The Storyteller (THE LEGENDS OF AARYAH #1)

TALE TWO OF THE PURE OF HEART - The Midnight Enchantment

Malak looked up at the dark sky, freezing in the brown fur coat they had given her some hours ago to cover her wings.

The full moon shined bright, red like the dunes of the burning Desert of the Demon. Kashej lied west of it. It was the closest city to the Oasis of Yash and what they were looking for was exactly there.

The Desert had always managed to surprise her. Boiling hot in the mornings, no sign of life whatsoever outside the cities that shared the Sultanates' politics but everything changed during the night. The air became suddenly cold and the wind screamed its desperate goodbyes to the sun as soon as it started setting to leave its place to the moon.

It had already been two hours since they'd arrived in the Third Residential Area when they saw Bree and Althea come back. Colonel Wejk stood up. Nobody knew that man's first name and nobody knew either why he used to keep it a secret.

"What time is it?" he asked in a low voice.
"Around ten thirty." Cayden answered back checking his pocket watch. "We've still got plenty of time."

"Shame that when someone says that, time becomes never enough soon after." Reiner intruded on the conversation.

He was only twenty but one of the most brilliant soldiers in the Army of the Free. Captain Enlaves hand-picked him to be part of the team for his great prowess in battle and his complete loyalty to the Republic of Yash. Just one year before the events we speak of, Reiner had been named Grand Officer after he protected some kids of the Kazjéh population from a bunch of Executioners of the Army of Justice who attacked them like the cowards they were.

Malak felt poisoned by the filth and stink of the Third Residential Area and tried not to focus on that, though her lungs kept begging for fresh air. It was the dirtiest part of Kashej - and for a reason.

As if no one cared for the people - which was true -, all the commoners had been gathered together in that specific area of the Capital, as well as their houses - if they had one - and their possessions. The Third was the closest Residential Area to the city gates. It stood right between the headquarters of the Patriot Executioners at east - specialized in killing Yashivs, which had a seat only in Kashej - and of the Assault Executioners at west. In case of external attack, it would have been the first to fall and the one to register more losses.

Althea, an Impure Demon who had sworn loyalty to the Republic of Yash and served it ever since as a Healer, and Bree, a young Petty Officer, reached soon the little group that was waiting for them.

"We've got it." Bree handed over a letter to Captain Enlaves. "They won't be able to reach Sephrin anymore. We've swapped it with a blank page."

"Were you able to post it?" Cayden asked looking at the contents of the envelope.

Althea nodded. "Yes, sir. I took care of that."

"Lucky us to have you in the team, Al." The captain sighed relieved.

She had a weak smile, her dark red eyes shining in the moonlight. "I might look like one of them, but I'm not a Pure. And I would never want to be that kind of monster."

"What does the letter say?" Colonel Wejk changed subject. He was a man of action. He tried to lean over Cayden's shoulder but couldn't manage to read a single word.

"This is a blank page too?" Captain Enlaves sounded quite surprised.

"It's not. It just looks like one." Bree explained calmly. "It's a particular ink that's not visible to Yashiv eyes. It's totally readable to others. Clever-"

"-but not enough." Althea completed the sentence for her.

"So, it's totally useless in my hands." The Captain gave the envelope back to Bree.