From Ash and Gold [ ongoing ]

| chapter four |

A   S U R R E N D E R

Manikarnika paced around her room, wringing her wrists in agitation. The sunlight had softened as the air grew chillier with time. She allowed herself to sit on the edge of her bed, her thoughts in a frenzy, guilt coursing through her. Was the decision she had made, selfish?  And was Faris right? Did she know how to rule? Her eyes drifted over to the large portrait of her parents hanging over her desk. They were smiling at her, and Mani let out a strangled sob, her fists bunching up the bedsheet. Five years since her parents had been murdered in cold blood. The image of them lying lifeless in a disgusting alley, blood splattered over their faces was burned into her head. 

The priests had said that the death site had reeked of magic. Her temple priest said that magic smelled like whatever person you would come to truly love, to cloud your senses and judgement, a trick witches used. That day, all Mani had smelled was damp earth, something like clay. It didn't make sense to her then, and it still didn't now.

She slipped out of her room for some fresh air and headed for the library. It was her favorite place in the kingdom. The room was was huge, divided into two floors, and the moment she stepped in, it enveloped her in silence. The occasional flip of a page, the patter of rain, the scent of fraying pages, and tea soothed Manikarnika like nothing else. Manikarnika climbed the spiral, wooden stairs to get to the second floor, usually reserved for priests. It was filled with history and religion and other tales that blatantly held no relation to her. She found it odd that at the peak of her life, she would seek the comfort of fairytales. 

Her fingers skimmed the book spines on the shelves, her eyes skipping over hundreds of titles that didn't perk her interest. The shelf had ended and she came to a stop, where the spine of the last shelf was looking odd. She checked to see if she was alone, then bent down and saw a small gold hatch in the middle of the shelf. It was barely there, and it was hard to catch if you weren't looking for it. Even harder when the top floor was strictly off-limits unless you were the King, Queen, or temple priest. 

Manikarnika moved quickly, trying to twist it open, and finally, it unlocked, a small trapdoor springing open. The door was so small that the only way she could go in was by crawling, and she could see nothing past it. Mani took a deep breath in before grabbing a lantern from a nearby table and headed inside, closing the door behind her. The tunnel was small, and if she lifted her head any further up, it would hit a cool, stone wall. After what felt like an eternity, Mani was in a wider, much bigger space, and stood up, feeling the muscles in her body spasm. 

At the far end of the room, there was another door, a bigger one this time. Mani rested her hand on the small sword sheathed by her hip and she turned the handle and creaked open the entrance. She was hit by cool air and a sweet fragrance. The room was scattered with ink, paper, old books. Mani picked a book closest to her, and a small note fell out of its pages, hasty handwriting scrawled all over it.

4 beads to the East.

Cannot let Darius get to it. 

5 already in possession.

Darius? Mani recognized this writing as her mother's, which meant that it must have been a frequent spot her parents visited. As she walked around the room, there were books with a common theme, magic. As far as Mani knew, her parents had despised the Acaras, and although Mani knew very little about them, she shared her parents feelings. In the end, they had killed her parents and Mani would never let that get away.

But if her parents did hate Acaras, why the sudden interest in them? The desk was full of unfinished notes in cursive handwriting, a feather still in the cup of ink, which meant this was all unfinished business. Mani sat down in a chair, and read the dozens of papers sprawled across the table. Her eyes jumped over words, but she was able to pick apart bits and pieces. A chain, where Acaras got their magic from, and the beads, which controlled it. She ruffled the papers for more information. Why were they watching Darius and what did they have possession of?

Mani leaned back in her chair and concentrated on the cracks running across the ceiling, her heart thumping in her chest and she pieced everything together.  Her parents were learning more about Acaras, and the magic chain, which controlled their magic, because they wanted to control the Acaras themselves. If Darius had the chain, then Usdeans destruction was certain.

Akira released a slow beath. That was Darius's secret weapon. He had Acaras in his control and once he got the chain, it was all over. He would be able to breach Usdean's borders with the snap of his fingers. Mani's mind was in a frenzy. She knew the  wounded soldier would reach the palace in two days on a horse. If she could deliver a message using her messengers, they would have her letter delivered by tomorrow, before the soldier. She grabbed an empty parchment and grabbed a feather from the pot of ink.

With an aching chest, she brought the tip of the feather to the paper.

Prince Darius, I am ready to marry you.

***

sorry, it couldn't have been more obvious.