AS the moonlight shines on his window, Kane Fiore, one of the three well-known Archers of the Maelie Kingdom, can't help but wonder where on earth will the Light Oracles go. He just saw them fly over his town towards the south. And there is only one village left on the south; the Chaaya Village where the ungifted gather and form a tribe.
As far as he knows, there had been no announcement of any raid or even an emergency signal where all eleven Light Oracles are needed. There only had been one and the bells rang that time to commence the raid; when the Akashia Village was annihilated. And yet, tonight, all eleven oracles are heading in the same way.
"Could it be that they have finally found the Lord of Shadows? Chaaya Village would be a good place to hide," He whispered to himself.
Kane was about to stand up but pulled to a stop when an arm reached for him and pulled him back to bed. The moment he sat down once again, the woman's arm wrapped his body and her lips kissed his neck. Her dark crimson-colored hair flowed on his shoulder as her naked breast touched his back. His breathing started getting heavy as her hands slid up and down his arms.
"Where are you going?" The woman whispered in his ear seductively.
"To have some air, Your Grace," He answered.
"Don't go. Stay, Kane." She whispered again as she pressed her naked body on his. Lust engulfs him.
Before he could think, his body reacted to her temptation. Just a few seconds and they have fallen to their desire once again.
As the dawn breaks, while smoking his last cigarette, Kane looks at the sleeping princess beside him.
Carmine Maelie, the only remaining princess of the Horalee Kingdom, the sole heir to the throne.
She's every man's dream because of her outstanding beauty; dark crimson hair that matched her white porcelain skin perfectly, slightly pouted pinkish lips and red diamond eyes. Not to mention her perfectly curved body.
No single man in the kingdom will not wish and crave for her.
That is why he can't still believe that she has chosen him as her lover; though it is still a secret. Their relationship cannot be known by anyone especially by the king because before he is a well-known Archer, he is still a commoner. And commoners don't have a place in the castle.
Just by stepping inside it without the permission or invitation of anyone from the Royal Family will be treated as a grave sin, what more will be the punishment by taking the virginity of the only princess of the kingdom.
Kane looks back once again to the crimson princess when she moved a little on his bed. He grinned after realizing just how lucky he is by being the first man of Carmine Maelie.
Carmine is only using her influence and power to have this kind of time with him without the king knowing it. That effort becomes a little special for him, enough for him to think that there could be between them which is more than what they have right now.
But even though they had this kind of intimate relationship, he knows well enough that there is no love between them. They only need one's presence in their lives. After all, they started by licking each other's wounds from the past they wanted to forget; his family's death and Carmine's sister's death in the hands of the rumored Lord of Shadows whom no living being has ever seen yet.
He wanted revenge. His only goal is vengeance. Once he kills the Lord of Shadows, he is willing to face death at the hands of the king because of what he did with Carmine. After all, his life will be meaningless after he takes the head of the Lord of Shadows.
Heaving a sigh, he threw his cigarette in the ashtray before going back to Carmine's side.
THE NEXT MORNING
With furrowed brows, Kane got off from his horse in front of the gate of the Maelie Castle. A short steward took the reign from him and guided his horse to the stables.
Thinking of the possibilities on why the King has summoned him to the castle, he cannot remember anything he might have done to catch the king's attention; well except for what he has with Carmine.
He suddenly stopped in the golden hallway going to the Throne Room. He is ready to die for that but not today. He immediately turned his heels to leave but was stopped by two guards wearing gold and red armor.
"Sir Kane Fiore, the King is waiting for you," A familiar voice said from his back.
Kane turned back and saw the King's advisor in front of the opened door to the Throne Room, looking so dignified on his red robe while holding his journal in the right hand.
"Niele," He hissed between clenched teeth.
Of all the people in the castle, the advisor is the last person he wanted to see.
Who would ever want to see an old man who threw a glass of expensive wine on him just because he accidentally touched his shoulder?
The advisor might not remember that day because he was too drunk that time but Kane could not forget it; all because he paid for the damaged robe he hired for the birthday celebration of Carmine and it was so expensive. It caused him almost his six months' pay as an instructor of archery in the military.
Kane inwardly cursed before proceeding towards the Throne Room but stopped in front of Niele.
"Just a question, am I a prisoner or a visitor?"
"Common Sense. If you are a prisoner, you are not walking so free right now," Niele answered before walking past him.
