Chapter Thirty-Five - The White Sword Unsheathed

Ailith shifted away from the door slightly and her fist balled in a defensive manner. ''You're with...''

''I am,'' Katelyn raked her fingers down the bars of her cell as whispers passed from one prisoner to the other. She exchanged glances with a few who dared to meet her eye. ''And it's not something I'm ashamed of.''

Griff cupped his hand underneath his chin, tapping it upwards until his jaw didn't hang. ''Katelyn, how could you keep this a secret from me? We've been cellmates for so long; we're like blood at this point...''

''What's my family name?'' she asked.

''Uh...'' he stumbled. ''I know it started with 'C'...''

''It's Pierce!''

''Which starts with a letter in the alphabet, so I was close.''

She rolled her eyes at him and turned back to face Ailith, hesitating when she saw the warrior staring back at her with suspicion. ''Whatever this assassin told you isn't true! She can't be with the White Sword!''

''She didn't outright tell us. It slipped from her. That wouldn't have happened unless she was hiding the fact she's with them.''

''I refuse to believe that!'' Katelyn shook her head vigorously, her eyes beginning to water. ''I've been apart of the White Sword for as long as I can remember. We want better treatment for commoners throughout the Kingdom, but we would never go to those extremes to achieve our goal. We never take lives. This assassin just wants to tarnish our name and ruin all that we've worked to create. You have to believe me!''

Katelyn's voice cracked and tears trickled down her cheeks. The strength in Ailith's stance wavered. ''I want to believe. But, we don't have much else to go on in this investigation.''

With anguish plastered over her face, Katelyn eyed the floor in defeat. Her heart pounded against her chest, rattling her mind and body to the point where she felt faint. So many thoughts raced through her mind. Then, one idea latched itself onto her. Without any warning, she sprinted past Griff, almost knocking him to the floor. She reached the back wall and rubbed her arm against the stone, upturning a layer of dust. Ignoring the pain radiating from her wet eyes, she didn't stop until dozens of small marks scratched into the wall were revealed. Once she had uncovered them all, she began to count each one.

Ailith watched curiously. ''What are those?''

Griff coughed loudly and swatted away the dust floating around his head. ''Each scratch equals one day she's spent here!''

Before long, Katelyn released a sharp cry of joy. ''Perfect, it's happening today.''

''What is?'' Ailith questioned.

''There's a White Sword rally!'' Katelyn rushed back over. ''Towards the east on the outskirts of the Kingdom, if you follow Riodan River, you'll find a cave where a single White Arsalan Rose lies. Enter the cave, head underground and you'll find the rally. You'll see that we couldn't have been behind the attack.''

Standing in silence, Ailith contemplated her options. It all seemed to fall into place too easily.

Noticing the warrior's uncertainty, Katelyn sighed. ''The rift between Knights and the White Sword is too great to be resolved by us alone. No matter what we say, they won't listen. You might be our only hope. If you can prove our innocence and spread our true message to those in power, you can help so many people.''

Taking a moment for those words sink in, Ailith scanned the dungeon. Dozens of curious face stared and awaited her decision. Every ounce of common sense buried within the warrior screamed in protest. There was the high probability that this would be the most obvious trap in the world. However, one look at Katelyn's red face set something alight in the pit of Ailith's stomach. The desperate pleas that echoed in her mind relentlessly couldn't be faked. She refused to believe they were faked.

Ailith took one step forward. ''I'll do whatever I can to help.''

Katelyn smiled. ''Thank you.''

''Let's hear it for the Chain-breaker!'' Griff pumped his fist in the air, encouraging a united cheer from the other prisoners.

With renewed passion and determination, Ailith turned and ran down the hallway. She turned the corner to find Emlyn standing straight and with her arms folded. ''Emlyn...''

''I heard every word.'' She said sternly.

''Do you think it's a trap?''

The Commander placed one hand over the hilt of her short sword. ''There's only one way to find out.''

~X~

Before they departed, Emlyn shed her armour to don a casual dark tunic and trousers. While stealth was their ambition, it would be irrational to journey without any kind of weapon. Strapped to her arm and hidden beneath her sleeve was a small Seax. Ailith also changed clothes, weary of being recognised if Katelyn had fed them more lies.

Many hours had passed since Ailith and Emlyn left the castle on horseback. After passing through the sprawling metropolis, they soon came upon River Riodan and followed it. The number of fishermen and sailors they spotted dwindled the further they ventured. The rolling roar of thunder caused Ailith to glance up at the sky, beholding the grey clouds that blanketed the earth in shadow. When her eyes fell back down to the ground, she could perceive a spot of white in the distance. Standing outside of the entrance to a small cave was a tall rose with petals white as snow.

