Sins of the Father – Chapter Two
Aya groaned softly. She felt her body lifted and curled against whatever it was that was now carrying her. She was vaguely aware of the fact that she was being taken by somebody she didn't know to a place she'd never seen. Through the tiny slits that her eyes were open, she could see what looked like a dense forest. This was odd, considering there were very few forests left in the world, let alone in Tokyo.
The man carrying her began to speak. “She's strange looking. Her hair is dark, but her eyes are blue. If it wasn't for her eyes, I'd say she was Phaunelia, but with those eyes, she could very well be one of us.”
“Perhaps she's a spy disguised so that we don't think her an enemy?” somebody else responded.
“Quite possible,” the first replied, shifting her in his arms.
The girl stirred and the man carrying her tensed. She opened her eyes and looked up. The man who carried her was inhumanely beautiful. His eyes were large and a very pale amber. His skin was creamy and fair and his features delicate, yet still masculine. His hair was pulled back, but she could tell it was the purest white gold.
“She's awake,” he said, his voice musical and light, yet firm. He was the man in charge.
“Who are you?” the second man asked roughly. “Who do you work for?”
“Where am I?” she squinted blearily, her vision moving in and out of focus. Aya was afraid and confused. What had happened? She remembered getting out of the bath and laying down for bed, and then the light. That strange light had engulfed her. “Where are my parents?”
She passed out again and the men stared at her. “She seems to be delirious. Prince Kuron is going to want to question her. Servantus should be present also. Run ahead and alert them,” he ordered. The man ran off ahead and the first carried her onward.
Servantus opened his eyes, staring at the man who dared disturb his sleep. He narrowed his silver moon eyes and sat up. “What is this about?”
“A girl, she was found in the Dark Forest. The commander thought you might want to be present while the Prince interrogates her, since you are the High Priest and have the ability to sense the truth...” the man slowly backed away. The frigid stare that rested upon her caused his skin to tighten over his bones.
“I would rather swallow my own fist than be in the presence of that pompous ass,” he said sharply, his tone cold and annoyed. He swung his long legs over the edge of the bed. “But I would no sooner leave a girl alone with Kuron than I would leave a slab of meat before a starving beast.”
The foot soldier was dismissed and Servantus rose and pulled on his robes, exasperated. He had been attempting to do dream divination, and had once again been interupted. For weeks he'd been feeling signs of impending doom, but each time he tried to procure an answer to his questions, he was interupted.
He walked quickly to the dungeons. He knew that leaving Kuron alone with a girl, friend or foe, was not a brilliant idea. Servantus obviously did not hold the prince in very high regard. He had known the little worm since he was born, and he had been more than a rival since that very moment; he had been an enemy and tormentor. Servantus had been bullied by the older boy since they were children, and though he could no longer bully him physically, he always found a way to make him look bad. The priest did not put it beyond Kuron to hurt a captive and blame it all on his enemy.
He entered the dungeon. Kuron was leaning over the girl's still body.
“Kuron,” Servantus said sharply.
The man bristled and cursed softly. “You,” he turned a dark glare on the man. “Who called you here? I am perfectly capable of interrogating a captive without your supervision, priest.”
“I don't doubt that, I simply distrust your methods. We would like information, and that does not involve a midnight romp.”
Kuron stood to his full height, which was a little taller than Servantus, and bared his teeth. “It would serve you well to know your place, priest.”
“Where am I?” a soft voice asked. Kuron growled one last time to the younger man and faced the prisoner. She sat up slowly and groaned in pain. The prince moved to her side, grinning cooly.
“You are in the dungeons.”
“Dungeons?” she gasped, confused. “What do you mean?”
“You are in the palace of the empire of Luphoneous,” Servantus interjected. The room was dim, but she could see his eyes, glowing eerily like two silver disks embedded between his eyelids, and the glimmer of long, white-silver hair tied back. There was a coldness to his voice, not so much anger or hatred as disinterest.
Aya looked to the other man, who stood by her side, staring down at her. He was equally as beautiful as the man who had carried her, though in his eyes was a sort of malevolance that chilled her. His hair was black and his eyes were a deep oceanic blue. His face was smooth and beautiful, but in those dark blue eyes was anger and malice. Cold though he appeared, she found herself drawn to the mysterious light-haired man.
“I don't know that empire... is it a part of the United Federation? What continent is this?”
Severantus stared at her and she forced herself not to flinch from his gaze. It was piercing, as if he were looking through her very soul. She shivered and finally shifted her gaze.
“You are not from this world,” he stated plainly. “You know of no countries, do you?”
“What are you saying, she's obviously a spy. Look at these features. They are not features of the people here, she must be Phaunelian.”
