebrow in amusement. "I imagine he wasn't very happy with you."

I let out a small laugh. "On the contrary he found it quite amusing. The sword was almost as tall as I was and I looked absolutely ridiculous swinging it around."

She laughs as well, probably imaging an 11-year-old me trying to wield a longsword. "And what happened after that? You challenged him to a duel I suppose."

I can't fully hold back my wince even though I know she was joking. She notices, her eyebrows raising in surprise before her face breaks out into a small grin.

"So, you did." She leans forwards, her blue eyes sparkling in amusement. "I imagine that ended terribly well for you."

"Well…" I trail off, looking to the side. "Kai did use a wooden sword… and disarmed me within the first 5 seconds of the duel. Commander Arthur said I had heart but I needed the skill to match. Magic always came easy to me, swordsmanship on the other hand… that took a while."

Luthera hums in contemplation, her eyes wondering to Arno at my side. "And when did you inherit Arno."

I can feel the easy smile on my face fall into a deep frown. If Luthera notices she doesn't point it out.

"I… I didn't inherit Arno the same way Kai inherited Langris."

"Oh?" Luthera leans forward in interest. "How so? If your comfortable telling me, that is."

I almost take the escape she is offering and steer away from the story but…

She's been a constant companion since our wedding and I feel I at least owe her some details about me and my family. The mark on my wrist hums in agreement so I lean back and take hold of Arno.

"I once promised you that I would tell you the origins of Arno and Langris, didn't I?" It's a question but I state it like more of a fact. Very few outside the royal court actually know the story.

Luthera nods her head. "I was able to find a book in the library detailing the generations past of Kamrion and the Northguards, but it only goes so far back, nothing that details the very beginning."

I nod in understanding. "The origins and complete history of Kamrion is something only my family knows, my family and trusted members of the royal court. But since you're a member of our family now it only makes sense that you know as well."

I didn't think it was possible for her to look more intrigued than she did before. Her eyes, wide and inquisitive, bore into mine, demanding answers, the mark on my wrist hums to reinforce that feeling.

"Kamrion wasn't always Kamrion." I begin. "Back before the rise of the Northern Kingdoms there were two tribes that settled in the north at roughly the same time. Both tribes claimed that they had arrived there first and that the land was rightfully theirs. As you can imagine this didn't bode well."

Luthera lets out a shallow breath. "Given how unfortunately bloody history tends to be, I presume it ended in a war."

"It did." I nod. "With crude weapons and even cruder arcane knowledge they slaughtered each other by the thousands. No one really knows how long the war went on for, only how it ended."

"And how did it end?" She asks.

"Not everyone wanted to be a part of the war." I explain. "Many fled to the south, from both tribes, looking for a place to settle down away from it all. As it so happens a man and a woman met during migration to the south, both master crafters, far ahead of their time, each from the opposing tribe, but that didn't matter where they were. They lived a good life, married and had children, two sons. Care to guess what their names were?"

Luthera appears to be in deep thought for a moment before slow realization blooms on her delicate features. "Arno and Langris."

"Indeed." I give a smile. "Arno and Langris became master crafters like their parents. But unlike their parents, they couldn't live happily in the south while their kin were being massacred in the North. They forged two swords, capable of bearing the weight of manipulating raw magic for the users so they wouldn't have their bodies fail or their minds descend into madness."

I unsheathe Arno, glancing at the markings along the side of the sword.

"They were able to reclaim their parent's home in the north and end the war, uniting the two tribes into what's known today as Kamrion, the Northern Stronghold. Every king born from then is required to always have two heirs, one to wield Langris and one to wield Arno, the two swords without which our kingdom wouldn't exist."

Luthera appears to be taking her time to digest everything I just told her, her eyes glancing at the blade in my hands.

"You said every king of Kamrion is required to have two heirs, one for each sword. Langris…" She trails off.

"Belonged to Oswald Northguard, my father's younger brother, my uncle." I answer the question she refused to ask out loud. "Kai inherited Langris after he died."

Something in my tone must have struck her concern, she leans forward and her voice comes out careful and hesitant. "And how did he die?"

