Secrets of Magic (Soul of Magic Book 3)

FIVE

"Are you sure that this plan of yours is going to work?" Lucian asked as he and Kyra rode through a meadow.

For three days, the duo had been on the road, traveling through small towns and villages in order to avoid whatever traps that Saffron may have laid for them on the major roads; and through them all, the only thing that remained constant was Lucian's continually repeated question. Was Kyra sure that her plan would work?

"Yes, Lucian, I'm fairly certain that it's going to work," Kyra replied after a very long sigh, a sign indicating the beginning of how fed up she was becoming over the question.

Thing is, to any onlooker, it would look like Lucian was just being concerned. But Kyra knew better. What the blonde-haired warrior was was being mistrustful. He wasn’t so much as concerned about the plan failing as he was about the person who made it failing.

Now, Kyra was a big believer in crime and punishment; and she knew that keeping her search into the Bloodstone a secret from him was as big as a crime got, especially since it resulted in them having to face a crazy witch who now appeared to have no limits to what she could do in order to obtain what she wanted. But continually rubbing her error in judgment in her face every opportunity he got was just pure overkill, and rude; and the Lucian she knew was supposed to be better than that.

"Look, Lucian," the Soul of magic said after a while. "I know that my plan is untested and you're worried that Griselda could get hurt if anything goes wrong. But it is going to work, you just have to trust me."

A scoff was all the blonde-haired warrior made in response to Kyra’s statement and that was because she mentioned him being worried about Griselda. Lucian could just imagine the old woman’s reaction if she’d heard the Soul of magic talking about him worrying about her safety.

“So, where are we actually headed?" he finally asked the question that Kyra had been expecting him to ask days earlier but seeing that he hadn’t even made any indication towards it, she thought that he didn't care at all; obviously, she was wrong.

"Everon," she replied. "We’re going to Everon.”

Lucian’s next expression was that of surprise and Kyra smiled even when she knew that he hadn't meant the reaction in a friendly way. Thing is, she had totally expected the surprised expression from the blonde-haired warrior and truth be told, it was understandable.

Everon was in actuality a very special place in the realm; one of the twelve independent lands still standing.

The independent lands actually came into being after the Age of Divide. The Age of Divide was the bloodiest period in the history of the realm. It was a time when all the powerful men in the realm waged wars against one another for the control of as much territories as they could lay claim to. They fought for so many years, killing thousands and displacing tens of thousands. And the end result of it all was the creation of the kingdoms, the great kingdoms; and, of course, the independent lands.

It turned out that as powerful as the conquerors were, they weren't able to conquer all the lands in the realm. Some lands resisted the invasion and b****y snatches; and these lands were left alone till the end of the wars to retain their independence . They became known as the independent lands.

Of course, in the beginning, right after the Age of Divide, the independent lands were quite numerous. But as time went, their numbers dwindled as not all of the lands could sustain their independence; some losing theirs through later wars, and others trading it for protection and other things which the bigger established human states could provide.

In the present age, the independent lands number only twelve; and Everon was the most famous of them all in the realm.

“It’s said that Everon supplies majority of the realm's timber demand, do you know that?" Kyra said to Lucian who only quirked an eyebrow. "There are even rumors that without them, a lot of the kingdoms would have gone to war just to acquire timber."

On other days and under different circumstances, Lucian would have happily participated in the conversation that he knew that Kyra was desperately trying to make. But that day wasn’t a normal day and the circumstance was definitely not one of happiness. Despite what the Soul of magic might make it out to seem, their journey to Everon wasn’t to sight-see, it was that they might escape with their lives from Saffron; and that couldn’t just be overlooked, at least he couldn’t.

"I heard that Everon’s the hardest independent land to besiege, almost impossible actually," the blonde-haired warrior eventually said after a while. “Is that why you chose for us to come here?”

"Not exactly why," she replied, smiling in such a way that almost seemed like she was fond of the independent land; which Lucian found strange because he’d never heard the Soul of magic mention that she had ever been to it before. "But to satisfy your curiousity, yes. Everon’s pretty resistant when it comes to repelling sieges, and you'll understand why very soon."

Just then, Lucian realised that they had left the meadow behind and were now in a thick forest, almost too thick for comfort. Before he could ask where exactly they were, ten men suddenly dropped down from the trees with their swords drawn before their feet even reached the ground. They pointed their weapons and Lucian reacted immediately and reached for his own sword; but Kyra caught his hand.

"Don't," she said to him, her eyes telling him not to do anything. "There are archers in the trees that will shoot you down as soon as your hands touch your sword."

The blonde-haired warrior found it curious that the Soul of magic knew exactly where the archers were; not that he doubted her of course. But a very keen perception of things was something Kyra did when her power was still active and he didn’t know how she could have done that without it. But carefully watching the men with the battle-ready faces, he relented his hand and the Soul of magic did his.

"We're not here to hurt anyone," Kyra said to them as she highlighted from her horse with her hands up in a show of harmlessness; Lucian coming down with her but looking ready to attack at a moment's notice.

"So, what are you here for then, fair lady?" asked one of the men, a tall man in his mid-twneties with a black hair reaching up to his shoulder; he was the leader of the party.

"Just safe passage into Everon,"Kyra replied. "And of course, somewhere to conduct our affairs in peace."

“And why in the Creator’s name do you think we'll grant you these things?" The leader was almost laughing at that point. He found her statement curious and in truth, so did Lucian. The blonde-haired warrior had no idea why the Soul of magic would want to go around just demanding things when they should be pleading for asylum instead.

But Kyra didn't look at all ready to plead. "Because I’m Kyra," she replied, removing a gold coin with a the picture of a tree engraved on it from her pouch and tossed at the man who easily caught it. "Adopted daughter of Lord Byron of house Quasen, Duke of Everon."