Rune Mage [Fantasy/Adventure | Book 1 +2 | Complete]

CHAOS MAGE Chapter 28: The Palace of King Feures Tophalis

Eleia had heard the rumours and remembered the bedtime stories from her nannies well. The first palace of King Feures, her great-many times over-grandfather, was the stuff of legends. A man who built his empire from nothing through utilising the power of his friends, House Gulmore, House Tophalis's longest allies; who overpowered the strongest of House Havris and forcing them to yield, thus setting precedence of the strongest house ruling the region; who forced House Luddas subsequently to kneel after seeing the fall of House Havris; and who recruited House Delnargin through a common goal of ruling through strength and House Bunarsa through their mutual hatred of Karma's dominance over Acrise.

King Feures Tophalis was also the one who convinced Hanna, the first summoner, to bless him with the gift of summoning magic, and unified the many remaining tribes across the land into what was known as the holy country of Hanna today. But his palace in Traquair had long been abandoned after many floods and taken over by nearby wild animals. Eleia slid off her horse and stared in awe. A heavy mist sat low and bathed the feet of the rocks dotted around the marshy ground, giving the area a mystical glow. Animals shuffled and ambled away from the direction of Eleia's group, eyeing them warily from afar. The constant flooding in and out of the water made the ground soft and Eleia had to stop and tug her weak leg out of the wet soil several times. Despite her protestations, Okin hoisted her onto his back again per Kaim's orders, not minding the mud from her boots sticking onto his robes. Kaim led the way ahead.

She hadn't spoken to him since he forcibly removed her from Scholar Solidor's home. Kaim had always been so supportive of her aspirations to support Magus to the throne and to restore peace amongst the Hannans as her father had endeavoured to during his years as king. Not once had he dismissed her worries or wishes until that night in Leitholm, when the Karman twins decided to leave the group and head for Bairnkine instead. That should have been the logical step. Everything they did so far had been for Magus. They recruited in Magus's name, trained with Magus's ascension in mind, and spoke of how they would live their lives once he was king and he settled peace with Karma.

And yet when Magus needed them most, when he headed east as a prisoner of her abominable oldest brother, they abandoned him for their own gains, putting greater and greater distance between them. Kaim hadn't apologised at all for his actions, but Okin had thrown her apologetic looks.

Kaim's jaw moved, but she couldn't read his words. He and Okin both spoke facing ahead, one of her biggest peeves. It was an obvious ploy now, compared to the occasional slip-up before, to isolate her from their plans. What she couldn't hear she couldn't interfere in. Her hands curled into fists.

"You okay?" Okin turned his face and said. Eleia scowled at him and turned her head away, deliberately slapping him in the face with her plaits as she did so.

When the men's feet hit solid ground, Okin allowed her to slide off but supported her elbow as she regained her balance on the uneven ground. She straightened her back and eased the ache in her hip from tugging her bad leg about. Lifting up her head, she took in the palace in silence.

Moss covered patchy surfaces of the stone palace. The battlements had chunks missing, eroded by the wind and rain and probably broken from century-past battles. It spread left and right as far as she could see. A distinct scent of wet soil and sodden foliage hung in the air.

Kaim led the way in. Eleia followed, hobbling along, her little pouch of summoner's dust acquired from Leitholm bouncing at her hip. Okin kept close to her in case she wobbled. Cornello's absence hadn't gone unnoticed. She hoped Kaim had a small piece of compassion in his heart in the end and sent him after the Karman twins, otherwise, she dreaded to think how they would fare in the east, with the unpredictable sandseas and deadly creatures beneath the surface and them being so foreign to the ways of Hanna. And if they needed help, nobody would find them for months.