My jaw tenses so tightly I can almost hear my teeth crack. I look away, trying to push down memories I was mercifully able to forget for a little while.

"He…" I trail off, looking back to meet Luthera's eyes. Slowly, she leans forwards and takes my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Once again I hesitate until I see the earnestness in her eyes and I finally answer.

"He ended his own life."

Luthera's eyes widen as her hand tightens around mine.

"What?" She almost chokes out. I offer a sad smile, squeezing her hand back.

"Arno and Langris protect us from the strain of wielding and manipulating raw magic, but even they have their limits." I explain. "After so many battles alongside my father, my uncle's mind eventually began to unravel. I was only 8 but I could see it in his eyes, the last threads of is sanity failing and eventually… snapping."

"Oh my… Finn." Her blues eyes sparkle with sympathy. "I'm so sorry."

"Nothing could have been done to stop it." I reason but offer a sad smile in return. "But thank you. Father never talks about it and neither does mother. But we all know how devastated father was after our uncle died. He moved all the paintings of our uncle to one room and had it barred and locked. He flung himself into every battle, one after the other, Arno at his side, perhaps he thought enough bloodshed would eventually drown the grief."

"How did…" Luthera's voice catches and she audibly swallows. "How did you come into possession of Arno then?"

I don't answer for the longest time, the only sound in the air is the wheels of the carriage grinding along the road. Luthera offers an understanding nod before giving my hand one last comforting squeeze and leaning back into her seat.

I don't know how it happened, but the words tumble out of my mouth at their own will.

"It began happening to my father too." I state quietly, grabbing her full attention once again. My eyes fall to the space between us as I find my voice once again. "We could all see it, the frenzied look in his eyes, the hunger for battle, the strain of using so much magic in all those battles began to eat away at our father's mind, we all knew it would consume him like it did our uncle. I saw how much what happened to our uncle devastated our mother, I knew that if our father fell in the same way, it would destroy her. No one else knew what to do, but I had an answer."

"An answer?" She asks hesitantly.

"I challenged him to a duel." I reveal finally, looking up just in time to see the shock in her eyes. "In front of the court so he couldn't refuse. The winner would claim Arno."

"How old were you?" She asks, astonished.

"19 going on 20. This wasn't too long ago." I reply. "Since I am currently in possession of Arno I presume you already know how the duel ended."

Her face falls into deep contemplation as I can almost see pieces of a puzzle coming together in her head, her face adopting a deep frown.

"That why your father…? I mean… That's why he…"

"Despises me." I cut in, nodding darkly. "The king didn't appreciate his own son deposing him as the wielder of the heirloom of our people. There was nothing he could do about it though, he was bound by honour to fulfil the conditions of the duel and without Arno he couldn't ride out to battle anymore, that responsibility fell on me… with all the deserving appreciation from my father."

Luthera doesn't respond, a deep and contemplative look on her face. There is something odd in the way she is looking at me, I am about to question what it is until I feel a familiar hum from the mark on my wrist, she is trying to reach out. I find myself letting out some tension in my shoulders as I feel her now familiar presence hum around me, calming me like gentle rain on a hot summer day.

"You saved his life." She breaks the silence, her voice filled with a level of determination and conviction I last heard after our encounter with the bandits and the Questing Beast, the first time I ever truly opened up to her.

"He doesn't see it that way." I retort weakly.

"Then he is blinded by his wounded pride… and he is a fool." She states, an uncharacteristic edge in her voice that catches my off guard.

I feel my eyes widen and my breath hitch. Luthera, from the moment we met has always been so… polite, so courteous, even when she was angry with me she never broke her seemingly unshakable etiquette.

"I…" I pause, not knowing how to respond.

"I've seen how he treats you Finn." She says, voice growing strained. "It's not fair to you, he may not see it now but a day will come when he realises the depth of the mercy you gave him."

"Maybe that day will come." I reply, finding my voice. "But even if it doesn't, it doesn't matter. I didn't do it for him, I did it for my mother."

Her features soften before she stands up in the still moving carriage. I am about to ask what she is doing before she sits next to me, taking my hand once again.

