The Oreans

Chapter 40

Chapter 40
The Door to the Mystical Chamber

It is over ...

Reishina told herself as she stared at her shadowy and broken reflection on the small fountain nearest her, at her face which was leaner than the last time she had examined it closely. She could drop her masquerade now. She no longer needed to be Rafim the Orean master anymore. With the sentence against the Duke de Lys, the danger in her sister's life had passed. And though his association with the earlier crimes committed against her family and herself had not yet been ascertained, she was sure they would be in no time: Lord Melvil had promised the Circle to work on it. She could now face her destiny freely.

Or could she? Yesterday's scenario still kept on intruding in her thoughts — thoughts she would rather not dwell upon now. The thought of the duke would just wake up the lion inside her — the urge to pounce and break the man herself. She could not let that happen. Spilling blood was one thing she was warned against. No, she had to forget it.

Heaving a sigh, she looked down at her gloved hands — the hands that had held a sword and caused foes to suffer as much as they had saved lives: The irony of it! But then, they would no longer be Rafim's hands: They would be the Empress of Anturea's hands from tonight on.

She felt the purse inside her cloak — the purse that contained the four stones that served as key to the Mystical Chamber. Once she opened it her fate would be sealed.

"Rafim, I didn't know you're on duty tonight, too."

She almost jumped in surprise, having not heard his approach. Thinking fast, she turned slowly to face the owner of the voice.

"No, I—I'm not—I'm leaving now in fact," she replied, trying to steady her put-on voice. "I just thought to stop for a look and a breath of fresh air. What about you?" She looked past Divan's smiling face, somehow having difficulty to meet his eyes at length: The little scenes inside Santille suddenly broke in on her thoughts. "What are you doing here?"

"Guard duty of course? What else would I do?"

She tried to amend her stupidity with a smile. "Of course, everything is back to normal now." Or so it seems, she added inwardly. Aloud, she asked, "I can't see Adrien or Alen around? Do you know where they are?"

"They've just left. I think they're on their way home now. They would have kept me company, but I told them not to. They both looked too tired to stay the night as it was."

She remembered she had been feeling tired herself just a while ago. But why had her weariness vanished all of sudden? Why was she feeling so lightheaded and feverish? Then, a thought hit her. And an impossibility it was. No, it can't be, she told herself. It could not be because she was alone with this man—no matter how much he looked like Lei. It just couldn't be!

"What's that for?"

She then realized she had been shaking her head. She tried to think of a cover-up, but her brain just refused to work properly.

"I guess I know why," Divan said, ignoring her silence. "You must be thinking that you're more tired than all of us put together and still you're up on your feet."

"It's not that," she said uncomfortably. "I—I was thinking of something else."

"You know, I think you need your bed now as much as they do."

"I'm still fine, don't worry."

She turned from him to keep her face from view. She was afraid she was not its master now; neither was the rest of herself. She must get a grip on it, or else she might reveal her own secret at the last moment. Having Alen and Erin in her confidence was a different thing. She did not know if Divan would understand. He might betray her, and that would be the end of her.