The Right To Rule

Chapter 2

A man who called himself Torch walked into the queen’s palace gracefully with an air of confidence about him. Enormous light brown structure, squared in shape right at the heart of the city of Eurydice, capital of Perseus.

The queen’s palace was three-storeys tall with four pillars supporting an entrance paved in white tiles so bright Torch often caught his reflection on them, what Torch loved about the queen’s palace was not the building but what dotted around it. Flowers. There were different kinds of them in the sea of finely trimmed green grass. Crown’s Keep was the most colorful part of the city.

Today, he didn’t stop to pick a rose as he often did when he was at the palace. He was summoned, it was best to reply to the summon with haste.

Gone for ten days and she has an emergency already, Torch grumbled to himself as he walked to the tea room. The messenger had said the queen will be waiting for him at the tea room. The woman had strings on him and he didn’t like that. Sky Kingdoms was full of dangerous women, he was never shy to admit that.

At least Torch stayed as far as he can from the grannies; they were a dangerous bunch with all their Celestial. He would rather die than have strings from them.

Torch’s mind was troubled. He worried when the time approaches Daylight, not for himself but the worry was a constant thorn and it was hard to plunk it out.

Only fourteen days remained before Daylight.

Life was really a troublesome business, the mighty sun didn’t make it any more comforting by its brief coming. And there were grannies who tried to kill everyone who touch Radiation.

Life was dark as Spiral Pulser.

The tea room was deep within the palace. Although he looked out of place with his dark clothing and Light, his broad dark sword, strapped on his back, he had the deadly look about him, but nobody stopped him. He was a familiar sight to those who paid attention, others ignored him like the rest of the citizens who poured in and out of the palace.

The tea room looked over a fountain shaped as a three-headed hound with each head spitting water from its mouth. Its walls walked vines of green and light brown twisting around each other, it smelled like a waterfall and it was cool, even for Torch. There was a small table in the center having four chairs but two occupied. On left, there were tea sets with different kinds of tea. The teapot was always placed on the top of heat artifact which produced heat by trapping Celestial from the big guy Orion. It was a granny’s device just like the white-lights which provide light to the city or it would have been impossible to go about during Endless Night. The grannies were creative, he would give them that.

Torch poured boiling water on his cup, dumped few leaves of mint, and sweetened it with honey. He didn’t enjoy tea, however, this one he can endure. He walked to the table with a half-smile. It was time for manners.

“Your Highness,” he bowed his head to Queen Genevieve. “Skylady Liezel.”

He took the seat between them and sipped his tea. Genevieve Ekins was on his left. Her hair was braided dark brown, clear gray eyes and he had never seen her wearing a crown. But she didn’t pass on wearing fancy ladies' dresses, today she was wearing a light blue one with shining gems on the shoulders. On the right was Liezel Semel, a Cruxian, pale skin and sky blue eyes like during Daylight. She was six foot tall, beautiful for a granny but she always has a look imaging chopping him in as many pieces as possible. Glad she sat on the right, it will be easier to slice her nicely if she tried anything. Torch was sure Light was starting to get rusty without been cleansed with grannies’ blood.

“You have learned manners,” Liezel said. “I thought that was impossible with you.”

Six months at Europa and her hatred for me was refueled. Typical Watcher.

“It’s lovely to see you too, Liezel,” Torch replied, not normal as he usually did. Time was precious and he already had in mind where to spend it. “I certainly hope you didn’t call me to welcome Liezel, Your Highness.”

“Not at all, Torch,” the queen’s voice was soft like a whisper. Can the woman know how to shout? I am sure queens have to do that at some point.

“I am sufficient for that,” she continued, “I wanted to tell you what Liezel came back with from Timeless Halls.”

Torch nodded to let her continue.

“She found out that Gairiyah Drake will be at Draco in three months’ time and she will having a Power Artifact with her, the one we need for our project.”

Despite this mission will be good for their project, however, Torch never asked questions when it comes to assignments. He knew his role. He was a soldier, he only obeyed orders, as long as those orders didn’t include killing people he loved.

This mission was no different. Torch will carry it out. This was their relationship, Genevieve’s and him.

“You will send a sketch of this Drake and the Power Artifact,” Torch sipped his tea and stood up. “Consider it done, Your Highness.”

Now it’s time to see him, I am done middling in queen’s business for now.

He hoped everything was still in the way he left it. Endless Night was a damning business. The air was dry to bone without Radiation.

Torch turned around while he was half away across the room, he felt their stares burning him more than Radiation, weigh on his back like boulders. Well, that was women for you.

“Do you know who she is?” Liezel asked slightly amused. She was warming her hands with tea, however, her eyes were focused on Torch.

Honestly, it never meant anything who Torch killed. If the queen ordered it, he did it gladly as long as there were starlings as payment. If he kept remembering every person he killed, it will take away his peace and he was very fond of it.

Torch shrugged his shoulders but they kept starring at him like he was supposed to know her.

Curse you women!

There were probably a thousand grannies in Sky Kingdoms, he cannot know all of them. He never cared to know them. Grannies’ business was not good for him, it might get him killed. He would rather let Radiation do the job than let anyone with Celestial do the deed. Thank you very much.

“Gairiyah Drake is the Kingmaker,” the queen said it more softly.

Torch knew he was living under a rock when it came to grannies’ names but he knew who the Kingmaker was. Some names carried enough weight to be whispered even under rocks. The Kingmaker, the second-highest rank for all grannies in Sky Kingdoms, older than four centuries; known for smoothing peace among nations, establishing ruling governments, and making kings from fourth citizens.

