The Broken Sigil

Chapter 5: White City

Both of them traveled across the country that was back in its prime since the war against Echo where he drained the world of its energy and everything started dying. The trees in the forest that divided Celvin and the White City became scarcer and the luscious healthy grass became more constant and frequent, indicating that they were getting closer to the White City, it was getting dark and they stood on the edge of the forest where a downward slope led to the White City, and where it was all grass from there.

     “We should make camp,” suggested Lucius. “Then we are going to take that road east and we keep moving to the Ashen Fields,” he pointed at a dirt path that lead away from the city instead of in it.

     “Wait, aren’t we going to the White City,” asked Katrina.

     “We shouldn’t waste time, we need to head to the Ashen Fields immediately,” he looked at her. It was as if Katrina was already feeling nostalgic for her home.

     “I need to take my journal,” she said finally.

     “Your journal?”

     “Yes… It’s quite important that I have it.”

     “What’s so important? You do realize it’s a colossal waste of time,” he looked at her and couldn’t believe what she was saying.

     “It’ll just take a couple of hours till we get to the city and go out of it, it wouldn’t be that long.

     “As I said, it’s a waste of time,” he kneeled down and picked up some branches to start a fire. “Now come on, help me start a fire,” Katrina just looked at him collecting the branches, and walked away from him towards the slope and towards the city. “What?” he looked as she was walking away. “What are you doing?” he yelled after her, but go no response as he threw away the branches and chased after her. He ran towards her and pulled her back on the arm.

     “What are you doing? Let me go!” she protested.

     “What do you think you are doing?” he asked.

     “I am going after the journal, and you won’t stop me.”

     “Katrina, how could you be so stubborn? If the world is really in danger we can’t go after books! We need to act!”

     “Well this book is more important than you may think,” she spoke as she retrieved her hand from his grasp.

     “You can’t go alone! You know it’s dangerous at night! Even in the city!” he yelled after her as she was walking away from him.

     “Well then, by all means, Mr. Prince accompany me!” she yelled back.

     Lucius turned his head to the right in anger. “Damn,” he said under his breath, as he pulled the reins of the horse and jumped on the saddle, he whipped a couple of times before the horse gained speed and raced towards Katrina, both of them were coming at her at full speed as she turned to them thinking that he plans on trampling her, she panicked and moved away but Lucius sprang out his arm and grabbed her by the waist as she screamed and pulled her up on the horse.

     “How dare you!” she looked at him angrily.

     “This journal better is something worth it,” he said as he controlled the horse towards the city.

     “Oh… but it is,” she smiled as she wrapped her hands tightly on his waist holding on for dear life as he rode the horse really fast towards the gates.

     “Halt! Who goes there!” a guard from the city gates stood in the horse’s way as Lucius slowly stopped the horse in front of the guard. “It is I, Lucius Protector of the Ashen Fields, and Prince heir of the Celvin,” he announced himself, as he jumped from the horse, the guard just looked at the other guard, both of them confused as to who the hell was he, they’ve never heard of any Lucius, even less so an heir to the Celvin as he so claims.

     “You sir!” the guard pointed at him. “You are a liar! Turn back now!”

     “He is telling the truth!” the guards heard a familiar voice as she jumped from the horse after Lucius. She walked towards the gate and looked at the guards.

     “My Princess,” the guards bowed down before her. “Has this man kidn*pped you?” the guard asked his hand ready on the hilt of the blade. Katrina turned towards Lucius smiling at him, realizing that she has the power to get him arrested just for the fun of it.

     “Katrina…” he looked at her and for a moment it really looked as if she was going to arrest him, but he was right they shouldn’t waste time playing games just for fun, after the Ashen Fields there will be plenty of time for that, and she was quite aware of that.

     “No, let us through,” she said to the guards as they opened the gate and they went inside the city, Lucius looked upwards toward the king’s palace, he’s only seen drawing of it but seeing with his own eyes was even more majestic. It hasn’t changed much since when Hugo, Francis, Cristina, and Liza were the first time come here but it was still glorious. The rocky base the high white walls, the Acropolis design, it was like a dream for Lucius, in fact never bothered to leave Celvin and travel the world, at this rate maybe he will get to visit Yimeon too, or perhaps Everpeak who knows, or maybe even Steampeak, you could never say never, Kristina, on the other hand, she’s visited them all, not that she wanted to but when the opportunity came she didn’t let it go to waste. Being the king’s daughter has its perks, however is not an easy task since he constantly has to travel through the realm as a king and wage diplomacy with the other kingdoms where Katrina would actually enjoy herself trying out different things whilst her father and brother were in the council.

     “It’s something isn’t it?” Katrina stood beside Lucius who was still starring at the king’s palace.

