The Sacred One

Chapter Two

   The ear piercing sound of swords clashing together and whipping through the air with echoes of horrified screams surrounded where I stood. I could feel an extreme heat eat at my skin, threatening to burn it but a heavy cloud of smoke hazed my vision with only a powerful flaming light that was more blinding than the smoke. I was able to make out the outlines of collapsed buildings and people fleeing in all directions amongst the chaos, with some of those who appeared to be warriors standing their ground through the flames. Some fell from wounds of the blade, others were taken by the roaring, unforgiving fire.

   "Aliena!" A familiar voice called for me among the barrage of screams. Squinting my eyes and trying to move towards the voice and out of danger's path. "Aliena, my Lady!" The voice beckoned again. My eyes locked with the source of the calling. It was Bella taking on four large warriors who almost looked as if they were trying to get to me and not her. "Run, my Lady! Find Lord Miles!" She commanded as she kept the burly monsters at bay, even though there was no doubt she was outnumbered she still made it a challenge for them. As Bella bought me time, I sprinted in any direction hoping to find him, or at least safety. I didn't dare look back in her direction, afraid of what I might seem.

   I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, but then I heard it. A sound that chilled my bones more that the fire threatened to burn them. Hysterical laughter that carried farther and louder than the screams of pain and the crackling of the fire. The fog of the smoke was able to clear away just enough to find him. Lord Miles was on the ground, bearing all his weight on his knees with his head hung in defeat.

   "My Lord!" I blurted out, and even though the words were mine it felt as if I wasn't the one speaking them. His enchanting checkered eyes met my own. He tried to bring himself up to his feet but collapsed under his own weight. His skin was covered in deep wounds and dried blood, he had been beaten almost into an oblivion. I tried my to make my way to him  but then I heard it again, that hideous and malevolent cackle. A hefty man stood before Lord Miles and picked him up by the fabric of his shirt as if he were the size of a doll. This man had an image of a snake painted on his arms in black ink and emitted a darkness I've never felt before.

   "What a treat, not only do I have the blessed opportunity to end your life, but your little slut here gets to watch as you take you very last breath. I couldn't have asked for a better outcome." He smiled something sinister, with teeth that almost resembled a shark. Without any cue this man took a black dagger and shoved it into Miles' abdomen, going through the other side of him. "Don't worry, she won't be far behind you." With his final threat he gave the dagger a twist, and pulled it from the wound, sending Miles to his end as he laid in a pool of his own blood.

   "Miles!" I yelled at the top of my lungs and felt my heart shatter into thousands of pieces. I forced my eyes open and I was sitting up on the cot in my cell. I could still hear my scream echo off the walls. Something told me this wasn't just a dream, this was real, it just hasn't happened yet. The sounds of footsteps rushed down the stone corridor of the dungeon.

   "What makes you think you can address your Lord by his name, Prisoner?" Sean stood in front of my cell door and barked at me. He stood tall and self-assured his hand gripping the iron bar so hard his knuckles were white.

   "I'm sorry but I have no time to explain!" I tried to warn the stubborn warrior. Something horrific was coming here and he needed to know.

   "You don't get to be making demands!" He roared. The people here seemed to have a knack for not hearing me out.

   "Why, what else is gonna happen? I'm already locked in here, just listen to me for two minutes, something bad is gonna happen!" I pleaded with him, I wish he would listen to reason. He clicked the locked on my cell, opening my door, and approached me.

   "Is that a threat, Prisoner?" He grabbed my wrist and his ocean blue eyes were filled with pain, but I had a feeling it wasn't his.

   "Sean, let go of our prisoner and leave." Before Sean had the opportunity to hurt me and make my imprisonment worse he was interrupted by a booming voice. The same voice the belonged to the face of a man who I saw so wounded and broken not long ago. Sean let go of my wrist in huff and turned around, leaving the dungeon behind him.

   "Thank you-" I tried to thank Lord Miles for intruding when he did.

   "You said something bad was gonna happen, what did you mean by that?" He demanded from me as he placed himself in front of me, inching closer and closer to me until I felt trapped under his gaze.

   "I had a vision, my Lord." I went on to explain the raging fires incinerating everything in its path, the bloodshed across the land, and eventually his demise. ", And then the man twisted a black dagger in your abdomen and I watched you go lifeless in his arms. Please, I know you have no reason to believe me but I'm telling you the truth and not only does it put my life in peril but yours too."

   "The inferna ignis. That's what he stabbed me with. It's a dagger made from black obsidian from the hottest parts of the planet and is said the be cursed with more evil than even the devil himself can wield." He mumbled, confirming the details of my dream. "This man, what did he look like?" He prodded further, closing in on me.

   "He was the largest man I've ever seen, with a laugh wicked enough to make infants cry. He had a marking of a snake in black ink painted on his arms." I answered him honestly, reliving every horrific detail. I shivered as I could still feel the fire lick at my skin, threatening to devouring me whole.

   "Diablo." He whispered to himself. "Aliena, are you sure you don't remember anything about yourself?" He placed his hands on my shoulders, searching my eyes for answers.

