The Gods at War

Vlad of Vasmi

Vlad walked through the busy streets of Vasmi , tall industrial buildings towering over both sides of him. He loved to do this , to travel through the country that would soon be his and survey his people. They didn't recognise him yet , they wouldn't until the Kazaar Ball came , when he would be introduced to the public. It wouldn't be safe for him to walk outside free of guards after the ball. Even now his father objected to him leaving the palace. He couldn't blame him, it was suspected by his Father's spies that the Dark Army numbers were increasing , with multiple sightings throughout Vasmi of the shadowy, tall creatures. No one knew what they were or what they wanted.

Vlad was determined to find out, and he made a promise to himself that when he was King , he would track down every shadow and save his people. Vlad's power was business. Money , markets , it was his. He was contemplating this when out of the corner of his eye , he saw a black figure. The thing was crouched on the corner of an alleyway and Vlad could feel eyes burning into him . Next thing he knew , he had turned and was running after the creature , the rancid smell of trash bags making his nose scrunch. He watched as the thing bounced off the walls , the blackness of it taking different forms and swaying . God , his Father would kill him himself if he saw what he was doing . Vlad was gaining on the shadow. They both knew it. He couldn't help himself . He laughed , it spilling out of him in quick breaths .

That's when he saw it . The familiar cry of a bird flying overhead. " Not now , Zila" he said, but it was too late , the bird had found him . It swooped down and Vlad had to throw himself sideways in order not to trample it . He stood back up and sighed , watching the shadow glide further and further away . The bird dropped a letter at his feet , the familiar green wax stamp confirming what he already thought. "Room 70. Now. " was scrawled in messy penmanship. Vlad turned and walked back down the alleyway, his adrenalin fading , replaced by a big sigh of disappointment.

When Vlad arrived at room 70 , he could see he was the first there . The room was large and over the years , him and his friends had taken to ' borrowing' items from their palaces to decorate it . Bookshelves and art lined the walls , colourful plants from Zila's country placed in every nook and cranny possible . The room was a collection of cultures. He didn't have time to appreciate the rooms beauty right now though , Zila probably knew what he had been doing and she definitely wouldn't be happy about it. He strolled in , took a biscuit off the table and collapsed on the green armchair.

" You took your time " she said from the corner of the room , pouring herself tea. " Well , didn't know what I was walking into " , she turned at that , an eyebrow arched. He just smirked. Zila strolled over , casual in her baggy jeans and tank top , and sat down opposite him . " What are you playing at , Vlad? " she asked , her tone calm . He hadn't expected this . He thought she would shout, be angry at him but he never would have guessed this . " What do you mean?"

" It isn't safe and you know it . It is one thing to leave your palace alone but to chase after a shadow! Do you have a death wish?" He looked at her , the furrow of her brows , unsure of what to say . Beneath her calm tone he sensed unease , maybe even fear . She was scared for him . Frightened. For him. He was saved when Efi pushed open the brown door leading from the tunnel . She stood awkwardly , clearly feeling as though she had walked in on something . Vlad stood , eager to make Efi feel comfortable and escape Zila's stare. He hugged her , white hair brushing his face, " long time no see ,Ef. " " I'm aware of how long it has been. 40 days "she stated in a matter of fact tone.

He laughed at that . Efi had always been like that , neutral on every matter, ever since they had met all those years ago as children. He stepped aside to let her past, and closed the door. Efi was from the country Estra , just as Zila was from Zopi. He never really knew why their names and countries had to start with the same letter. Tradition , probably. He had never been to Estra , but he had seen the illustrations and read the tales . Thousands of people living in harmonious silence , using only their powers of telepathy to communicate when needed. White buildings and cities , all untouched , uncoloured. Sometimes , the idea of Efi being able to read his mind, to spy on his thoughts , creeped him out .

Carissa walked in then , her steps silent and movements graceful as she stepped through the door. She was an artist of the skies, painting with sunsets and beautiful clouds every night. It was a rare power, and in some parts of her bloodline , it had disappeared for centuries. Carissa was the odd one out in the group , in a way. She had lost her mother 2 years ago , when she was only sixteen . She had been forced into her coronation while dealing with the loss . Vlad knew they had been close and Carissa talked of her a lot to them . He had heard about the famous Carla from his Father as well , but in a different manner. He had disliked her , disagreeing with the way she ran her country . It seemed fine enough though , Clain was rich from their artists , the rest of the world laying down their wallets for new music , paintings and clothes. Carla had given back to the people , building homes and churches where altars were now designated to her. In comparison , Vasmi didn't look too good.

The four exchanged light small talk , and more specifically , the ball that was coming up in only two weeks . It would take place in Clain , where they would all have to pretend to meet each other for the first time (as no one knew of their secret meetings). Vlad was not worried , he was an expert in royal duties such as meeting with their alliances. His father had taught him from young when to shake someone's hand and when to say this , and when to say that .

" I don't think Aron is coming so we might as well start " Zila said , picking up a thick sheaf of paper off the table . Typical Aron . Aron was the prince of Azmar and didn't he know it . He relished in his country , the chaos , the parties , the food and the women . He was born for his role and as far as Vlad knew , he was eager to become King. His power was emotions , manipulating them to fit his cause. He could make hearts beat and minds race.

Zila began reading out the happenings of her country and at the very end , in a solemn tone, she reported that there had been three sightings of the Dark Army. He knew it was hard for her. Her country cared for its animals and nature, worshipping them in every way possible . The Dark Army in her country was like the plague , poisoning the happy and healthy body. There had been 2 sightings in Estra and another 3 in Clain. " Four from mine " Vlad chirped in .

" How many of those four have you been personally involved in , Vlad? " remarked Zila , her eyes cold. Vlad could almost hear her muscles tensing , her blood pressure rising rapidly . At the age of five he realised he could do that, monitor someone and therefore figure them out .

" What does that mean? " asked Carissa .

" Nothing. " Vlad didn't want to rehash his little ' adventure ' to the others. In fact , now he felt ashamed. Ashamed that he hadn't caught it .

They all filed out , going their separate ways back to their country. Before Vlad left , he took one last glance back at Zila , watching her tidy up the biscuits and cups of tea. She probably knew he was looking , but kept her eyes down anyway. Vlad closed the brown door , the warm light of the room vanishing , leaving him with only the bitter tunnel.