He watched while she looked around the table, admiring her enticing beauty, and he could swear she was becoming more beautiful with each passing day and wondered if it was the child she was carrying that made her glow like a full moon in the darkest night!
" You will have to keep away from the sword! Its effects will fade away over time! It will also consume Seth's soul that lies within you if you keep using it!" Iris warned in a serious tone while her eyes settled on Ian, where she could see specks of amber returning into his eyes.
" We will look in the armoury later to find something that doesn't turn you into a creature from a different realm!" Athan explained, placing his elbows on the table and resting his chin on his intertwined fingers.
" Creature from another realm?" Ian questioned, his eyebrows raised in surprise.
" Mhm! The sword belongs to the previous guardian of the Hollow! It is forged deep in the fire of the Hollow, and it is the only thing that can claim the life of the guardian!" Rhya explained while her eyes roamed around the table, while everyone held a worried expression on their faces.
" How did our kind get their hands on it?" Ian questioned, looking at Iris, that had a sullen expression.
" Long time ago, the previous guardian coveted just like this one, the power that our kind wielded. Seth struck a bargain with him; he would follow him in the Hollow in exchange for the safety of our kind! The sword has been given to us to show that he will keep his promise and stop hunting us down! As time passed, a new guardian took his place, and I guess he wasn't happy with the bargain that Seth had made! That's when he came after me and took me to the Hollow with him!" Iris shed some light on the matter, sighing heavily and pondering whether she should do the same and struck a similar bargain to end the war.
Ian frowned and wondered if they considered destroying the damn thing and getting it over with since it attracted so much unwanted attention.
" Have you ever considered destroying Arkathira?" Ian proposed while turning his attention to Iris, that arched an eyebrow in question.
" Previous Queens have tried but to no avail!" Athan informed while taking a deep breath and puffing his cheeks in frustration.
" Hmm! Interesting!" Ian hummed absently, deep in thought, trying to devise a way to destroy Arkathira and live the rest of his life with Iris as he wanted.
" Have you tried?" Ian questioned, lifting his head to look at Iris, that frowned and shook her head.
" It won't work! There is no point in trying, we draw from it, and the moment we try to destroy it, the amount of power we use will diminish, and it won't be enough to end it!" she reasoned while Athan nodded, understanding her point of view.
Ian clicked his tongue " Have you tried putting it into a vessel?" he curiously questioned while his eyes stayed on Iris, that shifted in her chair.
" We tried, but we haven't found one strong enough to hold it!" she replied sullenly at the memory of the things they have tried to contain Arkathira, but nothing worked.
" I see! I guess it is time to look for one and end this madness! It is time to have some peace of mind!" Ian stated in a serious tone while pushing the plate in front of him.
" What kind of vessel would we need to contain it? He continued leaning in his chair, placing his hands at the back of his head.
" Nothing can contain Arkathira for long, but we need something strong enough to hold it long enough for me to channel it somewhere else! Iris's explained, letting out a heavy sigh to her knowledge such a thing or person didn't exist and even planning for it would be futile.
" Hmm! I'm guessing it would have to be someone strong and of our kind!" Ian concluded, raking his hand through his hair.
" In that mountain of scrolls and parchments in the library, is there any method or mention of such thing? He questioned while looking at Athan, that looked at the empty plate in front of him.
" Athan! You're not with us again!" Ian commented in an amused tone.
" Well, there would be something, but as far as I know, I haven't seen one!" he vaguely explained while getting up from his chair and clearing the table.
" What that might be?" Ian curiously asked while his eyes followed Athan around.
" There is an ancient prophecy! That a girl will be born from fire and blood, that will bear the mark of our people, but she will be the one to end our kind for good!" he sullenly explained, hoping the girl would never be born.
" And you think the girl is the one able to contain Arkathira?" Ian curiously questioned while narrowing his eyes at him.
" I'm not sure, but I think so!" Athan confirmed while taking the pile of plates and walking out of the room.
" It's been a bedtime story for children for generations!" Iris added while standing up herself, taking Ian's hand.
" You were a story, yourself!" he retorted while standing up and walking out of the room along with Iris.
Iris sighed " You are right! Maybe we shouldn't dismiss it just yet!" she agreed while walking through the corridors of the lavish castle.
Ian mumbled something to himself, thinking that everything was so far away from him and walking through those long corridors was a hassle and a waste of time.