Chapter 19: The Lost Stone

It was midnight inside the walls of the palace, even though the sun still hadn’t set. The prince’s castle was dead silent; even the drop of a small needle would echo off of the cold stones. All of the silver servants and golden knights were dismissed.

Under the feeble and lonely candlelight, Thorn had been beside Leila’s bed all day and night. He was incapable of sleeping or eating. He put her fingers to his lips, feeling the last traces of her warmth.

Leila’s stone was missing from her neck. Thorn had noticed its absence before Healer June arrived after the ritual. It was taken by someone during the chaos. Anyone who made contact with her had an opportunity to take the stone, and among all of them, the most suspicious was Nyree.

Remorse and regret coiled up within Thorn like a poisonous snake. A fierce emotion, one beyond mere fury, was filling his chest. A price had to be paid. Vengeance was looming.

The ritual had failed. The draconic divinity was provoked. Thorn observed her left hand. Red dust was gracefully floating and swirling underneath her skin. He wasn’t sure what it was, and he blamed himself for allowing this menacing witchcraft to somehow be put inside the palm of the woman he cherished. It not only violated the sacred ceremony, but also almost took Leila’s life.

“It’s vile witchcraft.” June had come as soon as she received Thorn’s raven. She took Leila’s hand and observed it carefully under the candlelight. “If I’m not wrong, this dust is made of deep-sea serpent blood. It’s extracted, dried, then ground into dust. The worst possible insult to the draconic divinity.”

“Any solutions?” Thorn asked, trying his best to remain sane.

June shook her head. “I can’t determine which deep-sea serpent this witch used. It might even be a mixture of a few different species.” She prodded the red dust with a thin, blunt stick. The dust scattered from the force, then quickly coalesced back together. She sighed, “I’m sorry, my prince. I’m afraid I can’t solve this puzzle. You’ll need to find the witch who did this; only she knows how to dissolve it. But you need to be quick. Deep-sea serpent blood is in direct opposition to the lightning energy the goddess bestowed on Leila. The two forces are fighting against each other in her body. It will eventually consume her.”

As they spoke, voices reverberated throughout the castle, along with clanging and clanking noises. Thorn got up on his feet. He gently touched Leila’s cold cheek and kissed her wounded forehead. He was unwilling to leave her alone for more than a second, but he had to do what was necessary.

“They are here,” Hugo lowered his voice and reported to the prince from the door.

Thorn made his way down to the entrance hall, leaving June to take care of Leila. “Any news?” he asked Hugo.

“The palace has been locked down, according to your orders. There’s no sign of the silver servant or the chamberlain. Could they have escaped before the ritual?”

“It’s possible. I didn’t see either of them when I brought Leila back. But Leila’s stone disappeared. There’s a big chance that they were the ones who took it,” Thorn said, analyzing the situation, “Leave one side door open—the one in the kitchen. Just say the healer might need to leave to fetch some herbs. Take a man with you, hide yourselves well. I’ll join you soon.”

Hugo nodded and quickly strode off.

At the great hall of the prince castle, twelve dark knights, fully armored with kite shields and knightly swords, stood with pride and devotion for their prince.

No one knew the true identities of the twelve onyx knights. Their order of chivalry was an odd mixture, made up of knights from all ranks. The existence of the order was a violation of the traditional rules themselves, and each member was personally chosen by Thorn. It was rumored that they were blessed with undefeated strength and an ironclad will. Sealed with a draconic ceremony, they served Thorn alone, not subject to the general laws of the kingdom. Any order from Thorn must be obeyed, abiding by honor, bravery, courtesy and gallantry. Not even the king of the dragon kingdom could interfere with a single command.

This time, they were all summoned by the roar of the dragon prince. Arriving with the haste of stallions, they came from twelve respective towns and cities, and the dark knights hadn’t stopped until the prince’s castle appeared before their eyes. Thorn trusted them with his life.

“Men,” Thorn stood in front of the queue and spoke in his usual, deep voice.

“Aye, my prince,” the knights responded in unison.

“Helmets off.”

Then, the knights took off their helmets and held them in their arms. Thorn paced along the line, looking at every familiar face. He had known each one of them for a long time. They all shared a tremendous bond with the prince. Finally, a slight reassurance steadied his agitated heart.

“This castle is now your responsibility - protect it. Without my permission, no one is allowed in or out. My bedchamber is the primary place that needs to be heavily safeguarded. A woman is resting inside. Her peace is not to be disturbed.”

“Aye!” The knights obeyed then dismissed to their own positions.

Thorn came upstairs to check on Leila. She was still unconscious. It pained his heart to see her beautiful face darkening with every passing second. He pulled the blanket up over her and rekindled the fireplace to make sure she was warm enough.

“Please, take care of her for me,” he said to June. June bowed and place her hand on her chest.“You have my word.”

Then, the prince walked towards the palace kitchen.

He hid behind the high walls of the rampart, near the small side door off the palace kitchen. He stayed quiet, observing from down below. Hugo and another knight were hiding behind the decorated ferns, concealing their swords.

With the gate lifted, carriages stuffed with meats and vegetables were finally permitted to enter and exit. Thorn sternly watched each one of the carriages and people moving in and out. He was determined to capture the crime.

A large, sordid carriage caught his attention. It was used to dispose of waste. Barrels were tied with rough ropes and stored on wooden boards. The amount of barrels seemed to exceed the usual quantity. Furthermore, the lids on two of the barrels weren’t even tightly closed. Thorn watched the carriage as it drove out of the palace. Then it turned onto a narrow lane behind the busy market. The driver left immediately with a heavy purse. Nyree climbed out from one of the barrels.

Thorn climbed up to a tree near him and glided down along the thick branch. He landed on the floor and run towards Nyree.

The civilians outside the palace were all shocked to see the prince appear so suddenly. He blocked Nyree’s escape. Hugo came out from the ferns then grabbed hold of Nyree and took her back to the palace.

The other knight tied her to a thick wooden stake, and placed the stake on the high wall of the rampart. The civilians were gathering around the palace, looking up to see what was going on.

Nyree wasn’t even begging for her life. She seemed not at all surprised to be captured by the prince.

“Where is the witch?” Thorn barked, not in any mood to waste another word on her.

“Kill me if you want. I won’t say a thing.” The look she gave the prince was firm and disrespectful. She spat on the ground. “Fucking dirty mongrel. I wish she was dead already.”

Hugo took out his sword from the sheath and pressed the tip against her neck.

“Search her,” Thorn ordered the other knight, but nothing was found.

“I repeat. Where is the witch? And the stone?” Thorn approached her with a rage. “My wrath will rain down on all of you. The men hiding behind you only face damnation. If you talk, I promise your family will remain unharmed.”

Nyree’s attitude instantly changed as she thought about her elderly parents living in the countryside. Her terror was apparent in her eyes. She finally gave in. She told him that the Chamberlain had taken the stone, and where he might be. She didn’t know much about the witch, Nyree only knew that she had accepted this job for free.

Suddenly, she cackled madly as if realizing her death was imminent. “Your mongrel is cursed! She can’t be marked by you any more! The divinity will punish the both of you!”

Thorn had enough. He gave the knight a look. Nyree’s heart was carved out, blood oozing out and dripping down the wall like a river of crimson, drained until the last breath left her mouth.