The Right To Rule

Chapter 15

Torch had left Eurydice a week ago when Abinadab was still full of Radiation, teary eyes, and a heart full of promises. He was used to spending time away from the capital, he had crossed the border to Altair once and twice had gone to Uzza at Nekkar, but this time it was different. What will happen at Draco will inflame the oil of war drizzled all over Sky Kingdoms. Burn me, it will be a bonfire.

Torch didn’t leave Eurydice alone, of course, the queen was not having it; regardless, it was still a blessing Leizil didn’t force him to go with at least one of her sisters. Still, his team can hardly be so ideal. He had a command of five soldiers with him, simple men and a woman barren with energies, and there was Nina and Chrysanthe. Torch didn’t worry about Toub’s military but the two ladies were his responsibility, he made the decision to allow them to go with him. They are here because I can’t get along with a single flaming granny. He needed Celestial, someone to sense it and Chrysanthe was the only person he knew can do that.

“It’s certainly not worse than I thought been outside the city,” Chrysanthe said waving at the darkness around them. She held a Celestial lamp with her right and use her left hand to gesture.

Even from the corner of his eye Torch saw her shivering slightly as she gesture at the night before them. Torch turned slightly at looked at her; her face was impressive, it betray nothing. Her hand free hand twitched slightly like it was drawn to the Moonstone on her hip, her body was tensed and coiled however her knees were shaking.

“I am touching Radiation,” Torch said softly and watched Chrysanthe frown at him. She always does that when he reminded her he was a Vulcan, but flames, it was not Torch’s fault she cannot sense him.

“You are shaking,” Torch added.

Chrysanthe nodded and said nothing. Torch left her be and continued to walk. He and Chrysanthe were walking ahead of the group. Two soldiers were at the back, one by each flank, and the last one was at the center. Around them even with their lamps, the night was at large, its darkness was still thick and penetrating. Torch can see about eighteen to twenty yards ahead of him without a boost of Radiation. He knew if he strained his vision with Radiation he won’t see much, he will penetrate the darkness but his field of vision will remain much the same.

Spiral Pulser was around them. The thickness of darkness was the first sign.

Spiral Pulser was more like a cloak, however a different kind of cloak, the cloak that was only there to hide the light, to sniff it and took it for itself. A greedy dark deity. It was like a haze smoke at the edge of the sky, it didn’t hide it from the light of stars and moons, it crawled around it; it was attracted, been pulled by invisible hands; the only solace of the world it was that Pulser can’t get there nor it can travel on water. Right here in the ground, it had stillness. Torch had had few stories about how dangerous was the stillness of the Pulser.

“I feel someone is watching me. Like we all been watched,” Chrysanthe’s voice was a whisper. “I am probably mad as half of Vulcans at Sky Kingdoms.”

Torch chuckled. “Flames! We are not mad. We are just dying by degrees. Yes, you can feel you have been watched. I will say that’s practical normal but burn me, it’s not a pleasant feeling.”

“Are you feeling it?” Chrysanthe asked.

“No.”

“I asked Nina earlier and she said she doesn’t feel anything. I even asked Esther, her answer was the same as Nina,” Chrysanthe said confused.

“It’s not that they don’t sense anything. If they didn’t, you would have seen folks going about their flaming business outside the cities’ walls. It’s the energies, Celestial and Radiation; our senses are amplified.”

Chrysanthe nodded, satisfied with the answer. She was still on alert like someone will be jumped at her at any moment.

“I bet a starling that after Naamah disappeared on the sky, our little camp will be chaotic as Titan ruling,” Torch said.

“Then how did you do it? Ignore the feeling?”

Torch took a moment before he answered her. Fire and smoke, he didn’t know much of Celestial than its Pull and Push. He knew it’s about the mind, and as Torch knew his mind, he knew how chaotic it was. He doubted a mind of a person who touch Celestial will be anything other than peaceful and quiet. That’s the whole reason he sent her to Leizil.

Torch breathed deeply, he stood and put his hand on Chrysanthe’s shoulder.

“It’s about a will, how strong your mind is. I know I promised you were going to spend time with Leizil, the old woman had her hands full and you are sucked with me. I am no genius with Celestial, I know you got to get a grip of your mind and shield anything from coming. Build yourself a cocoon.”

Would you look at that, I have delivered teaching of Celestial, Torch grinned to himself.

“If my will is weak, why others are not sensing the stares and silver of cold on their spine?”

Torch shrugged his shoulders. “Remember no Vulcan had time to study such things.”

“But I am sure you had found it odd that Watchers and anyone who touch Celestial cannot sense and you must have studied a bit about it. And your sword, Light, she is strange; I have never heard a dark metal.”

“No, I don’t have time.”

Torch continued to walk. They should be making a camp soon, but he needed them to cover a mile or two before that. After he took few steps he heard Chrysanthe’s boots hard against the ground running to him. It’s only been a week on the road and she has lost all the joy she had from the day she left the city.

“You are lying,” Chrysanthe accused him, “you hate Watchers with every single bone in your body. It must be a joy that you have leverage against them and it must have moved you to learn about it.”

“Hate? That’s a strong word, Chrysanthe; I just don’t like them and if you knew how to touch Radiation, you would have understood what I am talking about.”

“Yes, yes I hear you…but your sword. Let’s hear the mystery of Light,” Chrysanthe said the last part with a chuckle.

My, your first smile today. I am so proud.

