The link between us
The spade of one of the guards struck something hard as they dug a pit. They cleared away the earth and discovered a barrel.
They hauled the barrel out and prepared to open it. Elley gazed at the barrel with a fearful anticipation, but Melovine averted her eyes and embraced her.
"You may open it," Melovine said.
The guards pried open the lid and beheld a corpse. One of them nodded at Melovine, who could not bring herself to tell Elley that they had found her sister's body.
Elley looked up at Melovine with tearful eyes. "Is it...?"
Prince Ivive and Lord Hoself arrived at the scene. They walked to where the barrel lay and peered inside.
Prince Ivive recoiled at the sight of the body. Inside the barrel, her body was not only crushed but her lips were stitched and her limbs were bound, just as he had seen her ghost in her chamber.
"Tell him," Melovine said, looking at Prince Ivive.
Elley burst into sobs in Melovine's arms.
Prince Ivive went to fetch Teri and returned shortly with him, Kiera, and Mizak.
When Elley saw Teri, she ran to him and hugged him, crying.
He stroked her head. He wanted to cry, but he could not. He felt her death. After all, she was his sister, even though he had hated her for what had happened years ago.
The guards carried the barrel away with the body in it and they watched as she was taken away.
Tears streamed down Melovine's cheek. "Darlene, though I loathed thee for marrying my father, I never wished this to befall thee. Before the ill times between us, there were the good times when we were little.
I still remember when you came into the manor with my mother. Rest in peace and soar high, Darlene."
Mizak hugged Teri and Elley together to comfort them.
Prince Ivive hastened to Darlene's chamber. He remembered her ghost was in a barrel in her chamber. He wanted her to speak to Teri.
He opened the door and entered the chamber. He saw the barrel and opened it, but he was taken aback when he found out her ghost was not there.
He looked around. "Darlene!" he called out, anxiously.
He hurried to where the others were, but she was not there.
"Had she already departed, or was she snatched away by the illusionist?" he wondered.
************************************
The burial took place that same day. Everyone in the manor was clad in white.
Mizak, Elley, Teri, Melovine, Prince Ivive, and Kiera stood across as the coffin was lowered to the ground.
The guards began to cover it with sand.
"I knew her not well, but when I found out she was our sister, I was glad it was not just us two left.
Let us get our revenge, Teri, and I will be the one to slay the illusionist. Our names will ring in her ears as she dies and even in hell, tormenting her," she said, looking at Teri.
"The mysterious?" Elley scoffed.
"As long as it is not a god or immortal, as a mortal we can vanquish it. Since it said it hath a real body, then it is a soul. We will find its body and kill it," she said, her voice bitter.
"I know not when we will be ready to fight the king of Delmos. What if we find King Athelin, what if we do not? Will there be more we will have to do and things to find?"
"I know not, little sister, but all I know is I will end him and anyone with his blood, just as he destroyed the royal family and our father," he said.
Melovine, Prince Ivive, and Mizak glanced at him.
************************************
It was nighttime and the manor was quiet.
Elley was on her bed, lying down, while Teri sat at the edge of the bed.
The healer was using her power to heal his eyes. White lights emitted from her hands.
Elley watched how Kiera emitted lights from her hand. They were like white threads.
"About the map, the next place we are to go to is a kingdom called Herl," Elley said.
"Hmmm, thy mother's birthplace," Kiera said.
"My mother's birthplace?" Elley asked.
"Of late I have learned of it, and Kiera is of that land. But I wot not if she meant our mother by the saintess," Teri spake.
"Kiera is thy name," elley asked the healer as she beheld her.
"Yes, it is," she said with a smile.
"You were speaking of the map," Teri said.
"Yes. Though Herl is the next place we should go by the map. Lord Hoself said we need to go back to the capital," elley said.
"Back to the capital?" Teri asked.
"Yes, the way to Herl is not right. He said our mother gave prince Ivive's mother the true map and the map of Herl kingdom," elley said.
"Prince Ivive's mother? But she is dead," Teri said.
"I know, lord Hoself told me," elley said.
"We need not go back to the capital, Kiera here can help us with that," Teri said.
Kiera glanced at him as she continued to focus on healing. "You can not come and go freely in Herl kingdom. Only the saintess, her three assistants which represent the five families of Herl, and the five elders which represent the five families can go and come back easily, but only if it is a mission.
A new saintess was chosen after your mother left. And after years one of the assistants died and I had to replace her.
I was fourteen years old and the youngest. I escaped them when we got outside to wander the outside world. I realized it was not different from our world as how people wrote it in books.
I decided to go back to the saintess and the four assistants, but I never found them again.
And Herl kingdom, you can not see it unless you go in. I am sure my family already think I am dead. I cannot wait to meet them."
Elley placed her arms behind her head, looking up while she was lying on the bed. "But older brother, do you know what came to mind when lord Hoself mentioned prince Ivive's mother?"
"We, mizak, melovine and prince Ivive, there is a link," Teri said.
"Exactly," elley said.