Chapter 4: Chapter-3: This Arrow…

Celine looked through the glass window, towards the First Gate. Nothing truly visible in the darkness of night. Fifty mercenaries, foolish and greedy. She had sent them to their certain deaths, knowing full well their end would be hopeless, miserable and In vain. For no purpose, just as an irrelevant name, sacrificed for a purpose of no greater worth. Most of them might have already met their early ends. She regretted her decision. Selfish guilt had her sleepless for nights. They were a necessary sacrifice; at least she asked the guild to send the ones with a bad reputation. Had the guild made a wrong judgment? Most of them looked kindhearted to her; they were still fighting even against these insurmountable odds. At least, she knew that the boy and one girl were not criminals. Were they dead? She dreaded it was most likely yes. The moment they agreed to her request, their fate was sealed. The request was made so temptingly that anyone would fall. So many times, she wanted to accept her fate and let go, to not do anything and be free of this guilt, and every time that innocent face convinced her, she did not have a say. She could hear that miserable cry. Clawing at an unopenable door.

A shrill sound resonated through her chamber, knocking Celine out of reverie. Celine's teeth clattered, she looked around, there was no nothing. Sound came again, it was from the right side wall. The wall was adorned with a red and white intricate design. She was at the highest point of the fort, there was nothing on the other side of the wall, just inhabitable black seas and barren deformed and accursed rocks. No life has ever been seen there.  Did her adversaries fly around and reached here from the back? She was watching the gate the whole time. Did they have a way to get past the mystics of this fort? no , that was not possible. Sound came again this time a little less high pitched. And again, and again.

“ who!?”

Her voice came a little higher pitched and panicked than she would have liked. Shrill sound came again, and no reply to her quarries. She walked toward the wall, soundlessly. The wall was emitting mana. Unusual, this had never happened in the last decade she stayed here. She touched it, unsure, and felt vibration. Something was hitting from the other side. After three or four times, the striking stopped. Celine contemplated if she should call again. Unsure what it could be. It came to her, the forbidden passage, The Strayer’s Guide. It leads to this chamber. Her uncle told her when she took over. 

“BiHH tYajatu”

The wall hummed, patterns flared and molded themselves into the wall, and the shape of an arch doorway formed. patterns as if they forced themselves into the wall and created a path, an exit to the darkness. Illuminating the whole place in their wake. Specks of Red and white floated, and Celine saw into the depths of darkness. Even the illumination of Arcane was absorbed.

 A figure was standing there, one of the female mercenaries. One she thought was kind. She looked bloody, tired, and almost dead. Yet the most beautiful thing Celine had ever seen. Just like when Celine saw her three days ago. That time, the girl looked tired, disinterested, and far away. Now, her eyes were as red as blood, and her eyelids were swollen and yellow, a sign of over Mana consumption. An Arrow in her shoulder which was consumed by so many Odious Spells. Celine's heart quivered, this is what she has done. The girl was a living result of her selfishness. This mercenary had entered the strayer's path. Ones with undying loyalty or the ones with no malice in their heart can enter. She had made sure to ask the Guild to send ones with a bad reputation, not someone like her. Someone so pure. 

“This worthless peasant wishes to enter her highness' residence, for a charge she has been commanded to, if only her highness so allows?”

Girl said, a waver in her voice, and bowed. Celine feigned calmness. She did not like her wordings or her act, they were not of low level mercenaries. 

“Yes, you may. No one is here. You need not to speak so formally or bow again. That arrow looks painful.”

“Thank you, your– I mean thank you”

Again. she did not like her panic for ‘supposed’ disobedience of her words. Why did she come here if she was this uncomfortable in the presence of an Aristocrat. Although it was understandable to her. Aristocrats hardly seem humane to her anyways. Just a bunch of greedy maggots born in a family of authority. She was alone. What of others? Perhaps, she was the only one who could enter the strayer's guide. Even that was a miracle or just Elder’s way of telling how cruel Celine truly was.

“Are you the only one who entered The Strayer's Guide? And what of others? I hope not many tried to enter and were adjudged.”

“I was the only one charged. All others were not in condition to make it here.” Then they were dead. It would make sense. 

“You were aware of the consequences, right? For entering The Strayer’s Guide”

“Yes..”

Celine moved back, giving the girl some space to enter. If this fort was still functional, she would have been knighted right now. Not once in the last millennia had an outsider entered through that passage. It was a duty of Celine to inform them, so she did. Thought of someone truly entering it never crossed her mind. Other than the few most loyal knights in the last millennia, no had entered from there. Even the most praised knights for their loyalty lost themselves in that place.

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“Speak as you feel comfortable. As you can see, I don't really have power to do anything to you. You can strike me down and leave, no one will ever know a thing”

Celine had hoped it would calm her down but it did not, she looked more panicked now.

“And you go by..?”

“Alenor”

Alenor spoke slowly, trying not to be formal. She stepped inside, her face tightened, Celine noticed. Celine saw the arrow as it reflamed, 4 spells she could see in it, all of them were evil, dark, full of malice. How did they even get a hold of such a tool? And to use it on someone like her. Alenor fell on her knees, her hands gripping the white carpet, now stained in red. She gritted her teeth, Celine could see she was trying not to scream. 

Celine stepped towards her, to calm her down, distress would only increase the pain. The spells fed on negative emotions. Alenor looked at Celine, her eyes widened. Celine stopped in her tracks.

“Calm down, the arrow in your shoulder contains too many spells for a human body, but most of them eat upon negative aspects of human emotions.”

Celine said as she crouched, rummaged through her purse and grabbed a Red bead. It glowed, there were tiny things moving inside like worms.
“I will Bind the instrument, from what I can see, it contains at least 4 spells. And all of them are complex, destroying it is beyond me. But the spell is cast within my territory so I have the authority to bind it. But you need to calm down, I do not know what happened to you but your stress feeds the spells. So Alenor, please calm down. You’re safe here” 

Celine could see so many emotions going through her eyes, swirling in her black iris. She lowered her. 

“Can I cast it?”

Alenor nodded, slightly. Celine extended her hand in front of her, a red bead in it. Alenor looked at it. Then towards her.

“ this is…?”

“You need to keep this in your mouth for the spell to work. A Red stone calms down the mind, a kind of drug.”

‘This arrow…’

 

 

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