"You really cherish her, don't you?" She asks, leaning her head on my shoulder. It's an unexpected but welcome gesture.

"I do." I reply simply, relaxing as she leans in closer.

I don't know how long we've been like this, it could have been minutes, it could have been hours, everything fades into silence until the carriage comes to a slow stop.

"It looks like we have arrived." Luthera mumbles tiredly.

I respond with a soft hum as the carriage door opens and one of the servants bow.

"My prince, my princes, we have arrived on the Morrowood road." He announces.

"Splendid." I mumble, gently tugging Luthera up to her feet.

We both exit the carriage and the same servants tries to bring over Juno who is fussing about and trying to break away.

"Allow me, please." Luthera says as she steps forward taking the reins from the servant.

She whispers something to Juno, I can't really make out what it is. After she has Juno completely calmed down she gently walks him over to me.

"What did you say to him?" I ask.

She merely offers a small and slightly cheeky smile.

"A secret between friends." She retorts.

Quirking an eyebrow at her, I take the reins as she offers them to me. She turns and motions towards the west, off the main road.

"The Blue Mist Lake is in that direction." She explains. "Just go straight and you will find it. When your finished just find your way back to this road and continue on to the palace, I'll be waiting for you…"

I nod but I can see how apprehensive she is.

"What is it?" I ask gently, getting her to turn to me.

"Are you sure I shouldn't come with you?" She asks in Eldian, voice laced with concern.

"Not this time, I'm afraid." I reply in kind. "Both of us not arriving in Illis as scheduled would cause a panic, at least if you arrive you can give your parents a reason as to why I am not there with you yet."

She bites her lip but nods in affirmation. "I'll be waiting for you. Remember, we only need clues or answers, don't do anything reckless."

"Reckless? I wouldn't dream of it." I try to lighten the mood but Luthera's gaze remains resolute. I sigh nodding slowly, "Nothing reckless."

Her eyes pierce into mine for a few more moments, searching, sharp. After a few moments she stops her search and nods before turning back towards the carriage. Before long the carriage is continuing its way to the Illisian Palace, leaving just me and Juno. I turn to him, patting him on the side of the head.

"Looks like it's just the two of us again, old friend." I mummer before jumping onto Juno and riding west as Luthera instructed.

The ride is quiet for the most part with nothing but wide open fields and local wildlife scattered as far as the horizon. I pass by deer, griffons, rabbits even what appear to be flocks of pixies.

"Wow." I find myself whispering to myself as I come across a vast fields of purple, red and yellow wild flowers.

I've often heard my mother express that Illis has a beauty incomparable to anywhere else in the north but only now have I actually had the chance to see it. Juno brays loudly, catching my attention before coming to an abrupt stop.

Looking forward, I see what has Juno so unsettled. There is a thick blue fog, no, a mist hovering over our path forward. Curious I dismount and make my way over to the mist.

"Odd…" I mutter to myself.

The mist is isolated to the area in front of me, almost like there is an invisible wall keeping it from reaching anywhere else. I turn back around, the rest of the area is perfectly clear and sunny.

I hesitantly reach forward into the mist unsure of what to expect. It's cold to the touch, it's almost like clutching a handful of snow. I reach further in until my whole arm is in the mist before pulling it back, the coldness seems to dissipate as soon as I do.

"We should keep moving." I call out to Juno, reaching for his reins but he violently pulls away, braying in panic.

I take a step back, surprised by his reaction. I try to reach out again to gently tug him forwards but this time he almost rears up, making his thoughts clear. Quickly, I slip to his side and keep a gentle hand on his face, calming him down.

"Alright, old friend, I understand." I lead him over to a patch of short grass. "I'll go alone, stay here."

I have no choice but to trust that he understands me before heading towards the mist once again. I take a deep breath before fully stepping through the invisible barrier. I wave my hand in front of my face, barely able to see it, just marvellous.

Even though it is cold, I've been to Merridor and it is significantly colder, my main concern is that I can't see where I am going. I reach out with both my hands, summoning the magic from my core before I attempt to use it to push the fog away.

