Relato Corto Blog Fiction

Clash of Darkness

C

As soon as he woke up, Reginald noticed that he was next to a naked woman… The whole room was full of people sleeping. Men and women everywhere. He then realized his lack of clothing and grabbed a blanket to cover himself. What happened? he wondered, and felt an excruciating pain in his head. I need to get out of here.

Carefully, he walked through the crowd, trying not to wake anyone up when he left. However, it was impossible for him to open the door without dragging a man.

Outside, Aslan waited against a wall. He wore his flawless silver armor over the blue robes of the king’s emissaries. “Is that what you are wearing?”

Reginald lifted up the blanket. “I think… I’ve misplaced my clothes… and my coin sack… can’t seem to find it.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Aslan said. “I’m sure they also need to forget about yesterday. You should have mentioned how entertaining you are.”

“What happened?” Reginald asked. “I don’t remember much.”

“It’s better this way,” Aslan said, “your mind is protecting you. But hey, let’s get your light back.”

“Do you mean it?” Reginald said with a sparkle in his eyes.

“But, first we will have to find something for you to wear.”

A short distance from the brothel they found a common boutique. Reginald didn’t like how the fabric itched his skin, and he didn’t like how it looked either. The prince turned into just another kingdom worker, exactly what Aslan wanted.

“You could pass for a peasant… Now we need a couple of horses,” Aslan said.

“But… how am I supposed to pay for them?”

“You worry too much,” Aslan said. “I’ll arrange it with the king when we return.”

“Thank you Sir Aslan,” Reginald said. “I don’t know what my dad would say if he finds out what happened.”

“This will be our little secret.”

The sunlight was brighter than Reginald expected; the city looked different early in the morning. There were hardly any people on the streets.

“Follow me,” Aslan said. “This is where the stables are.”

Reginald was discovering the world outside of his family’s castle. He saw strangers walking by with tired expressions on their faces, while empty wagons headed for the gates of the kingdom. Everyone had to make the most out of this new day; Reginald could only think of having breakfast.

“Do you think we can have something to eat?” Reginald asked.

“Sure,” Aslan said and took a couple of loaves from a bakery basket. After handing one of them to Reginald, he paid and kept walking.

“Where are we going in such a hurry?”

“I need you to regain your powers. We have to help your father,” Aslan said.

“Do you think I can get them back?”

Aslan turned his head to look at the young prince and raised an eyebrow.

Once they got two of the best horses the kingdom has, of course, with the gold Aslan stole from the prince, the two of them rode for hours. Reginald didn’t know the lands surrounding the kingdom very well, but something told him they were headed in the wrong direction.

In the distance, the mountains of the ridge could be seen behind an immense black construction, Zurkaks, so tall that it looked like one of the mountains. The obelisk had a blue flame at its highest point.

Reginald was surprised to see Zurkaks for the first time. “What’s that?”

Aslan pulled out a booze-filled boot and sipped some of the liquid. “Zurkaks… marks the border between kingdoms.”

“But… why is it there?”

“I figure it helps Chaleine expand her beliefs.”

“Are you taking me to a temple of darkness?” Reginald asked.

“We are already here,” Aslan said, “it would be good if we find out how the powers of the knights of darkness work.”

“You lied to me,” Reginald said, getting off his horse.

“Have you forgotten your training already?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Do you think you will return with news of the destruction of your sacred scriptures and they will welcome you with open arms?” Aslan asked, and jumped off his horse.

“But—”

“Life goes on,” Aslan said. “You must find a new path and stop focusing on the past.”

“Why?”

“Losing something you love is difficult,” Aslan said. “It’s important to accept the loss. Only then can you continue.”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do…” Reginald said, wiping a tear off his face. “That was all I had. The only thing I’ve been truly good at.”

“I understand,” Aslan said, reaching for his copy of holy scripture hanging on a chain from his waist. “I don’t know what I would do if something like that happened to me. But you must be strong, the gods are testing your faith. Your mission must be very important.”

Reginald fell to his knees. Accepting for the first time what happened to him, certain that this will be the last time he considers getting his powers back. “Who am I without my light?”

“You saw how easy it was for me to fight that warrior,” Aslan said.

“You lost.”

“You are young and will be able to develop new talents. The weight of the kingdom rests on your shoulders,” Aslan said. “You must learn to let go.”

