Chapter 7 – Shatter
"Princess."
The delicate voice roused Almira from her tenuous sleep, forcing her to blink the weariness away as her golden eyes adjusted to the dim lighting of her room. Beside her bed stood one of her attendants, a frightened look in her eyes. Throwing off her covers, Almira stood up, accepting the change of clothes that was handed to her, beginning to move around the room. Something was amiss, and there was little time to waste. "What is it?"
"A call from your mother. She said it's urgent."
Nothing seemed to make sense this early in the morning, but she nodded, dismissing the girl with a wave of her hand and a sleepy but thankful smile. Left to her devices for a few minutes, she hurriedly washed her face and pulled her hair into a messy bun, prioritizing speed over a cohesive look. It was to her benefit, as she had barely finished washing her face as her ears picked up the sound of a new set of footsteps treading quickly over the wooden floors. Wiping her face and pulling on the black blouse and gray cotton pants, she moved back out of the bathroom and into the bedroom to meet the newest entrant.
Normally, Almira would have said something about Arden's appearance at such an early time; the young adult prioritized his sleep almost as much as his drive to get out of menial work. Brown hair had been hastily pulled into a high ponytail and golden eyes still drowned in exhaustion, a familiar sight. Yet there was something that glimmered in his eyes that Almira shared within her heart; it was the curiosity and dread of an early morning phone call that couldn't wait for any other time. Their mother was always considerate of their work and sleep hours, always calling at a time most convenient for the two. If she had called them this early…
Arden slapped his own cheeks, hands tracing over his jaw as he shook his head in vain attempts to wake himself up faster. With a groan, he tilted his head toward the door. "Ready?"
"Yeah." The bizarre start to her morning was finally beginning to send anxiety through her system, her mind now wide-awake and buzzing at the reasons for the queen's unexpected and early call. Grabbing a charcoal gray jacket that was draped over a chair near the entrance, she followed Arden's lead back to the porch, the duo slipping their boots on quickly. Another attendant silently awaited them a few paces away, gesturing for prince and princess to follow his lead. Through the dew laced garden they strode quickly, minds awakening with every pump of blood that coursed through their veins.
The morning had barely broken, although crimson streaks of light were quick to filter through the canopy high above. Casting a sinister glow on their surroundings, Almira couldn't help but shiver at the sense of foreboding that was slowly building in her gut.
Instead of traversing through the grandiose hallways of the palace, the guide had ducked into a narrow stairwell almost immediately after entering the building. Up and up, squeezing through slender corridors and winding through some of the more secret and private rooms the palace had to offer, Almira cast a glance at Arden. Golden eyes collided in dread at the implications of their current location; to be in this wing of the palace denoted privacy, and more so secrecy. It was an area that few knew about, especially not the nobles, who tended to puff and preen in the wide open foyers and glittering ballrooms. The fact that their communications would be carried out in this sector raised even more suspicions about the content of the message.
Upon arriving at a small room, the attendant paused at the door and gesturing for them to continue. Almira's brows furrowed, but nodded in acceptance of the attendant's movements. She paused in the doorway, watching the man's back as he quickly walked away after his dismissal, disappearing out of site and leaving the hallway completely empty. The deadness of the palace in the early hours was unnerving, and Almira steeled herself before following her elder brother into the room.
It was dark, dim emergency lighting flickering blue along the base of the walls and just barely illuminating the shadowy interior of a small meeting table and wooden chairs. There was barely enough room for six people to maneuver in the space and the darkness made the room feel even smaller, the walls narrowing in and giving a sense of congestion and claustrophobia that not even Arden and Almira could manage. Maneuvering their way around the table, they came to stand in front of the communicator that projected an image on the wall, the only other source of light in the room. Static occasionally zipped through the picture, never quite sitting still in a proper shot. It was enough to unnerve Almira as her breath hitched at the sight of the woman in front of them.