Emlyn searched their surroundings for scouts lying in wait. After a moment of uneasy peace, she dismounted, giving Ailith the cue to do the same. The Commander reached into a satchel bag hanging from her steed's saddle, pulled out a hand-sized tub and opened it. ''Spread this through your hair.''

Perplexed with the order, Ailith peeked inside to find the tub filled with an oozy brown cream. Using two fingers, she scooped up the substance, feeling the goo slide along her skin. It wasn't unpleasant. She could see a child being entertained with it. Threading her hand through her hair, she felt a cool sensation flow from her head. Pinching her hair, she gasped upon seeing her blonde lock now was brown.

She grinned. ''Oh, is this how you did your hair?''

''No,'' Emlyn retorted, combing her hair. Ailith watched as it morphed from white to brown instantly. ''It isn't permanent.''

''I've never known anyone to have naturally white hair from birth. Are others in your family like that?''

Emlyn turned snappier than usual, marching towards the cave's mouth and entering with no evidence of fear. Ailith followed her into the darkness. Small fireflies coming out of the cracks in the walls lit their way.

With every step she took, Ailith's heart thumped another notch faster. She wasn't sure what she would find, or what she even wanted to find. If Katelyn was right, and the White Sword wasn't behind the attack, then questioning Jozi would have amounted to nothing. However, if Jozi was telling the truth, then the White Sword could become problematic to deal with. Either way, the warrior couldn't foresee an outcome that yielded an easy answer.

They stopped when they heard another pair of footsteps echo further down the subterranean passageway. Peering around the corner, they saw another group of people walking past a small waterfall. Nothing about them screamed danger. Their clothing was ragged and they appeared light on their feet, with no trace of weapons. Soon, more people emerged from different tunnels, all heading towards an archway hidden at the far end.

Shadowing the group, Ailith and Emlyn attempted to blend in, entering the archway with the others.

The room was massive. Filled to the brim with people, the two women tried to stay as close to each other as possible while evaluating the situation. Tree trunks spewed from the walls, along with stone foundations that appeared to have been broken long ago. Flags and banners hung from the ceiling, proudly showing the White Sword symbol. Emlyn glanced to a particularly popular area. People lined queued before a table where bread and water were served freely to those waiting. The food barely had time to rest in a person's hand before it was devoured in seconds. There was clearly not enough to sustain all.

Her gaze drifted all around, not wanting to miss anything. Soon, she found something of interest. ''Ailith!'' She murmured.

Ailith hummed and turned, her cheeks inflated as she stuffed another loaf of bread in her mouth.

Emlyn tilted her head to the other side of the room. A large, elevated stage lay in front of them with flaming torches illuminating the area.

''This is a rally,'' Emlyn said. ''Which means at any moment, someone will be up there to speak.''

Ailith gulped, still unsure if she was prepared for what they were about to learn.

A muffled cry seized her attention. She turned back to the food table to see a small girl, maybe no older than eight, sniffling as she found nothing more than crumbs on the empty plates. The girl shuffled away, clutching her belly, feeling it rumble beneath her dirt covered hands.

Ailith hurried to the girl without a second thought. She had only consumed half the bread, so the portion that remained should hopefully suffice.

Suddenly, a tall, armoured figure wearing a mask emerged from the crowd, towering over the small girl. Ailith dug her heels into the ground to stop herself from crashing into him. She fixed her eyes on the figure and that's when she felt her heart leap into her throat, threatening to suffocate her. The aura that she felt emanating from this person was...inhuman.

A cape with the White Sword symbol swayed. A metallic ring encompassed his whole back, holding eight broadswords pointing towards the centre. His helmeted mask comprised of blades threaded together, with two small openings for the eyes, shrouded in darkness and unreadable. Metal sheets of pure-white enveloped his whole body.

The figure stared down at the girl, eyeing her for a moment before kneeling down. His hand reached for something unseen. Ailith tensed, about to propel herself forward to stop whatever he was doing. She stopped herself when she saw a piece of bread in his hand.

''Here, you can have mine.'' He said in a deep, broken voice, displaying a tone of kindness that made Ailith flinch. The little girl hesitantly took the bread from him. She bit into the food once, then twice, and soon gobbled it all.

Straightening back up, the figure turned, locking eyes with Ailith for a second.

