Bertan`s quest by Michelle Tarynne (ereader android .txt) 📕

I don’t remember a lot of things," the King sighed, "And I don’t have any control over the time the madness takes me."
"That’s why you don’t want to meet with your daughter," Seekinglanders nodded in understanding.
"Partly. I can't guarantee her safety when she is with me. That is the one thing it's so very hard to admit. I am her father, and I cannot be trusted. I want her to remember me in a better way," Red Axe said looking defeated, like a shadow of his former self.
"She has already witnessed your Madness, and she hasn’t uttered a word since," Kyre sighed quietly
"I know, it had to be a shock for her. Just take her to the safety of the Great Mine," Red Axe pleaded.
"How are we going to get there? Everything is sealed off."
"And I don’t trust the elevator in the Throne Room," the King thought deeply and became so still, Hunn and Kyre thought that he was being taken by the Madness again. "I think there should be another way to the places below, but it doesn’t go all the way down to the Melting place. You would have to walk quite a distance to reach the staircase that ends in the Melting Place, but it should be safe enough."
"Where is it?" Hunn asked with a sudden spike of interest.
"I think it would be best if Lar guided you there, she claimed the whole Inner Block as her own, in many ways," the King said heavily.
"What is that place?" Kyre frowned, not following the conversation he was a part of.
"Just tell her it starts in the Vault, she will know what I mean." Red Axe looked at them. "Just one more thing."
"What would be that?" Hunn asked suspiciously.
"You need to cut your hair. It's not only that you will be the only sane people out there. Your hair is a telltale sign of the Seekinglander presence… and I, ah…" he stuttered.
"You declared any Seekinglander an enemy." Hunn finished with a broad smile.
"Yes," the King admitted.
"You declared your own daughter an enemy too," he had no problem with accusing Red Axe.
"I hoped her mixed origins would never reveal themselves," the King whispered, looking up to the corridor’s ceiling to avoid looking into the eyes of the Seekinglanders he was talking to.
"No wonder you don't have the courage to face her now," Kyre said, “You still despise her origins.”
"I will take that fault to my death asking the Fates for forgiveness. It is the only thing I truly regret," Red Axe whispered even quieter, "Get ready. And make yourself presentable for Gods' sakes." He dropped to the floor a great sack he nervously carried like a baby. "Your new clothes… for all of you," he said finally and fled back to his rooms leaving both of the Seekinglanders agape.
"Now that is something I did not expect," Kyre mused absently, "Do you think we should trust him?"
"I think we have no other choice," Hunn answered without hesitation, "But you are the one to share the news with the females."
"Why me? They will be impossible,” Kyre groaned at the mere thought, “They will hate it straight away."
"Aye. And they will scoff at everything. Therefore you talk with them," Hunn said seriously, "I don't do well with resistance."
"I know." Kyre had the gall to chuckle. "I will talk to the females, but you will be in my debt." He laughed at the uncomfortable grunt he got for an answer. “Forever.”
"We will need to drug them at some point, though," Hunn said after a moment, "The Blood Madness is claiming them slowly too, I can see it in their eyes."
"I noticed it too, they would never follow our lead when sane. With the Madness claiming them it's not safe to have them aware anymore," Kyre agreed quickly. "Let's just hope they will not remember that fact."
"Let's hope the Madness leaves them at some point first, Kyre. I have never seen anything like what's been happening here. It looks like all the Axe bloodlines are susceptible, as you, me and the child seem still sane." Hunn was becoming clearly disturbed and anxious. Something, Kyre would never think possible before.
"I think we need to pay the Duchess' rooms a visit. I bet she has some more of her darts there," Kyre said lightly, already striding towards the Duchess’ rooms.
"Are you sure you want the females to go through that hell?" Hunn asked him but followed his steps.
"They won't feel a thing, their Madness will." He carefully peeked into the narrow corridor.
"Are you sure? Is that a great difference anyway?"
"Hopefully they will live to tell," Kyre said, "You heard the King yourself, he doesn’t recall anything of his Madness times."
"I hope you are right," Hunn muttered putting this argument on hold.
"I'm just still not sure if going down there is a good idea."
"Kyre, we don’t have any other options, you know it," Hunn argued, "Trying to get to the Ombre Valley and the Mountains Range that encloses it at this point is nothing more than a suicide. We don’t stand a chance between the Swords and the blood-mad Axes. The only thing we can do is to hide for the time being."
"Maybe. I wonder if Vlad and the rest had the chance to reach that damn Melting Place," Kyre argued no more.
"I don’t think so, I guess they went further, right into the Stronghold,” Hunn whispered, pausing at the corridors crossroads. No guards were present throughout their way so far, and that was both reassuring and suspicious to his core. "Shouldn't we at least try to join them when we get down there? It will be so close."
"I don’t know," Kyre frowned looking around, “It’s so weird, no guard around.”
" I know, I don’t like it either. I’m not sure Red Axe would go that far in helping us,” Hunn agreed, “What is the other option we would have here if we stay on the surface? Especially if the Swords win?"
"I think there won't be any winners."
