Knight of the Oaken Shield Book 1: Shadow Phoenix Rising

Chapter 5: The Shadow Stirrs

It didn't take Rollo long to return to the barracks where he had lived the last five years of his life. He knew the way we'll enough. And as he entered the familiar room once again he found himself trying without success
To calm the whirlwind of thoughts that was currently raging through his mind.
  As soon as he was in his room it hit him that he had finally made it as a squire and unlocked his mana. More over he had the lightning attribute An attribute that was considered one of the rarest and most powerful. He sat down on the straw bed he used as a bed. He laid back crossing both arms behind his and while staring up at the wooden slat roofing that was all that stood between him and all the stone and granite above. When he had first arrived a sense of suffocation had kept him awake for the first two nights he had been here. But now, he was about to be able to go home for a period. Soon he would be able to see his father and siblings again.
Jumping up he prepared to leave as he didn't have anything that he needed to pack everything he owned was already on his person. Going to the small candle he had brought in with him he extinguished it before leaving quickly to find his friend Bertran.

    Far away
    The doors groaned inward on their own and a man walked though into the gloomy cave beyond, a dark cloak swirling around him as he went. Inside the cave was only sparsely lit, the only light coming from the two torches mounted near the doors the man had just walked through. As he continued on though the darkness he never wavered in his path for he had walked it many times before. He walked until he could hear the sound of the small underground brook that ran through the area.
   Abruptly he stopped and knelt the clinking of chainmail and sword could be heard as he knelt on one knee. He bowed his head low not daring to raise his head in the slightest. He knew what would happen to him if he failed to show the proper respect.
   "I am here to report as his majesty ordered!" He said quickly into the darkness, keeping his head low. A rumbling came from somewhere up ahead, but from where he couldn't tell. What he could see was the huge mass that shifted in the shadow.
   Suddenly a spot light shined on him. He then shuddered as he realized it was no spot light but a massive glowing yellow reptilian eyes that had opened in front of him not even ten feet away. The eye alone was even bigger than his horse, he couldn't even imagine how big the body the eye belonged to was.
   Then in a voice that shook the cavern.
    "What is it Cuthbern?" The annoyance in his voice was clear, but his voice itself was deep and threatening.
   "Your majesty I've come to tell you that one of the keys has been activated within the city of Owenia in the Kingdom of Owenia. We believe it to be the Sword of Light. At the mention of the element a low growl filled the chamber shanking it and causing dust to rain down. Sweat began pouring down the man's face.
   "I've come here seeking your instruction."
The eye focused on him intensely seemingly searching for any falsity in his voice.
" So... a new Scion of Light has been chosen," it mused.
  "What should we do your majesty? Should we prepare for an all out attack of Owenia?" The voice was silent for awhile and the man almost lifted his head to see if his majesty had left or not.
"No," it finally answered.
"Send in the Rat and Little Sparrow, we need more information before we act. Although the Owenian knight aren't anything special in the grand scheme of things. They are still a lot stronger than any of the other rabble that the humans call knights. Fighting with them will take careful planning and will certainly cost us a lot of pawns." The was silence for awhile as the man waited patiently.
"What? Is there anything else." The voice growled.
"Should I send a message to the others Your Majesty."
"No, I will handle this hunt." This time there was no hesitation in the voice at all.
Bowing the man quickly retreated his cloak swirling behind him as he left.