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Simurg	By : Cynthermes Category: A through F > The Cronnex Series Views: 1292 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: The Cronnex and its characters is explicitly owned by Trewin Greenaway and no profit has been made out of this fiction.

Chapter List
- 8
- 9
- 10
While the boy ate his fill, Cinder meditated in the corner of the straw bed pretending to take a nap. The surge of energy and magic were invisible if gathered in small amounts. His meditations in the mortal world were nothing compared to the ones in Pandaemonium. When he and Ra’asiel meditated together they often no… always, he corrected, ended up hip-to-hip.
The very foundations of the ethereal palace shook each time they made love. Being gods, their bodies were tireless and insatiable. And the Opposing One’s loyal subjects, the Fyreans or Fire people never cared of their almost naked state.
They never paused to stare when the amethyst god pinned him against crystal-clad pillars or walls. Their cries of passion would echo throughout the palace with sheer abandon.
“I never knew you could even blush while napping.” Elyn remarked cheekily.
His concentration broke and he snapped his ruby eyes open. “Elyn…”
“Were you dreaming of your beloved one?” The boy asked wiggling his fair eyebrows.
“Are you done eating?” Cinder hastily changed the subject eying the near-empty tray.
“Yeah, the amount of food is for two. But I’m hardly your size… And I was wondering where is your precious person? We’ve never met in Scalene, right?” There was the rapid succession of questions again.
The brunet sighed. The kid was truly in his perky mode now that he quieted the hunger pains. “Kid, we have to get out of here if we are to save your uncle.”
Elyn blinked. His pupils shifted into slits as his eyes widened. The brunet immediately regretted his swift tongue. But it was now or never. The man with the robe would be back soon to get their tray and to see if they remained harmless. That was their chance.
Perhaps this was part of the old man’s plan. He quickly gathered the boy’s lithe frame towards him and whispered the reasons and means to get the guard man on his smalls.
“You mean we get to my uncle first before Grandfather?” Elyn said starting to protest against the sequence.
“Your grandfather didn’t pull off that stunt in front of our very eyes without a reason, I suppose? Your grandfather is tougher than he looks. He can protect himself more than your uncle. We have to look for him, now.” Cinder stressed on the last word for emphasis.
At his command, the tiniest string of life appeared before them in the direction below. It was flickering like a candle burning to the last wax. They really need to hurry.
They barely laid out the plan when the door jingled open. The man in the robe gasped.
“Ahh… not uh… enough…” Elyn whined panting. He had the boy sprawled beneath him on the straw mat.
They made a tent on the roughly spun wool blanket. It was a bit hot for a blanket but they need it to keep up the act and protect their dignities.
“Cinder… aahhh…!” The boy cried out and arched his back for effect. The brunet tentatively licked a shapely exposed creamy shoulder.
The observer of their spectacle froze for a few more moments totally bewitched in their performance.
“More… ahh… Harder… ohhh…”
Cinder was having a hard time putting up with their little charade. The boy’s actions disturbed him. Was this really a harmless innocent boy at play?
“What’s the… matter?” The kid asked breathlessly but the corner of his eyes was trained on their guest.
This was the designated time they were to recognize their observer.
“Oh, I didn’t… I didn’t mean… to…” The poor guy stammered and his mouth was practically wide open, drooling. You can practically put a sour melon inside; Elyn smirked inwardly.
“It’s alright… But only if you… join us…” The brunet panted and raised the blanket as if to beckon the man towards him.
The blanket was slowly lifted and a finely haired leg became exposed. Their observer licked his lips at the strip tease. He unconsciously drew closer with an obvious tent in his robe. But the moment he came too close, a kick in the groin sent him seeing stars. Then another hit in the nape and infinite blackness clouded his system.
The lads scrambled out of the bed, they were a bit disheveled from their little play. They shared a chuckle before dressing quickly and bolted out of the open door.
The headquarters of the Order of the Narrow Blade was not a maze as they predicted. Their detaining room was but a simple chamber and not a prison cell where they were supposed to be kept. The straight halls were void of any patrolling guards or members of the order and only a few torches lighted the path. The brick windows were not even barred but open to let the moonlight and night air waft inside. Their escape was almost too easy but neither felt being watched or tagged.
There were however too many rooms and doors. They would waste their chance if they ever go looking for the old man. Cinder held Elyn’s hand in his left while the right was busy tracing the flickering thread of life. They ran as quietly as they can and swiftly turned towards the darker alleyways when they passed through the exit.
After a quick break and surveying the area, the pair was once again on the move.
The thread was barely emitting life now. The godling wondered if their detour and escape made the enemy furious. And since they didn’t hold on to their part of the bargain…
Emotions surged and Cinder quickened their pace, his focus was entirely on the merely palpable thread tied to Elyn’s uncle. Sounds and sights were muted, as the only thing etched in his consciousness was that piece of thread.
The thread suddenly sparked and a memory sprung unlocked. He was forcefully mounted spread-eagled on the rack. The rusty iron clasps bit his tender flesh and when the first turn of the knob stretched his muscles and bones to the limit, he screamed.
A distraught and alarmed voice yelled his name in the background. But he couldn’t stop lurching forward still shrieking in pain. The thread of life dimmed and withered away into dust.
Instead of falling, he collided into something bulky, breathing and alive. Strong arms gripped his shoulders and prevented him from hitting the cold stone ground. The phantom pain stopped and Cinder looked up into the navy blue eyes of a man dressed in the most regal human clothes.
