Author Notes:
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CHAPTER 2
Falcon stayed up all night awaiting his brother’s return. Unable to sleep, he paced the small cabin for hours. Every sound made him jump toward the window in hopes he would see his brother, but every time he was met with discouragement.
Where is Albert? He should have been home by now.
A loud knock at the door caused him to nearly jump out of his skin. He stumbled over an old flower pot as he rushed to the door. He flung the door open. “Albert! Where have you—”
Two members of the Ladria high guard stood at the door. They wore matching crimson uniforms with streaks of white on their breastplates.
“Ah…can I help you?” asked Falcon, his hands shaking. What is the high guard doing here?
“Albert Hyatt. Where is he?” demanded the eldest guard.
“What do you want with him?”
The guard eyed him with suspicion as he stroked his long white mustache. “Albert Hyatt murdered the Ladria council last night and fled the scene. We are here to apprehend him….”
Falcon’s heart raced. It has to be a mistake. Albert wouldn’t do such a thing. He shook his head in denial. “No, no, no, this is all wrong.”
“Hey, kid!” snapped the guard. “I’m in no mood for games. We know he lives here. Where is he?”
“I don’t know,” answered Falcon, wiping his sweaty hands on his shirt.
“We don’t believe you, you little runt. Tell us where is!”
The second, much younger, guard joined in on the accusations. “He is here, isn’t he? You’re hiding him.”
Falcon trembled, but remained quiet. He didn’t know what to say. It was obvious the guard’s wouldn’t believe him no matter what he told them.
The young guard pushed Falcon to the floor and stomped into the cabin. He took a quick glance around and frowned. “He’s not here,” he said. “This cabin is just one room. Nowhere to hide.”
The old guard glared down at Falcon. “I will ask again. Where is he?”
“I don’t know.”
“Fine, have it your way.” The young guard stormed out and slammed the door. The old window by the entrance broke into a dozen pieces.
Falcon heard the guard’s speaking as they marched off. He couldn’t make out what they said, except for two words—mind wielder.
Falcon stood transfixed, unable to move or even breathe as the horror of it crept over him.
“A mind wielder,” murmured Falcon. He recalled the horrible stories he’d heard of mind wielders. Stories that detailed how they manipulated people’s minds to extract information, creating horrible visions that drove their victims into insanity.
He shoved the thought aside. He needed to compose himself and figure out what to do next.
Of one thing he was certain; Albert was no traitor. He had to find him and figure out what really happened. The last place his brother was seen was at the council chambers. So that’s where he would begin his search.
The air smelled of honeyed flowers and clouds lingered in the blue sky as Falcon hurried out of the cabin. He wasn’t sure if leaving was a good idea, but anything was better than waiting for a mind wielder to show up at his doorstep.
He raced down the winding dirt path toward the town square, zigzagging through rows of women carrying basket loads of dirty clothes atop their heads.
Falcon’s cabin sat on the outskirts of the kingdom, far from the council chambers. At his current pace it would take him too long to traverse the large city. He straightened himself and picked up his stride. The hot morning sun came down on him with suffocating force, but he didn’t let that hinder his pace.
He ran past dozens of vendors who were beginning to set up their stalls on the side of the road.
“Hey, watch where you’re going, kid,” yelled a merchant as Falcon bumped into his bread cart, sending dozens of sweet smelling rolls flying through the air. A rush of guilt washed over him as the bread rolls hit the ground. But he couldn’t stop now.
Falcon turned the corner and dashed past the grand library. The dirt under his feet became stone. Which meant he finally entered the heart of the city.
Unlike the roads on the outskirts that consisted of hard dirt, the center of Ladria was paved with white stone. Even the homes here were made entirely of fine wood, or polished stone.
Falcon’s breathing grew heavy as he sprinted past the luxurious homes. He ran between thousands of noblewomen out on their morning walks, hundreds of shops, and dozens of beggars, before he finally arrived at city square.
The council chambers weren’t hard to miss. They were within an extravagant marble building that rested atop a slab of concrete. Like silent guardians, silver gargoyle statues stood atop the palace.
Falcon wasn’t the only one there. A large crowd stood gathered outside the chambers. He moved in, wondering what could be so important.The closer he got, the more he realized something was wrong.
Some of the children lay on the ground sobbing. Women cried as they embraced each other.
Falcon pushed and shoved through the crowd until he reached the front. He watched, horrified, as medics emerged from the council carrying five wooden stretchers. On each of the stretchers lay a body covered with a red stained sheet.
The coroner, a skinny tall man who wore black clothing from head to toe, supervised the guards as they placed the corpses in the carriages.
Once they were loaded, the carriages, pulled by black horses, slowly wheeled away. The sun that had been shining bright minutes ago was now covered by a large cloud that crept through the sky. Falcon stood frozen under the dark shadow. Time passed in slow motion. It was true. The council members were dead.
The people around him mumbled to one another.
“Did you hear? It was young Albert Hyatt who murdered the council.”
“Albert Hyatt is a traitor.”
“He went mad.”
“Yes, Albert killed the council members in an attempt to seize power.”
“No doubt he will go after the emperor next.”
“He must be stopped.”
Their venomous words pierced Falcon deeper than any weapon ever could have. No longer able to listen to their words, he put his hands over his ears and hurried into an empty alleyway. He dropped to the ground on all fours. He wanted to cry but no tears came. His body simply shook with a combination of anger and fear.
He remained there, lost with indecisiveness for what seemed an eternity. Not until the yellow moon appeared, lingering through a few dark clouds, did Falcon finally realize what needed to be done.
His brother never gave up on him. Now it was his turn to do the same. He stood up. No more hiding. I must find him.
His resolve came to a sudden halt when a hard object slammed the back of his head. His eyesight faltered. Everything around him became a swirl of indistinguishable figures. He reached with his hand to where he’d been hit and felt his warm blood.
______
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Element Wielder
Fantasy"His mother's screams remained etched in his mind. He promised himself that night he would never again stand by as people he cared for suffered, and he would one day kill Volcseck. He intended to keep those promises." Falcon Hyatt has a problem. For...