   "I don't remember anything, my Lord." I confirmed and scanned his face. His curls slightly dangled as he looked down at me. He came off as tough and unstoppable but there was fear spread across his face. "I swear on my life." I whispered to him.

   He grabbed my wrist and turned around heading out of the musty, rat filled dungeon, dragging me behind him. I took a deep breath of fresh air when we got passed the impenetrable, steel chamber door. Keeping his hand locked around my wrist he lead me through the marble corridors of the castle and three flights of stairs I finally had the courage to speak. "Where are you taking me?" I finally asked, if it was to my death, I've gone too far with him to try and find an escape.

   "Quiet, maiden." He barked, but it felt as if his attitude shifted when he let out a deep breath. "To the kingdom's sorcerer; Mordecai," He finally answered in a huff. "I'm hoping maybe he has something to unlock your memories or at least try and figure out why you don't remember." he finally let go of my wrist after he was sure I wasn't going to make a run for it, and there was no way to run. We were on the third story of the towering castle and the ground below looked so small and surely if you were to jump from this height you wouldn't live.

   We finally approached a small door tucked in the back of the hall way. The door was so short in stature that not only did I have duck through the door way but Lord Miles about had to shift his entire body to fit through the wooden door. There were bottles filled with bubbly liquid, various exotic plants, and books lining every available space in the room, there was very little room to maneuver through the clutter. Among the mountains of magic, papers were be flown about and light tapping sound of hooves were following behind the flying mess. "Mordecai!" The lord more so demanded rather than called. The tapping noise got faster and short pig-man peered his head around the tower of books.

   "Oh!" The little pig-man scurried and presented himself to the lord. He stood the height of a child around eight years old and was dressed in clothes with similar texture to burlap. "My Lord! What do I owe this pleasure?" Mordecai bowed for him.

   "I have a prison- er guest here," to my surprise Lord Miles corrected himself, even though I still felt as if I was I prisoner. "She claims to not know who she is, and that she had only just awoken in the forest. Artemus used the Veritas bottle and he claims she is a pure-hearted one." Mordecai gasped at this news.

   "My lord, you know the Veritas plant doesn't lie, it sees the heart beyond the thickest plans of deceit-" Mordecai tried to back up the red-haired warrior.

   "I know that, Mordecai!" Lord Miles boomed. "But what we don't know is who she is and if her true self poses any threat to our kingdom." He continued. "She had visions of our demise, and I need to know if they were true or just a ploy somehow implanted in her brain."

   "I can tell you how to erase memories, My Lord but unfortunately my studies don't go far enough to restore them, not without turning their brain to mush." He flinched as if he were ready to be yelled at once again by the hot-headed lord. "Although," hope filled his voice as his little legs scurried back among the towers of sorcery. "I have a recipe for a potion somewhere, it's supposed to bring the absolute truth of her intentions out of her, and I just bet it could bring that out past her clogged memory, too." He rambled on, his voice coming in and out the further he went into the maze of books, once again flinging papers and books all about. "Here it is!" He scurried back to us flipping through the pages.

   "Are you certain this will work?" I finally spoke up to the pig-man as he grabbed various ingredients frantically around the room.

   "No, but as dear mother told me, it never hurts to try. Ya know, before she tried to eat my brother and I." He spoke as he mixed various plants and berries in a pot whispering a small mantra to himself. "And finally, I just need this." He walked up to me and plucked a couple strands of my hair.

   "Ow!" I protested as he scurried over and dropped the fibers into the pot.

   "Dear- I'm sorry what did you say your name was?" He looked up at me and wrinkled his snout.

   "Aliena." I responded with irritation in my voice. These people needed to stop poking me and pulling me without warning.

   "Aliena, Dear, can you come spit into the cauldron?" He asked so casually. I looked at him confused and slowly made my way to him and the concoction. "C'mon, don't make this weird." he said as he could sense my speculation.

   "If I smell more of this stuff it'll make me do more than spit." I threatened as the smell of rotten berries and feet filled my nose as I let my drool fall into the huge pot. For a split second I thought I could feel Lord Miles' eyes on me.

   "Hate to tell you like this, but you're about to endure more than just smelling it. You'll have to drink it too," I crinkled my nose his absurd request. "Don't worry if you plug your nose it taste less like berries and more like rot." his false reassurance almost made me gag.

   I made my way back to Lord Miles to escape to smell and that was the first time I was actually able to size him up. His legs were almost as big as tree trunks, one of them was easily the size of my torso. Scars lined the muscles on his arms, he looked tight in his own skin. My eyes trailed up his body and past his chest to his face; a sharp jawline and hollow cheek bones complimented his tough exterior, with plump lips that I'm sure were gorgeous when he smiled. If he smiled. Then I was swallowed by his eyes, the emerald one holding jungles, and the hazel one the color of gold dripping honey. He could play hard all he wanted to, I could see the kindness in his eyes, deep deep in his eyes.

   "Did you hear me, Maiden?" Lord Miles interrupted my intrusive thoughts, which I was thankful for, I had already spit into the cauldron there was no reason to drool more.

