Rift of Askrah Book 1: Fracture

“Are you ready, Young Master?” Fadah asked, as she tied the snow white robe Nihlen had just donned.

  “You know very well how I feel about this Fadah.” Nihlen said, staring back at himself in the mirror.

  The day had finally come.

  Today was the day his life had been building up to since he was crowned as the First Prince and heir to the throne of Draven. It was the day he was going to marry Laurel Illenwood, yet another step down the Path he was destined to tread. As impending and ominous as the feeling he had for the situation was, Nihlen was beginning to come to terms with the situation, and accepted it as his fate. It was what he needed to do.

  And I’ll go along… Even if it’s slightly grudgingly. Nihlen thought. He couldn’t lie to himself very well, but it was a start.

  “The rest of the staff has almost cleared out. The reflection room has also been prepared.” Fadah said, stepping back to look at Nihlen’s reflection. She then moved forward, and placed an arm around Nihlen. “I know that you aren’t too happy about what you have to do. You should still try to be happy though. It is a shame to see a man to be married who cannot be happy about it. Laurel is a beautiful woman, and someone you may just find you like if you give her a chance.”

  “Yes Fadah.” Nihlen said, stepping away from the mirror. “But at this time, I am not ready to give into reason yet. I am still trying to escape this feeling of drowning in my own destiny. I have heard your words, and I am trying to accept them. But I can’t go along wholeheartedly just yet. I need time.” Nihlen said, trying to keep the resentment out of his voice. He was only moderately successful. “It is time I head to the reflection room, and it is best you help the rest of the family with the preparations for tonight.”

  It was as gentle a dismissal as he could make. He knew Fadah meant well, but he couldn’t hide his displeasure at her words. It’s easy to say such things from the outside…

  “Yes my Lord.” Fadah said, bowing before making a quick exit, leaving Nihlen alone with his own reflection.

  Breathing deeply, Nihlen waited several moments, and then he too headed out the door. The reflection room was on the lowest level of the castle, a few floors underground. The path was almost never tread, and closed off from all but the royal family. As Nihlen descended down the dark depths of the stairway, he couldn’t help but find the eternal darkness fitting, as if the lid had closed on the box surrounding him, shutting out the last of hope's light.

  Once he located the room, he opened the large wooden door, which creaked loudly in protest after so many years of being left shut, and stepped inside.

  The room was brightly lit, several braziers roaring with fire. The room was sweltering, an unfortunate part of the ceremony. The walls were nothing but a large mirror, circling around the vaulted room. It was an enormous room, and existed only for this day.

  All who have come before me have stood here… Yet father didn’t tell me much about what I am supposed to do. Nihlen thought, walking toward the center of the room. Drink from the flask, and stare deeply into the mirror. What is that supposed to mean? Sounds like a foolish waste of time…

  Sitting in the center of the room was nothing but a flask. No furniture or cushions even, nothing but the braziers, and the enormous mirrored walls. Nihlen sat next to the flask, and picked it up. He sniffed the contents, and was mildly surprised. Whatever was inside, it smelled very sweet. After looking at the flask for a few moments, Nihlen steeled himself, and began drinking the concoction.

  Almost immediately, Nihlen felt a sharp pain in his head. “Ugh!!” He grunted, his hands flying up to his left eye. Sharp, throbbing pain, worse than anything he had ever felt was coursing through his head and eye. In that instant, it felt as if a thousand swords had stabbed through his head, and he had lived to feel it all. He writhed in pain on the floor, squirming in a futile attempt to escape.

  Then, as quickly as it came on, the pain abated. Breathing heavily and sweating profusely, Nihlen sat up, one hand still over his eye. What was that!? He wondered frantically.

  Slowly, his breathing returned to normal, and a strange feeling began to wash over him. He was feeling calm, and relaxed. The pain vanished from his mind. All he could do was stare into the mirror. Into the eyes of himself, staring back. He couldn’t break away, couldn’t blink. All he could do was watch. His body felt amazingly heavy, as if he had turned into a statue on that very spot. He couldn’t lift even one finger, though with how relaxed he felt, he wouldn’t have even wanted to try.

  A fog began to develop behind his reflection. It rose up as a slow mist, wrapping itself gently around his reflection like a cloak. Nihlen watched curiously, feeling no alarm. Then, it began to crawl out of the mirror, slowly inching its way toward Nihlen. He watched it in a daze, and for some strange reason he couldn’t identify, he didn’t fear it or find it strange. He only watched, curious. It didn‘t register to him as weird, not only the event itself, but his reaction. He watched as it crept up to him, and began to wrap itself around him just as it had his reflection.

