I didn't know what I had expected, but it certainly wasn't this. Everything I had heard about Vallinstra—the slavery, the sex and drug trade, the relentless oppression of the human inhabitants—formed a stark contrast to the scene that unfolded before my eyes.
The street behind the Gate of the Forsaken was packed with people. Merchants yelled at passers-by behind their colorful market stalls, tempting them into buying their goods. A delicious aroma filled the air, coming from the different spices and foods that were sold in the stalls and shops. Neither the merchants nor their customers appeared to be impoverished; they all wore clothing of a decent quality and the blush on their faces exemplified their good health. A group of four children were playing some kind of board game next to the great city walls and some others were playing tag. At first sight, all of them seemed to be happy.
Almost too happy.
However, as soon as the doors of the entrance gate had opened and the four of us appeared in the gateway, the hustle and bustle in the street came to a standstill. Dozens of heads were turned our way. My heart hammered in my chest while I endured the citizens' scrutinizing looks and I stuck out my chin, daring them to say something. The others shuffled closer to stand beside me, adopting an equally self-assured stance.
A plump woman with blonde curls and a puffy face stepped forward, her watery blue eyes gliding over each of us. The tone of her voice was neither hostile nor friendly when she spoke, "Who are you and where do you come from?"
"We are travelers, ma'am," Rowan answered, always the diplomat. "We come from the outside."
Shocked gasps went through the crowd, but the woman shushed them with a simple gesture of her hand. "No one ever made it through that maze alive. How did you do it?" With every word, the other citizens moved a careful step closer. The eager, almost hungry looks on their faces sent shivers down my spine. I reminded myself that these people hadn't seen the other side of those high walls for decades—some of them had never been out of the city at all.
Rowan hesitated, biting his lower lip. "We had help."
The woman scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "They helped you? Why would they ever do that? What is your business with the Dark Sorcerers?" Her skeptical gaze fell upon Rowan's uniform and she clenched her jaw.
Telling them the real reason for our visit was too much of a risk. Chances were high that they would lynch me if they knew who I was and why I was here. Besides, we didn't owe them an explanation. "Our business with the Dark Sorcerers is none of your concern," I cut in. The woman raised a threatening eyebrow at me. Some of the people behind her growled.
Rowan grabbed my arm, keeping one eye on the blonde woman. "Kenna, we'd better keep these people satisfied for now," he whispered in my ear. "It's impossible to go to the Onyx Tower unnoticed, so if we can get one of the citizens to accompany us along the way, we may well make it in one piece." Disgruntled, I pressed my lips together.
He straightened up and took a step forward, displaying a disarming smile as he raised both of his hands. "For the city of Vallinstra is broken, but its people are not. They shall be avenged when the Tower falls," he quoted in a soft voice.
For a moment, the street was so quiet that I could hear the chirping of a lonely songbird somewhere above our heads. Baffled, I stared at Rowan, but he ignored me, engrossed in a staring contest with the blonde woman. She had stiffened, her face as pale as a ghost.
What had just happened? What was Rowan talking about? It had sounded like he was reciting a prophecy, one I'd never heard of.
The woman swallowed. "Come with me." Without waiting for a response, she turned around and walked toward the end of the street, deeper into the city.
Rowan tugged at my arm as he strode after her, glancing over his shoulder to see if Ellie and Larry were following. Irritated, I yanked myself free from his grip. "What was all that about?"
"Later." His tone was adamant, warning me not to press.
The woman left the main roads and led us through a few narrow alleyways before coming to a halt next to a half-dilapidated townhouse. She fumbled with her keys and motioned us to come inside, nearly jamming Ellie in the doorway when she closed the door. Ellie's upper lip pulled up into a snarl, but the woman paid no attention to her. We followed her to the second floor, which was divided into two separate apartments. She opened the door on the right and let us in.
Despite the building's rickety exterior, this apartment was clean and in good shape. Although it consisted of only one room, dominated by the double bed standing against the far wall, its resident had succeeded in creating a homely, cozy atmosphere.
The woman still stood by the door, wringing her hands. Her blue eyes were fixed on Rowan, who answered her gaze with a reassuring smile.
"Why are you here?" she asked once more.
"I keep asking myself the same question," Ellie sighed, and she glared at Larry when he pinched her arm. "What?"
Rowan shook his head at their bickering. "We were invited here by the Dark Sorcerers. I mean, she was," he explained, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I nudged his side to tell him that he should shut his mouth, but he grabbed my fingers and intertwined them with his, undermining any protest on my part.
"And what do they want with her?" the woman continued her interrogation, as if I wasn't in the room.
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that. All you need to know is that we're on your side, not theirs."
She bit her nails while she assessed his words, her eyes flicking over each of us. "You knew all too well what effect those words would produce, didn't you?" Her face was taut as she stared at Rowan's blue cape.
"I guessed it would buy us some time."
Her gaze softened. "The citizens of Vallinstra know those words by heart. They were first spoken by an unknown Seer who was brought to the city as a slave more than a decade ago. None of her prophecies were ever recorded; even the Dark Sorcerers didn't know what she was for a long time. So how do you know?"