Yes, he knew her. The Kingmaker, not a dangerous name for a granny, but she cannot have ranks because of good looks.

Torch had been around Liezel long enough to know that Watchers have their internal politics and power was everything to them, within their ranks it was the right to rule. He knew there was nothing they cannot do to each other given a chance.

Talking about sisters who stabbed each other’s back without hesitation.

“I know Liezel won’t mind seeing me gutted but you Genevieve,” Torch breathed deeply. “Those grannies will have my head on a spike before I get to the Kingmaker. I am rather attached to my life, very much attached.”

“I know but with this artifact, we can reduce tearing. We can heal Abinadab,” the queen pled.

Her last statement made Torch stopped talking and breathing at the same time. It was what made Torch knew the queen personally, the sole reason he tolerated Leizil because if it was not for them Abinadab would be long dead. But the Kingmaker was a damning business. She will be heavily guarded, she won’t even sneeze without one of her sisters knowing.

“We will talk about after Daylight,” he bowed and walked away.

For once Torch didn’t accept the mission right away. He knew he cannot take the decision by himself. There was a high chance, if he accepted the mission, he won’t come back alive nor he will be successful.

***

Torch sat by Abinadab's bedside, he examined his brother with keen eyes. He looked different than the last time Torch saw him. He was not sleeping on the bed but up and about the last Torch saw him. It was five days after Daylight, the interval he was always active. Abinadab suffered drought, he cannot store his Radiation long enough to survive a long period of another Daylight. His body was only active when there was enough Radiation in the atmosphere which came from Daylight and few days after he was alive and other days he spent on a semi-unconscious. 

Seven Vulcans out of ten dies of draught, Abinadab was only alive because of the artifact Leizil had designed for him to induced coma once his Radiation was lower for him to function without it. That was a curse of a Vulcan, once you touch Radiation, you cannot live without it. Well, there was tearing too. However, the drought was what drove Vulcans to their edge and once a Vulcan reached that point, well, burn me but nothing good than burning corpses came out of it.

Abinadab looked worn out, he looked paler and his lips were dry. His hair which was supposed to be dark brown was ashen gray. His flame should have burned out but he was still surviving. A Vulcan of only a year, he was already suffering and Torch was his salvation.

But if I don't get the artifact from granny Kingmaker, he will stay like this until the queen gets bored of me, Torch sighed deeply. Or Leizil has her Moonstone daggers buried in my chest.

Torch grew up on the streets of Eurydice since he was seven and Abinadab was only four. Together they slept in the alleyways with nothing but tattered shirts on the backs while they were tucked in by their protesting stomach. They steal anything they owe, Torch was the one who did the stealing most, but once Abinadab started to get older he made his way around the city at ease. They survived heavy rains and rare snows while they were on the streets. Torch cannot imagine his life without his brother, and he doubted if there was life for Abinadab without him.

Such a damning business life was. It never got easy.

Torch tried to smile as he looked around the room. The walls were chaotic, they were splashed with different colors. Abinadab said he wanted his room to look like what he always felt. He said if anyone ever wanted to know how he was feeling they should look at the walls, they hold the answer.

And for how long you will be like that? The Sooner your body will fail you.

Torch was starting to feel murderous. He fiddled with Light's hilt resting against the bed. She was a thirst for blood and this time Torch might not be picky.

"Trouble thoughts," a voice said behind him. "Troubled heart."

The woman who called herself May came, stood on the bed looking at Abinadab sadly. She didn't talk about her age but Torch was sure she was over sixty, with faint blue eyes and dark blond hair mixed with gray. She had a knowing face and easy smile that made her trustworthy. She stood just five-foot-six, yet she always walked about with a wooden cane. The only thing Torch knew about May was that she came from Vela and she was the one who gave him White. Regardless he trusted her with his life and Abinadab. She was the one who looked after him while he was roaming Perseus in the queen's name.

"How was the trip to Hilltop?" May asked.

"Bearable."

Silent grew thick in the room for a long moment. Torch was thinking of the Kingmaker. He was certain she won't leave Polaris with less than twenty grannies with her. Twenty of the strongest. There was no way he can get past that. He cannot even manage that during Daylight. Burn me, Watchers were flaming out of control in pairs. And he had to deal with ten pairs plus the Kingmaker. But Abinadab has to live, see Sky Kingdoms, find a girl and fall in love, and kill a granny or two along the way. He was wasted on the bed.

"Seven days ago he was up the whole day. He even walked around the city with some of his friends," May said dismissing the silence.

Torch knew Abinadab get up sometimes but it was an hour at best. A whole day in the middle of a month would have exhausted him. He must be happier though, escaping the tomb of his mind. That was certainly a new development.

It appeared I miss the most important of my life.

"Ah, I thought the news will brighten you," May continued. "However, I just poured oil over the fire. The queen is not taking you away during Daylight, is she?"

"No, she is not. But she will in three months and I might never come back."

"The scale of reward should outweigh the risks. We cannot escape death. Men and gods, we all die in the end."

Torch only nodded.

"Fourteen days before Daylight, May."

"I am also counting, young man."

"Fourteen days before Daylight and so many things can go wrong."

"Skygods always have their plans about us regardless of the fact we are banned to attend their drafting," May said shaking her head.

Torch smiled at May's statement, she had a fit with Skygods and their plans, and she didn't want one to make plans for her in her absence. Torch took his brother's hand and held it. The touch was comforting, it was communication and it was his salvation. His own form of peace.