The Corin Chronicles Volume I: The Light and the Dark (10 page)

“Please do not question my intentions, Master Kirinki,” said Selena. “I have told you he is not the Anointed One, and I will wish nothing more than to have your complete trust, but he remains frightened when strangers look at his whole face.”

Kirinki cast a cold gaze at her. “I shall continue to indulge you until we reach Goneca, but once there, I demand to know the whole truth.”

For the first time since Selena had met him, Kirinki’s voice sent a chill through her. “If we get to Goneca and remain safe,” she said, “then you have my word.” She stepped back into the carriage, with her son closely behind.

2.3

G
ONECA

A
month had passed since Selena first arrived at the docks of Calcara. Although she hoped she would get to Goneca safely, there were times she did not truly believe she would, which made finally seeing it all the more precious. Since they had arrived, Selena noticed that the inhabitants of the town seemed oblivious to the terror rippling across the rest of planet. She could see it in the way people danced in the streets, some performing acts of magic on the corners. The children played with stones, leaves, and paper, all with smiles on their faces. She began to imagine Siroco slowly becoming more accustomed to the children of Goneca, perhaps even making friends. However, the inhabitants and town leaders had so far welcomed her with caution, unsure of why a petite woman and her young child had arrived at their city with so much protection, with both of their identities hidden, and paying for everything in gold and rubies.

On their fifth night in Goneca, Selena sat in the largest tent on the edge of the town, acquired through the persuasive power of her seemingly endless stack of gold. She held on to Siroco tenderly, while her minders continued to scour every inch of the village looking out for any potential threats, as they had done each night since they had arrived.

Gertrude had departed shortly after their arrival in Goneca, so she no longer had the ear of another woman when the need arose. She did begin to acquaint herself with most of her protectors, however, though she only felt comfortable around a few. Apart from Kirinki and Samma, she usually confided in Cramo, a tall, muscular man without a strand of hair on his head. Some of the other people who made her feel at ease were Joshua and Tranin, both originally from Corin and easily the tallest of her guards.

“So will you reveal your true reasons for being here?” Kirinki caught her unawares with his presence, but it was a warm presence. His face always carried an element of gentleness. “The fact that you are paying us so much suggests that you fear someone or something, and I cannot help you unless you let me.” He edged farther into the tent. “If what you say is true, and your son is not the Anointed One, then why else would anyone want a woman like you dead?” He peered deeply into her eyes. “A woman of splendor and incomparable beauty. A woman any man would travel to the ends of the world for, just to see those beautiful eyes.” Kirinki maintained his gaze at Selena for a few moments before slowly easing himself to the ground.

Gently lifting her arms away from Siroco, she walked toward Kirinki. “But how do you know of my beauty?” she said. “You have not truly laid eyes on my face.”

Kirinki did not respond but only stared at the ground, his eyes filled with emotion. As she approached him, Selena carefully removed her veil and knelt down next to him, caressing his face with one hand.

Kirinki nearly flinched upon noticing that he was no longer looking at a veiled face. Before him, instead, was a face of immense grace and beauty. Selena’s skin glowed in the moonlight. Her lips were moist and supple. The eyes he had always thought beautiful seemed even more heavenly when matched with the rest of her face. “By the gods,” he said finally. “You are even more beautiful than I could have imagined.”

Selena extended her other hand and continued caressing his face. “Genevieve spoke of you with such love, and I refused to believe that such a thing existed. But now I understand why she loved you so. You are a wonderful man, Kirinki, and I cherish the day I met you, but I fear there is something else that pierces your heart. I heard about your brother. Did he too fight for Auphora?”

Raising his hand, Kirinki started to reach toward her face before withdrawing his hand sharply, resting it instead on the ground. “Genevieve was everything to me,” he said softly. “I was an acquaintance of her father here on Tyranis, but following my first visit through the Shallows, she welcomed me to Corin with so much enthusiasm, and although she was already with another, our love grew. But we were never to be.”

Kirinki looked up into Selena’s eyes and felt a tear fall from his own. “The story of my brother is one that continues to haunt me. He was the man I should have been. He loved and protected me, but he started to serve a cause I could not follow. I am like every other man you see before you. I fear and love the gods in equal measures, but I refused to fight for them. I wonder now if I might have been able to save his life if I had fought.”

“So he died during the Battle of Corin?” Selena spoke softly.

Kirinki nodded slowly and looked into her eyes. “What is the real story behind Siroco?” he mumbled. “You have my word that I will protect him, no matter what you tell me.”

Selena immediately retracted her hands and stood up. Using the veil to cover her face once more, she walked back to her son and sat on the ground next to him. “I do owe you the truth,” she said. “But I fear for the life of anyone who knows the burden we carry. I thank you for bringing us this far, but I plead with you to ask no more questions of me.”

Kirinki stood and approached the entrance before looking back at Selena. “He does not talk much, does he?” He shifted his gaze to the pale child. The boy sat on his mother’s lap, with a look of fear in his eyes. “It is all right to speak, boy. Or are you unable to?”

The child shrugged and held on to his mother tightly, as if afraid of the questions being asked of him.

“I have told you, he does not speak with strangers in the room. It is just the way he is.”

