Chereads / Roost of the Palace / Chapter 22 - Chapter 21: Road trip

Chapter 22 - Chapter 21: Road trip

Steady creeks of the carriage could be heard from the inside. The old wooden wheels rolled and bounced on all the stones and gravel of the road. From the inside, Shir could see at least ten workers alone, counting in the five guards, this was quite the sight. A large, grand royal carriage, with a smaller storage just behind. Along with plenty of riders following along. Shir always thought the carriages were boring but it does remind her of her richer life. Seeing the forests and farmland in a distance whilst this carriage traveled the side of the valley.

On the inside the Princess sat bored. Resting her back on soft pillows as the carriage travled west, there wasn't much for her to do. Infront of her, Toney was reading the translated notes. The mage looking impressed, "care to share?" Shir asked, her tone betraying her boredom.

"Just the instructions, it speaks of an alchemy set up I have never thought to use" Toney mused. "It seems to mix the purification process of gaining extracts with the brewing process of alchemy itself. Describing a set up far more advanced than I have ever heard of".

Shir titled her head at this, "a more advanced set? Is there more advancements these ruins have?". The Princess thought to herself, imagining what a more advanced civilisation could look like. Thinking of more effective carriages for horse drafts, prettier or more unique architect. As she thought the image of the grand arch came back, remembering what the voice had told her. To find this arch, this "entrance", and the history would be written on the walls?

"This sounds like something I should tell Toney" she thought again, clearing her throat to gain his attention. "Hey, Toney" she hesitated, the mage narrowing his eyes in a concern.

"Yes, Princess?" Toney asked, putting a book mark where he was left off and shutting the book. "Of course" Shir thought, "he can feel when it talks".

"About the voice" she started, the mage sitting up straighter as she talked.

"Yes, anything new?" He asked, leaning in to listen clearly.

"Last night, when my chambers filled with smoke" Shir took a breath. Feeling the sensation of the smoke entering her lungs. Thick and heavy. "Before that happened I had a dream. It was there but I couldn't see it, he was... in a quartz arch, inside it was fog but he was in there" she tried to explain the picture. The mage looking more alarmed now.

"What did he say?" Tonies voice grew more serious, pulling out a spare notebook to take notes. "If it can enter dreams, this is not some little issue, it can be a lot, a lot of bad" he warned.

"I- well I paniced when I couldn't move in the dream, that's when he spoke. He told me to relax and calm down" Shir thought back to how the conversation started. Most of what she can remember is being fearful of what he wanted. "He also told me that all I needed to know is that that "he is not my enemy" and that was all I needed to know" she added. Toney wrote that down, frowning at the as he looked it over.

"Anything else?" Toney asked, concern lacing his words.

"That" Shir hesitated, remembering back before she spoke, "we were stuck with each other". And that he had only just awakened, he had also said that his name no longer has a meaning. That he was "a past King and a future King" or something similar". Toney wrote that down and thought it over before speaking.

"A ghost? Or something else that can possess?" Toney questioned, more so to himself.

"When I asked was when the smoke started, the smoke covered the quartz arch" Shir confessed. Remembering how the heat intensified in her dream but when she woke, the smoke didn't have much temperature. It put its own fire out for it to be hot.

"This could be" Toney spoke slowly, his eyes showed how his mind raced, "problematic". The mage hummed and reached for his back, pulling out the bestiary. Flipping through the pages, he stopped on the page that showed an exotic looking fox.

"What's that?" Shir asked, looking at the drawing of a gorgeous fox. Curled up with six or nine tails.

"I doubt it is real but a kitsune" Toney explained, "it has many reportings and all are very different in nature. But they all speak of a multi tailed fox, it has been said to enter dreams". The mage didn't seem too sure but he continued to read through the creature's description.

As Shir tried to read over his shoulder, she could hear the voice chuckle deeply. Sounding amused by the mage's guess, "I can promise you Princess, I am no kitsune". His voice was muffled still but the mage still hummed as he sensed it. "Then what are you?" Shir thought a little bitterly. "What did he say?" Toney asked.

"That he is no kitsune". The mage grinned and stated as if he was onto something, following a trial.

"That is exactly what a kitsune would say!" Toney stated, looking as though he feels more sure about his judgement.

"He is right but I can assure you that I am not" the voice whispered again, his pitch muffled. Sounding like he was talking through a door inside her mind. "Maybe" Shir nodded slowly, trying to see whatever she can learn about a kitsune.

"Did he cause the smoke?" Toney asked, looking up from the book. Shir hesitated before answering.

"He says that I am free from any spell or curse but I don't belive him" the Princess expressed. Her suspicions growing the more this thing talks. He is yet to answer her question.

