The Chaos Of Knowledge

Chapter 5

Sampson frowned looking at the pair of guards standing beside the door. He knew that they wouldn't stand long, especially with the brute that he had just witnessed running amok and causing mayhem. He sighed running a hand through his hair, he knew Nomas was foolish for running off to protect him alone, there was little he could do to stop whatever it was.

His face turned to his mother were was grabbing a few books from her study and shoving them deep into a large bag. Her hair was frazzled and standing on odd ways. His heart skipped a few beats as he realized the implications of her gathering. "We aren't leaving them are we?" He asked with a frown. He coun't just walk away, not with the city being sacked and assaulted like this.

"You know we can't do anything here. Until the warriors can send them back we are not going to be able to do anything. The best we can do is not get captured so they can't try and coax a surrender." Viola said with a frown as she turned to face her son.

Twenty years had done quite a lot on the young woman. Her hair had faded in color and she was a few inches shorter than she had begun with. Most of her arms were now covered in more tattoos making most of her light skin offset by the dark lines and art used for her magic. She held firm to her bag as she threw it over her shoulder. Her cloak covered most of her but the jingling on her side gave away the fact she was carrying quite a lot more than just a single bag.

"You know you are the one who is going to gain the kingdom." She eventually said with a sigh. "Nomas is too... impulsive." She said trying to pick her final word carefully. "He would never be able to rule like you can. He has the heart, but he doesn't have the intelligence to run the country. He is just..." She paused as there was no way for her to speak without seeming like she disliked her son.

Sampson shook his head as he adjusted his own cloak and walked over towards the window. Below he could see fighting, guards against attackers, man against man, theif against homeowners. It was chaos below, and he knew the city would not last long if it kept like this long. "By why are we running? And are we just going to leave Nomas? Shouldn't we be defending out country?"

She looked to him once more with a frown. "We will." She said placing a kind hand on his shoulder and pulling him from the window. "But these attackers aren't normal. They aren't human, they are far more powerful than anything that we could prepare to face. These are shifters, powerful entities who can change their appearance at will. They are powerful, but easy to spot. All sport a facet of their animal appearances, like Nomas."

Sampson shook his head with a frown. "He isn't one, he's never changed what he looks like. How could be be one?"

"BEcause your father was one." Viola answered quickly. "Nomas is not human. But he is unaware of his abilities, I ensured that. If he knew... if he even thought he was one, then he would have attempted to pursue him to learn, he cannot leave here. Nomas is a bastard child, he was born to both a human parent and a shifter. And the shifters are intent on killing hm for that. One of their biggest laws prohibited the union of your father and I. He risked his life to protect me. I do the same for Nomas."

Sampson sighed falling into his chair and holding his head. "But he's done nothing wrong. His actions have caused no chaos to our home, why would they kill him?

The queen shook her head sitting as well. "You know that I don't lie to you needlessly Sampson. They want him dead because humans are not stong enough to control the other side of their mind. The shifter, the animal, will take over. He would become an animal, one more powerful for us to hunt, one too smart to track, and it would be us who would be forced to put him down."

There was a sudden knock at the door making both the royalty and the guards jump. Both men readied their weapons and the door was thrown open to face the three people standing oddly outside of it in the small hallway. All wore strange cloathing and each was branded with a pheonix over their hearts. Sampson knew the creature from his own studies.

The woman in front was standing calmy despite the fact she had the weapon inches from her face. She easily pressed it away from her. Her hair was bright red and she was a down of dark onyx hanging baggy around her slender frame. Her face had a strangeness about ehr, slender and pale compared to the people who lived around the city. "Your highness." She said with a bow as she entered the room. "My leige." She added facing Sampson.

The other two remained in the hall watching quietly as the woman walked in. One was large, overly so. In one hand he had a satchel that was resting on his shoulder and the other man was more dark skinned than anyone he had ever met. He could only infer that he was some kind of elf who had come from somewhere for from the country.

Viola returned the bow and crossed her arms with a nod. "Greetings, what brings you here to my chambers in such dire times?" She asked as the guards still stood between the woman and her companions.

"I am Renale, one of the members of the fallen clan 'Pheonix' a cell known as 'The Embers'." The woman explained motioning to her companions with a smile. "We are allies to your husband. We were informed of an attack upon your lands and were dispatched to aid in preotecting your..." She began before the queen held a hand up to silence her.

"I know already of your plight. Nomas had always been watched by is father's people and I knew he would eventually come to his father's lineage. He has been growing very bold and dangerous to us and even outside forces seek to capture him now." She said settling back into her seat and watching the woman carefully. "Your group will nod be able to stop them. But you will postpone my son's demise for as long as possible. Where is he now?"

"The rest of our group is elsewhere bringing him to the edge of the city so we can get him out. He is in the care of my husband. He is safe."

"Sampson will reamin though." The queen said quickly feeling the excitment the man was feeling as he prepared to follow. "He isn't their target."

The woman nodded with another low bow. "Let's get moving you two." She said before heading out the door and past them both.