Six of Ruin (Heirs of Irenwell #1) ✔

Chapter 5: Doom and Destiny

I've seen the map of Gaia when I was five years old and every inhabited town remained etched in my memory. Kingdom of Irenwell in the middle of the continent, the Empty Desert on the south, Southern and Northern Oceans on the west, Woods of the Fae Folk on the east and the Kingdom of Bastia on the north, separated by the Bordering City and Mount Aero.

And still, my brother deemed it necessary to walk me through each little town, pond and cottage in the entire known world.

I feigned a yawn, earning dissatisfied glances from both Bobrich and Danilo of Danth, who were, for some reason, a part of this geography class. Danilo's presence did nothing except take my mind to naughty places. He was back in his leather gear, the one that complimented his muscles.

"Are we boring you?" Rodrig asked, interrupting my daydreaming.

"Oh, no, not at all. If you think delicacies of the Bordering City are the crucial part of this journey, go on." I arched my eyebrow and leaned my elbows on the map in the middle of Rodrig's table.

He sighed, "I want you to be prepared."

I took his hand in mine and squeezed, "Just do what you do best, brother, give me Irenwell silver and I will figure out the rest."

Rodrig shook off my hand and Danilo cut in, "Not a bad point, your Grace, although, we will have to exchange it for the northern money. But that can be done in Bastia."

I snickered, "Give me three coins and we'll have enough for the journey back. I might even buy myself a castle."

No one found the joke particularly funny.

Bobrich cleared his throat, "Sir Danilo, could you please walk us through the journey once more?"

I grunted out loud and leaned against the wooden chair. Bobrich was an older fellow and my brother's right hand. His grey moustache, round face and gentle, brown eyes turned him into a charming grandpa, but I knew he was way more cunning.

He was the type of a man who has found himself a position of power with the least consequences. The man behind the curtains. And now, he wished to voice his opinion.

"Certainly," Danilo leaned over the map and Bobrich came closer, "We will pass through the Bordering City, because we simply do not have enough time to climb over Mount Aero, and buy herbal potions we might need for the journey. Then, we will go straight to the Kingdom of Bastia. There, we will meet up with the rest of the people joining us."

This intrigued me, "And who might that be?"

Danilo's blue eyes cut across the map straight to me, "Four capable men whose abilities are necessary for the journey."

Bobrich's head dropped seriously, "If I may repeat the Princess's question, who might that be?"

Danilo seemed reluctant to share this piece of information, which filled me with both unease and interest. Why would he feel the need to hide the identities of our companions?

Rodrig noticed this, as well, "Sir Danilo, I need to know who is going to accompany my sister across the world."

Danilo nodded, "Certainly, your Grace. There's going to be six of us. Princess and me, two men you haven't heard of, but whose abilities will make the trip easier, our guide and... a mage."

Silence ensued. A tight grip around my heart reminded me of my magic problem. A mage was going to accompany us on this journey? Would he be able to sense me? If so, how would he react? What would he do?

Rodrig cleared his throat, "Who is this mage? How can you trust him?"

Danilo's shoulders slumped, "This mage is the only mage in the known world who might be willing to help humankind."