Part 5

Chapter THIRTY-SEVEN: Daily Rifts-DEVIN

...

A month later…

The sky appeared a deep tinge of smoky grey and violet across all world lands. It was eerie for any time of year and unheard of. Clouds swirled quickly over Thais, but rain never came. Trees were toppled and bird chirping, that could once be heard all over, had ceased.

Almost daily now, tremors shook the lands, in particular, the mainland. The sea ,too, was violent. The tides smashed with merciless fury against the lands' coasts, creating vast spaces of sea, dividing the lands some miles apart, or straight into each other (at least in the east), confusing many where places now were or which places did not existed anymore.

Many, too, were dying of unnatural causes in the months that had followed. Some villages were rumored to be engrossed with plagues and or curses. Some perished from inexplicable massive fireballs, that literally would appear out of nowhere, blasting and scorching large areas in one hit. And then, there were the poor souls who drowned, swept away by the ocean's uncanny tidal waves and tsunamis that frequented every few days.

The other day, for instance, a peasant from the rural outskirts of the Burgeon Forest near Thais, urgently informed that he had sighted red dragons flying at the peaks of the Thail Mountains. The notion of any dragon roaming the lands was quickly perceived as imperative by the soldiers on guard; but later was dismissed by the king, who believed it best to keep some of the already panic-stricken peasants from further panic. Nevertheless, many more fled after the news.

Such sorcery had never been seen, and many wondered why and who was responsible for the havoc. Nature had been ruled out as the culprit for the turmoil salient in the world. The frightened whispered amongst themselves speculating if the Gods were fuming for man's wickedness, or if a demon was to blame. But a demon seemed most unlikely, for many believe that there was no evil deity loose, nor had one of such great power been freed for centuries.

And finally, many dreadfully considered the possibility that these could be signs that the apocalypse was close. A possibility that seemed more real with every disaster that came and that was surely to come.

...

An auburn horse trotted westward out of Thais' gates at a swift pace, avoiding loose debris scattered on the morose forest floor as it sped away. King Devin Pendragon sat atop of the saddle, hurrying towards the new coast of the mainland, now becoming more eager to return home the further he went on.

He passed knights on guard, who stood out of his way, only a few saluting him as he went about.

The king quickly surveyed the morning sky, which appeared its depressing gloomy state, as usual, as it had been for some time now. He had made it a habit to travel this route every morning at dawn, before Alicia would wake; but by now she was already up, and knew what he was up to. Though he would soon join her as well as he intended to turn back immediately once he had surveyed the shores.

As Devin neared closer to the shoreline, he could see the red sun rising slightly behind him, carpeting the forest with crimson light. Some more sky had managed to breakthrough when he finally reached the water's edge.

The sea was at a standstill. Off to the western horizon, Devin could see the new isle that several other kingdoms, including Candar, were now positioned. He had trouble believing that Candar was no longer a day's trip away, or that one could no longer take the Mule Express to get there, he contemplated as he managed to vaguely see the afar kingdom through squinted eyes.

The king stretched his arms overhead, maintaining balance so he wouldn't fall, and then lowered them to the temples of his head to think. "We're still drifting…" he murmured to himself, once realizing that the land had continued to disperse; even after only yesterday, now it seemed another mile farther. He could tell this much since the landscape and peasants walking at the other shore seemed smaller and more distant.

He took a worrisome gulp, but then quickly brushed off any despair or anxiety that he felt, knowing it was no good to feel so negative since the demon would come, and the sooner they faced him the better. He was ready-they were ready.

Devin looked down towards the boulders of mountain-rubble caused by the violent quakes, and at the creeping waters that began to swish in aggressive pulses, scaring the horse. At the same time, his fist clenched from anger. He wondered where the devil the irksome demon was, and thought that despite all the months of searching and infiltrating all of the places the demon could possibly hide, they had come up with nothing. "Nothing…" he muttered.

The memories of all those years ago, when he and his small party that did so much to stop the prophecy, suddenly came to him. He wished for those carefree days again when he could freely march off and venture the world. But as king now, his courtly duties required for him to stay put in Thais, which made him feel like a sitting duck waiting foolishly for a raptor to come.

