Chapter 34 The Edge of Darkness
As Sienna walked into the royal courtyard, her breath caught and her mind was racing with questions and choices. The sun was going down, and the castle's stone walls were glowing orange. The sun didn't warm me up, and the vista didn't make me feel better. The weight of everything Ryder's return, the terrible forces that were coming, and the kingdom's fate felt like a heavy blanket on her. She didn't know how much longer she could hold it. As soon as she took a step, a voice broke the silence.
"Your Majesty." It was Sir Valen once more. She turned to look at him, but he couldn't read her face. Two of his most trusted men stood next to him, their features set in determination. Sienna couldn't figure out what was in their eyes, though. Fear? Worry? It was hard to say. "What is it?" she demanded, her voice harsh with anger. She thought every moment was a waste because she might be looking for Ryder. Valen replied, "There's been a change," in a voice that was lower than normal.
"We've heard back that the Dark One's followers are moving faster than we thought they would." Your Majesty, the border towns are gone. And now... we've found something else. Something that could make things different. Sienna's gut felt like a cold knot was tightening. "What do you mean?" Valen paused for a bit, evidently thinking about what to say. The soldiers moved around nervously, stealing glances at each other. Valen's voice was strained as he said,
"We've found a source." "A woman, one of the few who got away from the carnage in the east. She says she saw something, something that can only be called a sign. A sign. He looked into her eyes. "She said it was Ryder." Sienna's heart stopped. The ground felt like it was moving under her feet. Ryder. Again. Every instinct told her to act, to look for him, and to get answers. But her mind was already rushing ahead, attempting to figure out what the news meant. "Are you sure?" she inquired in a voice that was just above a whisper. She couldn't afford to be incorrect. Not when everything is at stake. Valen nodded.
"The woman is sure, Your Majesty. She was there, right in the middle of it all, when the bad guys came through. And she noticed the mark on his hand. The one that people have talked about in old literature. The one that links him to the prophecy. Sienna's heart raced. Ryder's link to the prophecy that had scared her since she was a youngster. There was always something strange about him that she couldn't put her finger on. But this was the first time anyone had talked about it so clearly.
"Where is she?" Sienna asked, already turning to exit the courtyard. "Bring me to her." "Your Majesty, please," Valen pleaded, his voice full of urgency. "You can't go by yourself. The gloom is spreading swiftly. We need to think carefully about what to do next. We need to know what this implies before we do anything if it really has to do with Ryder and he really is part of this destiny. Sienna stopped in her tracks, and her spine stiffened at what he said. She knew he was correct, but every second she spent not making a decision seemed like another blow to the kingdom. She needed to find out what Ryder was hiding.
She had to find him before it was too late if he was the only way to stop the Dark One. Sienna remarked in a chilly, sharp voice, "I'll make my own decisions." "You're welcome to come with me, but don't try to stop me." Valen's eyes flashed with something, maybe worry or reluctance. But he didn't say anything. He nodded quickly and pointed for the troops to follow him. They went to the secret passageway that led out of the castle.
Sienna couldn't ignore the feeling that something was amiss as they walked down the dark hallways. The walls, the stone under her boots, and everything else felt strange, as if the castle itself was altering. The flickering torches on the walls made odd, lengthy shadows that looked like they were moving on their own. She tightened her fists to calm her anxiousness. She wasn't afraid; she felt something deeper, like the world she knew was slowly slipping away. They got to the outer gates, where the remains of the royal guard stood still. Sienna's breath froze in her throat as she saw how quiet the Chapter was.
It was like the whole world was holding its breath, waiting for what was going to happen. The woman Valen had talked about was there, and her body was covered in a torn black robe. She had a hood over her face, but there was no mistake how desperate she looked. She stared up at Sienna as she came closer, her eyes wide with fright. "Your Majesty," the woman murmured, her voice shaking. "I've seen him." I have seen Ryder. I promise it. Sienna's heart raced in her chest as she moved forward, her muscles tight. "Where is he? Please tell me everything. The woman took a deep breath and shook her hands as she pulled aside the hood to show her tired, pale face. "He's not the same man you remember," she said softly.
"He's different now." He... he's lost in darkness. He has something inside him that wasn't there before. Sienna was sad, but she didn't let it show. "What do you mean? What did you see? The woman's eyes moved about nervously, as if the air itself may tell on her. "He has a mark on his hand." A sign. A sign of power and control. The kind of power that can't be controlled. "Show me," Sienna said, her voice full of desire. The woman's hands shook more, but she reached into her cloak and took out a small piece of paper.
She delicately opened it up and gave it to Sienna. Sienna had never seen a symbol like the one on the page before. It was complicated, dark, and old, with circles within of circles and runes engraved with great care. And in the middle, a jagged line that seemed like it was throbbing with bad energy. Sienna's heart raced. This was it. This was the answer.
But what did it mean? And why had Ryder come back with that mark? Did he choose it? Or had something else taken him? The woman's words interrupted her thoughts. "Your Majesty, he is marked by the gloom." He doesn't even know how bad it is. He doesn't remember, or he doesn't want to. Sienna's chest hurt a lot. "How do you know this?" The woman said softly, "I saw it in his eyes." "I saw the pain." And I noticed something else. Something more gloomy. It wasn't him. It wasn't the guy you loved. Sienna felt a cold run down her spine. The man she cared about. She wanted to think that Ryder could be saved and that the man he used to be was still there, somewhere deep down.
But the mark... the darkness inside him was clear. "I have to locate him," Sienna whispered, her voice breaking as she turned away. "I have to help him." "Be careful, Your Majesty," the woman said in a voice that was just above a whisper. "The darkness is already taking him. You might not like the person you find. But Sienna was already walking away, the mark in her hand making her move forward. She had to find out what was true. She needed to know if Ryder was still the hero the kingdom needed or if he had turned into something much worse.