"I was just making sure," He exclaimed to the two guards and both snorted before he followed Niele inside.
It may be his second time to enter the Throne Room after the day he received his title as an S-Class Archer, but still, he can't help but be nauseated by the extravagance of the place.
Golden floor tiles, midnight black walls with crimson red curtains from the ceiling down to the floor, huge windows where the kingdom can be seen in full view, and the Crimson Throne that had been passed down by the Maelies ever since their family took over the country.
For an horalee, just being in the same room with the Royal Family is already a great honor. But for Kane, it's suffocating.
He had never liked the Royal Family. He may have once looked up to them, but when they did nothing when his family was killed, he lost his respect for them. The only reason he still follows their order is that they have been hunting the Lord of Shadows.
If there is an easy way to reach the murderer of his family, he will cling to that. That was his resolve.
As soon as the King entered the room followed by Carmine, everybody in the room kneeled.
"Arise." The King commanded as soon as he sat down on the throne and everybody resumed their positions.
His eyes immediately locked with Carmine but she looked away. It made him wonder but he decided to set it aside before he turned his gaze to the King. The King's advisor immediately stepped forward to the center and started the meeting.
"All of you had been called here to conclude the raid that happened last night. We have confirmed the location of the Lord of Shadows."
Kane's gaze flew to Carmine but she averted her eyes.
He had been tracking the whereabouts of the Lord of Shadows and he'd been open about it to her. And yet, she hid the fact that she knew what was going on for the past few days in the palace.
"Unfortunately, by confirming that, we have lost every one of the raid team last night including five Light Oracles and their dragons. The other six had been injured."
"How come? On the last raid that happened on the Akashian's Land, we have not lost even one oracle?" one of the elite nobles asked.
"But now, we have lost not only one but five?" Another one exclaimed.
"That only means that the Lord of Shadows grows stronger and stronger every day." One of the councilors, Xici, answered.
"According to our investigation with the remaining oracles, the Lord of Shadows can increase his army by using the dead," Niele said as he opens his journal.
Kane's brows furrowed in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"One of the Oracles witnessed how he extracted the shadows of those who had died last night. He did not believe it at first but he saw again how the Lord of Shadows extracted the shadows of the Oracles and the dragons he killed."
Whispers and murmurs engulfed the whole place. Each of them has something to say.
Kane stood back and leaned on the nearest foundation, thinking about what Niele explained. He could not even imagine how someone could extract a shadow from someone's body.
"But shadows are shadows, is it not? What can a shadow do to hurt someone?"
"They might be in the form of shadows; immortal and cannot be killed by normal people like us. But they can solidify their form that could hurt us." Xici explained.
"Then how can we kill them if the Lord of Shadows could bring them back again and again?"
"Even if they are being torn apart, they could just go back to being a shadow. The Lord of Shadows could call them back anytime," one of the nobles survivors who witnessed what happened in the center of town five years ago, said with a trembling voice.
"We can't even kill the Lord of Shadows himself if he is being protected by his army. Then you are saying that he can increase his army by extracting shadows from the dead? It seems that this is hopeless."
Niele looked back to the King. When the King allowed him to speak, he walked to the center and closed his journal, "There is a way to stop the shadows."
"How?" Kane asks.
"By assassination."
AS soon as Kane came back to his house, a portal in the middle of his room opened and Carmine emerged from it.
"What are you doing here?"
"I know that when you learned where the Lord of Shadows is, you will immediately leave."
"And yet, you didn't tell me. Why?" Kane asked while staring directly into Carmine's crimson eyes. Her lips twitched as she reached for his hand.
"I don't want you to leave, Kane. Facing the Lord of Shadows alone is too much for you. I'm afraid that you might not return to me once you go."
"You know how much I hated that monster for taking my family's life. And I don't care whether I return alive or not. What's important to me right now is killing him with my own hands? I won't allow anyone to kill him aside from me," he hissed full of hatred.
Carmine clenched her fists on her gown before she stepped forward, "You are not the only one who lost someone in the hands of that monster! A lot of people do. A lot of survivors hated him and wanted to kill him. But if you lose your life by fighting him, then there will be no meaning in your victory. I'm begging you, Kane. Let an assassin kill him for us. Don't go! I will let father know my relationship with you and we can live peacefully here."
Kane was stunned by the next thing Carmine did. She kneeled in front of him and bowed.
TO BE CONTINUED