Reginald remembered his encounter with Shasera, how easy it was for the sorceress to humiliate him. “How are we going to beat them?”

“Now you’re thinking like a king…” Aslan said. “You have a very important role in my plan.”

“Sure,” Reginald said. “Anything to save the kingdom.”

“You just have to use this—”

“Wait, what is that?”

“It’s just a little mascara for the eyes,” Aslan said.

“Are you crazy?” Reginald asked.

“You’ll have to use this too,” Aslan said, pulling a black blanket out of the leather bag hanging next to the horse’s saddle.

“What are you doing?”

“I thought I’d told you,” Aslan said. “You are going to infiltrate Zurkaks and obtain information about the knights of darkness.”

“I’m doing what?”

“It’s all part of the plan.”

“But… how do you expect me to get into Zurkaks?” Reginald asked.

“We’ll take care of that when it’s necessary,” Aslan said. “Hurry up, we don’t have much time.”

“For what?”

Aslan pointed a finger in Zurkaks’ direction and people dressed in black began to file through the doors. “They are your invitation to get in.”

Reginald was afraid of what was about to happen, but he decided that he was willing to do whatever it took to save the kingdom. “OK, I’ll do it.”

“Let’s hurry, there’s not much time left.”

Once Aslan finished painting Reginald’s face, the prince changed into the black robe of an acolyte of darkness. The two of them got closer to Zurkaks, then Aslan took the two horses and left.

The prince was left alone, he quickly became part of the crowd. Noting that most of the acolytes had black marks on their faces, others only had mascara on their eyes. The group was diverse, men, women, tall, children, thin, fat. Infiltrating this place will be easier than I expected, Reginald thought.

Shortly after enjoying the warmth of the sun, the group began to return to Zurkaks, without an apparent order, but they all knew where to go.

Once inside the tower, Reginald noticed how big it really was. Corridors divided the ground floor, although some acolytes took the stairs to continue to the next floor. Where am I going to go? he wondered.

“Recruit,” someone said to him.

Reginald turned slowly.

“I’m talking to you,” Lady Night said.

Reginald looked at her and noticed the marks on the woman’s face.

Lady Night removed her hood. “Are you lost?”

“Returning to my chambers,” Reginald said, staring at the woman’s red lips, beautiful eyes, and long red hair.

“You shouldn’t even be here,” she said. “Who is your supervisor?”

“Actually…” Reginald said, “I don’t feel very well.”

Lady Night reached out to grab him before he fell to the ground—passed out.

Everything went dark until Reginald was finally able to open his eyes. He found himself in a strange room, and immediately tried to get up, noticing that his hands were tied with leather straps. Where am I? he wondered, trying to loosen the bonds on his hands and feet.

“… the recruit I told you about,” Lady Night said, entering the room with another person. “It’s an unusual situation.”

Reginald pretended to be unconscious.

“You realize that his body is clean,” Lady Night said, running her hand over Reginald’s naked body.

“Interesting,” Atuj said.

“It was the first thing I noticed when he passed out,” she said.

“He’s probably not one of us,” Atuj said. “In that case, he will die soon enough.”

“He has the body of a warrior,” Lady Night said, running her hand over Reginald’s abdomen. “Let him join the order. I will personally take care of his training.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“I’ll end his life if something goes wrong,” she said.

“Fine,” Atuj said. “Let’s start with the ritual.”

Reginald didn’t know what to do. His hands and feet strapped down, pretending to be unconscious was no longer a good plan. He felt a leather strap against his head. “No wait…”

“Cover his mouth,” Atuj said.

Lady Night gagged the prince with a leather strap.

Reginald struggled to free himself from the restraints until he felt a needle in his neck and lost the strength of his body. However, he still heard everything that happened.

“Ready to start?” Atuj asked, taking a black metal rod from a tray. “The first is always the one I enjoy the most.”

Lady Night grabbed Reginald’s left arm, while Atuj pressed the small metal rod against the palm of the prince’s hand and raised a hammer. The blow sent the rod through the hand.

“One down,” Atuj said, “Sixty-five to go.”

About the author

Sebastián Iturralde

Writer of enigmatic tales, weaving captivating narratives that provoke thought and stir the imagination. Unveiling the depths of human experience through words.

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Relato Corto Blog Fiction

About Author

Sebastián Iturralde

Writer of enigmatic tales, weaving captivating narratives that provoke thought and stir the imagination. Unveiling the depths of human experience through words.