My eyes widen as I feel a shockwave almost knock me off my feet. I steady myself before taking a deep breath. This is no ordinary mist, it's been conjured through magic, very powerful magic if the force of the recoil from trying to disperse it is any indication.

A different idea pops into my mind. I cup my hands and allow a familiar tingling warmth to dance between them. Removing the hand on top reveals a bright blue flame. I hold the flame out in front of me, allowing it to disperse enough of the mist to at least have a general idea of what's in front of me. I make my way forwards, slowly and cautiously.

The most unsettling thing is the quiet. If I didn't know any better, I would actually believe I had gone deaf. Even with the blue flame I can feel the cold nipping at me, especially my ears and it only seems to grow worse the further I go. I almost feel tempted to turn back but then I see something…

It's a light.

Feint…

But it's there.

I push forward, ignoring the biting cold and before I can even comprehend what is happening the mist is gone. I blink, my eyes adjusting.

It's the lake. A large lake with glistening blue water, it almost looks like a sea of diamonds. Surrounding it is course sand and the mist. Curiously I turn around to find the mist still there, held back by the same unseen wall. It surrounds the entire lake like an invisible cage.

I admire the lake for a few more moments before something catches my eye. Further down along the lake there appears to be something like a cave. I run my hand along the hilt of Arno, finding comfort in its familiar presence before making my way towards it, keeping my senses open.

When I get to the entrance of the cave a recoil as a strong smell hits by nose. I have to hold back to impulse to gag.

What is that?

Quietly, I begin to make my way deeper into the cave. The smell is repulsive but manageable. I keep my back along the wall as I shuffle forward. The light from the sun outside begins to fade but deeper in the cave there a torches, fully lit. As I venture deeper into the caves I begin to hear voices, I can't make out what they are saying but they are definitely there.

I pause when I come to an intersection where the cave branches into four different routes. I go down the route where I can hear the voices coming from and continue deeper into the caves.

I can feel Arno's magic thrumming in warning and I come to a stop.

"Did you hear something...?" A voice, deep and gravely from down the tunnels asks.

"I hear many things, Daxen." A younger feminine voice replies, sounding tired. "It's an unfortunate consequence of being confined to this cave for so many moons."

The other person, apparently names Daxen, grumbles something I can't quite make out before he speaks louder. "That wouldn't be the case if…"

A sudden ear-piercing screech rips through the air, making me wince.

"If you could get your pets under control, Tiera." The gruff voice finishes, sounding annoyed.

I creep further into the tunnel until I peer around the corner to see who the two voices belong to. A tall man, well, more like a giant, with a bald and scarred head standing next to a woman with pale hair and eyes that seem to reflect the light of the cave's torches, making it seem like they are glowing.

But what really catches my eyes is the sheer size of the room and its contents. The room is littered with small cages with all manner of creatures inside. Creatures that look like they were stitched together from several dead corpses, some with more eyes than a spider, some with mouths where their stomach should be.

It's… sickening.

"Under control?" The woman named Tiera almost barks. "Perhaps those scars on your scalp run so deep that they also run along your brain. I had one perfectly under control, and now it lays dead on the grounds of Kamrion because our patrons were feeling impatient. Now I must start again from the beginning."

I feel my eyes widen as I lean in closer, did I hear that correctly?

Daxen growls but doesn't make a move against the woman. "Well, our friends in Thaegon, have apparently made good progress, at least that's what their last report said. We may be rid of this place soon enough."

Tiera hums but suddenly her head twitches, almost like she's been struck before she takes in a deep breath through her nose, her face wrinkling in what I can only describe as displeasure. Without opening her eyes, she motions for Daxen to come closer who slowly complies. She mutters something to him, so quiet even my focused senses can't pick it up.

An unsettling feeling washes over me as Arno once again hums in warning and Daxen walks over to retrieve a large axe leaning against the wall. It seems I have overstayed my welcome. I turn to exit the way I came in, except…

The way is closed off?

Where there was once a passage now appears to be just another one of the cave's walls.

"Black and gold robes…" The woman, Kiera drawls as she and her hulking companion come around the corner to meet me, her eyes darting down to the sword I have yet to unsheathe. "Wielder of one of Kamrion's illustrious blades, dark hair, grey eyes. You must be Prince Finnian."

