Light from the Shadow

Chapter 31

Rishi was lying awake in his bed. He could not sleep well last night too. He got up and found the shattered glasses on the table beside the bed. The new glasses his father gave him last time when Jyaga broke the old one. They were now completely broken. Smashed during his fight with Helten. He looked at the time. It was 6 in the morning.

He let out a long sigh. He regretted everything he said to Ayna the day before. He knew it was not her fault. He just wanted to take out all his anger on someone. If anything, he was the reason everything turned the way it was. "I wonder if she cried yesterday..." He muttered.

He got up from the bed and walked out of the room. He saw light coming out from the room beside his. It was Ayna's room. Kuan had arranged their lodging in his residence. He hesitated for a while before knocking the door. One knock. Two knocks. No one answered the door. Is she sleeping? But the light is on. He tried turning the handle. It was not locked. He opened the door slowly.

"Ayna?" No one answered.

He walked into the room and looked around. The bed was made... or probably unused. He went to the changing room, the bathroom but Ayna was nowhere to be found.

"Ayna?" He called again. But no one answered.

"Where did she go?"

Jyaga was preparing to go out to meet the princess when he heard someone banging on his door frantically. He unlocked the door and saw the librarian. His face was pale.

"Mr. Rishi? What happened?" Jyaga asked.

"Ayna is missing."

***

"What do you mean Helten has been released?" Kuan asked when one of his subordinates came to report to him.

"The court released him after they decided that His Highness had acted in self-defense." The subordinate explained.

"It has only been a day and the court has decided so? Did they really investigate anything?" The second prince banged his hands on the table.

The subordinate shook his head. "And..." His expression turned angry.

"What?"

"I heard His Majesty is removing Your Highness... from the position of the captain of royal knights."

"Father did what???"

"What should we do now, Commander??" The subordinate looked like he wanted to cry.

Kuan did not have the time to think because a moment later, he heard heavy footsteps approaching his office. Without knocking, a group of soldiers barged into the room. One of them stepped forward, bringing out what looked like a written order from the emperor.

"His Highness Prince Kuan of Solbaru, for hiding and assisting the rebels against the empire, by the emperor's order, you will be temporarily confined in your room until a decision about your punishment is made. All your military titles have been revoked and knights serving under you will be assigned somewhere else."

***

"Something is not right." Jyaga whispered to his companion.

Rishi did not turn to him. His eyes were still watching the soldiers who just came out of Kuan's residence. One of them looked like he was giving orders to form a few search parties. They were looking for him, he assumed. He and Jyaga were hiding on top of a tree not far from the building. They quickly hid himself after he noticed the intruders bearing the crown prince's insignia on their helmets, walking towards the second prince's residence.

"Isn't the crown prince being detained now?? What are his soldiers doing here??" Jyaga continued. "And princess Ayna... just where is she now??" He was worried about his friend. Both he and Rishi had searched the palace since morning and still had not found the missing royal.