Devin looked up suddenly when he saw a faint-light falling from the sky. Not wanting to know what it was, he turned the horse around and dashed away.

The wind started to blow coldly making the dead leaves rustle and scatter. He felt a little relieved once he saw the city gates ahead. Few peasants strolled in the streets, many scurrying to get to their destinations. There were really only few left as only about half the population of Thais had remained once the lands began to divide. Most who fled were nobles; but no matter the class, some could not leave for one reason or another; and then there were the few that felt compelled to assist their home and nation in any way possible.

Devin continued through the streets of Thais. Some of the peasants immediately recognized him and bowed all the way to the pebble stone ground. But occasionally, he was given hostile stares.

"Terrible king! Off with his head! Ha ha ha!" he heard a poor peasant boy scoff suddenly, and then quickly sped away with a gang of his peers. Devin glared at them, but then sighed, feeling compassion instead. He pondered if the boy was an orphan of the many that had died from disease, curse, or one of the other catastrophes that had left so many men, women, and children dead.

He felt hopeful and confident again once he turned in the direction of the Collegium where Alicia would most likely be by now. He started thinking of Alicia and his sweet little babe making him feel warm and happy in spite of all the difficulties upon them.

Upon reaching the Collegium, Devin passed his horse to a guardsman and hurried inside. In the Collegium, he could hear a voice coming from the far room in the back. Hardly any of usual student sounds echoed through the building, since the Collegium masters and mistresses were concentrating on defending Thais because of king's orders. Now, they only trained those willing to go to battle, and worked on healing and uncursing the ailing.

Devin went towards the weaponry training area for Alicia. But before entering, he pulled on some heavier armor. He could hear Alicia yelling spells, and saw flashes of colorful lights as he walked in, distracted while still straightening his gear.

"Kiss of Deat— Devin?!" Alicia gasped. Her iron sword pointed in his path. His eyes widened from what could have happened if she had finished the spell. "Devin! You should announce yourself before you waltz in here like that!"

"I…I…will," Devin squeaked, still stunned, "…honey."

"You're late," she retorted and sighed from relief at the same time since nothing bad had happened.

"Am I, my Queen? And I thought I was early. My, my," Devin replied as he went to her. He knew that by 'late' she meant that he should have been there all along. "Where is Master Leon and Gerrith? Are they 'late' as well?"

Alicia half-smiled and put her sword away. "No, they had to leave. They left me a note and some sword spells to practice. Lucky for you I haven't mastered the last one that I nearly killed you with, dear."

"It wouldn't be the first time you tried," Devin joked, thinking about the past as he wrapped his arm around hers and proceeded towards the exit again. "Remember when we first met…"

"Ha! And I have proved you wrong, husband, at my abilities, haven't I?" Alicia said proudly. "Now if only you can catch up to me, then we might have a decent chance…Though...I still think we should leave, Devin."

"Alicia, Alicia…I already told you that we know plenty. You are only exhausting yourself," Devin paused as he opened the door for her. "Besides, we cannot leave. After all, if someone doesn't stop the demon, then who will?"

She looked at him, her dense-blue eyes sharpened. "Well not us! We will end up with nothing-or worse!" Alicia said nearly tearing, but held them in as they passed a few guardsmen. The terrible thought that the demon knew about their daughter somehow weighed heavily on her mind, once more. The singling out of the mainland, of Thais and its surroundings, and all the disasters that were most predominant in and around their kingdom, clearly proved that the demon was after them. Somehow the fiend knows, Alicia felt deep within. Someone has told it about the prophecy.

Even though the queen had her suspicions, Devin had thought it coincidental, or at most, he had hinted that it could be seeking vengeance, but he doubted it. He did not get why a demon would use all its strength to torment them both after all this time, or even know that they were king and queen; information that would be difficult to come across.

Devin remained silent as they went closer towards the castle's entrance. They passed a few peasants. Most now grinned and curtsied upon seeing their queen but frowned or forced a bow upon seeing the king.

"Uh-um... Dear, I believe that you are more liked than I," he said disenchanted as usual. He had noticed before that many preferred the queen over him recently. The Consort had told him that they blamed him for not doing enough, and dwelled on the fact that he was not a noble or prince before becoming king.

