Arakim's Legacy(#Wattys2015)

Chapter 2

The raven landed about half a league from where the soldiers were, in a nearby brush, transforming rapidly back before landing soundlessly on his feet in the evergreen. Glad to be back in his human form as the raven being a smaller sized animal wasn't the most comfortable. Arakim strode purposefully towards the guards taking care to make enough noise to alert them and not startle them into shooting him with an arrow. This was a dangerous forest after all and one couldn't be more careful.

The rear soldiers finally became aware of the sounds coming from behind them and turned, fully alert and on guard to confront whatever it was. When they realised who it was, they alerted the soldiers at the front and the captain of the guards.

"Hey.'' Arakim called out to them in his deep voice, designed to carry and inspire fear. He was gratified to see the guards flinching involuntarily. 

"Who sent you here? And what are looking for in this place?'' Arakim continued in a menacing voice, halting several feet from them, arms hanging loosely at his sides. 

The soldier nearest to him nervously answered, after lowering his unsheathed sword. "Your highness,'' he began in a squeaky voice, bowing. "Your grandfather, his majesty gave the orders to take you to the palace. That your presence is needed.'' he finished in a stronger voice.

"I see,'' Prince Arakim nodded, not seeing at all and turning to his cousin who'd joined them. "And you, cousin? Why are you here?'' 

"To ensure you made it back to the palace safely, cousin.'' Was the short reply, which for Alam wasn't surprising but what was surprising, was the wrongness of the air around him like there was another present with him. And his eyes were all wrong, darker, almost black, than the usual grey associated with his family, the Aranthor'um, my father's family name. But what also added to his worries was the quick flash of something in his now strangely coloured eyes before he blanked them out. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe the waning light casting shadows. But his instincts warned him not to ask questions about them.

"He said that you might not be inclined to come back immediately and would need to be persuaded.'' Alam finished, making Arakim realise that his cousin bymarriage hadn't stopped speaking while he was deep in thought.

"Ah,'' Arakim said derisively, running his hands through his thick black straight hair that stopped just beyond his shoulders before folding them across his wide chest. "And he thought that sending twenty armed guards to give me that message was a good idea?'' he asked, eyebrow raised. "Why not just tell me what's going on? I know my grandfather and he wouldn't send armed guards and you, cousin, to me. No offence.'' And raised his hands to ward off the response he saw his cousin was about to make. 

Arakim continued, smiling. "He would've been better advised to send Ashago than yourself. You, I would kill, no questions asked but him, might stop long enough to talk before killing him.'' 

The guards were not sure if he was serious, but suspecting he probably was, knowing how strange their prince could get. They started fidgeting, glancing from him to his cousin but none was brave enough to interrupt the staring contest going on between the two, knowing without a doubt who the bigger threat was. After a brief pause, Arakim continued.

"And more importantly, how did you know to come here?''

None of the dreadful feeling washing over him showed on his face, and combed his fingers through his thick black hair as he tried to appear as non-threatening as he could. Probably didn't succeed. There was no easy way to disguise the power radiating from his eight feet hard-packed muscular frame.

'His majesty told us where to come search for you. He said you would be in this mountain area.'' Alam looked smug and disdainful.

'Mm-hmm,'' Arakim nodded, surprised that his had enough courage to sound as he did. Tapping his square jaw with his forefinger. 'Should've thought of that.'' And paused briefly as if in deep thought. 'But grandfather had no idea where I was or anything about this mountain.''