Searching for That Light - A Houshin Engi Fantasy

Chapter 3

It was pre-dawn. The moon dipped low on the horizon, splaying the top of pine trees with a sudden sharp blue light. Youzen was awake. Very awake. There was an ache in his shin where the wolves mauled him. He rubbed it slowly, deciding he would take a short walk around the compound.

The soft melody of a harp floated out from a half-open window. Youzen stole near to the window and peeped through the slit. He recognized the harp. It was Kylissian - the race of winged beings who populated the Isles before the Wizards killed most of them in a war eons ago.

The survivors of the war fled the Isles for the ice-covered land in the far south. The cold weather left the descendents with pale blue to white hair and very fair skin, and a deep rooted hate for all wizardkind. Often, these beings would fly in the dead of the night back to the Isles and assassinate wizards in their sleep.

The room was shadowed. He saw the candle on the table was unlit. The melody tinkled in his ears. He shuffled against the wall a little more, straining his eyes to catch the player's visage.

The moonlight had sliced in through the door of the room, casting faint blue rays on the harpist. It was the cleric. A frown appeared on Youzen's face. How did that cleric came to own a Kylissian harp. He was very sure the cleric was not Kylissian.

Youzen drew misty morning air into his lungs, trying to still his heartbeat. He knew Kylissian assassinations too well. His teacher was stabbed in the heart, the gut and through the throat by one with white wings that glittered like ice in the moonlight.

Strangely, the creature let him go and even winked at him when it flew out of the window, leaving behind star sapphire studded daggers dripping blood.

The wizard continued to stand outside in the cold, listening to the melody. As the tune waned and waxed, it filled the atmosphere with a thin veneer of anguish. It carried the soul of old Kylissia right into Youzen's heart, riddling it with its pain. A chill swept through him, making goosebumps appear on his skin.

Youzen wiped a sudden bead of perspiration from his brow. After all he had stolen the staff from the Isles. Even if the Kylissian tried to kill him, he could defend himself readily. But why was he feeling so afraid?

The melody stopped. Youzen froze. He heard someone stand up and walk away. The hiss of lighted fat sounded. Drawing in a short breath, he peered through the slit in the window. The cleric's back faced him. Candlelight danced on wings of glittering ice, decorating the walls with shadowy rainbows. He could see the edge of the harp clearly, the light accentuating the gold finish and the inlaid star sapphires.

Youzen slipped from the window, pressing his back to the cold wall. The chill burned into his muscles.

The smiling face of the creature from years past came floating before his eyes.

And it winked at him again.

+++

The whole chamber was silent. Taikoubou could almost hear the perfume floating around in the air. He had been sitting in the same spot for the last three hours. The short-haired woman who brought him in told him it would be a short wait.

A string of curses slipped from Taikoubou's mouth. His stomach was growling. He put a gloved hand to his abdomen and sighed. His neck was stiff from sitting too long and he was growing sleepy. Within the next hour, the paladin nodded off, snoring lightly.

"Sir."

Someone tapped him lightly on the shoulder. He shook his head and opened his eyes tiredly. The smell of perfume was heavy in the air.

"Sir. Wake up please." "If he wants to sleep, let him sleep..."

He heard the scrapping sound of a chair being pushed away and the rustling of silk.

"Highness!"

Taikoubou pinched himself awake and stood up in such a rush, he knocked over his own chair. It clattered to the ground noisily. The short-haired woman flashed him a acidic look. A sheepish expression came over him as he hurriedly rearranged the chair.

"Apparently he is not ready. I will let him wait some more." A cool female voice glided above him. He glanced up, hair falling over his eyes. In between the strands, he saw the veiled face of a tall woman. Her skin was very white and her dark red hair stood out in contrast to her skin and the ivory and rose garments she wore. He peered at her again, and she stared back, her crimson irises flaring slightly. A haughty look came over her eyes and she prepared to leave.

"My apologies!"Taikoubou immediately knelt down on one knee, glancing up at the woman. He will not risk any loss of information at this point in time. She stopped and looked down at him.

He felt a rumbling running through him.

His stomach growled.

It broke the quietness of the chamber. And the icy expression on her face.

The woman lapsed into a shrill peal of laughter.

"What an amusing man!" She remarked to the short-haired woman. The other smirked and nodded in agreement. "What does he want?"

"He wants to find a wizard, Highness.? The woman replied. ?A wizard called Youzen."

The veiled woman stopped chuckling. Her eyebrows lifted slowly at the mention of the name.

"Say that again, Kijin."

"Youzen, Highness."

She tapped a slender finger to her chin contemplatively, before waving her hand at him to stand up. "I will want something in return for my information, paladin." She finally spoke.

"What is the deal?" He brushed dust from his knees, his eyes on her.

"Escort me into the Moon Citadel."

She smiled at him, sharp white teeth showing through her red lips and the gauzy pale rose veil.