"...Love, don't pay attention to the peasants. I, for one, think the best of you, my King," she said affectionately. The cold air made her breath become visible as she spoke. "And you are only king because I wanted it. That, and I found you to be much more interesting than any prince."

"I'm glad to be here with you, dear one. Now shall we get our practice over and done with so we can tend to our baby princess?" Devin said eagerly. "We should attempt to class up. The faster, the better so we can return home."

"That is more like it, Devin," Alicia cheered as they went around the castle towards the forest again.

She pulled out her sword when they spotted a fierce red wolf coming towards them, many of which had moved down the mountains after the land began to shake. Her arms moved quickly as she attacked the creature, beating it before Devin even had a turn.

For the next few hours, she used intense spells to slay more, and Devin used his few spells, with Alicia more adept with her use of magic than him. After a while of hunting, they practiced one-on-one sword combating, only stopping for brief breaks before going on.

"Alicia, had enough?" Devin said huffing, but trying not to sound exhausted as he began to swing his sword again.

"No, not at all, dear husband...I found the visit from the Empress of the Eastern Isle more tiring than this," Alicia said wanting to make Devin chat to tire him even more, to beat him again.

"That…that was months ago…and only for show...darling. Nothing...like this!"

"Is that so? Months now...Time does fly," she continued chatting, but stopped battling when the ground began to shake, nearly knocking them over.

Devin embraced her in the last few seconds before it was over.

"...Alicia?..." he moaned softly once it stopped, but she didn't lift her head up. Instead, she began to cry uncontrollably. "We should head back, dear. I think we've done enough today."

He eased her close as they began their way back to the castle.

"…Devin. Our child is not safe here," Alicia suddenly whimpered. "We need to start preparing for the worse. Maybe Talia can..."

"-Talia?!" Devin retorted, now frightened that his wife had even considered mentioning her during these times. "You're not saying what I thinking you're going to say, Alicia?"

"I…We don't have a choice. Our daughter must be safe, even if it's with her and the sun pries..."

At the same time, they reached the castle entrance, immediately ending their conversation, so they would not be heard by anyone.

Some of the indoor guardsmen stood idly outside along with some of the other royal staff who quickly went inside upon seeing their royal highnesses return after the large shake. Alicia instantly went over to Tailor who awkwardly had the princess under one arm.

"Tailor Darzon! That is not how you hold a baby, yet alone a princess!" the queen snapped as more tears fell from her eyes. The ground shook again, a little less intense this time.

Devin moved closer to hold his babe.

"But...forgive me, Queen Alicia, the little lass and I were playing when the tremor came. You know the little doll-Yes, yes, yes-our little lass!" Tailor said warmly as he pinched the baby's rose-pink cheeks. "Now, is it my turn to beat the lovely princess' ugly blue-haired father at sparring?"

Alicia grinned at Tailor, unable to laugh as she went over towards her husband's side. Her eyes met with Devin's, still wanting to discuss the subject of the child's safety. As though both were suddenly thinking the same-however, with Devin believing it unnecessary-he looked up at Tailor: their dear and loyal friend.

"...Erm, Tailor with all that is going on, there is no one that we trust as much as you…" Devin began, but Alicia quickly cut in.

"-You! Knight…and of course, our dearest friend…Promise us that you will take our daughter far away. Promise us that if something were to happen-only the gods know-that you will take her so that no demon can ever find her," Alicia wailed in grief. "Tailor, please, promise us?"

"Me? Take the Princess of Thais?! Is this a joke?!... I'm not a father, yet alone married to have little ones. You'd be better off with giving her to the wolves, you two... I don-"

"-Please, Tailor. Just say 'yes.' I don't believe it will be required of you in the end," Devin added and winked at his friend. He desperately wanted to give his wife some peace of mind.

"Well...Okay... You two have my word," Tailor reluctantly agreed, ignoring the king's insensitive gesture. "So long as I'm alive, the lass can come with me, if you must insist."

"Good. Thank you. That was very noble of you," Alicia said sounding more relieved now that their friend had agreed to their request. Even so, with Tailor's promise, Alicia still thought of Talia and the Sun Priest as more suitable if something were to happen, but Tailor would be her next preference, if it ever came to that.

All of them fell silent.

Tailor then excused himself leaving them to think about their decisions.