Chapter 5
1873 Words
Doreon
The transparent mirror of the ocean reflected the image of the full, white moon shining high in the sky, while the sea breeze gently ruffled his black hair. Doreon had his eyes fixed on the fortress built on the coast, which he could see from the boat at that moment.
The moonlight illuminated the black stone structure, making it even more imposing than it was. The surrounding walls were lit by torches that in the distance looked like a cluster of red dots indicating the way, guiding them to their destination.
The ship moved sinuously on the surface of the water, pushing it even further towards the coast. The movement was unnatural, the currents too strong, as they had been throughout their journey, which had been less lasting than a normal one between Cynemon and Mihdel. Around him the sailors were preparing as best they could to reach the harbor and dock the ships, one after the other, so that their army could go ashore.
Doreon leaned against the wood of the bow and looked ahead, hearing all the curses coming from the men around him.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, letting the gentle wind brush against his skin.
After months of travel, wandering, and making arrangements, he had returned to Mihdel. He had left his homeland as the most trusted man of his king and had returned as the greatest traitor of all time.
He shook his head to banish the thought and opened his eyes again, shifting his gaze to the surface of the water. Below it could be seen strange shapes that seemed to accompany the ship's path.
Probably the commander he was talking about. He turned to the deck of the ship and looked at it. Not finding what he wanted, he immediately moved towards the cabins of the ship.
He passed Barclay's cabin where the moans of several women were coming from and he shook his head. If he stopped, Barclay would invite him again, and he wasn't sure he had enough strength after the last night. He passed in front of the door of Blake's cabin, which immediately flew open. The knight looked down on him, he was always at attention, and he always felt if anyone got too close to his princess, he watched over her like a dragon over his treasure.
Doreon stopped and looked at the knight above him.
"Rest Blake, I'll watch her until we dock." The knight gritted his teeth and shook his head, before closing the door in his face.
"Gentle," he said, arching his eyebrows. He scratched his head and walked to the last door, stopped and knocked before entering without waiting for an answer.
He found her sitting in the middle of the bed in her cabin, her eyes were on the door and on him, But she wasn't really looking at him. The pupils were completely black, the black veins around the eyes throbbed and spread to the neck and hid inside the dark tank top. Her legs, wrapped in black leather trousers, were crossed while her hands rested limply on her thighs. The pendant with the blue stone shone with its own light and was clearly visible, usually never leaving it in plain sight for anyone.
Her golden and pink hair was braided at the nape of her neck to form a ponytail that let the strands fall gently behind her back.
Doreon closed the door behind him and leaned with her elbow against the wooden chest of drawers beside it, as he looked at her intently.
"You're very creepy," he remarked as she continued to remain silent.
"They're trying to hold on to our power," Aislin replied in a voice that wasn't hers. The sound sent shivers down his spine, but he stood still watching her. "They're hungry for power," Doreon said. "They're hungry for death, they want to feed him, he needs blood," the voice repeated again, drowning out Aislin's.
It was as if two people were talking at the same time, and Doreon knew who the other belonged to.
"He wants to taste the power of the Sunaura, I can feel it up to here. He wants it," the voice continued.
Aislin slowly turned her head toward Doreon as light black smoke began to rise behind her back. They looked like arms encircling her, one of the arms of black clouds came close to the commander's face and gently caressed her cheek, moving a lock of hair that had escaped from her tail behind her ear, as if trying to cradle her gently.
Doreon remained unmoved, not afraid of what she could do, of the darkness it emanated. He felt cradled and protected by it, as he felt when he was just Aislin, and not all that black hole he carried inside.
Aislin looked him straight in the eye, her pupils completely black, and Doreon looked back, not holding back. The creature looked at him in surprise, while the blue stone Aislin was wearing shone brighter and brighter. The light began to envelop her, pushing back the tongues of shadow and darkness that wanted to overwhelm her.
In the midst of those black pools staring back at him, the girl's glowing irises began to appear. The red pulsed like flames, while the veins slowly narrowed, beginning to disappear from the neck and going more and more towards the contour of the eyes, until they disappeared completely.
Aislin blinked a couple of times and her eyes returned to their natural color, the light of the stone began to fade until it returned as a small flame inside it. Immediately the girl grabbed her and caressed her with her thumb as she looked at him, tilting her head to the side.
