Tales of Darkness and Light (Book 1 Complete)

Chapter 17: Of Torment and Late Night Chats

Chapter 17: Of Torment and Late Night Chats

Addy Freeland

After a week of travelling and plotting, it was finally time to steal back the Amulet of Orion. She felt a great deal less nervous than she thought she ought to - after all, they were breaking into a palace in enemy territory, home to the commander of the most elite army in Mordan. In all honesty, she should want to run in the opposite direction and never return.

Madison, at least, was showing some signs of nerves. She had taken to muttering prayers under her breath, and was reading and reading the same pages of a poorly-written romance novel, hardly paying any heed to the words.

"Nervous, are you?" Addy tried to keep her voice as gentle as possible. Scaring the girl would do no good - when she had been younger, she found she responded to the encouraging tutors much better than the harsh and demanding ones.

Not that she was intending to train the young woman.

Besides, even if she wanted to, that likely wasn't what Madison wanted.

"Terrified," said Madison, loosing a breathy laugh. "I feel like Maria in the book, when her father rounded up the knights of the village to drag her away from her true love, the vampire pirate captain."

Addy glanced at the cover, which had two people gazing deeply into each other's eyes, seeming unaware of the carnage that was surrounding them. She resisted the urge to snort. At least Madison was reading - infinitely better than not reading at all.

"I would say that you have nothing to be nervous about, but that would be a lie," Addy admitted, not seeing the point in sugar-coating anything. Maddy had the right to know what she was walking into.

"If I could wield a weapon, I think I would feel a great deal more confident," Maddy confessed. "I was such a fool, to come out here with no experience."

"I can teach you," Addy blurted. At the other girl's startled expression she backtracked. "Just enough to ease your nerves, to ensure you can defend yourself."

"Do you feel them? The nerves, I mean?"

Addy snorted. "Every time. I thought it would get better as I got older, but there's too much for me to lose to not be worried."

Now, more than ever, she had something to live for. A cause.

Madison bit her lip. "That's not particularly reassuring."

"Isn't it? Not having a purpose in life, having nothing to live for, is a great deal more terrifying for me than fighting for one."
Her fellow Alurian smiled. "Then I should be grateful that I have the purpose of reforming my city, of saving my father's livelihood." Madison turned to her, eyes alight with a question. "What is your purpose?"

Addy's heart skipped a beat. She longed to answer honestly, but she could not give too much away...

"Atonement." She settled on. "I hurt people in my past. I intend to make myself into someone that they could be proud of, for the slim hope that I will one day return and they will find it in their hearts to forgive me."

"I know that you will accomplish that one day. You are far too kind to not be forgiven, and whatever you did, I cannot imagine it was so terrible."

Diamara, how she wished for what Maddy said to be true.

~~
Crossing the border into Cardin City, into one of the largest cities in Mordan, was a shock the likes of which Addy had never experienced. They had managed to get across relatively easily - though there was a presence of Mordan's Watch, they seemed to be screening those who wished to leave the country, rather than those who wished to enter it.