     “It’s grand…” is the only word he used to describe it. “Alright let us move,” he pulled the reins and the horse zoomed towards the cobblestone road that led upwards toward the palace. Since The White City made an alliance with Yimeon, when Franco married Zafina both cities have been thriving, and once when there was nothing before the great hall, now there’s a bustling cobblestone square with wooden stands and shops in the building, the cultures have mixed and now the city was a bit of both, best of both worlds if you would rather, there were no people and the square seemed abandoned, it wasn’t the case at all since it was night and most people went to sleep, however behind one wooden door it seemed as if everything was quite the opposite, there was light coming from behind the door and people chanting and singing aloud. Lucius turned around towards where the noise was coming from and saw a building that seemed empty but at the bottom, there was a tavern. Katrina got off from the horse, she seemed to know that Lucius had set his mind on entering the tavern and she couldn’t expect him to ride her all the way to the palace.

     “I’ll just be walking from here,” she spoke diverting his attention away from the tavern.

     “Will you be safe?” he looked down at her.

     “There are guards on every step from here, I think I will be fine.”

     “Alright, when you are done, I’ll be…”

     “Yeah sure,” she nodded not needing an answer. “Have fun.”

     “Don’t take long.”

     “I won’t,” she nodded at him and walked towards the square, she moved past the center, and between all the stands and building there was an opening with a path that led to the gates of the second wall, there were two guards that stood at the gate as they bowed when Katrina passed through, as soon as she got past the gate, it was only a couple of meters upwards until she reached the entrance of the king’s hall.

     Lucius walked towards the door and lifted his arm as he froze on the spot and hesitated to push it open, the allure from the inside was really tempting, the songs, the atmosphere the smell from the food, and from the drinks. He couldn’t resist and why should he. He pushed the door open as it swayed to his right-hand side inwards and slammed on the frame as it stayed open for him. He stood for a couple of moments outside before entering, as soon as he entered the smell of old wood hit him like a train, it was hot and it was dim, there was no other light than the one from the candle lights, the wooden floor silently squeaked as he moved forward he looked at the Kin that was in the tavern, all of them just drinking, eating talking to each other and having fun and nobody batting an eye that he entered the tavern. Not one did ever stop drinking and look at him, like in those western movies when a cowboy enters the tavern and everybody puts to halt whatever they were doing and stare at the cowboy, but this was different nobody cared. He walked towards the bar as the bartender approached and gave him a look without saying a word.

     “Rum on the ice,” said Lucius as the bartender heeded the order and poured him some alcohol in a glass.

     “Cheers,” a man that sat next to him held a raised glass awaiting for Lucius to make cheers with him. Lucius turned to his left and inspected the man, he had long gray hair, with a long grey beard, some marks on his face, yellow teeth and scuffed up black clothes with holes in some parts, the White City may have been grand but there were people that lived in poverty, and it wasn’t easy finding a solution for them.

     “Cheers,” Lucius felt pity for the man as they clinked glasses, as soon as Lucius turned towards the man, he noticed the broche that he had below the neck, the man wasn’t sure yet, but upon further inspection, it couldn’t be otherwise. Black leather clothes, with silver decorations, and the broche that held the cape it couldn’t be anything else.

     “You are one of them Protectors,” spoke the man aloud, Lucius turned around and saw a group of people taking notice of what the man had said, he turned back towards the bar and didn’t say a word as he kept drinking his drink. “Yes!” the poor fellow sitting next to him stood up. “You are a Protector!” the man spoke even louder drawing more attention.

     “You are wrong,” Lucius finally answered him.

     “You are! Yes, you are! You are a Protector!” he kept insisting, with Lucius finally getting annoyed and slamming the glass on the counter bursting into thousand pieces. The group that have been eavesdropping on them stood up from their table and walked towards the bar. Suddenly Lucius found himself surrounded by three men.

     “Your kind is not welcome here,” spoke the man in the middle as Lucius grunted preparing himself for anything that might happen. “Protector…” the man kept talking. “Spreading false stories of doom to scare the people, to terrify them, keep them from living their normal lives… What are you protecting really? Echo has been gone for a century, I wonder even if the story about him is true,” said the man as he insulted the history of everything that has happened, he automatically insulted everyone that fought against evil back then.

     “I’d walk away before someone gets hurt,” Lucius warned, he wasn’t going to have any more of it. The men looked at each other and laughed knowing they had the advantage in numbers.

     “I reckon it is you that should be walking away,” threatened the man.

     “I think I will be having another drink,” said Lucius as he turned his back on them, behind him approached another man, a fourth man to the group, but this one was the meanest, the biggest, the most dangerous-looking guy in the tavern, he took the glass away from Lucius and spilled his drink on the floor. Lucius nodded as the anger inside him was about burst like a kettle on a stove and these men were going to meet their maker anytime soon, he stood up and looked at the men that he was about to face, he was preparing himself to give them the ultimate beat down, a beating that would teach them a lesson not to mess with Protectors, when the door slammed open and took everybody’s attention away.