Queen Isolda Llewelyn could only be likened to some of the most fierce and stealthy predators, her carriage strong and perfectly upright. She had come from a military family that lived in Ken-Tochi, the crater that oversaw military training and the majority of Fleogan forces. Even if she no longer saw the field in person, she carried her rigid training and unwavering intensity into her political career, making her a fierce negotiator and empowered woman. As a mother she instilled these virtues in her children, ensuring that they would grow upright in their character and dignity, a strong moral code embedded into the three of them. Few dared cross her path, let alone when she was enraged in righteous anger.
And yet there seemed to be none of that fire-filled woman in the visual before them. Her brown eyes seemed to stare emptily back at her two children, only a glimmer of recognition passing through bloodshot orbs. Silence ate away at both ends; it was equally obvious that Arden and Almira had no idea how to respond, to reach out to the woman who always had something purposeful to say. It was Almira that finally shifted forward a hair, reaching out tentatively and in questioning. "Mother?"
An audible sigh, though quiet and just barely perceptible, passed the woman's lips. Her fiery blood orange hair was let down, cascading over her shoulders instead of perfectly coiled on top of her head. She wore no jewelry, no ornamentation to denote her status as the second queen of Fleogas. For the first time in a while she appeared to be a common woman, distraught and silent in her mourning. A tear ran down her cheek, unchecked and unstopped.
"Are you alone?"
At the heavy tone in the older woman's voice, Arden had to double take around the room, ensuring that the door was closed and that they indeed were left alone in the temporary conference room, the video privy only to their eyes. After he nodded in confirmation, she closed her eyes, another tear streaming down her other cheek.
"Lavena is gone."
The siblings froze, blood running icy cold in their veins. Gone?
"Gone? What do you mean gone?"
The queen shook her head gently, appearing just as lost as they. "A servant went to wake her up this morning. They found her room was broken into during the night, the window latch shattered from the outside."
Shock was written all over Almira's face, even as she spoke rapidly. "Are you alright? Was anything else touched?"
"Nothing. Everything else was in place." The white haired girl noted that she said nothing about her personal state of being. The queen was clearly shaken, yet something was amiss about the situation. Something wasn't quite adding up right, and she had a feeling that this was only the beginning.
"Who could have done this?" Arden, on the other hand, was furious. "Have you started a search?"
Another shake of her head indicated a negative. "I've told everyone to keep quiet. No one can know about this."
"What?" Even enraged, his voice came out only as a whisper. He was confused and angered at the situation, and lashed out. "Why not? What are you so afraid of?"
"Arden."
He turned to his younger sister, the only one he had left, and her neutral face. Gears were turning in her head as she attempted to put together the situation, but she looked at him long enough to silence his words. Bowing out, he took a step back. There was little he could do, particularly with the strength she had put in her voice.
Almira wasn't ready to quit. "You believe something is going on."
At this, the queen's eyes seemed to flash with some unnamed emotion, briefly before transforming into severity. "Perhaps. But I cannot say. I only thought to call you, to let you know that I am safe." Almira stared deeper into her eyes, willing herself to find something, anything, any sort of clue to what the queen was truly thinking. A thousand warning bells were flashing in her mind, violently aware that something was amiss. But it was to no avail as the queen's eyes returned to their impassive gaze, forcing the girl to give up. With a sigh, she bowed formally.
"We will stay alert. Please stay safe."
With a formal nod, the line suddenly cut, visuals and audio dropping and returning the room to its bare bone structure. There was little that the two remaining inhabitants could do, aside from gathering their last thoughts and leaving the room. Silence filled the space between them, an unusual tension brewing and simmering in the words left unsaid.
They began the trek back to their apartments, slowly and steadily. If anyone had been awake at the early hour, they would have seen the two normally close and vocal siblings suspiciously quiet. A stormy look had taken over Arden's features, while Almira's remained schooled into a perfect neutral expression, golden eyes remaining trained on the walk ahead of her. Both their hairstyles remained unbound, floating ethereally behind them as they made their way through the cool morning air, a mist snaking through the outdoors and filtering the bright red sunlight through the dense fog.
Almost back to their respective rooms, Arden suddenly grabbed Almira's arm in a tight hold, hand clenching on her upper arm. She winced but continued to carry herself, legs speeding up to match the new pace that he had set. Weaving through pathways, over bridges and streams, they found their way to the base of a willow tree, a small pavilion set up underneath the long tendrils. It was here that he released her, sending her stumbling a few feet and rubbing her arm, sending a glare in his direction. However, in his own cloud of anger, her look went unnoticed.