Toney hummed to himself, his brows furrowed deeply, the mage looking to be under stress as he tried to think it through. Shir sat quietly, both Toney and this mystery voice were silent. The only sounds can be heard from the carriage, the large wheels rolling on the gravel and stones. Horse hooves clunking and walking through the path. They huffed as they travelled. "He can be anything" Toney finally spoke up. The longer that pause went, the more tense and nervous the Princess got. A fear began to brew within her, maybe it is harmless but more often than not, these things tend to be parasites.

"What do you think that can mean?" Shir asked, her voice toned down and her breath quivered. The mage frowned in a disappointment, looking away for a moment before admitting.

"I don't know" he spoke apologetically, "I'm sorry but I really don't". They both sat in silence, dread built on these pauses, thriving in the suspension. "At least," Toney cleared his throat and tried to sound more cheerful, "not in here. I don't have any of my equipment to start investigating here" he elaborated.

"So do I have to wait until we set up camp?" Shir asked, not sounded the most confident in that plan. The mage nodded, a soft smile on his face.

"Either there or when we go back to the castle" Toney shrugged, he leaned back and seemed to be in thought before adding. "To be honest, I don't think we would be back at home for a few weeks. I was told to take my time in my investigations so we could spend months here".

Shir thought about that for a moment. "Months? Here?" She mused, wondering if she could stay camping for months and be comfortable. "But this entrance" she then thought back, remembering the grand and fineness of the quartz. Remembering how delicately crafted it looked. "Toney" the Princess then spoke up, the mage nodded in response. "Just now, when you sensed him, he told me to look for the entrance I saw. Told me that once we find that, that history would be on the walls" she explained. Realising that this thing may be related to the volcano ruins.

Toney raised an eyebrow, titled his head as he thought about it. Having the same realisation as the Princess. "How- what did this "entrance" look like? What kind of building?" Toney questioned. Of course they had to investigate this tip, who knows what they could find.

"My best guess, a castle or Palace" Shir made the shape of the arch she saw. Exaggerating the size, the arch was huge compared to her. Though, she was in a dream. "It was certainly big enough and grand enough to be one" the Princess added.

The mage nodded slowly to himself, in deeper thought now as he thought through all the details. "He could be related to the ruins- he did say he was a past King" Tonies eyes lit up in an excitment, theories forming in that mind of his. "Maybe he was the King who lived there before the volcano erupted?- There is no report of such a Palace, this could be a whole new Kingdom since before Vallendrconis!" Toney snatched his notebook from the table. Rushing to write down each thought of the matter. It didn't take a minute until the first page was full with notes and theories.

"Was there a kingdom since before Vallendrconis?" Shir questioned, titling her head in a doubt. Sure, her kingdom was one of the newest. Only being a few hundred years old but there couldn't have been a whole other kingdom from before the first foundations of her castle. Not without it being known or even myths of one, such as the old stories of Atlantis. But for a whole kingdom to vanish from the course of history is purely unlikely. There must have been something to suggest it and as far as Shir is aware there isn't. Only that the volcano erupted roughly a hundred and fifty year ago and only recently stopped. If there was a kingdom in the volcano, surly they would have known.

"You'll be surprised, Princess" the voice whispered again, his voice now laced with a grief. "Men and can cruel and unforgiving, you will be surprised to hear how much history can be buried away". As it spoke, Toney again tensed and looked around. There was no physical sign of him, only his whispers.

"Did it say anything?" Toney asked, suspicion now in his voice. Shir nodded.

"I was just thinking my doubts of how a kingdom can completely gone from history" Shir confessed, "then he told me that I would be surprised. So maybe he confirmed your theory?" The Princess shrugged, unsure on how to feel about this.

Toney only hummed, leaning back to think. With a soft sigh, Shir looked out of the window. Soft breezes of cool air flowed in as the distance could be seen through the long hills and fields. Behind them was the forest, her mighty trees kept guard as the carriages and horse backs emerged from mother nature's gate. Infront of them would be the rest of the days travel with the volcano sitting right in middle of the kingdom. The softer signs of the volcanos smoke just visible, rising from large mouth that poked out from behind the large hills. Sitting soundlessly, waiting to be explored.

Shir felt her excitment grow once again, the volcano had been strictly guarded. The King himself warning his people of the dangers, even if it had stopped erupting a few years back. The heat from the larva that was still cooling had caused casualties. It wasn't until a nobles son had died when exploring when the King announced that no-one that, without his permission could go near the volcano. Not too many people were bothered but now feeling the slight heat from the volcano that was still a half a days away; Shir felt her heart pound, itching to see what secrets the volcano had gatekept. What kind of history awaits her and the team to dig up from the ashes. And what kind of link does this voice have with it.