My hand hovers over Arno, not ready to start a fight just yet, I still need answers. "And you are?"

She purses her lips, eyeing me cautiously. "I think you already know, given the fact that you were skulking around in the shadows. You've wandered quite far from home, prince."

The large man, Daxen grunts in impatience, his grip around his hammer visibly tightening. I guess I now know who the reasonable one is of the two, relatively speaking.

"I didn't come with the intention of starting a fight." I try to reason, looking around for any escape. The only likely way out would be through the room they were just in.

"Then why are you here?" Daxen almost growls out, speaking up for the first time since they cornered me.

"Answers." I reply simply, my eyes shifting to meet Kiera. "You're the one responsible for that aberration that attacked Kamrion."

She doesn't even flinch, her expression neutral and unmoving as she answers.

"Yes."

A surge of fury rises up in my gut and I can feel my magic threatening to burst out of my core but I quickly stamp it down.

"From what I gathered from your conversation you created it but you didn't have it attack us, so who did?" I ask, voice even.

"Now tell me, why should I consider answering any more of your questions?" She retorts with a raised eyebrow.

"I might consider letting you leave this cave alive." I reply, letting some of my mounting anger seep into my voice.

Her eyes narrow as Daxen makes a move to charge but Kiera motions for him to halt and surprisingly he does without resistance.

"You certainly have your attack dog well trained." I comment, this actually gets a chuckle out of Kiera, but her companion looks just about ready to rip my head off.

"Your amusing, I'll give you that." She eyes me contemplatively for a beat longer. "You came all this way for answers that I cannot give you. Our patrons wouldn't be too happy with us if I started spouting out all of their secrets to one of the very people they are looking to bring down."

My jaw tenses, this is the second time she has brought up these 'patrons'. If I can get anything out of her about them, anything at all…

"Your obviously from Thaegon." I reason. "No other people in the north could create such a creature. But creating such creatures must require a great deal of magic… and resources, the kind only someone very important could provide. A king or a queen perhaps."

This time her eyes flash dangerously, her amber orbs piercing into mine. I must be getting warm.

"But there are only so many kings or queens around." I continue, perhaps I can get another reaction out of her. "Who could it be I wonder? I doubt my father would try to burn down his own kingdom and King Tristan would never…"

Kiera's light scoff catches my attention. I try to keep my expression neutral but I can feel a frown forming on my face.

"You make a lot of presumptions, prince." She points out, a new and dangerous edge in her voice. "I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss what someone is capable of, no matter how much you think you know them."

"What are you implying?" I struggle to keep my voice firm as the implications of what she could be saying run through my mind.

"Oh, I think you know." She replies flatly before turning to leave. "But I've entertained your presence for too long already. I wasn't meant to speak to you, I was merely curious."

She walks back into the other room leaving just me and the axe wielding giant of a man. There is a moment where we just observe each other, daring the other to make the first move. In the blink of an eye he launches himself at me with such speed I almost get flattened against the wall behind me.

On instinct, I am able to jump to aside and avoid being crushed. With barely a pause, Daxen swings his axe in a large arc, almost catching me in the chest. Continuing with the momentum, he finishes spinning around, bringing the axe up before bringing it down, aiming for the top of my head.

Finally, I find enough of an opening to unsheathe Arno and deflect his overhead swing to the side before attempting to push him away with my shoulder but he barely budges. I feel my jaw tighten, I can't afford to waste too much time in the fight.

Feeling Arno's magic surge in my hand, I summon my own into my off hand feeling tendrils of lightning dance between my fingers. Daxen flinches but doesn't back down, rushing towards me once again. Rushing forwards, I duck under another swing of his axe before bringing my off hand up to his neck, allowing the lightning to tear through his body. His body spasms, his axe dropping from his hand.

With a clear opening, I pull Arno back before burying it through his heart. A moment later his body goes limp and I let him fall to the ground. With no time to waste I run towards the room Kiera entered to find her quickly gathering up papers. I throw my hand out, sending a few sparks of lightning just past her head.

