Chapter 28

Twenty nervous-looking royal guards escorted the no-longer-welcome guests out of the throne hall. While they were led to the exit of the palace, Rhaseris sternly looked at Evanis.

“He doused the fire of the Eternal Flame,” she proclaimed. “Now even you should finally realize he is a god.”

Jabbit smiled at the Princess but shook his head. “That was just a hoax,” he dismissed her statement. “A bucket of water would quench the Eternal Flame; there isn’t anything special about the fire in that bowl.”

“But yesterday ... the priest and the priestess ... no one could douse the fire to help them,” Rhaseris stammered. “They burned alive!”

Jabbit’s features darkened. “Their pets attacked the rabbit.”

Evanis grinned at the Princess. “They had to burn because your god took revenge for the heinous attack on a cute, little rabbit.”

Jabbit shrugged. “I like rabbits.”

“He doesn’t like devotees of other gods,” Anseyla opined. “I think that’s the real reason. Our god is a jealous god.”

Jabbit nodded eagerly. “You should all get some tattoos,” he suggested with a grin.

Rhaseris squeaked and Anseyla’s eyes widened. “Eva!” She cried out. “I told you to be careful with what you teach him! Jealousy and evil threats are exactly what you shouldn’t teach a god!”

“Why blame me?” Evanis grumbled. “He’s teaching me more about it than I’m teaching him. I think Jabbit was born a greedy, jealous, evil bastard.” Suddenly she smiled. “I think that’s why I always liked him.”

Her sister shook her head and sighed. “It’s too late now, anyway. Something much more important, though,” Anseyla changed the subject. “To lose all our baggage is bad enough but I don’t want to lose my Sybil! We can’t leave without her.”

“And what about Anjatta?” Rhaseris added.

“We won’t leave without Sybelien,” Jabbit answered. “Actually, she’s waiting for us to leave the palace. Anjatta, though, can’t leave with us; she needs to be here.”

As soon as her escorting guards had closed the door behind Sybelien, she went into the small washing chamber adjacent to the living room of her apartment. Every window of the living room and bedroom was latticed but the bathroom had an opening, high up the wall, which wasn’t. A week ago she easily could have slipped through the small rectangular airing but because of her belated growth spurt, another dress was ruined as she squeezed herself, cursing, through the opening.

She passed a few servants and guards as she walked through the beautiful gardens surrounding the palace. No one noticed her. Even though she wasn’t as small and limber as before, her new ability to become invisible was more than just compensation. Her new body even had some advantages. She was stronger than before. With time and practice she would regain most of her agility as well, Sybelien surmised. Since her mood was currently improving, she didn’t want to think about the other upsetting changes her body was going through.

She snuck into one of the guard barracks at the King’s Island drawbridge fortification. There she exchanged her torn-up dress for some soldier’s clothes she found; a dark linen shirt, and trousers - the pant legs so long, she even had to roll them up to fit her. Sybelien’s mood was possibly at an all-time high at that moment. Her next move was to find a good lookout position. She crossed the bridge and climbed one of the Fangs. It was close to noon when she reached the top and sat down on a tower battlement.

She wasn’t alone for long, a dozen crows landed on the battlements to keep her company. Together they watched the Ibanee soldiers doing their job, guarding the palace gates. Sybelien predicted their boring daily routines would soon become a little more exciting, as from her vantage point she could espy the Imperial Alorian Guard marching toward The Fangs. Only a few moments later, a second group appeared, exiting the palace main entrance. It was a heavily guarded group of former state guests and for some reason unknown to Sybelien, the royal guards stayed an unusually large distance from the objects of their surveillance.

Disobedient, Anjatta var Dosha didn’t go to her room, as her mother had ordered. She was going to Sybelien’s room. Born and raised as a member of the royal family, Anjatta treated the two soldiers guarding the door as non-entities. She ignored them and went into the apartment. She looked around and called for her guest but quickly realized Sybelien was gone already. As she was about to leave again, she was met at the door by her cousin, escorted by another two non-entities.

“What are you doing here, Khalib?” She asked. “I don’t believe you’re someone Princess Sybelien wants to see at the moment.”

“What Princess Sybelien wants stopped being a matter of importance when she declined my father’s proposal,” he replied with his usual sneer. “I’m here to make that clear to our guest.”

Anjatta sighed. “I was disappointed our ‘guest‘ had already escaped her imprisonment; I wanted to beg her forgiveness and talk to her. Now I’m happy she’s gone because you won’t be able to make the situation any worse than it already is.”

