The Dragon King's Servant: Rise of the Daemon King

Chapter Thirty-Four: Dark Form

Melanie, dressed in a flowing gown of white and blue, walked down the lengthy hall of the third floor which turned down the stairs and she walked to the second level. Gently she knocked on the door. Only a couple heart beats later, the door swung open and Joona stood in its place. Fifty years had done nothing to diminish the half-elf's beauty. Her golden skin and feathery features were just as bright as the day they had first met one another.

"Good morning my Queen. Is all well?" Joona asked, moving away from the door.

"I am fine. I was hoping you might join me for a walk in the city. There are a few things I would like to check up on."

"Of course, my lady. I will be ready in a moment."

*****

Maaltaire awoke with a headache the size of the peninsula. The pain throbbed against the back of his eyes, all the way down to his jawline. After sitting up and letting his mind orient itself, the memory started putting itself back together. He remembered talking with his sister, then trying to calm her only to infuriate her further. Then he remembered a flash of hot pain before falling into unconsciousness. He looked around the room but saw no one.

The sunlight coming through the window was bright and warm which gave him the distinct notion that it was already well into morning. He slowly got up but then stopped when he saw the note next to the bed. He bent down and retrieved it. The folded paper had the distinct writing that Shauna was known for. Where his was a flowing calligraphy of fancy swirls, hers was rigid and blocky.

'Brother, I know I need some help. I know you came to help me. I am sorry. Apologies won't make the pain go away and I don't really think I deserve that forgiveness. Not now. I need time. Tell mom and dad that I will be back.'

Maaltaire set the letter down and slumped back to the bed. The last thing he wanted to do was to tell their parents that Shauna had run off. He knew she was hurting. He knew that she knew she needed help. There would be no stopping her from paving her own path. There never had been. 'Stubborn woman' He sighed and got up from the bed. He had to break the news to their mother who would feel the most put off by it. An emotional burden he didn't enjoy laying on her.

*****

Within the darkness, his body was a mass of shadows and thick blackness, he could see and feel everything. He could hear the staff moving through the halls. He could feel the tremors of the foot falls as guards moved around the palace. He had become one with all the shadows and every scrap of darkness. 'How far can it go?' He wondered, stretching his senses out.

Like straining to hear a whisper on the wind, he let his senses expand until he was positive that he could hear the conversations. One in particular caught his ears. Two separate voices that he knew just as well as any. The more he listened, the clearer the voices became until it seemed as though he was standing directly beside them.

"Where is it you are wanting to go?" The first female voice asked.

Right away he recognized it as Joona. Melanie's faithful personal guard who had protected her from several wars and battles.

"I need to touch base with a few accounts and investments."

Lucian knew the voice of his queen without a seconds hesitation.

"Oh! Have they finally decided to open a second shop or just expand?" Joona asked excitedly.

"It is too soon to know but I am hoping to find out when we meet them." Melanie smiled, and glanced out the window looking out to the training yard.

'I want to be with you' Lucian thought and without too much conscious effort, his entire being drifted through the darkness. Moving through it like a portal until he was in the room with them.