The Books of the Shadows

FROZEN SKY - 8 - The Dark Sarumans bond

The Warchild castle looked frightening dark, rising itself right on top of the mountain, and looking at it only was as if you expected to see hundreds of demons flying into the sky, ready to come and tear you apart.  Iris was looking at it calmly and seemed thoughtful.

-Are you sure? Tianu felt her, looking at her face as she was peering into the horizon to the biggest fortress of the shadow kingdom. They will catch us in one instant.

-All we have to do is get closed to him and we can not do that if we don't let them catch us.

-They will kill you, Iris.

-Not if we kill them first.

-Are you joking? You are a child...

-I am royal blood!!!! the little girl raised her voice, erupting with a rage indirectly proportional to her child's body.

-I know that Iris, the boy added. But they will not stop just because of that, the King will not stop just because of that...

-Unless he needs us for being better than his guards, Iris talked exhaling slowly and fixing the castle still as a target you must reach with no hesitation.

-Better than his royal guards?? Tianu was really worried and amazed at the childish thought of the little girl that did not seem so little anymore.  We are children when they have years of training as assassins, Iris!!

-We have each other, the monk that trained us, and I have a plan, she spoke not paying attention to his face but still fixing the castle in the distance.

-What plan?? Tianu was losing his patience.

-We have to take the head of the snake to get his attention, brother. We only have to kill one important guard to prove our worth and that will keep us alive.

Tianu start thinking in quiet. She had a point there. The King would only treasure warriors so what better chance they have unless to prove they can be of use. He doubted they could even get a chance because the guards were really great soldiers and even if he was big enough to join the military as he was 16 right now, he could not dare to think he was that good to just face a royal blood all by himself and get to live after. But if they would go into that castle, they would lose their lives and he was not ready for that as all this time, all he did was keeping Iris and himself alive so far and now he could not control anything that could really happen in there if they would go for that plan. And all his mother's sacrifice would be in van.

-I can not keep you safe in there, Iris.

-We are never safe anywhere, always on the run, brother. I know you are tired of running and so am I. Can we not just get a house? She raised out her blue eyes facing him, looking straight in his eyes, wondering, searching for the answer he would not speak aloud. Her eyes we deep light blue and one could get lost in them only watching them for a second. Sink into them to never come back strong again. Looking into her eyes was making him weak as if the mesmerizing looks would magically force anyone to do her bidding. Looking at her he could barely say faintly and weak:

-Get out of my head, Iris. She bent down her face, interrupting eye contact and stopping the trance. Feeling him started to gasp for more air, hurrying to breathe. She knew she could make people believe anything she would put in their heads, thoughts, images, feelings, by only looking at them, straight into their eyes. She would not always do it willingly, as things would just happen to be like that, without her putting much effort into it.

-I'm sorry, I did not mean to, brother; she said trying to keep her looks to the ground, as still feeling him agitated. I think I can do it with the guards; she said. Like when I can cloak us invisible from them? I can scare them too.

-You can scare one, Iris, but there will be many and I can not buy you enough time so you can play with every one of them at a time while keeping us both alive. I have limits...

-But I don't, Iris said, making Tianu look at her not believing what was he hearing.

-Iris, you can not control it yet as you want. You still have to learn a lot about how...

-And who do you think can teach me that? People on the streets? Monks?? I need him! She said. No one else can help me do that.

Tianu could understand that. He managed to raise the little girl that she was not that little anymore. The way she would speak, the way she was able to understand the depth of things sometimes made him think she was maybe a hundred years old already. Her only limit would seem to be her little body, which was as delicate as the body of a child could be. She was not tall, and she was too thin for her age, as the life on the streets was not gentle with them. 

He could not really remember when it was maybe the last time he could feed them three meals a day, with good quality food, like the one he was used to when he was in his father's castle. The clothes that covered their bodies were not the silk he grew up in his first 8 years of life. He had learned to steal and taught her too; he had learned to lie, and she had too, he had learned to act and pretend and she did too; he had to learn to sleep on the cold ground. She did not have to learn that as she was never used to a comfortable bed, as a princess. 

They did everything to survive. And now she would throw all that away, for what? He could admit that he was too tired of running but there was nothing sure waiting for them in that direction. She really expected her father to come around and receive her opening his arms after killing so many people and sending so many people to kill them? She was not thinking it right. Yet as they had never been apart, he would follow him anywhere. He did not feel his life important; hers was. And even if his saruman would not have reached the surface yet, that is if he really had one, he would try to tear apart with all his being, anyone that would try to hurt her. As they were one.

