Sweet Waters Throne

230 Chapter 23Lord Leoric wasn’t alone when this note arrived in his castle. He was with his favorite courtesan inside his bed chambers, a young girl twenty years of age, seven years his junior and a foreigner. This courtesan came from Arboil, a far away city after crossing the Black Sea. Her skin was red – brown, neither pale nor ebony, it was clear she was of mixed blood just like Leoric although Leoric was a bit darker than her.

Her name was Lysene and she had huge brown eyes, some of the men who bought her feared she could be a witch because of her eyes and red hairs. However, Leoric seemed to be so taken by Lysene’s red hairs and her weird accent and unfamiliarity with the common tongue. Some of the words Lord Leoric spoke, Lysene failed to understand and she always needed a clarification and translation.

Leoric read Aryan’s letter aloud to Lysene, they were both naked on the bed after having some hot sexual pleasures.

Lysene asked, “Do you trust her?”

“Aryan?”

“Yes”

“She is the most decorated warrior in the whole kingdoms and even across the sea. If she wants to dethrone Artemis, then I dare say only she can do it” he replied sipping his wine.

“But if you do this... my Lord. Your wife will dessert you, and your king will...” Lysene failed to continue, she didn’t know what to say next.

“My king will...?”

.....

“I don’t know the word”

Leoric just loved how Lysene struggled with finding words to speak out, “Kill me? Is that what you wanted to say?”

“No, I meant... traitor” she was surprised that she remembered the word.

“Oh, brand me as a traitor?”

Lysene nodded, “Yes, and then... he will kill you”

Leoric had a smile on his face, he climbed off the bed and walked towards the fireplace. The darkness was upon them and the cold intensified, he threw Aryan’s letter on the fire and watch it burn.

He didn’t move until the letter turned to ashes, then he turned to look at Lysene.

“Have you ever seen a dragon?” he asked her.

Lysene shook her head, “No” with a smile. “Have you, my lord?”

“I was so close to the beast I could feel my own heart partying from my body. It was huge, black and the skin...” Leoric shifted from where he stood to Lysene on the bed. “It’s skin was hard, like a rock!” he said holding Lysene’s face in his arms.

“Really?”

“Yes, and it was so huge the size of a three story building. If that kind of a beast can be killed, that means it can be owned too. When we win this rebellion...”

Leoric seemed so assured by himself and his predictions. However Lysene wasn’t easily convinced by his plans and dreams. She took his arms and held them tight.

“If you win my lord” she corrected him.

“There’s no ifs Lysene, only when..” Leoric stood up again and this time he went on to stand beside the window looking at the sun setting slowly.

The sun looked as if it was being dragged away from Earth while it still wanted to shine by the way it was going slowly, almost forced by whoever was pulling it.

Suddenly the door was knocked, Leoric reached out for a piece of cloth and covered his lower body. Lysene tucked herself in the sheets, leaving only her head for display.

Leoric opened the door and he was face to face with his general slave, the leader of the Killers. All the Killers had no names, Leoric preferred it that way. He said names makes a man weak, emotional and hence he branded them nameless for eternity.

“What is it?” he asked the general slave.

“We have the location of your wife, master” said the general, his face cold and he stood firmly with his armory uniform.

“Where is she?”

“She is in Penrith, with his brother and a purple dragon. One of your spies delivered a letter through a raven”

The general handed Leoric a letter. Leoric took no time into opening it, he read it carefully and slowly. Then he walked back to the fireplace and tossed the letter to the fire, whatever was written inside the note would ruin his plans if anyone was to find out.

He went back to his general, “Write a letter to the spies, tell them to stay close to the dragon. If somehow it... lay eggs. They are to steal them and bring them to me, one million gold coins will be rewarded to them” he said looking at his general with eyes wide open.

“Yes, master. It shall be done” the general bowed respectfully and walked away.

Leoric sighed softly, everything was going on in accordance to what he wanted. Lysene asked, “Are you alright my lord?” and Leoric went back to her.

He sat on the bed close to Lysene, their eyes locked — these two understood each other, it’s like their souls were connected to one another. Leoric never felt this connection with Princess Aeryn, this was much more and that’s why he brought Lysene to his chambers — and on the same bed he slept with his wife. That’s how disrespectful he was willing to be for Lysene’s sake.

“My spies think the purple dragon is pregnant, and she may lay eggs anytime soon. If they get to her when she is at her weakest, they may be able to steal the eggs” he said to Lysene.

“What will you do with dragon eggs my lord?” Lysene’s eyes widened with amazement.

This amused Leoric, he reached out for her left cheek. “Start a war my love, a war to end all wars” he declared.

Back in Dark Town, Aurora was sitting on the triangle made of lit candles and surrounded by white salt. It’s been twenty minutes since she started to chant spells and calling Euric Morrow, the last Dragon.

She had her eyes shut, Visera advised her to do so because ghosts were terrified with human’s eyes. Either she lied or she was right, Aurora did it anyways.

After half an hour, she felt a strong wind blowing inside the room. The wind was so strong but what shook her was the candles still remained lightened up. They weren’t blown out by the wind, and with each passing moment, the wind grew more and more until Aurora passed out.

It was too much for her and she couldn’t handle it anymore. The spell took all that she had, but it was a success.

Aurora woke up to find herself in a completely new world. She was still in Dark Town, but this was one thousand years ago, during the time when the Morrows ruled the world.

She saw a city so beautiful with storey buildings painted in colorful colors, ranging from red, yellow, orange and even purple. She had never seen a colorful city in her entire life, her eyes popped up just from looking at the colorful buildings. The streets were crowded and almost everytime she bumped into a stranger, she didn’t know how to act or feel, or if they spoke the same language as her.

Just when she was about to ask a stranger about her whereabouts, she was struck with wonderment when she saw five dragons flying above her. The crowd cheered for the dragon riders, and that’s when she knew she had landed on a completely different time.

“This isn’t what’s suppose to be, something went wrong...” she grew anxious looking around, like a lost puppy in a crowd.

Then she heard a voice, “This is exactly what it’s suppose to be” it was a male voice, a bit husky and thick.

Aurora turned back quickly and she met with a very handsome man dressed in ancient cloths. He had pale silver hairs and his robe was made of wool, grey in color. He was barefooted but seemed to be so comfortable that way, Aurora without thinking, she blurted out. “Euric Morrow?” still unsure of who this strange man was.

“You summoned me, didn’t you?” asked Euric.

Aurora stuttered, “Yes I did, I mean... I... I didn’t expect to see you here. What’s this place?” she asked looking around at the people passing through them and seemed to be minding their own business.

The question made Euric smile, “I think you know exactly what this place is, the mighty seer”

“Old Dark Town?” she asked.

“During my reign, we referred to it as Maldonia... the land of opportunities and mystery. You would have loved Maldonia back then.”

“Why am I here?”

“I don’t know, you called me here” replied Euric placing his hands on the front.

Aurora was stunned, “I did?” she asked.

“You don’t have control over your powers yet, do you?”

Aurora shook her head, Euric said it was alright, after all the seers do talk time to master their crafts. They weren’t just dragon riders like others, they were more.

“Come, let me show you around your ancestral place” Euric reached out for Aurora’s hand, after a few seconds of thinking, Aurora grabbed his hand and they started to walk through out the streets of old Dark Town or as it was called, Maldonia.