The Darkened War

Ch. 16

 The Effulgence castle was becoming comfortable. Finally, this once foreign land was beginning to feel like home. Even though it continued to rain, the clouds had disbanded so she could see the night sky through the glass walls. Alyssa settled down on her bed and closed her eyes. Perhaps it had not taken her long to become accustomed to Effulgence because it was pleasant. No other kingdom seemed to have stars so bright or a moon so large. It gave her hope; that maybe her magic wasn't only a weapon, that someday it could be used for something beautiful. After all, magic was neither good nor evil, she thought, not really. It was all about the user chose to do with it. Alyssa made up her mind that after she killed Daniel, she would never use hers for anything destructive again.

A knock at the door startled her, and when answering it was greeted by a young face and charming smile. "Good to see you, Alyssa."

"Hello Eugene."

He smirked. "The king beckons you. There is a meeting going on that concerns you."

Alyssa nodded, and started down the hall, when she heard him yell, "Wait!" Alyssa turned around with a questioning look. "After you've finished, I've got an idea."

"What might that be."

Eugene grinned. "You haven't been in Effulgence all that long; therefore, I think it's my job to give you a proper tour."

"That's thoughtful, but I actually already know—"

"I don't mean any regular tour, Alyssa. You don't really know Effulgence until you've climbed the Mountains at night."

"I think I may have hiked the Rayland Mountains before, is there a difference? Mountains are mountains."

Eugene's eyes betrayed his amusement. "Effulgence doesn't get its name from nowhere, just trust me on this, I'll see you afterward." He left before Alyssa had a chance to object.

Adrien grinned when Alyssa walked in the room, and Brutus smirked and motioned that she take a seat. Alain was there too, but avoided her glance at all cost. Alyssa sat beside Brutus, looked up at him and muttered, "What's this about?"

"Be patient and allow our king to speak, princess." Brutus said, resting his chin on his knuckle.

"We won a battle." Adrien began excitedly, "It's been ages since that last happened. We completely wiped out the Rayland's soldiers. This is good. It buys us time. We have a chance."

Alyssa could only nod. She couldn't feel the same joy Adrien did. One victory did not guarantee the next one, and she was anxious. There was no telling when Analia would come, and there was such little time. What if she didn't show up the next day? The next week? A whole month could by before Analia decided a kingdom was worth her time. It would be a miracle if she even kept her promise at all. Even though Adrien was the king, Alyssa felt most the responsibility of this war rested on her shoulders. She couldn't afford a moments sense of security, not while Daniel lived.

"From what Brutus says, training is going well, and with Analia's help, hopefully we'll be able to send you back to Rayland soon."

"I've been away for so long, how do we know they aren't becoming suspicious?" Alyssa asked hesitantly.

"We don't; but you grew up loyal to King Daniel and he had no reason to doubt you. If you stick with our story, that you were jailed, barely escaped prison, and were unable to complete your assassination because of that, I'm confident that you will clear any suspicions he might have built up. He trusts you. Use that to our advantage. " Alyssa hated the idea of using someone's trust of her to end their life, but in the end there was no choice.