So he followed to the gates of the fortress of the Warchild house. The guards looked at them and somehow let them in as if they were in a trance. They walked past the holes, and the crowd of the guards started to follow, not raising blades at them but still felt threatening towards them. Could she control all of them like that ? he asked himself turning his head towards her while grabbing her hand into his. She was walking beside him with her eyes closed but concentrating so hard that a frown on her forehead was showing she was using her power to keep the guards' minds busy. But where would they be going? He had never been here in the castle before, how could they know where to go, which corridor they should choose to walk to get them to the King? Walking and being followed by the crowd of the guards who were really following them like a little pet, with Iris walking down the halls with her eyes closed he wondered how could she know where they are going to?

They reached in front of a big pair of golden massive doors, carved in wood with one beautiful dragon on each door and they all stopped in front of it. Iris raised her palm towards the doors and the doors opened allowing some light from inside the room to get outside the hall that was dark as only from place to place there were some candles lit on the halls. Some shadows inside, the ones closer to the doors have seen them and raised some eyebrows in wonder as they started to murmur and draw swords out. She started walking into and entered the room when Tianu just let go of her hand looking at the guards and started to calculate the odds of getting there alive, and looking for any way out. He discovered none. She continued walking with her head down and eyes closed until she stopped in the middle of the room filled with shadows standing around the walls, surrounding her and waiting for a word from the King who was sitting on his throne narrowing his eyes in the wonder of the moment, confused as not knowing who had this audacity of interrupting and feeling like home, only to see the little girl in front of him and all his man following her like her pet... Unbelievable!?? What was that happening in there?

The little girl opened her eyes as to see where they were, in confusion, as if she did not know what has been happening around her until becoming aware that everyone was looking at her also confused except for this beautiful and scary at the same time big man sitting on the throne in front of her, looking at her with big dark cold getting angry and curious eyes. Except for the monk sitting behind the throne, that was on his feet now, signaling the guards to stop making use of their swords and looking curious and almost afraid at this little girl that looked nothing special yet she managed to enter the most secure fortress of the shadow people, and managed to find the King of the shadows in the middle of all his guards and she was only looking like a child!? She could be nothing like a child in order to have managed to do such a thing that not even great assassins of the world could not pull off like this and get so far into the castle. What was happening here? The monk stepped close to the king looking in awe, with his jaw falling slowly.

-Your Highness? The voice of the child sang pleasantly in the ear of the shadows present, keeping them all stoned by her presence.

-Who dares to speak before me? The King raised from his throne, his voice thundered in the room. Yet the child did not seem impressed as she did not lose her ground. Their looks met. The coldness in his eyes narrowing and fixing the girl while some sudden move just made another body appear close to her bowing the head of a young boy.

-Forgive us, Your Highness, the boy replied anxiously drawing the King's attention. Standing right next to the little girl, shoulder to shoulder, in front of him, he did not raise his look as she did. The King had lost his words for the first time in his life. This girl... is really alive.

-Such a delicate little girl and so troublesome in the same time... I have been looking for you...

-Your guards must not do their job well. Tianu froze on the spot. Gods, was she really mocking The King??? Seriously, did she want them both to die?

-It appears so... the king said, not knowing how to take the audacity of the girl. So you came to do their job? He asked,

-Yes. I came with a deal.

-A deal? The King could not believe his ears and made a step in front of her and the monk beside him was in shock.

-Mmy ...My King, the monk said, the child is... he could not find any word to excuse the behavior of this stupid child in order to save her life. He specifically told the monk that she needs to be brought in by himself!!! Not only that he did not do that but not knowing she would come, he had no time to prepare the king's state of mind therefore, his hands were tied up and she was to die today...

-The child is offering a deal, the child said again, fixing the monk with some dark cold eyes piercing his mind like with ice steaks leaving him in pain. Made a step in front, towards the king. Our lives for serving you, Your Highness.

-Serving me??? the king started laughing amused, but what use would I have for you, little kitten? I do not need any more servants...

-But you need better guards, the child continues and Tianu stepped in her direction too, catching up, as he had seen the small blade in her hand, hidden by her fingers, and that only meant one thing.

-Ha!! do you not see my guards? Are you blind? The King said almost bored deciding to stop the charade when he suddenly felt a gust of wind even though the wind was not blowing outside, and a fast shadow moved so quickly jumping towards the boy on the bridge of his hands clasped in front and rotating in the air, making a landing from left to right, rising the body slowly and raising those blue iced eyes to the king, while behind him they all could hear the body falling on the cold marble floor.

-No. No guards that I can see...