Rowan took a sharp breath, his eyes searching mine. "Because that Seer is my mother."
My mouth dropped open. Ellie's and Larry's too.
Yet, the woman remained calm and nodded, as if he had only confirmed her suspicions. "You look a lot like her."
Careful excitement lit up Rowan's face as he let go of my hand and took a step forward. "You said she was brought to Vallinstra?"
"Yes, she has been in the Dark Sorcerers' service ever since she arrived here. Olive Delarosa is a beacon of hope for the lost souls in this city," the woman declared, her voice filled with plain admiration. "Thanks to her, we haven't succumbed to despair. Thanks to her, some of us are still prepared to fight when the time comes."
Not once in all the time we had spent together had Rowan's face been such an open book as it was in this moment, his eyes reflecting sadness, guilt and hope all at the same time. The thought of his mother's awful fate must have been killing him all these years. The urge to wrap my arms around him was overwhelming, so I clenched my fists not to give in to it.
"By the Light, it almost sounds like you're in love with that woman," Ellie blurted out, her tone too casual in comparison to the blonde woman's flushed cheeks. Ellie didn't give her a chance to answer. "You know, you still haven't told us your name."
"Of course, my apologies," the woman replied with a sheepish look on her face. "I'm Bethany."
"Captain Rowan Marks," Rowan introduced himself, holding out his hand to shake hers. I rolled my eyes at the mention of his military rank. "And these are Kenna, Ellie and Larry."
"Where on earth did you find those two Dwarfs?" Bethany's laugh vanished when she saw Ellie's furious expression. "I ... I didn't mean it in a disparaging way. I'm sorry." Ellie grumbled a dissatisfied response under her breath and Larry laid a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. To my surprise, she didn't push him away.
"They agreed to accompany Kenna and myself on our journey. They have proven themselves to be very valuable companions, both in and out of battle," Rowan said in the Dwarfs' defense.
"I see."
He fidgeted with the armor protecting his arms, his gaze lowered to the wooden floor. "So, do you have any idea where—"
Commotion on the street below cut him off. Disappointment flashed across Rowan's face, but he was quick to hide it. We all hurried to the two small windows on the other side of the room to see what was going on. Two men wearing black capes pounded on the door downstairs, demanding that somebody open it. One of them looked up, his eyes gliding past the windows on the second floor. They landed on me and held my gaze for a moment before the irises flared up with orange flames.
"Here they come," I mumbled. Only a second later, a loud bang resonated through the building. The Dark Sorcerer had forced the door open and both men disappeared inside. Their heavy footfalls thudded on the wooden steps of the stairs as they climbed to our floor.
Rowan turned to Bethany. "It seems that we'll have to continue this conversation some other time."
She nodded and sped to the door of her apartment to open it, revealing the two Sorcerers standing behind it. One of them still had his fist raised in the air, as if he had been on the verge of knocking when Bethany had opened the door. The men strode inside the tiny apartment, which felt awkwardly cramped all of a sudden. Both had their eyes trained on me.
"Kenna Rivers." It wasn't even a question. The Sorcerer who had recognized me behind the window removed his hood, revealing a dazzling smile plastered onto a handsome face. The sunlight reflected in the golden locks of his hair. His companion, however, a giant of at least six feet five, kept his face hidden in the shadows, although I spotted a long scar running down his right cheek. His presence alone made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.
"That's me," I answered with fake cheerfulness, determined not to be intimidated by Pretty Boy and his mountain of a friend.
Pretty Boy chuckled in response. "Your presence has been requested at the Onyx Tower. We would kindly ask you and your ... friends to come with us." All this time, neither of the Dark Sorcerers had acknowledged Bethany's presence—the woman stood anxiously wringing her hands again in a corner. Almost as if she didn't exist.
"Of course." That was the reason why we were here, wasn't it?
I nodded at Bethany as a way of saying goodbye while I followed the Dark Sorcerers out of the apartment. The Dwarfs were at my heels, but Rowan lagged behind, grabbing Bethany's elbow and muttering something in her ear. She gave him a small smile in response, but I couldn't hear what she answered.
On the streets outside, everything had gone back to normal. I noticed that the citizens avoided to stare directly at the Dark Sorcerers; some even dashed in the opposite direction as soon as they saw them coming. Yet, every so often, a curious shopkeeper or merchant glanced our way as they wondered who these strange newcomers were and why they were being escorted by two Dark Sorcerers.
The Onyx Tower was situated in the heart of the city, erected shortly after the Siege. The tall building owed its name to the dark color of its bricks, so black they appeared to absorb the sunlight. On the spire, all the way to the top, sat a burning torch, the blue flames resistant even to the heaviest rainfall. Or so I'd heard. According to my history books, the fire symbolized the growing power of the Darkness, and it had burned since the day the Dark Sorcerers had established their headquarters at the Tower.
