Chapter 1
Asdis
The chillingly crisp air made me speed up towards the conference room where the King resided for the day. My calves were burning from the vast amount of stairs I had to climb to be graced with His Majesty’s presence. The heavy armor I was wearing did not aid in relieving the struggle of climbing these never-ending stairs. The hassle of wandering these walls to meet with him was a waste of time. Undoubtedly, the King must be aware of my limited time to unpack and prepare my arsenal, which makes me wonder why he wants to get acquainted in the conference room furthest away from the main hall and all other quarters in this castle.
After reaching the upper floor, I stalked towards the door at the end of the arched hallway. Before me stood a tall set of doors made from birch wood. The doors appeared to be on fire due to the ember colored finish from the wood varnish.
I raised my fist and steadily knocked on the orange-colored door three times. The impact of my knuckles on the door echoed through the hall timelessly. Finally, after what felt like minutes, a bright yet deep calming voice welcomed me in.
“Good afternoon, Miss Faircrest.” the King said monotonously.
I closed the door behind me, facing the spacious room head-on. My question about why he wanted to meet in this specific room was answered as I saw a cobblestoned high-rising tower outside through the windows. The tower where the man I was assigned to guard was imprisoned.
The walls on either side of the doors were filled with bookshelves. A long table was positioned in the middle of the room, surrounded by gold-painted velvet chairs. In the center of the table stood a statue of an old man holding his left arm in the air with a lightning bolt in his fist. The former King, the father of the current King Ketill Skyfall. Unlike Ketill, his father was a Conduit, specifically a lightning wielder.
Conduits are humans who can bend and wield the powers of nature to their own will. People without these powers, ordinary humans, are called the Unbound. Decennia ago, both the Conduits and the Unbound lived in peace and harmony. The royal family all wielded the power of the sky, except for their eldest son, Ketill. They brought comfort and strength to Waemyre until they were brutally killed by the Conduit rebellion. Only Ketill Skyfall was spared.
The whole kingdom of Waemyre witnessed how the Conduits turned on their own folk and massively attacked them. All Conduits and Unbound alike who voiced their disagreements with the rebellion were taken and removed from the face of the planet.
The Conduit War left an open burning wound in many, which is now starting to heal bit by bit, piece by piece.
However, no longer are these people referred to as Conduits, but as the Tainted. They bloodied our soil and took the lives of innocents, the defenseless of our kingdom.
The war ended due to the new King’s forces and strategy. His army killed all rebels and banned the Tainted from ever setting foot back in Waemyre. He saved us all and has promised to never let our kingdom experience such a tragedy again.
I regained myself, stopping my thoughts from drifting away further and putting my focus back on the only surviving royal in front of me.
With his back towards me, I was able to study the King from a distance. A tall, not broad, but not lanky man with light brown hair with streaks of grey was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows adjacent to the walls filled with books. His eyes were focused on the tower. When he turned around, I thought I caught a glimpse of agitation, but it quickly morphed into one of joy and admiration.
“I cannot express how grateful I am that you accepted the position of Warden, Miss Faircrest.” he said as he walked towards me.
He embraced me and patted twice on my right shoulder. I was not fond of physical contact, and the touch of others usually revolted me, but his warm presence made me push those feelings aside. His joyous energy felt contagious as he warmly smiled at me. It shocked me how a man who endured so much pain twenty years ago was able to stay so optimistic and positive.
“Thank you, Your Majesty. I am honored that you extended this offer to me.” I was not surprised when I opened a letter from the King’s palace offering me to guard the most ruthless killer the kingdom of Waemyre has ever seen. Being the most renowned fighter in the region of Crestfall came with frequent propositions to guard the most horrifying people of Waemyre. However, no offer has ever enticed me as much as this one. The proposition of guarding the Beast seemed like fate was on my side for once.
During the Conduit War, my entire family and almost the whole region of Crestfall were massacred by the Beast. On that night, a powerful storm had hit Crestfall. No witness lived to tell the tale, but the bordering regions lay awake for days, not being able to process the horrors from that night. The tortured screams and cries could be heard from miles away, as the Beast made his way through Crestfall. The lifeless bodies, charred to the bone and amputated limbs, strewn across all towns and fields was a nightmare coming to life. An angel from above must have protected me that day. I was one of the few kids who survived. Small enough not to be noticed and too scared to scream for help or make a sound, not wanting to be found by the monster. The war ended twenty years ago, 112 years after the Decension. I was only two years old when I lost my mother, father, and two older sisters. The Crestfall massacre left me with no one. I have been trying to survive by myself for the past 20 years, learning the art of fighting from the best fighters Waemyre had to offer. The traumatic events of the Conduit rebellion taught me that the only one you can ever completely know and trust is yourself, and I will live by this rule for the rest of my life.
Guarding the Beast, witnessing and hearing him being tortured, is my revenge. I will enjoy every second of that murderer’s suffering. The pain he inflicted on thousands will never come close to what the torturors are doing to him.
“The honor is all mine. The former Warden has guarded that man for eleven long years. However, he’s taking leave to spend more time with his family. I do not take these decisions lightly and have researched you thoroughly to ensure only the best of the best is guarding that monster.” he stated.
His brows creased, and from upclose I could see a couple of wrinkles forming on his face from growing older.
“Miss Faircrest, I think you are very familiar with my history. But I do not think you are aware of all the details. You see, my own wife worked together with the Beast. She used her powers to poison innocents, and the Beast went on a killing spree using his electrocution powers to accelerate the annihilation of the people against the rebellion. He manipulated my wife, my Queen, into these insane practices. He ruined not only my life, but the lives of thousands of Waemyrians. I urge you not to sympathize with this monster of a man, no matter how rough the tortures get and how loudly he screams and begs for mercy.” the King said, offering me a comforting smile.
The man encountered the worst the world had to offer. The King is one of the few people I harbor empathy for.
“I am so sorry to hear this, Your Majesty. I want to assure you that you need not worry where my loyalties lie. The Beast murdered my whole family. If I were allowed, I would have killed him years ago. But just killing him is too merciful and kind. He deserves to hurt for eternity and feel the burning pain thousands have endured.” I responded wrathfully.
I relaxed my fists and looked at my hands as half moons were indented into the skin of my palms.
“I could not agree more, Miss Faircrest.” the King replied.
“I want to preface that there are specific instructions you must follow. First off, do not converse with him. Do not ever under any circumstances discuss classified information in his vicinity. And most importantly, never ever touch his stained skin or look into his eyes.” he said coldly and detached.
***
As I retreated to my room to prepare for the day ahead, wandering the endless walls and stairs to find my way back to the more habituated part of the palace, I played the rules over and over in my head. I understood the parts where I was not allowed to talk to him or in front of him, but what dangers did his eyes and skin hold?