The noise and the light spooks the creatures in the cages. They begin screech and flail about but they seem to settle down rather quickly.

Her body momentarily stiffens before she slowly puts her hands up in surrender before turning to face me, her face still impassive. I allow myself a beat to look around the room, making sure I still keep her within my field of vision. Just like I hoped, there appears to be another exit at the far end of the room.

"I was hoping I would have a little more time." She admits.

"Your giving up rather easily." I point out, not dropping my hand which is still crackling with sparks.

"I'm no warrior." She replies easily before motioning to the papers she was just gathering. "Perhaps you may find these of interest."

I slowly make my way towards her. She takes a few steps back, hands still raised. When I get to the papers I take the top one and skim through it. It's a correspondence, detailing a list of items to be delivered at the Blue Mist Lake in the next few days. Basilisk blood, Griffon beaks, Wendigo horns… the list goes on, and at the bottom of the correspondence…

"The royal seal of Queen Clementina of Thaegon." I mutter to myself.

"Indeed." She conquers flatly.

On another paper I see the seal of King Alistair of Merridor, a similar list of materials to be delivered. I feel tempted to flip through the rest of the paper but I don't have the time. Still keeping Kiera in the corner of my eye, I fold the paper and tuck them into my coat. 

"So you have what you came for then?" Kiera prods, dropping her hands to her sides.

Before I can respond, a sinister feeling grips my senses. A cold chill runs down my spine as my breath grows cold and my chest heavy. I turn to where I feel it coming from, the area where I just came from.

It's Daxen…

A sick green aura is simmering off of is skin and seeping from his eyes. The aura is volatile and unsettlingly familiar.

"Necromancy." I whisper to myself as those sinister green eyes look me up and down threateningly.

In my distraction I didn't notice Kiera run over to a few of the cages hanging from the cave wall. I turn just in time to see her unlock a few of them. One of the creatures, a short, black-skinned thing with yellow eyes and webbed hands lunges straight from its cage towards me. I jump back, avoiding the swipe before thrusting my hand forward, sending it flying back with a shockwave.

I almost miss the now alive again Daxen swinging his axe towards my chest. The axe now glowing with a green hue. I just get Arno up in time to block the attack but the force of the blow forces me back by several steps. I roll along the ground before shakily getting to my feet.

Looking up I see 3 more grotesque creatures prepare to jump at me along with Daxen. I'm close to the exit, it's possible I can make it out but…

I grit my teeth, preparing for the no doubt unrelenting backlash of what I am about to do. I hold Arno out with both hands, blade facing down, feeling its magic erupt to life like a hurricane. My core tightens as I summon more magic that I normally would ever attempt to, channelling it into the blade as the markings on the side begin glowing.

"What is he…" Kiera starts asking just before the entire cave rumbles, tiny rocks falling from above us. My insides protest as I push even more of my magic into Arno, causing the tremors to become even stronger.

With one final burst from the core, I hear the roof of the cave fail and heavy rocks begin falling between me and them. I release a staggered breath as I stumble backwards, my legs almost failing me. Before long there is a solid wall of rock in between me and them.

I doubt they could get through it with any sort of speed but I can't take any risks.

Forcing my body to move, I move towards the exit, body feeling heavy and weak. I just barely have enough of a hold on my senses to follow the light through the caves. The structure of the caves is not too elaborate, but then again, I suppose the mist surrounding the lake is enough to deter most curious souls.

I finally make it out of the caves, taking in a deep and well needed breath before my legs give out and I fall forward, just barely catching myself before my face hits the rocky ground beneath.

It's hard to breathe, it's hard to even move. There is barely enough strength in my fingers to properly hold Arno. How do I make it out of the mist like this…?

I don't have much time to contemplate this question as I hear movement to my left. I only have enough left in me to turn to see who it is. I almost let out a laugh when I see a familiar figure of black and silver.

Juno runs up to me, nudging my shoulder.

"Looks like you were able to make it after all, old friend." I whisper, using him as support as I get to my feet.

It takes a lot of effort but I am able to mount the saddle, gently patting the side of his neck.

"Let's go."