Ailith averted her gaze, backing away slowly until the figure finally looked away. The crowd dispersed slightly, allowing the man space to walk towards the stage. No one made a sound as they watched him take to the stage. Even to those who weren't as adept at measuring one's magical aura felt mesmerised by his presence. For Ailith, who had the basic skill of reading aura, it was enough to leave her trembling.

Patting her back to stop the beads of sweat rolling down, she re-joined Emlyn, standing next to the shocked Commander, whose eyes were fraught with worry.

He stood at the centre of the stage. The light from the flaming torches gleamed off his armour, blinding those who stared directly into the light for too long. Lifting his head, he finally addressed the gathering. ''Did you know that before Niru's reign, this country went by another name?''

His question triggered a few murmured responses from the crowd.

''It was a peaceful country. With modest trade and resources, they were small in the grand scheme of things. Surrounded by ocean and the largest forest in the world, they believed they had no reason to fear anyone. Unfortunately, they thought wrong. Kreavdon! That was the name of this country...before it was destroyed.''

Gasps filled the room as the figure raised his hand, holding up towards the broken monuments surrounding them.

''What you see around you are the last remnants of Kreavdon's existence. In its place, the tyrant Niru Arsalan made it his home and declared himself King. The rest of the world allowed this travesty to happen because of what Niru had to offer. He ruled with power, and promised to share that power with those who would support his cause, leading to an endless cycle of war and bloodshed,'' he drifted into silence. In that small moment, as his body hunched slightly, his supremacy wilted. ''And I helped him.''

The sorrow in his voice carried over, leaving everyone speechless and still, waiting for him to elaborate.

''History carries many tales of heroes and warriors whose strength and magic could make the stars quake. Taking those legends, Niru twisted their ideals to create a catastrophic force of nature. A new order was established that could help Niru achieve his goal of domination. A long time ago, I was apart of that order. We all thought that we were fighting for the greater good. To protect the Kingdom and its people in the name of our King. But, I soon discovered the truth. We were not heroes...we were conquerors. By that time, many brave men and women that I fought alongside had perished.''

Clenching his fist, he straightened his back and faced the crowd.

''My name is Kardas Valkoinen. I was once a Knight.''

Ailith's eyes widened. Her mind raced back to the name that was uttered by Duron. ''No, he's lying. He has to be.'' She growled under her breath, sickened to even consider a Knight being behind the attacks.

''You may be asking why I am telling you all this if Niru has been long dead?'' Kardas prompted. ''Because people thought things would get better...but they haven't.''

Ailith and Emlyn trembled, feeling the strength return in his voice, supplemented with escalating anger.

Kardas's speech soon spiralled into bellowing roar. ''Kiros foolishly turns a blind eye to those in need. He has made no effort to fix the mistakes of the past. Instead, he buries it further into the earth, and the people with it until they suffocate and die. The Knights, who now fight in place of those I fought with many years ago, are privileged vermin who use their bloodline to give them a false title. Kiros and the Bluebloods that surround him use Niru's legacy to oppress. The change that needs to happen will never happen with Kiros and his frivolous daughter in power.''

The quiet, unsure whispers of the crowd had now transformed into compliant applause.

''The White Sword was created to help bridge the divide between classes. Over the years, attempts have been made for a peaceful solution to fix the inequality in this Kingdom. But, it has only lead to incarceration and persecution. The cycle threatens to continue unless action is taken, and action will be taken!''

A triumphant cry from the majority in the crowd nearly deafened Ailith and Emlyn.

Reaching over his shoulder, one of the swords behind his back flew into Kardas's palm. He lifted his weapon, mirroring their symbol. ''Brothers, sisters, and everyone who stands for justice...stand with the White Sword! Stand with me! Together, we will bring a new dawn. Arsalan will be no more. The Unbreakable Kingdom shall fall!''

Buried beneath the war cries of the people, Ailith was frozen. She couldn't describe how she felt at the revelation, feeling dizzy as the room spun around her. The longer she stared at the man luring everyone into his mob of hate, the stronger her desire became to leap on stage and tackle him through the wall. However, something held her back, shackling her body to the ground and leaving her rooted. She couldn't view him as an enemy. No matter how hard she tried.

He was once a Knight...

How could she fight him?

Emlyn tugging her arm ripped her out of those thoughts. ''Come, we need to leave befor-,''

''Spies!'' Someone cried out from the back. ''We have spies!''

A/N: Hey guys, girls and everyone else. What did you think of this chapter? Things are getting intense now, aren't they? Can Ailith and Emlyn escape without being captured...or worse? Find out next time. Don't forget to add to your reading list so you can stay updated whenever a new chapter arrives, and every vote or comment means the world to me and helps this story to improve. Thank you all, and take care.