Liridia

Chapter 16: Phases

Aldwin
___________

Time for the daily rounds, hardly had any sleep and I haven't seen Her in a few days. Gods, my neck aches.

I hum a sailors tune, outwardly punctuating the curse words, and startling a few people I've passed. I slide into the hallway, scraping my boot across the clean floor, and continue my way through the hallway, trying every door to see if they are locked. One door has a lock that could give with one shove, but Willard comes into my peripherals and I make a note to myself to open it when I'm once again alone.

"Greggory. Daily rounds, heh? When you're finished, come to the guards quarters, cards night!" He exclaims enthusiastically, while I stretch to cover for my shadiness. He passes without noticing and I slink into step behind him.

"Cards night, right?" I ask, startling him. He nods, lowering his crossbow as I walk in time next to him.

"I don't think I can make it, the King has a meeting and I need to be there along with Karl, Red and Onni." I lie, explaining my absence from the 'cards night' and confirming that I can explore for a bit. I need to see the South Wing.

He nods and walks off. Now I need to get Karl, Red and Onni away from the rest of the guards to make my lie plausible. Great.

I submerge myself into deep thought and keep walking, down the endless hallways, through doors and archways, and ending up back where I started. I stop and stand still, my plan still forming and I know that Karl and Onni do rounds near East wing, but I'm not sure where Red would be right now. Off to the East Wing.

I have the perfect plan, when the sun sets I will tell Karl and Onni that there was a commotion outside the castle and I would like them to check it out and make sure there is no one still 'fighting' there. I will tell Red that the King requests his presence immediately in the North Wing, in the armoury for a report on the weapons. Fool proof. I can't lose. The King does want to see Red in the armoury and Karl and Onni aren't the sharpest swords in the barracks.

I wander aimlessly for hours, stopping for lunch (well, stuffing my face and leaving) and sharpening my sword in the guards quarters. My mind strays back to Her, I have to make sure I don't call her that to her face... get her name.
Why am I thinking about this? She's capable of doing her own thing. I'll make sure to find her tonight. She'll probably fit right in with the shadows, her skin so dark, much like her fathomless eyes.

I shake the thought of her sharp collarbone and the curve of her face from my traitorous mind, cursing myself to the depths of the hells for thinking of that. Stop. No more.

I travel back to the door and test the lock. Resistance is futile. I aim a perfectly placed kick right next to the doorknob and strike with all my strength, the door swinging open with a thick thud. The room was shrouded in dust and every piece of furniture was covered with a plain white sheet. The smell was almost acidic and it tightened my throat and hardly any air was getting through the thick veil of whatever that was that coated my airways.

I stepped out of the room and took a deep breath. I plunged into the room and uncovered the furniture. It was a study of sorts, the desk prominently nestled in the corner stretching the length of the room. It was covered with vials and beakers and alchemical tomes, one giant dusty book open on the desk with a few dried leaves, a grinding bowl and a bowl of powder so black it almost glittered sitting beside it.

Almost like someone had to leave in a hurry and covered their tracks. Did a bad job of it. 'The Great Tome of Alchemy and Dark Arts'? Interesting, the whole land was picked clean of alchemists and witches and such, yet the the castle who ordered the purge has their own rooms dedicated to the arts?