Two other towers stood beside the Onyx Tower like bodyguards. The one on the left was the Tower of the Honored, the training center of the Dark Sorcerers' army. It was more or less the Dark equivalent of the military academies located throughout the kingdom of Chtonia. The tower on the right was called the Tower of Forgotten Souls, the thriving heart of Vallinstra's rather lucrative slave trade. Goosebumps formed on my arms as I gazed upon the latter tower, overwhelmed by a sudden, bitter cold.
The crowd roaming the broad square in front of the three towers quickly shuffled out of the way for us. Our escort led us to the entrance of the Onyx Tower, the colossal black doors already half open. The deafening thud with which they closed behind us reverberated within my bones. There was something definitive about the sound, as though I had passed the point of no return. With a strange, unshakable conviction, I knew that everything that was to happen after this moment would change my life forever.
My natural instinct was screaming at me. Bad things will happen in this tower. The Kenna that goes in will not be the same as the one that comes out.
Of course, the slight tremor in my hand didn't escape Rowan's notice. He folded his fingers around mine, wrapping them in his warmth. His thumb brushed the back of my hand, leaving a trail of tingling skin with every stroke. I wanted to give him a grateful smile, but the tension in my body prevented me from doing anything else than slavishly following in the Dark Sorcerers' wake. Instead, I used my magic to create a mental connection between us and transferred some of my gratitude to him, mixed with the paralyzing fear that built up inside my heart with every step I took.
He gasped and tugged at my hand in an attempt to draw my attention. With a considerable effort, I tore my eyes away from the cloaked figures walking in front of us to stare back at him.
How did you do that? he mouthed at me. I bit my lip, a movement that shifted his focus from my eyes to my mouth, and he squeezed my hand. When he looked up again, I had to avert my gaze not to jump into his arms and beg him to carry me out of here so that we could live a long and happy life as hermits in a faraway place.
I didn't have that kind of luxury. Strange that a life of solitude—like the White Sisters'—had sounded so boring before, whereas I longed for the peace of it now.
We went up a set of spiraling stairs in the center of the tower. To my dismay, I was already out of breath after fifty or so steps, my quads burning due to the effort. Determined, I made a mental note to work on my physical condition as soon as I got the time for it. We passed ten floors, twenty, thirty, until we finally stopped on the top floor. I tried to mask my panting as well as possible, but even Ellie and Larry were puffing. Rowan, on the contrary, didn't seem to be tired at all, and neither were the two Dark Sorcerers.
Pretty Boy and Mount Sorcerer opened another set of double doors, which formed the entrance to a spacious, impressive room in the shape of a crescent moon. The white, marble floor glistened in the sunlight, as bright as a mirror. When I looked down at my feet, I could see my own face staring back at me. Two rows of stark white pillars delineated the path to a dais across the room. On the dais, illuminated by three large windows stretching from the ceiling to the floor, stood a throne made of a black type of wood. The base had been carved out of a tree trunk and the back of the throne consisted of thick branches, interlaced with each other. At the top, every branch ended in sharp, thorn-like spikes.
Who does this throne belong to? I wondered, both curious and frightened, a combination which made my stomach churn. The Sisters had never told me that the Dark Sorcerers had a king.
Pretty Boy turned to us. "Wait here. Cain will be with you shortly." His giant friend growled to confirm his words; even Rowan flinched at the sound.
Cain?
The Dark Sorcerers left the room. For a few seconds, the four of us merely stared at each other, too intimidated to utter a word. The agitated beating of my heart drowned out all other noise.
Eventually, Larry opened his mouth and we all winced again when the room's acoustics amplified the volume of his voice. "Who's Cain?"
Ellie only shook her head, her eyes wide with bewilderment, and Rowan's brow furrowed in that characteristic way of his when he answered, "I wish I knew. Though, something tells me he's the owner of that monstrous chair over there." He nodded toward the throne. His frown deepened when his gaze fell on me. "Are you all right, Kenna?"
The Dark magic in this tower—in this city, even—overwhelmed my senses, drawing on my own magic. I could feel it squirming inside my mind in response to my environment. The Darkness was everywhere: flowing through the air that we breathed, simmering in the walls of the tower, even crawling over my sensitive skin. The Onyx Tower constituted the very center of it, like a conductor from which all the Dark energy was diffused, powered by an ancient evil that resided in this building.
"Kenna?" Rowan had moved to stand in front of me, his hand cupping my cheek. His dark eyes bored into mine.
"Only the Darkest of hearts have the power to rule all," I whispered, thinking back to the citation I had read on the Gate of the Forsaken.
A low, rumbling chuckle echoed through the throne room, raising the hair on my arm. I turned my head this way and that in an attempt to locate the source of the sound. Next to me, Rowan's body went rigid, alert to potential danger, and his hand hovered near his hip in case he needed to draw his spear.
Movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention. A tall, muscular man leaned against the wall close to the door, his arms crossed over his chest. A small smile played on his full lips as his eyes, the irises like amber flames, wandered over my face like a gentle caress. "Those are wise words, Kenna Rivers. Very wise indeed."
I forgot to breathe.