L`Univers: "The Sigil" Book 2

Truce between enemies

     The villagers gathered at the gates of Silverwater and had Francis and Anfroy stand in front of them, whilst Francis`s sister Cristina was within the crowd. The caravan from Villeurve was slowly coming down from the green hill that was split by the brown-yellow-ish road that wasn`t paved at all. The caravan bore blue flags representing the sigil and colors of Villeurve whilst Silverwater had red flags all over its wooden walls and Francis`s equipment as well. The first soldiers carrying spears came in front of the gates where Anfroy and Francis stood firmly as the spearman lined themselves up whilst the carriage stopped behind them when a soldier ran up to it to open the door. A black leather boot showed up and then another one he stepped down and his royal furry cape touched the dirt of the road. Cedric looked around the walls and the surroundings of Silverwater with his grim look. He had somewhat darker skin tan with freckles and some small scars across his face, he was an old man with short white hair, he was hardened by many wars. It was true that once he and Anfroy were together serving the king during the turmoil that was Steampeak versus Everpeak. Upon the king’s death and when the queen took over she sorted things out fairly quickly, for Cedric this was not the answer, he was a fanatic of magic and believed in dark magic even though it was f*******n to ever practice it. When the conflict was resolved and the queen sat at the throne his loyalties were no further with the White City and went back to Villeurve where he started life and became chieftain. He kept looking around until he stopped scanning as soon as he saw Anfroy he was approaching him and crossed his arms, the spearman readied themselves in a defensive position as it startled Anfroy and Francis they were ready to unsheath their swords. Hugo came out of the chariot as well and looked toward the soldiers who were ready to attack on the command given by Cedric. But Cedric just waved his hand in the air and the spearman lowered their spears and made a hole for Anfroy to pass as he started moving again starring at the soldiers whilst holding his handle on the blade that was strapped on his bosom. He came up right next to Cedric and stood about a meter away from him, both of them staring at each other angrily, Cedric uncrossed his arms and gave it to Anfroy to shake it, Anfroy looked at his palm and also gave his right one to shake it. They shook their hands further ensuring the truce as Anfroy invited Cedric within the walls. Cedric was a bad person but he wasn’t stupid none of them are neither is Anfroy, both of them knew their capabilities and now both of them knew that they are not capable to ride this out on their own, something has to be done and see through it if they ever even manage to.                                                                                                           

     “The soldiers must stay outside,” said Anfroy as Cedric just nodded and turned toward Hugo making a sign with his palm to follow him inside, Hugo didn`t really like his father but obey him he must for him Cedric was way behind with his thinking, Cedric was ambitious whilst Hugo was humble with what they had. It’s not so much as that Hugo thought that ambition was a bad thing it’s that ambition was the reason that drove him and Cedric to do a really bad thing that both of them swore they will take it to the grave. As Hugo was moving toward Anfroy and his father, Cristina couldn`t separate her gaze away from him and that one moment he looked at her, they held eye contact for a while both of them seemed interested in each other, Hugo was forced to break it because he looked at Anfroy who offered him a shaking hand that he shook.

     Cedric and Anfroy moved together at the same pace away from the spearman ignoring the crowd of angry villagers and moved past Francis who Cedric completely ignored, Hugo followed behind them and stopped in front of Francis. Both of them stared at each other as Cristina starred at them whilst her heart was skipping a beat, she was getting frightened that all hell could break loose between the both of them.                                                                                         

    “Francis!” called out Anfroy, Francis looked at him and Anfroy just nodded at him showing him that Hugo is offering him a handshake, Francis starred at Hugo`s palm and looked at his face, and just walked away heading towards the guild table.

     They entered the main hall of the village that was really just a small room with a wooden floor and a round table in the middle. The room was surrounded by shelves with old books stacked on them, which also gave a distinct smell of old books in the room. It was dimly lit with candle holders that were placed around the room, no windows or anything so that no commoner or spy could listen to the important talk that was held in that room. Anfroy and Cedric sat down on the wooden chairs that were decorated with leather, whilst Francis sat down on an old simple chair and Hugo sat next to him, but Francis immediately stood up and sat away from Hugo. Amongst all commotion caused by the angry mob, Cristina managed to sneak in on the meeting and hid behind a bookshelf as she moved the books apart enough, so she could see what is going on.                                                                    

     “You know the cause of our visit,” Cedric spoke in his somewhat french accent. 

     “I do,” said Anfroy.                                                                                                                    

     “You, Silverwater are to be blamed for the misfortune that has happened upon us,” accused Cedric.                                                                                                                        

     “You don`t dare!!!” Francis stood up and touched the handle of the blade.                 

     “Francis!” Anfroy warned him.                                                                                                

     “You could blame us all you want,” Anfroy looked at Cedric. “But can`t you see…” Anfroy made a gesture with his head pointing towards the exit, at the dried-up river, the dead crops, and the dead livestock. “Our village shares the same fate.”                                                     

     “How would I know you didn`t just stage this?” asked Cedric.                                          

     “Why go through all the trouble of staging? And why to go through all the trouble convincing an entire village to keep their angry emotions aside as the enemy walks amongst us?” asked Anfroy.                                                                                            

     “Enemy…” chuckled Hugo as all of them looked at him but none said a word.            

