The Darkened War

Ch.30

    Daniel traced the rim of his wineglass morbidly as he and Angelica sat at the end of the castle's dining table in silence. It had been a week since the King's servants, and the guards who had not gone on the mission to bring back Alyssa, had begun to disappear one by one. It was a mystery what was happening to them, but it seemed that until the group he'd sent returned with Alyssa, his castle would only continue to grow emptier. Without his cousin here to stir up trouble by keeping the married couple on their toes and at each other's throats, the energy that usually filled the air was drained, and besides the king and his wife everything within the castle walls had become lifeless. Daniel, of course, had no intention of keeping up his end of the deal. He had no intention of abandoning his position as king and Rayland along with it, but at the same time, he no longer had the strength to muster up his end of the power struggle. He was not alone in this; neither of them seemed to care anymore. They were too busy watching their backs, praying they wouldn't vanish along with the missing guards. After Daniel's cousin had left so easily, they could only keep a watchful eye for when he would return and strike next. It almost put them on the same side, fighting the same battle– though the enemy was unclear. Perhaps it was Effulgence, or the man in the mirror, or some other mysterious force that was slowly creeping on them, like a thief in the dead of night. Whatever it was, it haunted the King's dreams, and even his glasses of red wine couldn't make him forget the reality that was staring him in the face.

Angelica rose first, pacing back and forth across the dining room floor, the stress she'd bottled up for the last week finally seeping onto her face.

Daniel gave an exasperated sigh and leaned back in his chair. "Please, stop that. You're as annoying as the man in the mirror used to be. I can't handle that repetitive motion." 

Angelica narrowed her eyes in his direction, "Oh, well I apologize if I'm disturbing you, my King. You know how much I take care not to disrupt your delicate state of mind . . . oh wait, we've seemed to have forgotten, I don't care at all, actually." she said not once stopping her movement. Daniel grumbled something, and Angelica looked back over at him, continuing, "I think we have an explanation for your missing servants and guards. We both know your cousin is somehow behind it."

"No, we don't," Daniel replied, and rubbed his temples, "If he was going to attack, he'd do it. He is powerful, far more than us. What reason would he have to take one person at a time from the castle?"

"Because, Daniel, that's who he is. He doesn't do things logically, he never has. He plays games, makes unnecessary moves for entertainment; he could have the ability to come in here and destroy everything, but he wouldn't. He won't just come and take over. He likes to have fun. Take away a couple people at a time and watch the effect it has on us. The panic, the stress, the fear, it's all part of his game. He wants us to know he's coming."

"Or," Daniel muttered, taking another sip of wine, "It could be one of our other enemies. We have many. Have you forgotten we're at war?"

"Effulgence is not a threat. In fact, I bet they've already given up. From the very first battle, the first time Rayland attacked, they had already lost. They even had your assassin for a while, but you really think one person could make more than a little difference? Even if she is special, like you said. But now, they don't even have her anymore. They may hate you, Daniel, but they aren't an enemy. An enemy is only someone on a level playing field."

"Until my guards return with my assassin in their hands I don't know what to believe."

A creak came from behind, and Daniel turned to find his Captain of the guard entering the room, beaming. His bright aura filled Daniel with the temptation to slam his skull against the center table, but that faded quickly, as he began to speak, "You're highness . . ." He began, "I am pleased to tell you, we've all returned safely, and have brought along Alyssa." The rest of the guards entered the room, and then Burgess, gripping Alyssa's arms as he dragged her into the room.