Page 2 of A Conduit of Light
Ashwould be payment for the cure that saved the city, and though the details of the negotiations were never discussed, it didn’t seem to matter now.
Shebecame a willing prisoner.Shecould make this sacrifice if it meant the disease was cured, thePrincewould live, and if it meant thatHyrithiawould survive; the home she had loved and never planned to leave.
Herheart thrashed in her chest as she continued her path forward, leaving her home behind for an indeterminate amount of her life.Ithammered and writhed while her stomach soured, some last attempt her soul would make to resist what she felt forced to do by circumstance.
“Myward,Ash’Arah, is presented toBaronHeimlenofFelgrenForeston this evening as payment for the cure of theBlackFever.”TheQueenstepped forward from the line of royal guards and presented her hand towardAshas she continued. “Letit be known that an officialOfferingwas not given on this day and that this woman would choose to decline if she had been presented with one.Sheleaves for theFortressinFelgrenon my will alone.”Shepaused and finally metAsh’semerald eyes, tears falling down her face. “Andit pains me greatly to ask it of her in payment for the life of my son and the lives of my people.”
Ash’sgaze drew to the row of lumens across the stream and the viridescent portal, open and humming to the right of the wolf-like beasts.Adark figure stood there, dressed in a variation of a conduit’s clothing.Theman’s dark cloak hung heavily down his wide shoulders and his light tunic was immaculate under his pressed black vest.
TheBaronHeimlen, she presumed, her captor and theSaviorofHyrithia.Hewas the only one powerful enough to cure the disease and the man she was determined to convince of her obscurity.
“Ash.”
Theharsh whisper of her name forced its way into her distracted mind and she turned to seeGeyrand’sfamiliar figure.Hehad always looked the part in his full royal guard armor, the glint of the sun radiating from the smooth metal, causing a celestial glow to surround his freckled face.
Sherushed to him, clinging tightly to his chest, inhaling the soothing scent of mint and chalk, two ingredients in the powder guards spread on their clothes before donning their full armor—a scent she knew well.
Shepulled back to see his pale face, holding it in her hands and smiling wide, thinking of all they had shared as childhood friends and eventual lovers.
“Thankyou for the memories.Iwon’t forget them.Iwon’t forget you.”
Sheraised up onto her tiptoes, running her hand through his red curls, and kissed his forehead, her last goodbye to the man she cared for deeply, but could never learn to truly love.
Sheturned to leave but was pulled back into a kiss.Hishands held her face to his.Hislips were trembling, full of a secret he had been keeping—the truth of his heart told too late.
Acough nearby startled them from their words unsaid,and before she could turn again to go, he grabbed her hand and pressed his lips to her knuckles.Hisamber eyes did not leave hers until she broke their gaze with her shaking body turning to the future that lay before her.
Hersteps must have taken days to complete.Herfeet were leaden in her worn leather shoes.Hersimple frock must have been weighted as it brushed across the dirt path.
Shecrossed the stone bridge to her waiting captor, setting her gaze on the lumens.Therewere easily two dozen of them, massive beasts with jaws the length of her arm, a monstrous beauty about them.
Shewasn’t sure when she made the decision to do it.Itwas an impulse, one last rebellion against what she was forced to face.Beforeshe processed the possible danger of it, she was letting go of her handkerchief in the gentle breeze and watched as it floated lazily in front of the giant wolves, their black noses twitching at the sight and scent of it.
Allat once, they broke their stance, interrupting the stillness in the air.Greathowls echoed through the dusky set of the sun and the beasts pawed at the ground, digging at the small piece of her she let fly free.
“Yourmonsters are well trained, but even the slightest scent can break them.”Shesmirked at theBaron, standing confident and tall beneath him, poised and ready for their unspoken battle.
“Mydear,” he chuckled, his black eyes admitting just a hint of silver, the lines of his aging face creasing into an amused grin. “Youare hardly the slightest of anything.”Heturned and gave a short whistle, commanding the pack to resume their position. “Shallwe?”
BaronHeimlen’sblack gloved hand reached out for her to take and as she did so, her appearance was transformed.Herslippers turned into tall leather boots, her dress to fine silk.Thegarment was a dark green, hued like the trees that grew only inFelgren.Itfell across the center of her chest, her neck and shoulders exposed while sheer green fabric clung down her arms.Thegown held tightly to her torso before spilling out from her hips, black beads adorning the front in a dizzying pattern that began at the crest of her chest and wound down the length of the garment, cascading into what looked like a tangle of vines, ending at her feet.
Herlong length of dark hair, the color of a wood owl’s wing, was pulled up into a tightly woven bun, fastened with an emerald-studded comb.
Thelast adornment to appear was her conduit ring.Itformed seamlessly around her right forefinger as a simple band of silver before a many-faceted teardrop emerald bloomed as the single stone upon it.
“Interesting,”BaronHeimlenmurmured, still holding onto her hand, his eyes alit with curiosity.
Refusingto ask what he meant, she turned her head to take one last look at the castle and the life she had every intention of coming back to.Shewould return in time and this would all be a memory, a tale to tell thePrince’sfuture children before they drifted off to sleep in their nursery.
Shemoved back to face theBaronand pulled the ornate comb from her hair, tossing it to the dry earth.Herlocks cascaded down her open back, a contrast to her pale, porcelain skin in a shimmer of bronze, enhanced by the last goodbye of the fading sun.
“Themore you try to bind me,Baron, the less of me you’ll have.”
Helaughed then, a rich tenor of amusement altering his countenance as he nodded to her, and she took a step through the portal.
Chapter2
Karus