A storm was brewing. He clenched his fists as he began pacing over the stone tiled ground beneath their feet, making sure to keep his voice down. "What does she think she's doing? Keeping this all a secret. She should be sending men out to search before the trail goes cold." Wiping his hands over his face, he groaned, letting it escalate into a roar of frustration. "Damn it! What does she think she's doing?"
Almira's eye twitched at his words, but remained calm on the outside, crossing her arms over her chest. "She suspects something."
Scoffing, he rolled his eyes. "Suspicion isn't enough to let Lavena's trail go cold. We're losing her every moment we waste!"
"Arden, listen-
"No, you're not listening to me."
"Well you're not paying attention to either me or mother." Sending another cursory glance around them, she shifted her weight, returning her focus to the irate man in front of her. "She asked us to double check the room, to keep quiet. She refused to tell us outright what it was she was worried about. She suspects something, and that something is probably nearer than we think."
"Are you listening to me?" His voice was starting to rise, pacing continuing as his hands gestured wildly. "Look at you, you're just like her. Getting all suspicious, when that isn't the point. The point is that Lavena is out there somewhere-"
"Lavena is gone!"
"She wouldn't be if we followed protocol and started looking! This is mother's fault, all of it! And you're no better! Do you even care about what happened to her? No, do you even remember your place? Your protocol? Do you want her to be dead? If she were here, she wouldn't stop searching for you, but I guess you just don't care. You'd be fine if she got offed like your own mother—"
Crack.
Head snapping back, Arden stumbled, clutching his chin from the sharp upper cut. He reeled from the unexpected punch, every piece of it intentional and nothing pulled. Upper body curling into himself as he slouched over, he delicately touched a hand to his chin. Nothing was broken, but something in his mouth was definitely bleeding. His eyes moved back to the offensive hand, gut dropping and horror washing over him.
Almira's eyes were empty. Not just empty; it was the disconnected look that he saw on most of his men's faces when they were gearing up for an assassination or infiltration. Their gazes were wiped, devoid of emotion to get themselves into the zone and ready for the hunt. As they turned to focus on his, they filled with only one emotion.
Disgust.
"How dare you."
Just as suddenly, he felt a rush of remorse, and he cursed himself. How many times had he let his anger get the best of him? He opened his mouth, but she cut him off.
"No. You don't get to apologize. You get to stand there and think about what you've done. And when you're finished, then think about what I've said. And then," she finished, backing away slowly, "you can beg for forgiveness."
Turning sharp on her heel, she made her way across the bridge, disappearing into the morning mist. Her figure fading into the distance, Arden found himself collapsing onto the ground. He had messed up, big time. How was he going to solve this?
As the sun and the heat began to burn the mist away, he stood up. It was time for another meeting with the tacticians, and he shouldn't appear late. Walking down the path, he reflected on Almira's parting words seriously. You get to stand there and think about what you've done. He was an idiot who had been so absorbed in what others weren't doing, that he didn't realize what they weren't saying.
If his younger sister could see it, deal with him, and still respectfully hand his dignity back to him after beating sense into him, then he could learn to live with a little bit of humility. It was time to own up to his mistakes. And yet, a piece of him refused to give in, grasping his anger and pride with greedy hands that denied an apology from himself. Perhaps pride would someday be his downfall. Yet he continued on, deliberately running away from his problems. There was planning to do, and he would handle this later, when the both of them were in better moods.
AN: "As you can see, I am not dead"
I realize that this is a short chapter, but I was determined to get something out to my followers. The good news is that I have a few more chapters almost ready; they just need some proof reading before I'm ready to post them. I also apologize; I'm a graduating senior, and I've bitten off more than I can chew with my course load. I will try my best to at least upload something once a month until December, if not anything more often than that. Thank you all for your patience with me!
As always, please please please leave a review. They really help motivate me to bring you all more chapters and upload faster. Happy Almost September, and a new school year for many of us!