“Well, if he is not the Anointed One, who is he? A prince of some sort?”

“As I said, the less you know, the safer it will be for you.” Selena’s face hinted at irritation.

Sensing that his employer had become agitated, Kirinki made his way outside the tent, where a thick fog had started to develop. Yet as far as he could tell, nothing sinister was brewing.

Inside the tent, Selena maintained her gaze on the spot where Kirinki had stood just before leaving. Tears filled her eyes, with some falling on Siroco. Her crying turned to gentle sobbing as all the memories of those who had died protecting her and Siroco came flooding back. Lost in her thoughts, she felt a gentle tugging on her dress. Initially ignoring it, a smile crept in among the tears, when she realized that her son was trying to attract her attention while giving her all of his, something she had not witnessed for as long as she could remember.

“What troubles you, Mother?” Siroco asked in the faintest of voices.

Laughing and crying at the same time, Selena lifted her son from her lap and embraced him ever so tightly. “Nothing troubles me, my son,” she replied. “I am just thinking about your father and how brave he was.”

“I do not remember much of my father,” Siroco said, his voice steady. “Was he like Master Kirinki?”

“Yes, yes,” said Selena. “He was much like Master Kirinki, and he kept us safe, just like Master Kirinki.” Selena paused to think about the words that came out of her mouth. “He does. He really is doing everything in his power to keep us safe.” She spoke softly, almost to herself.

Siroco held his hands out and returned the embrace. “Do you think of Master Kirinki as you thought of father?”

Wiping the tears from her face, Selena started to breathe heavily as she composed herself. “It is a different kind of feeling,” she said. “I was in love with your father for many years, while I am just beginning to love the gentleness and kindness of Master Kirinki. He is a great man.”

“Could he be my father one day, too?” Siroco’s voice seemed to tremble, causing Selena to look at him intently. She noticed that he had a tear in his eye, something she had not seen since the day his father died when he was merely five years old, just before they first encountered the Shallows.

“My son, one thing you must understand is that nothing is certain. Our futures are not yet written, but I pray that yours is a bright one.” In that moment, she felt overcome with a sense of peace and joy. “For your name shall be remembered through time.”

2.4

D
ISCOVERED

D
ays went by and Goneca remained peaceful, which gave Selena a new sense of hope. She even ventured outside the confines of her tent on a few occasions, tightly holding her young son. Residents of the town whispered as she walked around, almost dwarfed by the bodyguards that surrounded her. Her long, brown hair and soft, hazel eyes made it harder to justify why such an innocent looking young woman needed so much protection.

The days seemed to imitate each other, with long, bright spells of sunlight and minimal activity. But everything changed one cloudy night, when thunderstorms and heavy rain started to fall amid surging winds. The town’s residents retreated to their tents, as Selena’s bodyguards continued to scour the entire area.

The rain intensified, and as the night progressed, the icy winds howled. For the first time since coming to Goneca, Selena felt real fear, but she tried to put the feeling aside. Her hope dwindled, however, with the sudden emergence of Kirinki. Gone was his usual look of assurance and calm. In its place was one of fear and worry. “Lady Selena,” he said in a panic. “There is something wrong. We can see a horde of riders approaching.”

“Do…do you think it is them?” Selena rushed toward him.

“I cannot be sure, my lady, but at times like these, we can take no chances.” Kirinki held open the flap over the tent entrance, and Cramo, Tranin, Joshua, and Samma entered. Each had some difficulty squeezing their huge frames through the small opening. The men seemed flustered, though they each tried to hide the fear in their eyes. Still, Selena felt reassured to see them all, standing ready to protect her and Siroco.

“We must take Lady Selena and leave here at once,” said Samma, his voice wavering.

“What did you see?” asked Kirinki.

“We counted at least five groups of riders coming here,” interrupted Cramo. “Enough to slaughter this entire village.”

Silence crept upon them. The only sound was that of the local inhabitants scampering around outside, as the thunder of approaching horses drew closer.

“We cannot just leave without knowing where they might ambush us,” said Tranin. “Doing that could lead us directly into a trap. Besides, we all know that should the riders come here to find that we are gone, they will believe that the village folk harbored us, which will mean the slaughter of every man, woman, and child here. We cannot let that happen.”

“But how can Auphora allow that to happen?” shouted Joshua. “The Corin war resulted because of the killing undertook by Baran, and now you tell me that Auphora is resorting to the same violence.”

“Listen to me, all of you. My brother dedicated his life to serving Auphora, but I have never understood the gods, nor will I ever pretend to. The fact remains that Auphora believes that the Anointed One is on Tyranis, and right now, they believe that it is Siroco.” He glanced toward Selena and her son, who were looking directly at him, trembling. “Whether Siroco is the Anointed One or not,” Kirinki went on, “we have taken an oath to protect him, and protect him we will. We will also protect every innocent citizen of this town, as much as we can. And with good fortune, we will know of our enemies’ plans, providing us with an adequate escape route.”

Samma turned to Kirinki. “But why must we—“

“That is all I will say on this,” Kirinki interrupted him sharply. “Cramo and Tranin, you will stay here and guard Selena and her son. The rest of you, come with me.”