AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 34 – Shackled Stone
Metheus
After the storm had died down, the next few days were spent cleaning up the mess it left behind. Samara had returned to the Seers Village, promising to bring their prisoner to Prozeus, but I told her that I would come to them instead. I needed the heat coming from the Southern kingdoms. I felt weak. However, I needed a few days to settle things in my domain. I needed to train people on what they needed to do if another storm came or witches attacked. Though Leevar was keen on accompanying me in my travel, he needed to stay. I could not trust the kingdom to anyone less. If only Razuku were there, the choice would have been clear. I wondered then if I should send for him and Eli.
The wait was excruciating but uneventful. After shaking up our kingdom, the Ninurta seemed ready to take a rest. Hibernation. Well, good for him. The rest of us had to keep on working on sorting out the aftermath of his attacks.
The people of Prozeus had started getting on with their lives, content that the storm had gone. Most were oblivious to what the deluge meant. All they knew was that it was gone and that they could again get on with their lives: farming, selling wares, and other ordinary tasks. For a time, I was worried that Luella would find it dull, this life near the deserts of Arrowspear. Somehow, when we were together, it did not matter where we were. She also loved the intrigue that the witches’ covens posed. I did not know if she would feel the same way now that there was an apparent conflict with The Touch.
As soon as everything appeared to be in order, I prepared everything I needed to bring along. I would only travel with two men: Clem and Darvo. The Seers’ Village was not far, but I was prepared for anything that could happen. I anticipated staying in one of their huts for a certain period.
“Are you ready?” I asked my men on the day things were finally settled.
They nodded and murmured their response. We would be taking a camel each, weapons, food, and clothes. It would not take us long to get there, but it should be enough time to ponder the possibilities. What would I feel when I see the suspected assassin in the flesh? Would she look like Rowali in the vision?
We traveled quietly. I was with two trusted men, each as quiet as I was. I missed Razuku’s chatter and Luella’s warmth. Both could distract me from the anxiety left to fester in the silence.
Not too long after, we saw the oasis. It did not look much different from when Luella and I visited it a few months ago. It was never affected by the storm, just like Samara said. However, I was in no mood to inspect the beauty of every little vine or the pond that swirled at its center. We entered the grounds in absolute silence, but the Seers were already in their courtyard. Waiting. Their faces were solemn, not delighted like the last time.
I nodded in greeting, and they responded with low “Your Majesty, good day” salutations. I strode through the door, no longer waiting to be ushered in. I wanted to see the witch.
There she was.
She was sitting on a stool in the middle of the room. The Seers congregated around her in their chairs. Two empty chairs completed the circle. One would have to be left empty as both of my men had chosen to stand by the door.
“Your Majesty, we have placed an extra chair just in case,” Aruna said. “I know your wife would not be here, but we hope to connect to her in some way.
I was reminded of my last vision of Luella, and I seethed quietly. I wish I were there, grabbing Ari by the tunic to ask what his plan was. What was he doing there? Did he flee Arrowspear right after my father died, or was he there for Luella herself?
“I understand,” was all that I said.
My eyes turned to the young woman in the center of the room. For a hut, the main house felt large on the inside. Outside, it felt smaller, fragile. It was just like the women who lived there. By appearance, they looked like they could not fight their way through anything, but nobody should be fooled. The Seers were powerful. They could see visions and make people view them, too. They could create illusions.
It gave me pause.
“Aruna, will someone from your coven wilfully give me the wrong vision?” I asked.
“I would never!” shouted Samara indignantly.
“I am simply asking a question, which I believe I have the right to know the answer to. It is not because I mistrust you, Samara. However, I must be warier of everything after my father’s death.
“It’s alright,” cooed Aruna as she touched Samara’s hand. The blonde Seer was still offended. She slipped her hand away from her Head Witch’s reach.
“To answer your question, Your Majesty, yes. A Seer can make you see an illusion. She can make you see lies and believe in them. However, I swear to all the goddesses, may they strike me if I am lying to you right now, that the Seers of Tarkus will never seek your family harm.”
Her breathless defense did not move me, then. I looked at her. She seemed to be telling the truth. Nevertheless, their power could easily manipulate my perception.
“So, does the young witch here before us truly resemble Rowali, my sister?”
The witch hissed at me. She struggled with the rope that tied her wrists behind her back, and she looked at me with so much venom that for a second, all resemblance she had with my sister was gone.
“Yes, she does look like your sister!” Rifi asserted. “We saw it from the very first moment we caught her.”
“Where did you catch her? How did you know that she is responsible for my father’s death?”
“We tracked the vestiges of power left on the dart. I scented it,” Rifi explained. “I followed it to the South, almost near Rama. She was alone in a tent in the desert of Domin.”
“So, you are not sure. She just happens to have the scent of the witch on the dart, and there has been no confession so far.”
