Chapitre 2: Chapter 2 A heroic choice
It didn't take long for Silverbolt to cause an Uproar in my city. Mere hours after his arrival. Lord Rexword milled around the audience chamber. Thankfully the queen had gone to bed early, or else Lord Rexword would use the opportunity to seize power.
I know not what the pompous ass put in his hair, but it always shone in the light. His bright eyes enjoyed undressing me, and he preferred to speak with my breasts than my face. Rexwords hand rubbed the pommel of his sword in a way that made my skin crawl. His hair almost creased the floor in a bow, desperate to impress me.
Rexwords oily tone caused me to step back a few feet from him. I drew my hand to my shoulder before the snake could attempt to kiss the top of my hand. "Princess, I have come to demand justice. A man named Silverbolt took out three of my most promising recruits on a routine tax collection..."
I put up my hand and folded my face into a scowl. "Lord Rexword, since when do you show up unannounced? However, I should commend you for your presence of mind to report to me. How much did he steal?"
I noted Rexwords face registered concern. His feet clapped against the floor while he paced. "He didn't steal a single crescent. I believe this makes Silverbolt more dangerous. He's probably looking for the strongest opponent...."
"As I recall, you wanted to hold a tournament for the crown. This Silverbolt probably heard about the contest and decided to take some impromptu practice."
"You think he wanted to test the competition?"
"Would you?"
"Yes, your majesty. Perhaps Silverbolt is a nobleman. His armor looks expensive, according to my injured men."
I saw a chance to get Silverbolt into the tournament. He wasn't noble, but if Rexword wanted to satisfy some insult offered to him, it worked in my favor. Once he was in, I'd ask him to be my champion. I needed help with the convincing, and I knew where to get advice.
"Then we will invite him to the tournament and pit him against you. You will thrash him with your superior combat prowess and win the day and the devotion of your men."
Rexword rubbed his chin with rapid strokes. "Hmmm, it has a certain symmetry, doesn't it? Also, it's a chance to show the people that justice matters to the next ruler of Ivorhaven. No offense, your majesty."
I managed to keep my anger in control. I offered a smile and used my most snobbish tone. "There are no laws against dreams, Lord Rexword. So as long as the victor wins honestly, I shall accept defeat with grace and dignity.
"I shall take my leave then, your majesty. I will send messengers to invite our new friend to the tournament. I cannot wait to wet my blade in his stomach."
I let out a frustrated breath. Relief permeated every inch of my body as Rexword left. I told the guards the audience chamber was closed until the next day and headed back to my room.
***
The ghost of Drizella waited for me in her circle with an amused expression on her face. "I see my grandson gives you trouble."
I let the little jibe enter one ear and out the other. I pondered what I knew about Lord Rexword. The people of his holdings offered little loyalty due to high taxes and severe punishments for the smallest of crimes. Didn't Lord Rexword say his men got injured on a routine tax collection?
The hag's ethereal voice brought me back to the present, "What has you deep in thought?"
"Silverbolt waylaid three of Rexwords men. I don't know what to think about it."
"Rexwords cruelty is well documented and known. I've heard tales of commonfolk getting beaten over a single crescent. Remember, Silverbolt isn't from this world. He doesn't understand our laws."
I nodded and rubbed my hands next to the roaring blaze in the greystone fireplace. The downside of a spirit companion is the cold. They radiate frost the way a fire casts heat in all directions. "Rexword plans to invite Silverbolt into the tournament for the sole purpose of thrashing him."
The ice-cold cackle of Drizella brought an involuntary shiver to me. "Very clever princess. I don't think he stands a chance against my kin."
"We have to find him, Drizella. Once the other nobles see him fight, they'll seek to earn his favor. I shudder to think what Silverbolt could do in the wrong hands." I smacked my fist into my palm, "We know nothing about him."
"We know more than you think."
"How so?"
"He doesn't like Rexwords methods. When Silverbolt arrived, he could've bent you to his will but didn't. He had every opportunity to kill your guards but didn't. I believe him to have morals."
Her argument was born on sound footing. I wanted to walk away from the whole thing, but the thin strand of hope sucked me back in. "Then how do we find him?"
"We will need another mirror and something personal of mine." Drizella pointed to the paper I used to summon her and said, "That will do nicely. I need something to etch some symbols into it."
I rolled my eyes while I searched for items Drizella required. As I handed the mirror to the spectral witch, I said, "I refuse to hear the horrid noise again. I felt my eyes roll in opposite directions, and my skin almost crawled off my body."
