Sentria: The Knight Prince (Book 1)

Chapter Eight: White Dove

The next morning, I was awoken by a dove at the opened window. I sat up and stared at it for a while, unsure if I was dreaming or not. Everything had felt so upside down ever since this misguided quest for my horse had started that I needed a moment for my senses to return to me.

"It's here for you," said Eldwyn from behind me.

I looked over my shoulder and saw Eldwyn watching the bird as well. "What are you going on about?"

"The dove, it's looking directly at you. It came for you."

"I'm not magick like you, relic. I am a normal mortal."

"We were all the same at one time, knight. The relics have only embraced the truth within."

"Well...what am I supposed to do with it?"

"You want to contact your family, yes? Send a letter to them."

I got out of bed and looked at the relic as if he had told me I could fly. "Do you know how long it takes to teach a carrier dove how to send messages? It's a complex process that requires skilled bird trainers."

Eldwyn got out of bed and stretched his arms. "I can talk to the wind, and you have a connection with animals. I saw you in the carriage ride here. You disappeared in a memory for a moment looking at them in the trees. What could it hurt by having faith?"

He wasn't completely wrong and I obliged silently. I sat at the old wooden desk and wrote a letter to my family with ink and a red robin quill. I had made my message clear to my family yet vague enough in case it was intercepted by one of our enemies so as not to incriminate myself. I didn't have the Colress seal to stamp it, so I plucked a strand of my black hair, and tied the rolled parchment small enough for the bird to carry. I slowly approached the dove, expecting it to fly away, but it only stared at me as if it knew me. As if it wanted to help. I placed the letter in its talons and said, "Take this to the Kingdom of Sentria." and the bird flew to the south s just as I had instructed it to do.

Eldwyn had a knowing look when I turned around. He didn't have to say anything and neither did I.

We were invited to breakfast in the royal dining room with the dark wizard and Princess Ilya. The princess had kept her eyes down even when she greeted us and the Wizard Allaster seemed all too delighted by our presence, like we were pigs to a slaughter. King Solice had multiple meetings with his council members and wouldn't be joining us.

"I hope you slept well," said Allaster, as the servants set our plates of breakfast before us. Ham slices, eggs, toast, and nectar juice.

"We did." I flashed a smile. "Thank you."

"I am glad. It's been a long time since we've had guests here at Cardoth Castle."

"And how long have you been here?" I didn't want to create commotion, but many questions still lingered in the air.

"Not very long," he said, after sipping from his nectar juice. "As you well know, the northern kingdoms are more accommodating to relics, wizards, and witches. Most royal houses have mages to advise them in their affairs. heir supernatural pedigree provides them supernatural insight. Cordath has only recently embraced our council."

"Around the time of Princess Ilya's birth, correct?" I asked. There were rumors around the time of my birth that King Solice had a daughter, but it had never been substantiated...until now.

"...You do know your history." Allaster smiled a wide smile. "I've been here for nearly two decades."

I looked over at the princess as she continued to eat her food. She acted as if we weren't talking about her at this very table.