Heart's Revenge [On Hold]

Ch. 1: A Walk in the Woods

The day had dawned bright and clear, the sun rising quietly from his bed in the north. He greeted Naqam as he departed from the old castle he'd grown up in. Rays of light glanced off the dull red walls as he made his way to the Dark Forest, turning one last time to look at this place and wonder if he would really get to return here triumphantly.

Without a staff compelled to tend to its upkeep, the castle showed signs of neglect, excepting the chambers Naktis had claimed for himself. Naqam had left his own bedroom eagerly, happy to finally escape the ghosts that seemed to haunt the Ace's quarters.

He breathed deeply as he strode toward the trees, the air crisp and sweet in his lungs. For the first time in Naqam's eighteen years of life, he felt free as he began his journey. As he started his mission to tear the Spades down, brick by brick.

It was his destiny. His fate. It was what had been beaten into him, literally, every day since he had been old enough to pick up a weapon. It was a relief to finally be able to start down this path after so many years spent memorizing each and every step.

He knew it would take at least a week for him to travel through the Dark Forest on foot to get to Spade Castle near the eastern sea.

Part of his chafed at the idea that it would take so long, but the other part recognized that the solitude would finally give him the chance to really think about how he was going to accomplish his goals. It would give him an opportunity to do this without Naktis breathing down his neck or dogging his steps.

He scowled, thinking of his mentor's plan.

Naktis thought, rather foolishly is you asked Naqam, that the Spade King would simply accept him into his court with a cheery smile and open arms. But something told him that Naktis was mistaken in this regard.

For one, Naqam had been taught to never underestimate an opponent by the many books of war assigned to him as a child. For another, he felt that he had been given a glance behind the curtain.

The reason for this feeling of his was simple, though it surely would have earned him a whipping to secretly harbor the thoughts he did. Naqam frowned as he considered the how he had come upon the knowledge he had kept in his heart for so many years, quietly pondering it whenever he got the chance.

Once, when he had been about ten, Naktis had taken Naqam to the northern territory of Wonderland where the Diamond Deck resided. They had stayed in the capital city that surrounded the rebuilt Diamond Castle.

The Diamond Council had been hosting representatives of the Club Deck to discuss some treaty or another. Naktis had wanted to test Naqam's ability to infiltrate political functions.

Everything had gone well, Naqam pulling the job off effortlessly, and Naktis had rewarded him with an hour all to himself. So Naqam, being the adventurous sort, had decided to spend his precious hour alone exploring the strange city.

The bustle and hubbub had turned out to be quite overwhelming for a child who had been raised in solitude and Naqam had quickly found shelter in a spectacular marble building with what appeared to be about a million windows.

Slipping through one of the third floor windows, Naqam had been astonished to find himself in a vast room filled with nothing but scrolls and books. The smell of leather, paper and ink were so strongly embedded in his memory, Naqam fancied he could still smell the scent, even eight years later.

The hushed air had immediately soothed his anxiety and Naqam had decided then and there that for the rest of his precious hour, he would do nothing but explore this house of wonders.

He'd padded silently through the bright rooms, just letting his fingers trail over the smooth spines. He would stop every now and then to give a particularly interesting tome more than a cursory glance.