  Thicker and thicker it became, until Nihlen could no longer see his own reflection or even the mirrors themselves. He couldn’t see anything. His body began to feel light, as if he was floating. Rising higher in a sea of fog, he was unable to determine up from down. Left from right. There was no sound, a quiet that seemed unreal. Nihlen looked around the fog, trying to understand what exactly was going on. It was difficult to fight against the feeling he had though. His body was numb, and he couldn’t feel alarmed even though he knew what was going on was very strange.

  Then, a shadow moved in the fog. Nihlen looked in that direction. There was nothing there though. Then, out of the corner of his eye, another shadow. He looked, but once again there was nothing. Nihlen began peering at the fog closer, trying to pierce through it, and see what it was hiding. He saw the shadow once more, and snapped in the direction. It lingered for just a second, long enough for Nihlen to know he wasn’t seeing things, before it disappeared.

  Nihlen was curious about the shadow, but he was also curious about the feeling welling up inside him. A sense of knowing. A sense of understanding what was going on here. This is my Path… I am here to see what lies on the Path I am to take. Something feels wrong though… It’s not supposed to be like this. Something is interfering.

  The sense of understanding inside him began to change. Slowly the calm feeling he had began to dissipate. Something is coming… Whatever is interfering with the ceremony is coming. And it’s dangerous.

  The fog around him lifted, revealing the enormous mirrors in the large room once again. His head was swimming, and his body felt very heavy. His ears picked up the sound of running. Someone was approaching. Nihlen tried to stand up, but his knees buckled, and he went down. Just as he was trying to push himself back up, the door to the room burst open, and three people ran in.

  “There he is!” A man’s voice called.

  In his startled state, Nihlen suddenly pushed himself to his feet. His body was still heavy, but his fear of the situation was helping him overcome it some. He looked to the intruders. Two men and one woman.

  “What are you doing here?” Nihlen said, making his tone as authoritative as he could. It was difficult, and sounded thick against his best efforts. “The palace is closed to the public today, and no one is supposed to be here. You must leave immediately.”

  “I am afraid that is not possible.” One of the men said, stepping forward. He was the shortest of the three, and he emanated an aura of pure evil. Nihlen found himself backing away a few steps in pure instinct. This man is very dangerous.

  “We have come here to kidnap you, my Lord.” The man said in a mocking tone, giving Nihlen a bow of utmost courtesy.

  “Kidnap me, are you insane? Do you really think you’ll get away with it?” Nihlen asked, sounding even and totally in control. He was not displaying even an ounce of fear.

  “I do think we will get away with it.” The man said, equally as even. “There is no one here t
o even know you’re gone. By the time anyone discovers it, we will be far away.”

  Nihlen surveyed the other two intruders. The other man was very large, and looked accustomed to fighting. Probably in the streets or in a pub. The woman was very beautiful. It’s odd I would think that first of my potential attackers… Nihlen thought, trying to clear his head and quickly move on. The two men could be dangerous, and three to one isn’t a very good fight. Doesn’t seem to be much of a choice though…

  The smaller man reached in his pocket, and pulled out a long bladed dagger. “Won’t you just come with us? I have no wish to hurt you, and neither do my friends. All we want is a ransom. If you come with us willingly, I promise no harm will come to you.” The small man said. His tone was very good for pretending.

  “You say as you have a knife in your hand. Did you really think I would believe that?” Nihlen asked, still as even as ever. “Only a fool would believe that. If you will not leave, I will be forced to remove you myself. Today is an important day, and I can’t have you messing that up.” Nihlen said.

  “Have it your way,” the smaller man said. “Let’s take him Cal.”

  The two men rushed forward at Nihlen. Nihlen looked at them both, reading their potential as fast as he could. The smaller man is more dangerous. He decided.

  The smaller man was quicker, and reached Nihlen first. He thrust the dagger at Nihlen, directly toward the stomach. Nihlen grabbed the man’s wrist, and pulled it upward. The smaller man went off balance, and Nihlen pulled his arm back down, slamming his hand into the ground so the blade skittered away across the floor. With his other hand, he grabbed the man’s shoulder, and spun him around. With a loud crack, Nihlen broke the small man’s shoulder, and then hit him hard in the back of the neck, putting him out cold.

  The larger man, who the small man had called Cal, had stopped when Nihlen had engaged the smaller man, and watched as his teammate fell to the floor. “This guy is dangerous.” Cal said, looking at Nihlen. “Han was a fool to just rush in like that. I figured you would be pretty tough. You’ve probably been trained by the best, right?”