"Do you seriously believe in the whole Oracle stuff?" Hunn asked in disbelief.
"I have to say yes. I do. I honestly do," Kyre said stopping midway, “I think we should change our robes now, let’s not push our luck here.”
“Fine. But I’m not cutting my hair.”
“It’s just hair, it will grow back,” Kyre chuckled cutting his braid with one swift move of his knife.
“I’m not cutting my hair,” Hunn hissed and stomped away leaving Kyre behind. "So, it foretold what exactly? I mean the Oracle," he asked suddenly.
"The destruction of everything that is on the surface."
"So you think it will be safe to come up here once it’s over?"
"Basically yes. I just hope I'm right, " Kyre said as they reached the Duchess rooms.
"Let's find those damned darts," Hunn muttered shaking his head.
***
Later on, in their hidey-hole Kyre kneeled in front of the girl. Lar had been mute and silent ever since they found her frozen into the spot. Lar witnessed the Seekinglanders massacre, a thing that no child should ever be forced to see.
Kyre looked deep into her almost unresponsive eyes, relieved to notice the tears, the rage, and grief. It was a good sign of change, for before, there was nothing at all. The rebel ran too deep through Lar's ancestry lines to let anything break the spirit of her core.
Kyre knew that the Seekinglanders have become meek and ordinary in their surface lives, obedient to the point of self-willing sacrifice. Just not her, not Lar, the direct descendant of the two most rebellious and fierce lines to walk the land and breathe that sweet air. He took his time to look at her. It seemed that she was finally getting back to her old self. The fire of life burned deeply in her eyes.
"We need to leave now," he said slowly not to disturb her again, afraid she was still too close to the breaking point.
"It looks like it," she admitted without any spike of interest.
"You do know the way," he said offhandedly to avoid any tone of urgency, "The way into the Great Mine, you know it," he paused, "You do, don't you?"
"I won't ever go in there," she answered in the same tone he used. She looked up to the ceiling. A small smile brightened her appearance.
"Why not?" He knew that he had to tread cautiously.
"It's cursed." Lar didn’t bother to hide her surprise at his ignorance.
"It's not," Kyre chuckled.
"It is, in a way Kyre. Look at everyone who tries to get there. They die. Only the ones looking for a way out of there are granted the permission to live," she explained.
"It's not the Mine's fault actually," Kyre was getting dangerously close to getting into an argument over the child's fears.
"Whatever. I won't ever go there," she just notified him of her decision, with a poise and will Kyre couldn’t accept. She was just a child afterall.
"We can't stay here," he frowned, disliking the amount of time that was already wasted.
"We won't," Lar said calmly.
"I don't think there are any other choices that we have here Lar. The only way out of here into some sort of safety, any safety, is to go down into the Mines, and maybe, just maybe we will survive what's to come."
"But we have one more option you didn’t mention," she walked around the room and stretched stiff muscles and joints that were frozen into one position for a bit of time.
"Which is?" Kyre asked.
"We will follow them," Lar smiled as she nodded at the unconscious twins that took the infamous darts sometime earlier.
Hunn, who listened to this conversation hidden within the shadows, coughed unexpectedly. There was something about the way he kept vigil that brought both peace and tension to everyone who were present and aware enough to notice. The air in the room thickened and everyone focused their attention on the silent, so far, figure.
"If I may interrupt,” he coughed again, “I hope I don’t know where this conversation is going. The twins are not only in the throes of blood madness. We had to poison them with your mother’s darts, that means they are sort of sleeping. And they will be, for a very long time to come," Hunn explained patiently.
"But they are faking it," Lar giggled in answer, leaving both of the warriors agape.
"What do you mean?" Hunn asked cautiously, looking at Gi’ and Si’Waters suspiciously.
"They are waiting for something," she explained, "I've been faking being asleep so often I do know the signs." Lar walked up to the twins that were lying in disarray on the bed. "And I know that red eyes never really sleep, even in their sleep." She bent over and started to whisper something into Gi’Waters ear.
"Why would we follow the Blood Madness? Do you realize that they have been infected and taken and there is no way to bring them back?" Kyre exclaimed exasperated as he noticed that the twins opened their eyes.
“I’m not sure they know that,” she said quietly robbing men of their questions.
”Bloody females. Can’t ever trust them,” Hunn muttered quietly.
 
"And I’m pretty sure we won't be following any real madness." Lar frowned.
"Then what?" Kyre gritted his teeth, hating the fact that he was going to take orders from the child to follow the maddened bodies.
"I don't know." Lar opened the doors, ready to leave.
"Why should we trust them then?" Hunn asked watching in awe as the twins got up and left the room.
"Cos they're not Anaerthers." Lar followed the girls swiftly, "It's the Inner Ground Dwellers that we have to be afraid of at this point."
"Why would you say that?" Kyre asked joining her. His Axe found the way into his hand, he didn't even think about it. The action came naturally to him, like breathing. He didn't like the way she sounded, like her father.
"Cos they would rather see us all in Pods," she finished, breaking into the run, following the twins. “It’s not the time to talk. The evil and fire is preparing to