Torch didn’t know much about Light, to be honest, it was not the lack of trying but lack of information. Of course, his source of information was Leizil, despite the fact that she was always want to gut him, a mention of Genevieve’s name calmed her down and all her granny’s wrath. And of course, he had to trade information, and Leizil above everything else wanted to know where Torch got the sword, it was the sole reason Torch didn’t know anything about Light until the day he left Eurydice. He knew Light was a blacksteel and anyone Vulcan with a blacksteel can’t be sensed. Leizil also hinted there were few things a blacksteel can do other than creating Celestial block which stop anyone who touched Celestial to intercept Vulcan’s signal frequency. It was Leizil’s words, not Torch’s. Oh yes, Leizil also said blacksteel was an ancient and rare metal.

“I only know that Light is blacksteel,” Torch said.

“What’s a blacksteel?” Chrysanthe asked.

“I am sure you will learn about it at Timeless Halls, I for one, I don’t know what on Sky Kingdoms a blacksteel is.”

To Torch there was one good thing in the sky and it was the fact that James will glide the Sea of Gods in his bright radiant and he will be such a welcome sight. A little light along hurt didn’t hurt, not a single bit.

As a ritual, Torch and Chrysanthe always move aside after they had their meal and resume their training. Torch walked balancing a silver blade on his shoulder which flashes as light reflects on it, he held a lamp, on the other hand, swinging it sideways as he walked. He had rolled his white shirt sleeves to his elbow. His arms were not thick, they were flexed and strong. He didn’t look much threatening except his casual leisure like he was bored. He can go from being bored to death in a heartbeat.

“That should do,” Torch said as he stopped and looked around. There were surrounded by flat land with nothing but shrubs, thorny plants, and wildflowers. More important, it was not far from their camp and it was still visible where they stood.

Chrysanthe was also wearing trousers and a shirt looking shorter than she did in dresses. She wore a silver long dagger on her hip and she was testing a short sword.

“This was a bad idea,” she said, “Skygods! How did I manage to come up with such an idea?”

“For once I agree with you,” Torch replied.

Chrysanthe had thought it was better if Torch didn’t use Light and she didn’t use her Moonstone. It was a flaming bright idea at first, it built their weapon range; a swordmaster was not skilled if he can only use his sword. But silver steel felt different from Torch’s hand.

Torch had borrowed Autro’s sword while Chrysanthe took Esther’s weapons. Well, at least both swords are sharp.

“Remember you are fighting with a sharp weapon, slice me as much as you can and importantly remember I will be slicing you as much as I can,” Torch said.

“But Skygods! I can’t heal myself as you do,” Chrysanthe complained.

“And I can’t teach you how to heal with Celestial, you will have to learn the hard way.”

Torch heard Chrysanthe grumbled softly but he only fell into a stance with his both hands balancing the sword. He touch Radiation, lightly. He felt a rush of fire inside his body like a jolt moving to all parts of his body in a flash. The pain was endurable, it was not pleasant though.

The beams from Celestial lamps were now bright, the air around them calm and silent. The dirt on Torch’s feet was hard and dusty.

Torch felt in control, balance, and light as a feather. The weight of his sword was barely registered, the sword was more like an extension of his arms.

He watched as Chrysanthe slowly fell into a stance with her dagger and short sword in hand. She was in an attacking stance. Her keens were bent forward a little, her arms were high close to her face, and her eyes were focused on Torch.

Torch kicked the dirt while he approach Chrysanthe in long strides. Three strides he had already covered the distance halfway, all in the meanwhile Chrysanthe was holding her ground. Here I come.

Torch took another stride. He jumped to cover the last distance in an instant, he held his sword with one hand now; he swung it like a sweeping arc. The sound of metal on metal woke up the sleeping night as Chrysanthe blocked his sword. He planted his feet on the ground and he shoved Chrysanthe with both of his hands on the sword. She scrambled backward about three steps, held her ground, but her stance had collapsed. Her short sword and dagger were at an odd angle in comparison. The sword was still held high before her chest but her dagger had fallen right above her waist. Torch didn’t correct her, he was already planning and executing his next attack.

Torch lased his sword swinging it with his right hand only. It hissed softly as it sliced the air in halve and followed the sound of metal clashing. Torch didn’t anticipate Chrysanthe will able to block his sword with her short sword. She gritted her teeth and held her ground. Celestial, she was touching it and it has enhanced her strength.

Torch throw his weight against his sword, as he had expected Chrysanthe barely moved an inch. Despite that, Torch knew she was still exposed; her feet were not protected, her dagger protected her upper body only. He kicked her on the back of her right keen and she lost all her balance, however, she counted on falling momentum and used the extra boast to pushed Torch’s sword aside. Not bad. Torch jumped back about three steps.

“I am sure you knew what went wrong,” Torch said as he drove his sword point first to the ground.

“I lost my stance during your first blow,” Chrysanthe replied catching her breath, “I forget I was not anchored nor I can thread.”

“Cursed night and all, the whole point your father is not sending your backside to Timeless Halls its because he wants you to master a sword without anchoring and threading yourself. Relay on your physical prowess and your sword only.”

“Yes master,” Chrysanthe gave Torch a little bow as she stood up. “I still can’t sense your Radiation.”

“If your mind is still concentrating on sensing my Radiation because I don’t have then you are not focused enough!”

“I just thought I might be able to, that’s all. I am focused Torch.”

“Maybe it’s time you get your first scar unless you spend all your resting hours trying to heal it.”

Chrysanthe smiled, waved to Torch to attack. Torch uproot his sword and jumped at her.