     “Something is causing this,” said Anfroy. “It`s not us, It could just be nature,” he added.                                                                                                                                        

     “As I remember you were one with nature,” said Cedric.                                                    

     “Cedric, choose your next words carefully next time,” warned Anfroy as Cedric just looked at him stone-cold.                                                                                                 

     “Or what?”                                                                                                                                    

     “That`s it!” Francis erupted again with all his anger and adrenaline rushing through his body only to be extinguished by the horns that sounded from outside.                                                                                                                                        

     “Those are not ours,” said Anfroy as he stood up and walked towards the door.                                                                                                                                       

     “Neither are ours,” Cedric also stood up and walked next to Anfroy.

     The spearman stood their ground firmly and had their stance at the ready and spears up front ready for anything.                                                                                  

     “Stand aside!” Cedric ordered as the soldiers moved aside and made a hole again revealing that another well-decorated white chariot parked next to Cedric`s and had people with silk robes and white staffs around it. One of them opened the door and an elderly man with long white hair and beard came out with silky white robes but no staff, he had a sword that was glowing blue. After him, a goddess came out. Well, not exactly a goddess but if you ask the Kin that was present there they would describe her as a goddess that enchanted everybody with her good looks, and why wouldn’t anyone be enchanted by a long white hair and blue eyes with thin rose lips. The man walked as the girl followed behind him.                                   

     “Is this your doing?” asked Anfroy as Cedric had no idea what is going on or who are they. Another bald man who had round glasses came out of the chariot and ran in front of Anfroy and Cedric whilst holding a parchment.                                          

     “You stand in front of King Teodryll and Princess Aelizia all bow in their name,” said the diplomat as he made a gimmick with his palms and the parchment vanished in thin air surprising everybody whilst Anfroy and Cedric looked at each other both of them surprised and looked at the diplomat as he bowed and Teodryll stood before them.                                                                                                     

     “That won`t be necessary,” said Teodryll in his elderly voice as he looked past Anfroy`s shoulders inside the village seeing the same image with the dried river the dead animals and plants. “Whom here shall I speak to?” asked Teodryll.            

     “I am the chieftain,” said Anfroy as he stood in front of him.                                            

     “Me too,” Cedric stood next to him.                                                                                       

     “Very well,” he looked at both of them. “May we sit?” he asked. “You wouldn`t let an old man just standing outside wouldn`t you?” Anfroy just nodded and invited him inside.

     “It struck us a few days ago since then we came marching south demanding for an answer,” said Aelizia whilst standing next to her father.                                                                                                       

     “So…” Anfroy looked at Teodryll. “You and your subjects have been hiding for a century and now you decide to pay a visit when you are in crisis?”                             

      “Do you want our help or not?” Teodryll was just not having it.                                       

      “Huh…” chuckled Cedric. “And what kind of help would that be?”  He knew what kind of help that was. Teodryll was the king of Everpeak, the king of magic in fact you could say Cedric was in awe to be sitting next to such a figure.                          

      “You think you are capable of fighting this thing alone?” asked Teodryll.                                                           

     “Our two villages have been fighting over a futile reason,” Hugo came to the conclusion as Cristina who was still hiding smiled at the thought that there`s still hope for a good truce amongst the two villages. “There is no reason to start a war with another…” Hugo looked at everybody. “At least not now.”                                                                   

     “It would seem that way,” said Anfroy as he looked at Cedric.                                         

     “Are you sure that you don`t have some kind of plague in your city?” asked Cedric.                                                                                                                                          

     “What king wouldn`t know the situation and well-being of its subjects? Plague, nature, or whatever it seems to have struck here as well. The same image when I arrived at this village it`s happening at our kingdom as well,” answered Teodryll.

     “It`s not just you, It’s global,” said Aelizia.                                                                             

     “Before the war…” Francis spoke up. “Everything was fine, then I had this dream…” he looked at Hugo. “It was a forest, there was this n***d man with drawings all over his body he touched the ground as it split apart.” Hugo kept starring at Francis as he was getting startled by the story.

     “Boy, we are dealing with something that is not a story nor fiction,” said Teodryll.                                                 

     “And from the ground came a golden sigil,” Hugo spoke over Teodryll.           

     “How is it possible?” Francis asked. “We shared the same dream?”                            

     “What did this sigil look like?” asked Aelizia as Hugo stood up and took a parchment and a piece of graphite and started drawing.                                                  

     “No, wait,” Francis stood up and added the markings of the sigil and added the red gem in the middle of it.                                                                                                    

     “I don`t know what to make out of it,” said Cedric.                                                             

     “Me neither,” said Anfroy as both of them stared at Teodryll, but he also moved his head left to right having no clue what could it be.                                                        

     “Perhaps…” Aelizia spoke up as she took the parchment in her hand. “The grand libraries hold the knowledge to it.”                                                                                        

     “The grand libraries?” asked Anfroy. “But those are in the kingdom.”                            

     “What grand libraries?” Francis was clueless that there`s even such a thing. As a boy, he`s heard tales of the grand kingdom that controls the two villages and has seen patrols of soldiers passing by from the kingdom enough so it could just make him believe it was real enough so that him and Hugo swore loyalty to the kingdom serving and protecting something and somebody they had never seen, the village life is all they knew, but it seemed that their version of the world would get so much bigger.