   "I'm sorry, My Lord. The smell was so grotesque it took me a bit to come back to my body." I tried to justify my ogling as I finally returned to his side. He towered over my short stature, making me feel even more powerless than what I already was.

   "You will learn very quickly I do not like to repeat myself," I could feel the intensity of his threat even though it wasn't direct. "If all goes well and you are as innocent as everything points to, you will be given a bedroom on the west wing with the servants, you'll help out with their duties until you have the means to leave." well, it was at least nice to know my worth.

   "Yes, sire." I accepted his offer. At least it would keep me busy until I'm able to learn more about, well, me. He said nothing, but he held my gaze. It was captivating, but in such a fearsome way, you could almost see scenes of war reflect on his face. I continued to search his eyes for answers and he tensed up almost as if he wasn't used to being under someone's gaze for so long.

   "Alright, let's get this muck- I mean, wonderfully tasty drink, into your stomach shall we?" Mordecai snorted and poured the now neon pink concoction into a glass. Lord Miles averted his gaze and nodded in Mordecai's direction. I really didn't want to drink it, but if it kept me out of that rodent-filled dungeon then I was willing to risk it. I made my way to the 'sorcerer' and once again I swore I could feel the Lord watching my every stride. He shoved the pungent concoction in my hand. "Drink up, and drink fast." He tried to encourage me but I still looked at the glass with a face with disgust.

   "Wish me luck, Mordecai." I tried to smile as I brought the glass to my lips and drank the toxic liquid as fast as I could manage without throwing it all back up. I swallowed the last drop and finally coughed and gagged trying my best to keep it down. I sat on the ground as I felt pins and needles prick at my whole body and white light distorted my vision. I could feel my body tremble intensely and I couldn't control my movements.

   "What's happening to her?" Although it sounded like a mumble I knew Lord Miles was yelling. Threw the blinding light I could ever so slightly see the outline of two shadows over me.

   "You mustn't interrupt the potion's process, my Lord or we could permanently lose her to the light and we'll never have answers." I heard the pig-man explain before a deafening ringing filled my ears and I felt so uncomfortable in my own body as if my bones were trying to escape. Before the tremors worsened, suddenly everything but the blinding light remained. A cold numbness covered my body and my limbs were limp. "She's ready."

   "Why are you here, Maiden?" The Lord's tone had surprisingly been soft, almost velvet.

   "I am here to watch over the kingdom of Imperium. Created and blessed with gifts from the Goddess Vita. I am a warrior." I felt the words leave my mouth but they weren't mine and they sounded as if they were distorted.

   "Who sent you?" He continued to speak more carefully, as if he was afraid to set something off in me.

   "A women very dear to you sacrificed her heavenly soul to protect you. Your mother's soul is no longer among the celestial." Before any more information left my mouth I could feel my breathing pick up. The pins and needles were back, and they were worse. It felt as if all my bones were shattering, exploding, and the light followed. Sparks filled my eyes as I started to scream out. The feel passed almost as fast as it came and my vision slowly came back, my eyes still adjusting to the normal light again. The two of them stood over me, with ghostly expressions. The biggest smile spread across Mordecai's face. "What does that mean?" I huffed trying to catch my breath from the transition. Without answering me the Lord storms out of the room as Mordecai helped me sit up.

   "I can't believe it." Mordecai gasped as I pulled myself up. My head was pounding something fierce and I couldn't feel my face scrunch up at the discomfort. "Here, I have something for the pain and it's a whole lot better than what you just drank." After hearing some rustling in the distance Mordecai brought a vial and the smell of peppermint filled my nostril as he dabbed a bit on my temples.

   "Mordecai, what did all that mean?" I asked once again, hoping for some enlightenment.

   "It means, you were not born like I was, or any human rather," He began as he stared at me as if he were examining a priceless jewel. "The Lady Madeline passed away when the Lord was just a boy, leaving him to the cruel fate of his father. When she passed her soul was with the celestial which is where every soul goes to live on when their physical form perishes, and it seems as if you were created from her soul, wiping her out of existence." He made a non-nonchalant wiping motion with his hands. I suck into the reality that was, not only did I not have a family who missed me but I shattered the soul of an innocent woman. All for what, a lifetime of confusion and terrifying visions?

   "So, there is no home waiting for me." I mumbled to myself as my fate was sealed. As Mordecai registered the sorrow that consumed me there was a knock at the small door.

   "Enter!" Mordecai called, as if he was frantic and didn't know how to handle me in my current state. Bella came through the crouched door, maneuvering just as I did coming through. I stood up and dust myself off as she approached me.

   "I was told to come collect you and show you to your new room in the east wing." She spoke, still seemingly nicer with each interaction.

   "I thought I was wanted in the west wing to help with the servants." I questioned, since that is where he said he wanted me.

   "The west wing doesn't have as many guards posted. Some of the warriors and the lord himself have their rooms in the east wing where it can be heavily armed and guarded from intruders," She explained. "Come, I'll show you to your room."