Inner Sanctum

Lightening flickers across an empty field. Eel walks around, feeling the harsh push of dusty winds. He looks ahead and sees a dark figure moving forward. Shielding his eyes, he walks slowly through the wild winds that roar against his motion. He catches up to the figure; it is a woman, her silver gown fluttering in the wind. He holds out his hands, grabbing her by the shoulder to get a look at her face. She turns to him, her eyes whited out, her mouth opening into a void.

In the void was the wild roar of savage winds. The wind turned and formed around them, ferrying them into the sky. Eel covers his ears and shuts his eyes. He peeks at the woman as they swirl around in the air, dark clouds raging by them. He holds out his hand to grab her as they circle each other in the grip of a tornado. The thunder rumbles against their violent ascension. He looks at the woman; she circles towards him, her hands stretched out to touch him. He locks hands with her and feels the crashing shock of lightning jolt him awake from his sleep.

Eel wakes up startled by his violent dream. He feels his bed slightly elevated before it bashes against the floor. He looks around; Nymèŕa clings to the wooden floor across the bed with his claws. The leopard pounces across the room and jumps on Eel, shivering in fear. "What happened here, Nymèŕa?"

Eel gets off his bed, its legs split open from the crash. He walks around his room, confused. Everything is all over the place. His windows are smashed open, and his tapestry is ripped off the wall. He looks out the window; the warm gaze of the spring sun shines across the fortress.

He looks out his window and marvels at the red bricks that cover the lower sections of the fortress. From his room, he looks beyond and sees the gates open up for carriages and officials strolling around below. It had not rained, and there was no reason to think there would be. In the past, when Eel dreams and wakes up to a windy blizzard in his room, he thought it was winter winds running riot. But never had it been on this scale; his room was a mess, "Almost like a tornado," he says out loud.

Eel holds his chin in wonder; he has no real idea what is happening to him and why he keeps having weird dreams about storms. But he now knows there's a connection between his dreams and the carnage he sees before him.

Eel hears a knock on his door. His heartbeat races in fear of it being Oriòn. "Master Eel," he hears behind the knocks. "Your father summons you to his chambers." Eel panics as he hears this, "My father?" he yells.

"Yes, my lord," the voice responds. "Your father says you should meet him in the inner sanctum before his meeting in the hall."

Eel pauses in his panic. "The inner sanctum," he asks, "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, he's expecting you soon. I'll take my leave now if you don't need me," the voice replies.

"Yes, it's fine. You can leave. Have the guards bring a new wooden frame for my bed; my leopard has damaged this one," Eel says, hoping that wouldn't sound too weird.

"At once, my lord," the voice replies. "Please hurry to the regent."

Eel runs around, trying to clear up the mess before Oriòn comes up to check in. He doesn't speak to his father much, and when they speak, it is usually in the hall during or after his meetings. But now, he was invited to the inner sanctum, where his father and top officials met and discussed sensitive issues. He hasn't been there in a long time, not since he was a child and he went there with his mother while she was around.

He clears the debris in the room, goes into his bathroom to have his shower, and dresses up in his uniform before heading for his father's chambers. He knew he had pleased his father with the fight against Qadær, but he didn't expect to be summoned by his father so soon after. Eel walks across the fortress, passing by the guards as he walks towards his father's chamber. He climbs the steps up to the room, circling up to his office at the top room in the fortress.

Eel gets to the door, two guards stand there holding long staves by the entrance. "The regent is expecting me?" he says to them both.

"Yes, young master," one replies. The door to the room is large, molded in gold, and stamped in the middle with the statue of a leopard head. Nymera's head is bigger, he thinks to himself as they push open the doors.

He walks into his father's chambers, marveling at its elaborate designs. The marble floor reflects the stunning ceiling. A long chair has been placed by the wall, and his father's wooden table towers at the end of the room. Behind the table is a painting Eel had forgotten all about. In it, his mother holds him up as she cuddles up against his father's chest. Her smile lingers as she stares deep into his father's blank face. A door opens by the side of the painting, his father walks out with Jupiter behind him. Jupiter and his father share more contact than anyone in the kingdom. His room and office are adjacent to his father's and they have never been seen apart since Eel was a child.

"Eel, my boy," says Jupiter behind his father.