"What are you doing here?" asked Aislin, her voice back to normal.
"We're almost there," Doreon said, striking the wooden dresser twice with her fist before moving away from it and throwing herself onto the wooden chair.
"Have you come all the way here to tell me just that?" asked the girl again, following him with her eyes.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your interesting conversation," Doreon said, gesturing his hand.
"But the currents are too strong, the ships are being pushed relentlessly towards the coast. It wasn't you who told me... Wait, what did you say?" he asked, scratching his head. "Oh yes, you have to use your power to a minimum or they'll feel it," the boy continued, imitating her as best he could.
"I didn't think I'd chosen a jester as an ally," Aislin said as she got out of bed. She walked barefoot to the wooden table as the ship swayed. She took a cup and poured wine into it before handing it to Doreon, took one for herself and sat back down in the middle of the bed, crossing her legs. "He had to control them, I can't control everything," said the young commander. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, the irises had burned bright red again, and light veins began to form around her eyes, pulsing gently.
The commander remained in an almost religious silence as she stared into space before her, and Doreon sipped his wine and watched her intently. Doreon stretched himself out and put his feet on the table in front of him. Meanwhile, he waited diligently for his commander to say something. Suddenly Aislin's head snapped in his direction, his face looked angry, and a flash of anger flashed through her eyes.
"What's the matter?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders.
"Do you think you're in some lady's drawing-room?" she asked grimly.
"If that were the case, I'd be naked by now," Doreon replied.
Aislin stood up, cursing in Cynemon's tongue, while Doreon laughed loudly.
Doreon remained in the captain's cabin until they called, announcing that the first ship would soon dock at the port. They were in the fortress of one of the lords, their ally, in the southeastern part of Mihdel, on the border between Devian and Locrand, Mihdel's least controlled place.
Aislin got out of bed and walked to the door, where Doreon was waiting for her. She rested with one hand on his shoulder, while the other slipped on her boots.
"You're going to have to move the army out of the clutches of the Ukrainians," Doreon said, supporting her.
"I know," Aislin said, putting on a boot.
"You're going to have to do it immediately," Doreon continued.
"I know," this time snorting.
"You're going to have to work out a route so that no one really notices the army."
"I know."
"You'll also have to—"
"By all the gods, I know!" she snapped, standing up straight. "I've been planning this moment for years, I know everything!"
"I just want to make sure you're prepared," Doreon said quietly.
"I am," Aislin replied more calmly. "Once on the ground, make sure the allied lords know where to go, choose the most trusted men to give the right information to, and don't forget that Elhiás' spies are in our midst," the commander said as she swung open the door to find Blake in front of it.
"Me?" asked Doreon, confused.
"Yes, you," Aislin said, snorting. "You're the general of my army, and you're going to take care of it."
Doreon froze and looked at the commander. "What?" he asked simultaneously with Blake, who was just as shaken as he was.
Aislin turned and looked at them both, with a satisfied smile.
"Yes, you're appointed general of the army and blah blah blah... I don't really like titles," Aislin replied, rolling her eyes and waving her hand.
"Him?" asked Blake in surprise.
"Yes, him. Why do you have a better candidate, Blake?" At that moment the door to Barclay's cabin swung open and first three girls came out, then he with a blissful smile on his lips and his hair completely disheveled.
The women bowed slightly to Aislin before sneaking away.
"What have I missed?" asked Barclay, fixing his disheveled hair.
"You can't be serious, princess!" snapped Blake strangely, while Doreon merely watched Aislin run her hands over her pants as if to wipe them of non-existent dust.
"Do you dispute my decisions, Blake?" she asked after a moment in peace.
The knight froze, motionless as stone as he watched the commander who looked up and bent her head to the side, watching him. "You can't put a person in charge who can change his mind so easily. You can't blindly trust someone like him," Blake retorted.
"I can and I do," Aislin said, turning her back and continuing on her way.
"So now you're in charge?" asked Barclay confusedly.
Doreon shook his head and rushed after Aislin. "Why?" he asked hastily, "Why me? Why not Blake or Barclay?"
"Barclay is like a child, he can't even take care of himself, let alone an army, and Blake has another job," Aislin replied, as she began to climb the steps that would take them to the bridge.
"Does that mean you're going to leave me in Grivna? Am I going to be there to nurse the whole war?" asked Blake, following them.
- Writer