“Your foolishness astounds me. Her features are not Luphoneon, but nor are they Phaunelian. She is an alien to this world. She knows nothing of any of the lands here,” he snapped.
“You lie. You only wish to set her free. Perhaps you are involved in a plot against us?” the prince turned suspiciously and stared, his dark eyes challenging, flaring with excitement of a battle of wills and wits.
“What... is the name of this planet?” she asked softly, difusing the miniature battle occuring before her eyes. These two, she could tell already, should not be in a room together. The dark haired man was crouched, his eyes challenging, ready to fight. The other stood impassively, staring mockingly down at him, arms folded across his chest.
“Titus,” Servantus turned his gaze to her.
“No... that can't be,” she stared. “I... this is earth... this has to be earth... you have to be confused.”
“You seem to be the one that is confused,” Kuron stated, laughing softly and stepping toward the door. “You will remain here until you decide to confess of your offenses. Come, Servantus, you will accompany me to my father's throne. I believe you should tell him of this woman.”
Kuron swept out of the room and silently, Servantus followed. He cast a final cool glance to the woman on the hard dungeon floor. She stared up at him, pale blue eyes wide and frightened, and the door was slammed once again.
Aya leaned against the wall slowly, staring at the ceiling of the damp dungeon. Her head hurt quite a lot and she was very cold and very hungry. She was also very much in her pajamas. The plain cotton top and aquamarine and pink bottoms were wet and so was her hair. It took her a moment to realize that she had been carried through the rain.
This was unbelieveable. She was in a prison, not only not in her country, but not even her planet! She closed her eyes and rested her chin on her knees, trying not to cry. How had this happened? How had she ended up in such a place? Who were those strange men who came and then left her alone in the cold and in the dark? She began to cry, her shoulders shaking lightly.
“Crying will do you no good,” the cool, impassive voice from before remarked from nearby. She looked up. She hadn't even heard him enter. She looked up at him. Something about him frightened her.
“Who are you?” she asked. “What do you want with me? Why am I being held here?”
“Kuron,” he stated matter-of-factly. “Believes you are a spy from our country's rival, Phaunelia.”
“Kuron?” she asked softly, drying her eyes.
“He is the prince,” he said in an annoyed sort of way, as if to make it evident that he was not regarded well by Servantus. “He is equally as suspicious as he is stupid.”
“Who are you?” she asked.
“Servantus, High Priest of Luphoneous.” She stared at him for a moment, forcing him to expound. “I am involved in protecting the spiritual well being of this country, as well as in various branches of magic, including defense, healing, and divination.”
“Magic?” she asked.
“This must wait. If you would like to leave, we will have to do it quickly. Kuron will, no doubt, be back to toy with you further. Come,” he turned, expecting her to follow.
“Why are you doing this?” the young woman pushed herself to her feet, leaning against the wall for support. She was dizzy from the knock to the head when she first arrived. “Won't you get in trouble?”
“Firstly, you assume that I will be caught, which I will not. Secondly, Kuron is an idiot. You are obviously no spy from Phaunelia, so there is no point in continuing in this mindless power struggle.”
She inferred from his somewhat cryptic response that he knew she was no spy and that Kuron was only holding her to prove Servantus wrong, and Servantus was aware that his was not fun for her and was helping her out. She wasn't sure why he hadn't simply said that, but the message was clear nonetheless. He was helping her escape.
She followed him up a spiral staircase and stayed close as he led her through several dark and apparently abandoned hallways. They made their way slowly and silently for a long time until finally they reached an opening. It brought them to a grate directly above what appeared to be a moat. She sighed. Were they going to have to swim? She not only was a horrible swimmer, but was already soaking wet and didn't really want to get any more so.
Silently, the tall man lifted her into her arms. She looked up at him, blue eyes wide. His eyes seemed to radiate a coolness in the dark, misty air. She gasped and tried to refrain from screaming as he jumped from the grate. She took a deep breath, preparing for submersion, but the cold wetness she expected never came. She opened one eye and then the other. They were floating through the air.
Aya held tightly to the gold and purple trimmed robes and didn't look down. She didn't know how he was flying, but imagined it had something to do with the magic he had mentioned. They touched down softly on the grass and he put her on her feet again. She wavered slightly and then fell against him.
“Are you faint?” he asked quietly.
She nodded slowly and regretted it a moment later. “When I first... landed...” she said the word awkwardly. How did she end up there anyway? “I hit my head.”
Servantus did not comment, simply lifted her and began to walk. He carried her for what seemed like hours, though in reality was only a short time. They arrived at a tiny cabin just outside the woods where she'd been found.
“What is this place?”
“My home.”