Ten minutes later, I now held a mirror with the spirit of Drizella contained within the silver glass. "Does this ruin your chances to return to the afterlife?" While the hag and I had a tenuous alliance, I didn't want to strand her in the physical world.
Drizellas face became sheepish, and she tapped her spectral digits together. "Now that I know my kin stilll lives, I want to stick around and watch my family grow again. I cannot move on as long as I remain trapped in the glass."
While I understood the witch's point, most magical scholars agreed a spirit that remained on this plane of existence was prone to madness after a few years. "Drizella, as an arcane scholar, you know how this ends."
"When the time comes, all you have to do is smash the mirror."
I gave the ghastly reflection a dubious look, "I'm serious."
"As am I. I never knew my grandson. I missed everything. I will watch his ascension to greatness."
How could I argue? She did have a point. If things went wrong, I could smash the mirror. I still needed a way to send her soul to the great beyond for judgment. That was tomorrow's problem.
***
I traversed the halls and stairwells with the silence of a cat until I reached an empty part of the courtyard. I drew the mirror from the secret pocket in my dress. "What next?"
Frost crept up the glass surface toward a symbol etched in it. Drizella's voice grew excited, "He went east from the castle."
"Toward Dipperhaven?" The slums of Ivorhaven weren't all that bad. Ivorhaven pickpockets are widely known as the best. The guards call them Dippers as they dip into people's pockets.
"I wonder what he wants there?"
"It's nighttime, princess. Perhaps we should wait before we venture into Dipperhaven. Even I avoided the place at night, and I had magic."
I weighed the pros and cons of the suggested adventure. My curiosity drove the answers in favor of the unseemly errand. "We have to go. We'll lose our chance to save the kingdom."
I almost came to regret my sojourn into Dipperhaven in my quest to find the man named Silverbolt. The sounds of poverty assaulted my ears. Couples fought with ferocity and shattered glass. Occasional howls and piercing screams created an uneasy sensation in my stomach. I pressed on out of pride and pure determination to achieve my goals.
Drizellas muffled voice came from my pocket. "Hurmph, clol."
I ducked into an alley and drew the mirror out, "Could you repeat that?" A nauseating stench wafted into my nostrils. My gag reflex conducted the appropriate response and unloaded supper. My hand wobbled to the rough lumber and allowed me to hold my body upright.
A loud bang forced my foot to step into something vile, and the gag reflex sent another jet of vomit across the alley. Muffled laughter came from the pocket. I glared at the visage of Drizella, who continued to cackle with glee.
"Not used to dirtier side of life are we...."
"Do shut up, you old hag. At least I have a body."
"The last two minutes hasn't made me miss having one either."
"Could you get to the point you were trying to make earlier?"
Drizella nodded, "Right, he's close. I can't tell where exactly, but I know we're close."
The loud thumps from the building crescendoed with loud cracks and ear-breaking snaps. The rotted wood stretched to the limit, ready to give at any moment. A muffled shout heralded the spray of splinters and wood chunks. I blanched at the termites that dripped off the shattered boards. Two bodies crashed to the ground.
"Where's the kid? Answer truthfully, or you'll join your friends tied up for the guards," The metallic voice said.
"Mashek will kill me..." A panicked voice replied.
"If you don't tell me, I'll kill you." The metallic voice said.
I heard the thrum of energy and dared to lower my hand. The metal-clad fist crackled with sparks that danced over the knuckles. I went to speak, but my voice failed me.
The frightened individual had a purplish tinge to his skin and blood-red eyes. He could only have come from The coil, a small town next to a failed magical reactor experiment. People from the area often experienced the side effects of the fallout.
"The coil will rise, knight..."
"I'm a superhero, not a knight." A hard fist sent chunks of soil flying as it struck the ground. "Where is the child?" The energy grew around the fist. Large streaks of lightning coiled around the forearm. The captive refused to say another word. "It's been nice knowing you. By the way this is going to hurt alot." Silverbolt lowered his fist
The violet-skinned man's eyes bulged out, and his panicked voice shouted. "They have her at the Delirious Butterfly. Madame Cuttle owed Mashek a favor."
Silverbolt let the man up, "Get out of my sight before I regret leaving you alive. Tell your boss I'm coming for him next."
His captive tripped and dared to look back for a final time before he vanished into the darkness.
I couldn't help but get wrapped up in the violent drama as it unfolded before my eyes. I agreed with Drizella's previous statement: Silverbolt had morals. He waited until the dipper vanished before he turned and came to face to face with me for the second time.
He chose not to speak and pushed me aside like willows or a door. If he remembered me, he never gave an indication. In a flash of silver, he took to the roof.
Desperation pushed me toward an unseemly greeting. I cupped my hands over my mouth and discovered they didn't smell much better than the alley. "Wait. My name is Princess Constance Reynard, and I require your help."
"Does it have to be solved right now?" He stayed facing forward
"Actually, it's about a future endeavor."
"You still live at the castle?"
"Yes." odd he didn't seem angry about being here.
"I'll stop by tomorrow. I need to find this kid." His words bordered on dismissive.
I had come too far to lose my opportunity. I did what any self-respecting ruler would do, lie. "I know Madame Cuttle. I can probably get the child without harm."
The lion mask kept the cold, unblinking gaze on me. I could sense a bit of disbelief on Silverbolt's part. "You understand a child's life hangs in the balance, right?"
What was that supposed to mean? "I think I know the importance of children..."
Silverbolt silenced me with a slash of his hand. "Time is running out. Are we doing this the nice way or my way?" His fist clenched, and static charges surrounded the metal. He leaped from the roof and charged at me.
"The nice way...whoah." Silverbolt swept me up in his arms like I weighed nothing. The world became a blur as the masked man picked up speed.
The wind lifted my hair while we sped down the dirty streets. I'd be lying if I said I hated the experience. Muscles writhed and twitched beneath the blue steel, and the cool air on my face added to the moment. I didn't come to find romance, but my metal-clad companion came dangerously close to stealing my heart.
"Which way?"
"Left," I shouted
I clutched his neck tighter as he turned down the next street, where a cart lay across the cobblestone. I tapped Silverbolt on the chest. "Do you not see the...." I felt him speed up.
"Hang tight." Before I could say another word, we went airborne. The world tumbled over my vision. The sweetest scent mixed with electricity excited my nostrils.
I screamed and buried my head into his neck, "Are you crazy?" We landed the moment my words left my mouth. My heart almost punched a hole in my ribcage. Silverbolt didn't break stride and carried on his furious pace.
"Left or right," he bellowed as we came to the next intersection.
My breath had barely caught up to my lips. "Right, I think," I said. Every word trembled out of my mouth.
"This isn't going fast enough," Silverbolt said, "Don't lose your grip." He charged full bore toward a wall.
I was practically strangling him while his body ran up the wall. His hands gripped the edge of the roof and pulled us onto it. I screamed with banshee intensity. He set me down gently and pointed to the brightest building in sight, "Excuse me, this not how one treats..."
Once more, Silverbolt stomped over my words, "Is that the Delirious Butterfly?"
How was I supposed to know? Mother never let me wander around Dipperhaven. I had little choice but to lie again. "Yes, it is...gahh." My slight form found itself cradled by Silverbolt's powerful arms.
He moved from rooftop to rooftop with little effort, and I grew used to the weightless sensation of his long jumps. A gleeful shout escaped my ruby lips while we dropped to the ground in front of the brothel. He released me and marched up to the guards near the door.
"Princess Constance demands an audience with Madame Cuttle." His words stayed neutral and somewhat friendly.
The guards towered over the masked warrior and laughed at him. "Madame Cuttle has great disdain for the queen. The royal bitch spent most of her career trying to shut us down. She hasn't decided what she thinks of Princess Constance."
My lies started to crumble in front of me. Silverbolt looked back at me. The glowing eyes regarded me for a moment. "I have brought Princess Constance to work out her grievances with Madame Cuttle." His hand motioned me forward.
I carried myself like a noble and stood before the pair of goons. Much to my surprise, they both bowed.
A bald one wrung his hat in his hands. "Your mother never dared to meet Madame Cuttle on her turf. She will be pleased with this turn of events. Will you be taking your protector with you?" He pointed to Silverbolt.
The lion mask reminded me of the child's life in danger, "Ask Madame Cuttle to bring the child she has in custody. I wish to understand why Mashek went through the trouble of kidnapping him or her."
The younger of the two whispered in the bald one's ear, "I will submit the request. I can't make promises about the child. You may have to earn that one."
I studied Silverbolt, and he nodded. I kept my tone neutral and responded. "Very well. Show me to Madame Cuttle."
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone