Ancient Secrets

Chapter 9

By the time we get back to the house it's already dark. Luke tells Aiden to go shower, but the real reason behind that is so that he can hide the fact he was hurt from Aiden.

Aiden suns upstairs preparing for a shower, Luke waits until he hears the sound of water before he takes off his shirt. "Thanks for that." Luke says as he throws away his bloody white t-shirt. He must be talking about saving Aiden. "I did it because I cared, so there's no real need to thank me." I tell him. I grab a small white towel then add some cold water to it. I head over to Luke and begin cleaning up the blood that remains on the back. Once I clean up all the blood I wash the blood out of the towel, then throw it in the basket next to the washer.

The water in the bathroom stops running, signaling that Aiden has finished his bath. 

"So, what did Alfred mean?" Luke asks about what Alfred had said back there in the forest.

"I mean, just add them to the list of people who died because you were to weak."

"Long ago...

Flash Back

"How dare you set foot on this land again, Akazail." I growl as my once friend takes a step onto the stairs that lead up to the entrance to my palace. "I'm hear to offer you a deal, friend." She claims, calling me friend as if we are. "What deal?" I question her, she stays in her spot not daring to near me. Smart choice if I may say. "I want your kingdom."

I give her a sour look, she must have a lot of pride and ego to come up with that. "Forget it, Akazail." I growl before I start making my way inside the palace. 

"I have something I know you'll want." I stop in my tracks as those words leave her mouth. "In trade for your kingdom, I will give you a family. We could start all over again and become a family." I freeze at the mention of family. I could have a family again.

"Deal."

Flash Back Pauses

"I was so blinded by the word family that I was unable to see my people were the only family had left." I clench my fists at the memory of that fateful day. "She locked me up in a stone lined room underground, my ankles, wrists and neck were in chains."

"I couldn't feel any pain, I was numb to it all..."

Flash Back Resumes

My knees lied upon the cold stone floor. I didn't feel any pain, I couldn't even though the rough floor pierced the skin of my knees occasionally. I could hear screams a cries as people were being slaughtered, some would even beg for me to save them. I let them down, I can't even look at them anymore. I fell for the trick Akazail lied out for me. 

Every day and night I was in that large dark room, the only light was from the torches at the entrance to the room. Once a week I think a cup of vampires blood was fed to me. She was keeping alive to mock my failure as a queen, a ruler, a goddess. 

Akazail had a man come in a free me from my chains, she believed I was under her control. I walked to the throne room as told. Akazail sat proudly upon her throne next to her husband. I bowed down in their presence. 

"Goodnight, Acaria." With that the two of them turned into stone. I rose up to my feet, and ran as fast as I could out of there. Please let there be survivors, please!

Once out of the palace the sun had blinded me for a brief moment as I have been locked up in the dark for so long. I looked around the uninhabited land, some limbs could be seen from under the sand. Buildings and even the sand were covered in blood, dried out by the sun. 

No...no...

"NO!!!" I scream as my knees buckle from beneath me. An endless river of tears flowed from out of my eyes. I punched the sand but it wasn't enough. As I cried I broke, bashed, and destroyed walls that told stories of the Great Queen Acaria. It all must be destroyed...all of it.

Flash Back Ends

"I didn't want anyone to know about my failure so I destroyed everything in sight, except the palace." I begin to tremble at the memory. I even got the bodies I could and gave them a proper burial. Some I couldn't even identify because how horribly they were murdered. "So many innocent people, children, and families died because I was a failure of a queen! They all entrusted me with their lives!" I fall onto the couch, cupping my face with my hands so Luke doesn't have to see my tears. 

"That's why I need those tablets, so I can bring back the lives the were so gruesomely lost."

I feel someone hug me, and it isn't look. I lift my head from my hands, Aiden has his arms tightly around me his hair still wet from the shower drips onto my shirt. "Don't be sad Acaria! You will be able to bring back you're people, I promise!" Aiden assures me in order to make me feel better. Luke decides to join in the hug as well. 

We soon break but Luke stays in the hug being the pervert he is. "So soft," I push him off as he makes the comment. The night soon comes and Aiden goes to sleep. Luke stays in the living room with me, there's a silence but it's a comforting one. "Hey Acaria," Luke starts off to get my attention. Once he has it he speaks again. "Would you believe me if I said I loved you?" Luke asks with a sly smirk playing on his lips. "No," I reply shaking my head at him.

The day returns bring Aiden with it, but this morning Aiden seems different. "Acaria, can I borrow your vampire killing dagger?" Aiden asks me, causing me to give him a confused look. His green eyes look into my golden ones with determination that I rarely ever see in him. "Why?" I ask only having one of the dagger since it's so hard to make. "So I can protect myself and not worry Luke and you." Aiden's response surprises me, he didn't stutter nor did he fail to keep a straight face as he answered me. 

I pull the dagger from out my pocket then hand it out to Aiden. He takes the dagger, his eyes run over the blade to get a better look at it. "Be careful with it, and as long as I'm here you can borrow it." Aiden's cheeks turn a bright red before he gives me a bright smile that I rarely ever see from him; from the corner of my eye I can see a hard expression on Luke's face as he looks at him, but as quickly as it came it was gone. What was that?

"Thank you Acaria! I'll make sure to take care of it." Aiden says cheerfully bringing a warm feeling to my chest.

Cute.