  Nihlen stared at him silently, then nodded his head. “You are absolutely right, I have been. This is the last time I will warn you. You need to leave the palace now. If you do not, you will end up like your friend there. Please remove him from the castle.”

  “You are so arrogant.” The woman suddenly said. “The nobility are all the same, even in Draven. Like we would run from here, or ask for your pity after we attacked you. There’s no way you’d let that happen! Cal, take care of him so we can get out of here. Han will not be pleased when he regains consciousness.” The woman said.

  Without another word, Cal started forward. His fists were up, and he moved slowly, waiting for Nihlen to make a move. Nihlen stood still, and watched as the man called Cal approached him. The closer Cal got to Nihlen, the slower his advance became. He feared getting within arms reach of Nihlen.

  “You can’t fight me if you’re afraid of me, right? That guy was stronger than you, and he lost to me in the blink of an eye. Listen to your fear, and leave now. I really do not like violence, and would like for this to end without anymore pain if possible.” Nihlen said.

  Even as the words left his mouth, Nihlen knew they were a bluff. Normally they wouldn’t be, but normally he didn’t drink strange concoctions or go on strange journeys in his disembodied spirit. He could feel weakness creeping over him, but he kept all that from showing on the outside. He hoped the fear of a fate similar to the one of the small man he had already taken care of would scare them away. If it didn’t…

  Cal stopped his slow advance, and straightened up. “Han is not stronger than me. But you’re right, I can’t fight you like this. So here we go.”

  Cal suddenly rushed forward, swinging at Nihlen. I guess telling him he was weaker was a mistake... Nihlen thought as he ducked the blow, and moved to punch Cal’s stomach. Cal reached down though, and caught his arm mid strike. “Maybe I should give you what you gave to Han there. Sounds fitting, right?” Cal said.

  Nihlen, however, jumped forward. He flipped his body up, and kicked Cal right on the bridge of the nose. Cal released his arm, and stumbled back, his hands holding his face. Not giving him a chance to recover, Nihlen continued his attack. He pummeled Cal repeatedly in the face, his punches lightning quick and powerful. He drove Cal back until he slammed into the mirrored wall, sending a large crack up the length of the mirror. With one more punch, Nihlen slammed Cal’s stomach. The force of the attack was so great, the cracked mirror shattered, raining glass on the two fighters.

  Nihlen pulled his hand back, and Cal slammed forward onto the floor, unmoving.

  Nihlen then looked over at the woman, who was staring at Cal's unconscious form. Her eyes were huge, and a look of horror was plain on her face. A hand went up to her mouth, as tears began welling in her eyes.

  “He is not dead, I do not condone murder. He is simply unconscious. What will you do now?” Nihlen asked, giving the woman his full attention. “You are the only one I do not know yet.”

  “You do not need to know who I am.” The woman spat, her hand coming down from her face. Her eyes burned with rage as she looked at Nihlen.

  “What will you do now?” Nihlen asked again, calm and even as ever.

  “It’s my turn to fight it looks like.” The woman said calmly, eying Nihlen without any trace of fear.

  “You will fight me? Even after seeing what I just did to your friends? You have the least battle potential out of anyone here. Your form screams that you do not know how to fight. I do not like violence, and I hate violence against women and children even more. I beg of you to leave this place, and never come back. Whatever you came here for today, it is not worth what will happen if you try to fight me.” Nihlen said, hoping against hope to appeal to her rationality.

  “You nobles really are all the same.” The woman snarled, eying Nihlen with the deepest loathing he had ever seen. “You all believe you are so much better than everyone. You think that you know everything, and that you are invincible. So many I’ve met before you with that preposterous notion. I will open your eyes, and show you just how wrong that attitude is!”

  With that, the woman came at Nihlen. However, it was like she was a different person. Her form no longer spoke of fragility, but the embodiment of strength, powerful and unstoppable. Her attacks were quick, and it was all Nihlen could do to defend.

  I have made a grave error in this judgment… Nihlen thought, flinching from the power behind each blow. She hid her true nature better than anyone I’ve ever seen.

  His head was swimming worse than ever, and his vision was fading. Just keeping up with her had drained him, and he was becoming wobbly. He missed a block, missed another. The pain from the attacks was brutal, even in his mind-numbed state.

  He slammed to the floor, breathing heavily. His vision was blurring ever more, and a dark tunnel was closing in. He tried to fight it back, but it continued to grow, taking his vision away.

  The last thing he heard was the deep echoes of bells in the distance.

  Chapter 4

  Deception