Khalib stared at the soldiers guarding the door. “You let the Princess leave her chambers?”

“No, your Majesty!” One guard hastened to answer. “We let the Princess Anjatta go inside but the Alorian Princess didn’t leave her rooms.”

“Search the rooms and bring her here,” Khalib ordered, then turned to Anjatta. “Why don’t you go and visit your brother. Agon’s new accommodations are less luxurious than the Princess’; he could use some words of comfort from his loving sister.”

“I try to save as many lives as possible,” Anjatta replied, turning to leave. “But whenever I talk to you, I wonder why I even bother.”

Anjatta hadn’t even reached the end of the corridor when she heard Khalib shouting.

“Find her!”

As her cousin had suggested, Anjatta’s next destination was the dungeon. The dungeon wasn’t built on King’s Island but situated at one of the Fangs, beneath the northern of the twin towers. As she passed through the gardens on her way to The Fangs, she caught sight of her mother, in a corner secluded by hedges. Luwani var Dosha was immersed in a whispered but seemingly heated discussion with a man Anjatta had never seen before. Even more astonishing was that the man was dressed like a household servant - a cook.

However, Anjatta ignored the pair and continued her way to the dungeon. An officer of The Fangs’ garrison escorted Anjatta to her brother’s prison cell. His cell was situated at the first underground story of the dungeon. Down here, the air was stale and clammy and it reeked of rancid fat, human excrements, and rotting flesh. Too few, fuming torches lit the dim corridors but nothing lightened Agon’s cell. Her brother’s world had become a dark, and smelly place. She didn’t want to know how many deeper levels this world contained.

Looking through rusty, iron lattice-bars, Anjatta could make out a figure, crouching in a corner of the cell.

“Agon?”

“Hello, little sister,” the figure greeted. “Don’t let mom know of the unsavory places you spend your time.”

“Stay out of sight until I call for you,” Anjatta dismissed her escort, then grabbed the iron bars and vowed to her brother, “You won’t stay here for long!”

Agon chuckled. “Is that a promise from my little sister or an oracle’s prediction?”

“Both - and it’s a prayer, too.”

“You know I’m not a religious man,” Agon harshly replied but then he chuckled again. “But I suppose prayers can be powerful when your god is close enough to listen.”

Anjatta smiled. “Luckily, my god isn’t easily offended by blasphemous remarks; one of his closest companions is living proof of that.”

Agon nodded. “I worry about you, little sister. You have a very dangerous friend. Yesterday when I talked to her, she confirmed all I’ve ever heard about Evanis Danjala. She is extremely violent and short-tempered.”

“Of course she’s dangerous, she’s a warrior! Violent and short-tempered she might be, but Evanis is fanatically protective of her friends and family.”

“How is Princess Sybelien?” Agon asked. “I bet she doesn’t like to be confined any more than I do.”

“Sybelien clearly declared she can’t be confined but she’s just a girl so no one listened. She was gone from her prison as soon as the doors closed behind her. Sybelien is dangerous, too; more than you can imagine. The same as Evanis, she kills without remorse. Unlike Evanis, who is like a storm, Sybelien is a ghost, and the heiress of the Alorian Empire is determined to take revenge on everyone responsible for the murder of her family.”

Agon nodded. “I worried about that. You’re right. Princess Sybelien is dangerous, too.”

“Evanis, her sister Anseyla, Sybelien, and even the youngest, Princess Rhaseris, they all are dangerous, Agon. I am dangerous!”

Agon stood up, went to his sister and through the bars of his prison cell, he watched her face.

“Loving and gentle - yes. Crazy as a coot - for damn sure,” he said with a smile. “But when did my little sister become dangerous?”

“Five young women and we all became dangerous because we all desperately wanted for something – might, protection, revenge, desire, even love. Do you know what else we five have in common? Loyalty, Agon, and our loyalty is the reason the Nameless Son has chosen us. He fulfills our dreams and wishes, and we pay with our loyalty. We are whoever he wants us to be - his warriors or ambassadors, his assassins or his priestesses.”

“What is it my little sister is longing for so desperately and who will you become?” Agon asked with a sad smile.

Anjatta’s knuckles turned white as her grip on the bars of the cell tightened. “I am the worst of them all. I want everything and will be whatever he wants me to be, even his whore!” She screamed in her brother’s face.

Agon stumbled and pulled a step back from his sister. “Anja... , “ he started but stopped.

A loud, metallic, rattling sound reverberated through the dungeon. The penetrating noise made the iron chains on the walls of Agon’s cell clatter. A tankard toppled over and even the floor and walls quaked.