Chapitre 409: Inside Oblivion
Alaron joined his sister at the wall. "Where did you last see him?"
Mairwen pointed. "He was on the rope when the wave hit, at about the same height as you, maybe a little lower."
The Guardian looked down at the swirling mass of dark water. It pushed against the thick walls of Oblivion, but the fortress held firm. The ladder, on the other hand, had been pulled up by the advisor and the soldier. It was in a pile at the top of the wall, empty of any climber.
"The water...swept him away," there was a deep fear in the princess's voice. "I've lost him again, Alaron."
"I'll jump in and find him." The man threw back his hood and leaned over the wall, looking for a safe spot to dive. A flash of in-cloud lightning lit up his face where the gash on his forehead was leaking blood.
"You're hurt!" Mairwen gasped.
"I'll heal," he responded, still scanning the water. "I will be back."
"No!" the princess grabbed his arm at the last moment. "I cannot lose you too!"
Although most of him was upset that he was forbidden from helping, part of him was relieved. He had no idea what to do once he hit the water. A water rescue in the dark when one cannot even see the target is nearly impossible. He sighed, wrapping his arm around his forlorn sister.
"Can my brother-in-law swim?" the Guardian asked softly, trying not to upset his sister further.
"Yes."
"Then he will swim until he finds something to hold onto. We will find him up in a tree like a lost kitten in the morning."
Junayd, who had been listening as well as he could from his position, chimed in eagerly. "That's the spirit. You royals never give up and always find a way."
"I know you are right," the princess's voice lacked conviction. Her regal bearing became lost in a fit of silent sobs. Alaron squeezed her tight. Although the borrowed Guardian's cloak was keeping the deluge out now, underneath, she was sopping wet.
"Your Highness?" Eira came over and bowed to her mistress.
As miserable as the twins were in the cold, surely Eira and Junayd were worse. Junayd had given up his borrowed cloak to the princess and the female soldier's armor only held the wetness of her underclothes tightly against her skin. Yet, Eira removed her helmet so the Princess could see her face clearly. It was full of concern.
"Your Highness?" she repeated. The black void where Mairwen's face should be turned slightly, encouraging Eira to continue. "Perhaps we should get you inside. Once we climb down from the wall, I am sure Junayd can show us the way to Duchess Ashleigh's manor house."
The direction was not necessary. The large sprawling home was on a mound in the center of the city's depression. Eira was simply trying to coax the woman into taking care of herself.
"You go ahead and let the Duchess know we are coming. I will stay a little longer and watch the water."
Junayd began to give the soldier directions, but she waved him off. Instead he told her how to get down from the wall. "I will watch over the royals," he promised.
Eira bowed and departed from the battlement. She realized, with some surprise, that hot tears were mixing with the cold rain on her face. The stoic woman would have to collect herself before reaching the manor. Her life had no place for emotions such as these.
Junayd stepped away from the twins and found a spot out of the rain in the overhang of one of the watchtowers. The watchman appeared to question him, and they had a heated conversation about the future of the sentry's job.
Alaron flipped up his hood and then held his sister tightly. The two faceless figures stared out into the darkness, which was becoming less and less frequently lit by lightning. The thunder, likewise, was sounding more distant.
The storm was dying at last. While it has washed away their enemies, for none of the lizards ever peeked above the waves, it had also taken someone most precious. The princess only hoped the storm's lanky captive would be able to return in one piece.
In silence, they stared at the undulating current until long after the rain had stopped and the wind ceased its howl. Other than the odd log or floating piece of debris, nothing ever surfaced from the tumultuous flow. One way or another, Renat was gone.
"I have made you wait out here long enough," Mairwen uttered softly to her brother. Without the wind and rain to block the noise, her whisper sounded as loud as the shouting had earlier.
"We will come back in the morning when we can see." Squeezing her arm, Alaron comforted his sister.
He had never been good at such things, and he had been far too selfish to think of others when he had lived in the palace. Fortunately, his instincts when it came to his twin were good. Mairwen simply needed him to be there beside her.
"We cannot come back in the morning," the princess answered gravely. "It is morning."
The Guardian shifted his gaze from the water below to the horizon of the mountains. Through the dwindling cloud cover, a hint of pink was outlining their colossal peaks.
"Then let's go see Duchess Ashleigh. She has resources that can help." Alaron released the embrace he had on the woman. It was only then that he realized that he had been clinging to her almost as tightly as she had been gripping him.
The Guardian placed his hand lightly on the woman's back and led her toward the watchtower. Junayd was waiting for them in a fresh set of clothes. Sometime in the hours they had been watching the storm pass, the advisor had been given a spare soldier's uniform and a towel.
The jovial man was quite solemn, bowing deeply before the royal twins. "If there is any way I can be of service," he offered somberly.
"Thank you, Junayd." Mairwen nodded slightly. Her small frame seemed utterly shattered. "Please escort us to the Duchess. We owe her a visit."
The advisor nodded and took the lead. After going down the tower's stairs and coming out at ground level, the twins viewed Oblivion in the morning light. It was strange to realize that the water was above their heads now outside the wall, yet inside it was not even ankle deep in the streets.
The trio moved through the path. Each home had a raised wooden log across the threshold to keep the streets from draining into their homes. It seemed they were well prepared for floods.
"The reason this place is called Oblivion is not just because it is the last bastion of humanity to the northwest. When the spring rains come and the winter snow melts, it is virtually impossible to reach except by boat. It sits, in a sense, forgotten." Junayd told them, trying to fill the awkward void in conversation.
"But it isn't spring. Winter is nigh upon us," the princess allowed herself to be pulled from her morbid thoughts.
"That is what made that storm so strange; it was almost like the Maker himself was crying…"
"Remind me never to make him sad…again…" Alaron caught himself, remembering his past actions. The Guardian quickly changed the subject "We did not know you would be here. How did you find us?"
"To be honest, I wasn't looking for you. When I arrived yesterday morning, there was already a messenger bird waiting for me with a warning of an attack. Duchess Ashleigh had already been preparing for such an event, but that rushed us into action." Junayd explained.
"What could have happened at the palace for such a warning to be necessary?" Alaron interrupted.
"The note did not say." Junayd shrugged. In truth, he had an idea, but sharing that speculation might cause undue panic. "Well even after a long day of preparations, when the time came to rest, I was still wide awake. More than that, my old war injury hurt terribly. You know, the one I got while…"
"Saving the Emperor…" the twins finished his sentence. Even though Alaron had spent almost no time at the palace since his return, he had still heard Junayd tell the story a dozen times. He cringed to think how much more his sister had been regaled with the tale.
Junayd bristled. "Yes, well it ached, and the only way to work it out is time and a walk, so I thought I would check the preparations on the battlement. I should have headed back when the lightning started, but I do like a little bit of danger now and then. So imagine my surprise when I saw all of you running toward the town being chased by some lizards. I am sorry it took so long to find the rope ladder. I could not convince the sentry to open the gate. His concern for the storm seems to have been well founded, so I cannot fault him that."
Mairwen tried not to think about what would have happened if the rope had been lowered even a little earlier. It was not Junayd's fault that they had found themselves in such a mess. "You were Fate-sent, Advisor Junayd," she thanked him. "We owe you our lives." She looked down, her thoughts drifting once again to the man she loved.
"Take heart. Perhaps Duchess Ashleigh has some news," Alaron tried to cheer her. "Look, there she is!"
The manor, which was more accurately a castle, was quickly drawing near. The young man pointed to the balcony of the second level. On it was a grey-haired woman eyeing them carefully, a firm frown upon her face.
Whatever news she might have, it did not look good.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone