Shadow of the Dark One

Chapter Ten - Into the Void

Jed, Riko, and Sano were escorted downstairs to the main hall where Sano had often performed his feats of magic. A sour vibe covered the boy, as he thought of his Mother and Father, the Queen and King, whom he'd only left two days earlier.

"How could this happen to them?" whispered Sano, in chains and escorted down the stairs. Jed and Riko walked just behind and didn't answer. Neither had a clue as to what was going on at the castle. Downstairs, at the main table of the public chamber sat the Counsel, Rictor Patrius, who yawned and drearily cast half-opened eyes upon the Prince. Around him sat several of the trusted advisors of the King, all waiting patiently for something to happen quickly.

As they rounded the table, Sano raised hands in irons for the Council of Advisors to see. "I demand to know what is the meaning of this?" asked the young Prince. "I was on a mission to find Princess Monica."

Rictor Patrius slowly stood and spoke, reading from a prepared piece of paper. "Prince, and I say that lightly," sneered Patrius. "Sano of Chiato, Adopted son of King Jacove the first of Chiato, you have been charged with the murder of the King."

Prince Sano gasped, lowered his head and looked to each of the guards at his sides and behind. He suddenly stepped back, bumping Riko's leg. The armored guards on either side grabbed him by both arms around the elbows.

"As so, you have been charged with the highest count of treason in the Kingdom of Chiato," continued reading the Counsel Patrius. "Treason against the Kingdom by monarchial murder, immediately punishable by death."

Sano stepped forward to the Counsel and kicked two feet against the huge table. This spun him into the air, performing a flip. The guards on both sides soon stood with their own hands bound in his chains when he landed. The Prince grabbed the two bound companions and pulled them to the huge doors at the end of the room. Seeing a glass vase there, he reached to grab it when a spear passed between his arm and stomach, piercing the vase and shattering it. As it fell, he barely was able to catch the largest broken half of the vase.

He continued into the next room and swiped a scoop of water from the fountain there, pushed it forward and slung a shard into the waiting guard. An icicle protruded for the man's breast-plate as he fell to the stones. "Follow me," he yelled to the others in irons. He cupped a candle into the broken vase and poured flames forward against the large curtain to his left, then spilled another volley of fire out the window below, setting a maple tree ablaze.

A house wizard came around the corner in time to see flames everywhere. He pulled a scroll and doused the flames in icy wind, letting Prince Sano know his location. A fiery plume blew beneath the wizard on the stairwell, striking his handful of scrolls and destroying them in a blue ring of fire. Three guards came round a corner, the two in irons stood between Sano and the guards. Another candle swung in a circle behind them, its fire directed from the glass vase over the heads of Jed and Riko. They fell against the cold, stone floor and watched as the guards erupted into flames.

"He's a demon, this friend of yours," said Jed. "I still want to kill him, for the King."

"The King is dead," said Riko, looking straight at Sano who sent another plume of flames flying across and down the castle steps. "So, basically, he is the King."

Five guards came by the men on the floor, even stepping over them to get to the Prince. "Not if they have any say in it," said Jed. "I think they want to kill him too."

"I don't know why," said Riko. Sano reached into a bucket of water and poured it across the stone-way, freezing the guard's feet in place on the rock hallway. Three more armored men stepped across Riko, where he tripped the last one, sending him into the others, tumbling all three into the ice at the men's feet. The tried to stand and slipped, falling forward or rearward, whichever way they stepped. "He's doing good, isn't he?" asked Riko.

"I could kill him easily." snapped Jed.

Prince Sano pushed blue energy from the busted bowl into a supporting wall, shaking the whole upstairs of the castle. Parts of the wall collapsed, blocking the stairwell leading into their entranceway with huge stones. Jed and Riko stood, casually walked past the guards locked in ice and descended the castle steps. Sano left behind his new friends, pouring magic into the doors to slam them shut and set them ablaze.

With a backdrop of fire, the castle moat glistened in the moonlight. Sano shoved a rock into the broken bowl and slung it into the standing drawbridge, an enormous boulder struck and knocked the bridge down, covering the moat. Eight guards in the bridge-moor began to fire arrows. Taking only the air inside the glass bowl, Prince Sano waved over and over again in their direction, pushing the arrows away with powerful winds.

The bridge-moor began to lean, the guards stopped firing and ascended the steps where Sano swept them away with gusts of wind, knocking them into the moor. Walking across the drawbridge, he spat into the moat, freezing the water solid while several soldiers tried their best to escape.

Riko walked behind Sano with Jed bringing up the rear. Riko looked over the bridge, into the moat and laughed, seeing several stuck in place, heads barely above water. Jed continued walking, passing Riko. "He said we were on a mission," said Jed. "I don't want to be late."

Riko swung his chained arms around and ran after Jed. "I volunteer," yelled Riko. "What say you?"

Jed looked behind, seeing part of the castle burning and the glint in Riko's eyes. "He'll do."

"Think he killed the King?" asked Riko.

"I think he's got an alibi," laughed Jed. "Otherwise, I would have already killed him."