Keepers of the Moon

Chapter 15. Who am I? (2)

Tane placed his hand on my shoulder and led me through the maze of corridors and halls. My legs were shaking and my hand trembling. All my body wanted was to rest, to be able to take a break even if it was for just a few minutes. Not even the new rush of adrenaline could drown out the fatigue. I had been awake for a little over 24 hours and it looked like it would be longer still.

Even though the walls were made out of much lighter stones and the windows were taller, this castle didn’t feel like home. I’d grown used to the permanent, partial darkness at Gaeilaí and the stained glass windows. Everything looked so much older and more used. Geailaí wasn’t built to be pretty, it was built to last. The long corridors and high ceilings were highly decorated with curly ornaments and gilded statues. This place looked stately, ready to be used in formal attires and weddings. It was also much warmer inside and the sounds less hollow. The stairs were made of wood and the railings had beautiful floral carvings. There were fresh flowers around every corner. No expense was spared. This was truly a place for kings.

I hated it.

With firm steps we walked down a wide, marbled staircase which led into a large hall. Above my head the largest chandelier I’d ever seen was glistening in the bright sunlight. Right across from the stairs were two very large wooden doors. They had been painted in the same moss green colour which we dawned on our uniforms. All around the doors were simple, yet beautifully carved windowsills with huge windows overlooking the garden. The view was absolutely stunning, though the absence of the Cuillin made me feel uneasy. Somehow they had been watching over me, made me feel safe. But there were no steep-walled mountains here. Only soft, sloping hills covered in thick white snow. There were no waterfalls and there was no saltwater bay. Everything looked odd, it felt strange. Wherever they took me, it was a long way from the place that I’d come to call home. This part of Caledonia, because I was certain that despite the long drive that we were still in Caledonia, was much different than the area around Gaeilaí. But I wasn’t familiar enough with the landscape to figure out where I was exactly.

If I were to escape this would be a problem.

Though escape was very unlikely.

Tane’s hand was almost burning on my shoulder.

Our footsteps sounded hollow in the main entrance hall and they ricocheted against the curved ceiling and mirrored walls. There were four guards standing near the door, they wore the same black clothing as I’d seen before, though this time their faces were uncovered. They all had that signature blonde hair, though only two of them had the bright blue eyes. The other two had hazel eyes. They’re eyes followed us with genuine interest, though none of them moved a muscle. They had a job to do.

Of to our right humungous double doors, with golden doorknobs and a gold plated moon still carved into the wood. Six more guards were posted around them and they looked very bored. At the sight of Tane they all sprang into a tight rank, followed by a curt curtsy. I heard Tane snort and I couldn’t keep myself from looking at him in surprise.

Such a human trait.

He clearly couldn’t be bothered by all the formalities inside the royal family. He was just a regular guy, who somehow gained the trust of the vilest man walking on this earth. Which made me think that he was possibly much worse than Einar.

The doors were opened from the inside to reveal a large, elongated room with classic, white pillars and more shiny chandeliers. A single table, which could easily fit more than 20 people was placed in the middle of the room, with a heavy, but beautiful red rug underneath. More windows brought in the daylight and there were shining knights in armour situated in every corner. The head of several wild beasts were mounted on the opposite wall. It was a vast array of deer, boars and even a bear. It looked distasteful against the pristine white stones and clean statues. They didn’t belong there.

In the midst of all this only one other person was in the room with us. Even from afar I recognised him, his broad shoulders, his white hair and greying beard. I could feel his piercing, bright blue eyes pealing at my walls. His heartbeat was slow, yet excitement radiated through the room. He was dressed in all white, a simple tuxedo, with a red blazer underneath. On his chest he carried the golden emblem of a howling wolf. Hlér was nowhere to be seen.

My breathing became more irregular and my heart almost jumped out of my chest. It took every piece of self-control to keep walking in the same pace. I wanted to fling myself against him, clench my fingers around his throat. In my mind I could see the veins in his neck pop and his eyes bulging out of their sockets. It was a satisfying sight, but not the reality right now.

Because I was still walking towards him, Tane’s hand now squeezing my shoulder. He had felt my rising anger and the tension in my muscles. He was on guard, ready to stop me if I tried something. King Einar looked at me with a wide smile, his arms spread into a welcoming gesture. I bit on the inside of my cheeks, tasting blood once again. I could feel my heart beating in my throat and tears of anger burning behind my eyes. My hands were clenched into fists, my nails digging in my skin. The pain made it easier to keep focussed, to stop myself from reacting.

I couldn’t just throw myself against him.

Not now.

Not yet.

‘Welcome my dear. Let us meet properly this time.’ His heavy voice sounded far away, I could barely make out the individual words. The events of yesterday had left me deaf in one ear.

When we got closer, I saw that the table was set for two. One on the head of the table, one on the left on the opposite of King Einar. A small vase of roses flaunted in the middle, surrounded by several plates of flagrant food. There was a dish with peas, potatoes and a baked ham. A bowl with chicken soup and a platter with a pastry cover which concealed what was underneath. It smelled amazing and my stomach involuntarily growled. I hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday morning. I tried to ignore it, but along with the everlasting fatigue I felt my body slowly unravelling. I knew that if Einar offered me the food, I wouldn’t have the strength to refuse.

‘Sit down please, I’m sure you must be very tired. It’s been a long day.’

‘Whose fault is that?’ I scoffed and put all my disdain into my voice. Neither Tane nor King Einar reacted to my words, though Tane pushed me down quite harsh onto the empty chair, opposite of Einar. I was too close to him. I didn’t want to share this space. It was mine, he didn’t deserve it. I glanced over the table, but there were no knives next to my plate. No weapons. Einar noticed me glancing and smiled a cold smile. He forced me to look into his eyes. They were cold and relentless, every trace of humanity had long been erased. Where Hlér had a sense of adventure and curiosity, Einar had only hunger. An unyielding yearning for power, for war. He would watch the world burn as long as he was the one doing it. Right then and there I realised that he wouldn’t stop at Caledonia. It was just the first step on his quest. He would come for Sasana, Prussia, Persia, Nova… He wouldn’t stop until all of this was his. For a fleeting second fear grew inside my mind. He had already won. With Caledonia in his hands he gained the tactical advantage on Sasana and Prussia. If they fell, there was nothing to stop him. He would just keep going. And unless he was stopped right here…

Unless I killed him.

‘I am sure you have lots of questions. But right now I am just going to ask you one.’ He looked at me intently, the atmosphere had suddenly turned dangerous. Tane was standing just of the side, almost holding his breath in anticipation. Whatever the question, this was important.

‘Who are you?’

I raised my eyebrows in surprise, for one second ignoring the hatred in my heart. Then the weight of the question hit me and the world came cascading down on me. The numb feeling that had overwhelmed me for the past few hours shattered in the air, a deep seated fear rose to the surface. This was the kind of fear that encompassed everything. He knew who I was. It was as clear as the sunlight pouring in on this beautiful day. He knew where I came from.

Unable to form an answer I looked away from him. I was shivering all over and suddenly cold to the bone. The thin blouse too revealing. I needed to hide.

But there was no place to hide.

King Einar was right here.

‘Child, I am not going to ask you again. I urge you to give me an answer.’ To put some strength into his icy words he put down a gun on the table. He just placed it there, didn’t touch it further or played with it. No he just placed it next to his plate as if it was another utensil. The smell of food was now a nauseating presence and my stomach was no longer growling. I wanted to throw up.

‘I’m just Indigo. I have a…’ I stopped myself from finishing even though he most likely already knew about Abi.

‘And you have a daughter. I know all this. I don’t want to hear what I already know. I want to hear what I don’t know. Where are you from Indigo? What were you doing with my son? Did you use him to spy on us?’ I jerked my head back up and looked at him. I supressed my surprised look and shrugged. Pain shot through my recently dislocated shoulder and a soft groan escaped from my lips.

‘I… When I met Hlér I wasn’t aware of the struggles between you and King Domhnall. Hlér was lost and we just decided to hang out. There was nothing more. I didn’t spy on him. Up until yesterday I had no reason to.’

I kept looking at my hands which now laid in my lap. They were clean, but my knuckles were scuffed and bruised. The skin around my wrist was painfully red and unusually tight. A lot of debris had hit me during the multiple explosions and there were dozens of tiny little scratches all over my arms. As time was passing more bruises started to form on my lower arms. I wondered if the rest of my body looked like this.

‘You see, the strange thing is that I believe that you truly liked my son. That was before all this of course. But what I don’t understand however is your unrelenting fear for me. At first I thought it was because you had been fed lies, but no… This runs much deeper. You came in here wanting to kill me, but now all you want to do is hide. You don’t even dare to look at me anymore.’ His voice changed now, it got more calculating, disdainful. I glanced over to him, but he was right, I couldn’t look at him. The fear was so strong that it took all my strength not to burst out crying. So I refocussed on my hands and my impeccably clean fingernails.

‘One more time. Where do you come from?’ His hand moved toward the gun on the table. Without a word his fingers enclosed it, caressed it, but he didn’t pick it up. He was taunting me. Trying to get me to talk. I bit my lip. I knew that I couldn’t keep my mouth shut forever.

‘Alexand….’

‘STOP LYING TO ME!’ His voice burst through the room and I nearly toppled backwards with my chair. Both my hands were now holding onto the edge of the table with white knuckles. My heart was hammering in my throat and I was holding my breath in utter shock. He pointed the gun at my face while his fingers played with the trigger. His eyes were ready to kill me.

‘Nova!’