Moonlight's Deception (Eclipse of Hiestora, Book 1)

Chapter 33 | The Sun Att

"And you managed to befriend the princess."

Emir hummed. "They met through me. Being the eldest son of my father, Herod helped a lot with the king's duties, so Caspian has been left on an errand to accompany his youngest brother at all times. Meanwhile, Eadric is only a year older than me. That's why Mother couldn't trust him yet with chaperoning me."

Clara felt delighted to be able to know more about the prince. He never shared much about himself, much less about the people around him, and she was too shy to ask, so she treated this as a rare opportunity to ask. "And the little princess? Where is she now? I don't believe I've seen you with a female's company other than Maxwell?"

"I can still remember her pretty little face and never have I forgotten her name. It's a shame our friendship was cut short without a proper goodbye. It was no wonder she hated me and forgot me all too soon. I was a horrible friend."

"Why couldn't you be friends anymore? What happened?"

"Because the day I was supposed to visit her, my Mother was killed." His voice wobbled at the last word. Images from that day replayed in his head. "A group of assassins, the same ones who tried to kill you, ambushed our carriage. I can still remember the fear in my mother's eyes, the way she held me with protective arms, and her whispers of promise that Father will find and save us.

"It wasn't supposed to be her. That day, the assassins came for me. 'That boy is the sun wielder. The Dread needs him,' they said. The proof is the sun mark on my left arm which only appeared on the day of my power's fruition, that very same day the assassins found me at the most unfortunate time. How they managed to track me with it, I don't know."

The revelation of his past hit Clara like a dull blow. "Oh, Emir."

"She tried to protect me, Anneliese. But what could a fragile and sick queen and her eight-year-old son do against a group of bloodthirsty killers hired by the Dread?" His eyes filled with unshed tears but he didn't let them go. He already bared his weakness to someone by telling his story and it was a shame to cry even if no one could see him.

Unbeknownst to Anneliese, Emir summoned the sun blade—a fine-pointed dagger inscribed with bright yellow runes—and sliced his fingers with small, shallow cuts. The physical pain dulled the ache he had in his heart and he did so over the years during the anniversary of his mother's death.

"I didn't exactly remember what happened next. All I knew was that I lost it when I saw my mother lying cold dead in her blood. I was unmoving. Tears ran down my eyes but no sound came from my mouth. I didn't know how I did it because the sun's power was still foreign to me, but when the assassins seized my arms to finally take me away, my body glowed. Everything around me disappeared in the bright light as if the sun came down from the sky. And when the light disappeared and my vision of my surroundings cleared, my assailants were no more and what was left of them were their black robes on the ground as if the sun burned them from flesh and bone to ash.

"When night arrived and word came to father that we didn't arrive at our destination, he ordered the palace's men to search for us right away. And it was Father, himself, who found us.

"Father was far from the loving father he used to be. He blamed me for everything. He said it wouldn't happen if I wasn't the Sun Att. Herod said nothing but I know deep inside he wished that it was I who died. Eadric only remembered me as our mother's killer and he made it his duty to make my life miserable. It was only Caspian who never changed and still treated me the same. He was my anchor when I was still grieving and I, too, was with him.

"From then on I had shut myself from the world. Going to such lengths as cutting my connection with the little princess from Terralis who was my only sincere friend by then."

Clara choked on her saliva and went into a coughing fit. There was only one living princess from Terralis and it could be no one other than her. Alistair, Vermont's prince, was an only child and didn't have a sister.

From the recesses of her young self's memory, there was indeed a boy whose face was a blur, but Clara retrieved some snippets, random memories of her playmate who suddenly disappeared from her life.

As a child, she used to think it unfair for her brother to be able to go with their father anywhere to do adult business, even though Theon was only five years older than seven-year-old Clara. Curious as to what these adult businesses were all about, she begged her father to let her come to one of his meetings. She knew her father wouldn't be able to resist her charms but her firm mother ordered her to play with the visiting king's son and not be a bother. The rest was caught in the wind of time. Their friendship was short-lived and the only proof that her first childhood friend ever existed was the pressed flower necklace she just gave to Jade without much thought of its value.

And here might be that same boy. Guilt and shame washed over her, lapping at her feet, but now they were a rising tide threatening to drown her. How could she easily give away the only precious gift she had from him? Knowing his story, Clara realized her anger and hate were misplaced.

"Anneliese, what's wrong?"

Clara cleared her throat. "You lost a friend, but you met Maxwell."

"Maxwell." A sudden lightness was in his voice. "I only saw him as my servant, right-hand man, and advisor. But the ever-persistent boy grew on me. He became more like a brother to me than Herod and Eadric."

The steel bar mechanism groaned followed by the creaking of the dungeon door opening and the sound of footsteps descending the stairs. A hush fell between them, dreading and anticipating what was to come.

The guards first unlatched the bolt of Emir's cell and dragged him up by his arms with such force that he almost stumbled on his feet and landed on his face. He glared at them as his wrists were bound in manacles, the Fyrian guards failing to meet his eyes.

"Get the princess," the guard blocking Emir's exit told the other. Two more were stationed on each of his sides. The prince tapped on his magic core but found it distant. It appeared the cuffs around his wrist had the same anti-magic property as the door which prevented him from using his magic.

"Where are you taking us?" Emir snarled and the Fyrian guard winced.

"The master ordered us to take you to the observatory. It is time for Project Eclipse to commence. The Dread has waited long enough."

"No! Let us go." Emir rammed his shoulder into the guard on his left and swept his right leg to send the other on the floor. Crouching, he launched himself forward and hit the first guard straight in the stomach. The guard dry-heaved, but the other two quickly recovered and pinned Emir on the ground.

"Emir, no!" the princess cried.

The side of his face was forced to the ground and Emir wasn't able to witness it as the guards restrained her. But not before an explosion went off that sent them flying to the wall, shaking the ground beneath them.