Eel stamps his chest in salute to them both. "Regent, Commander," he says to them.

"At ease, young lord," Jupiter replies. "I was most impressed with your technique yesterday; you are growing into a fine warrior."

"Thank you, commander, I am honored you think so," Eel replies, watching his father closely as he takes his seat.

"Excuse us," his father commands. Jupiter walks out of the room, his large boots chuckling against the marble floor. "Take a seat, Eel," his father says, pointing at the chair opposite him.

Eel sits down, watching his father closely. There was no way to tell what his father thought. Just the blankness of his face as he spoke softly.

"I am most impressed with your commitment to training these past few months," his father says to him.

Eel feels his heartbeat melt back into a pleasant rhythm as he hears this. Talking to his father made him anxious, but this… it was different. Destro had never said that to him in public or private. "Thank you, Father," he responds, grabbing the wooden chair tight.

Eel's father looks at him coldly as they speak, and then he turns back to the painting behind him. "You look so much like your mother," he says. "She never wanted this life for you. She had this dream of you becoming something like a writer or artist… But I knew it was all folly; you are a leopard, and your responsibilities require you to be able to defend yourself."

Eel listens fondly as his father speaks; there is a freshness to his tone when he speaks of his mother. They had never mentioned her since she died a few years after Eel was born. "I'm glad you are impressed, Father. Oriòn took his time to train me."

"Yes, and that young lady? The one whose move you used against the boy?" his father asks. "I'm not sure we have had a more skillful female cadet. Well… maybe your mother, but she had her sorcery so it does not count," he continues, laughing softly at his joke.

Eel follows his father's voice. This is new. My father is laughing and speaking so gently to me. "Mother was a guard?" Eel asks. He had always wanted to know more about his mother. He knew she was powerful, but no one ever really told him much about her life.

"Yes, Krva was a guard, a long time ago, in a period before we called them that." He continues, "She was the first female captain too. She led an elite group of special guards who had great power. She was… powerful," he says, his voice holding a subtle hint of fear.

"Wow… that is amazing. Wait? You know about Æsà?" Eel responds.

"It's my job to know the people that spend time with my only child. But a warrior like her, I would have found out sooner or later." He says. Destro stands and walks away from his desk. There is a wardrobe at the edge of the room. Papers are neatly stacked behind the shimmering glass. He takes some out and brings them to the table, "What do you know about sorcery, Eel?" he asks, shifting into the chair across from Eel.

Eel is confused by the question. "Not much, Father. Just that sorcerers are rare and extinct now. Died off in the last great war of the Regents," he replies.

"Yes, son. Fifty years ago, Talantia's regent waged war on all of the rest of Emeral. They had tamed the seas and trained an unreal amount of sorcerers to fight for them. A lot of people died in the war, and I'm happy your generation knows nothing much about it." His father responds. His voice is distant as he speaks to Eel about the war. "Back then, we had to harvest all the sorcerers and make them fight against Talantia." His father pauses; he takes a bottle below and pours some water into a glass. He sips it as he continues, "It was bloody, almost all of them died. But we won the war."

Eel feels his father's terror as he speaks. It is a subtle dread that follows his voice as he talks about the war. "It must have been hard on you, Father. What do you need me to do?"

"Yes, it was. Your uncle and I were younger than you when we fought our first war. But it's our responsibility to make sure it doesn't happen anymore," his father says, handing the paper to him.

"What's this?" Eel asks, stretching across to receive the paper. He opens it and reads the orders written on it.

"Give that to Oriòn. It's your first mission as royal guards. I chose it specifically because I need you to learn more about your responsibilities not just as a soldier, but as the son of the regent," his father says. "Don't fail me, son. I have high hopes for you."

Eel stands up and salutes his father. "Yes, Regent. We won't fail you, Father." His legs trembling as he responds.

Eel walks out of the room, and Jupiter stands by the door, resting on the edge of his axe. Eel admires the heavy monstrosity. The golden hilt rests on the floor as Jupiter smiles, speaking to the guards.

"Congratulations, young lord," he says to Eel. "And be careful out there. Follow Oriòn and you will be fine."

"Yes, Commander," Eel replies as Jupiter opens the door and goes back into the inner sanctum.