Page 13 of The Night Prince

The Lure Of Knowing

Something waswrongwith Aquilan.To Rhalyf who knew the king’s various moods as well as he knew his own, it was quite clear that Aquilan was out of sorts.And it wasn’t simply because of the weight of his office or the certainty of politics becoming the focus of most of his time from here on out. Nor was it the prospect of being hectored by the power-hungry Vesslan or the tiresome Elasha.

No, it was something deeper.

It had been growing ever since the announcement had been made that Aquilan would rule from Tyrael.Glorious Tyrael.The first human city to fall to the Leviathan and the first to be recovered from the dread creatures.

But why?

Why would that bother Aquilan so?

He had chosen to live there.He had tasked Vesslan with building the Eryas Palace on the human city’s bones.He had made a point that the way forward was there.Glorious Tyrael.

And yet…

Yet…

Aquilan delayed going there for months.And even now, when they were supposed to arrive before nightfall, Aquilan had taken the farthest gate and had sauntered along the empty roads, avoiding people like the plague, keeping away from glorious Tyrael and the future that he had carved out of dead Leviathans.

That Aquilan was both driven to Tyrael and wished to escape it was clear to Rhalyf. He just didn’t knowwhy.And Rhalyf liked to know things.He more than liked to know them.Hehadto know them.Sometimes knowledge was the difference between life and death. He’d found that out nearly the hard way.

“Ah, Uncle, have we lost you?”Elasha asked uncertainly as she, too, noticed Aquilan’s distant stare and his silence. “I hope my question about the gates didn’t offend!I was just curious why you arrived by such a far gate from the palace.Don’t you want to get to your new home?”

The king snapped back to himself.His blue eyes were still troubled, but he tried to focus them on her and Rhalyf, to pretend as if he’d just been ruminating on cabbages or something.But that wasn’t it.

“I wanted to see the progress that has been made in restoring this land, which is considerable,” Aquilan lied. “That is why I took the longer way to Tyrael.”

Rhalyf knew he was lying.Not about the land being restored.They had done a good job of that.Trust Vesslan to move quickly to wipe out any trace of humanity’s former existence here as quickly as possible. He knew that Aquilan wasn’t at all of the same mind on that point, thinking that humanity wouldwelcomebeing absorbed by the Aravae Empire just as many other species had been over the millennia.But that wasn’t what was occupying him Rhalyf was sure.He had to admit that it was a good lie though.It deflected Elasha to be sure.But not him.

“You wished to see their progress with your eyesclosed, my king?”Rhalyf teased.

“My eyes have beenmostlyopen on our travels, Rhalyf,” Aquilan laughed. But he still directed the conversation firmly away from wherever his thoughts had truly been as he remarked, “I see that nature has been helped to take its course.”

Aquilan tipped his head towards the ruins of one of the large decaying cities of the humans that could be seen in the distance.It had been named Chicago, he believed. The city had yet to be fully razed as there was a significant presence of Separatists near Tyrael.

The Separatists were humans who chose to live outside of the domed Aravae cities and, supposedly, Aravae law.They were a thorn in Vesslan’s side, which almost endeared Rhalyf towards them. That was because they were incredibly touchy when it came to “erasing human history” and “imposing the will of the Aravae'' upon everyone and everything.But there was no way that Vesslan would allow things to remain as they had been under human leadership.No, this land–thisworldand everything and everyone in it–belonged to the Empire now and the big Houses that Aquilan had promised it to.

Already, the city was being reclaimed by the land.There was greenery nearly everywhere.Plants sprouted from rooftops.Creeping vines wrapped around the sides of the buildings.Grass grew through the cracks in the streets and sidewalks, obscuring the rusting carcasses of humanity’s metal vehicles.

“Do you know that the Separatists still raid those cities for foodstuffs?”Elasha sounded horrified.“That food they store in metal and plastic?”She shuddered appreciatively.“The fact that it has not rotted away due to all the chemicals they have infused into it says enough about its editability.”

“Oh, I don’t know.Have you ever tried a Twinkie?It’s a golden sponge cake filled with whipped and sugared oil,” Rhalyf said.

“By the gods, have you actually let such poison pass your lips?”Elasha shook her head.“You will become mortal like them if you persist in consuming such food.”

Elasha’s reaction to what she thought was his disturbing enthusiasm for human “junk food” just egged him on, of course.He would think of other human delicacies to torture her with later.

Rhalyf tossed his head back and laughed.“If only it worked the other way and humans could live forever like we do!”

“Indeed, then we wouldn’t have to worry so much about the human population taking a further nosedive if they were immortal,” Elasha sighed and tossed her head in annoyance. “It’s hardly a sure thing that humanity will survive long term.There may simply not be enough of them left.”

Aquilan grimaced.“We arrived far too late to save enough of them.”

Wasthiswhat was concerning his king?Did he still blame himself for what had happened to humanity? Trust Elasha to bring it up so callously!

“We arrived as fast as possible!”Elasha looked over at Aquilan with huge, shimmering eyes.“Convincing the Radiant Council to both reveal ourselves to the humansandgo to war against the Leviathan for mere mortals?You and Father did the impossible, Uncle, when you achieved both things in record time no less!”

“Bothof them did this?”Rhalyf lifted an eyebrow.“I believe your father arguedagainsthelping humans, Elasha.”

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