Those majestic eyes widened when they collided with his. “Jessan?”
Again, that name… and the next second he was caught in a tight embrace. What lied behind the man was an entourage. A magnificent steed lay in wait and the saddle was a little askew, making it seem that the man just bolted out of his horse and rushed to him. The entourage consisted of a small cavalry and a handful of patrol foot soldiers.
They have bumped into the royal entourage and the man holding him was possibly their king.
“Are you alright? Are you in pain?” The man continued to hold him in an arms length and surveyed his form like a worried sick mother.
“Your highness, I’m terribly sorry for stumbling into your presence… but I’m not Jessan. My name is Cinder.” As if on cue, Elyn appeared next to him clamped on his waist and threw jealous looks on the man’s direction.
“But you look just like him! Don’t tell me… Have you forgotten me? It’s me, Caelas.” The man said in a pleading tone and then saw the fair curly creature coiled around the brunet.
“This is Elyn, my younger brother, Your Highness. We are looking for Fei, our uncle.” Cinder intervened before Caelas could ask.
The king was silent for a moment. His gaze was filled with longing, confusion and regret. This was the same image of his foster father when he broke down that fateful night.
“It’s late. Why don’t you spend the night in my palace and I’ll help you look for him tomorrow?” He said unwittingly with a voice just above a whisper never letting go of the brunet lad’s hand.
The king’s words renewed the bubbling emotional frenzy in his being. The thread of life disintegrated and there was no use trying to save a dead man now.
His heart felt wrenched into pieces as he looked at Elyn’s clingy but hopeful expression. The phoenix within him howled in rage and set the ground shaking. Cinder immediately attempted to strangle his emotions and an inner battle left his mortal body drained and exhausted.
“Cinder!” Elyn yelled in surprise before the owner of said name pitched forward in the king’s arms.
A damp cool cloth wiped the sweat from his forehead making his eyelids flutter open. The sound of dripping water in a dish inclined his head to the right. There, a young woman in pristine white dress stood with a wary stance. Cinder instinctively groped his hands around for Elyn’s smaller frame (usually attached to him) but didn’t find him. “Where is my younger brother?”
She blushed when their eyes met but her poise remained watchful maybe for an attack. “You mean the cute curly-haired kid? He was here a while ago but His Highness, the king wanted a word with him.”
He tensed but held back before it can show in his face. “Who are you?”
“My name is Olympia. I am one of the healers in His Highness palace.” She responded politely and asked, “Are you feeling better? His Highness was very worried when you passed out.”
So he had fainted and the king must’ve accepted that as a yes for his invitation. Well that figures how he ended up in a fluffy feather-stuffed mattress surrounded by lush furnishings fit for a prince’s room. There was a small trail of sunlight seeping through the slit of a thick curtain indicated that nighttime was over. He tried to sit up.
“No! Don’t get up yet.” Olympia was instantly beside him and pushed his shoulders back to bed.
“But my brother…” Cinder protested but just that moment Elyn entered the room and bounced on his lap. There was a guttural sound escaping from his lips and was a little muffled when the boy buried his face in his naked chest. It was not until he felt the moisture that he realized Elyn was crying. His senses and even his divine ones appeared to be sluggish from the previous onslaught of his body.
“What’s the matter?” He asked the wailing boy though he already figured out why.
Olympia excused herself quickly and left. Her nervous retreating figure spoke volumes of guilt and this didn’t go passed him at least.
“You know already, don’t you?” Elyn’s tear-stricken aquamarine eyes looked up to him. They were glazed with anguish but held the prominent sharpness of anger.
Cinder shook his head. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I felt his pain before he… died.” He cringed as the memory of that pain nearly surfaced once more. If his gut told him right, he had been in that same situation in his past life.
Elyn’s gaze softened somewhat seeing that pained expression in his face. “Did his pain called out to you? Is that why you couldn’t hear me calling out your name?”
The brunet nodded. “What did the king tell you?”
“He told me… he had come up with a search party and they found uncle’s mangled body near the sealed entrance of the underground tunnel.” Elyn’s voice cracked and he started sobbing again.
The older of two hastily enveloped the boy protectively in his arms. Those cold-blooded humans did nothing but make this sweet kind-hearted boy cry. Cinder knew about the tunnel’s existence and he knew it led straight to Visfern, a demon territory. And for them to deliberately dispose of the body there…
If he knew better Miermi was independently gathering information for a different route.
Maybe that’s why the headquarters was empty that night. They were busy conducting a sacrificial ritual that they won’t bother with their prisoners? That didn’t sound right.
“…They wrapped him in ceremonial burial robes… His body was literally torn in two.” Elyn hiccupped and his tears were silently rolling down his cheeks. There was no rage or even dull resentment in his quivering voice only overwhelming innocent sadness.
Elyn’s reaction to another confirmed loss was stirring something inside him. The urge to punish the wicked was so strong that his head reeled as if he were drunk. He immediately contained the emotion once again. If he couldn’t control his emotions he might as well destroy the kingdom or even the mortal world in his fury. Now he fully understood why his memories were locked up… well… most of them anyway. He desperately needed his beloved right now.
“Ouch!” Elyn yelped and instinctively struggled out of his arms. “You feel like fire! I thought I was being burned.”
“I’m sorry Elyn. I didn’t mean to.” Cinder apologized, alarmed.
“You’re really strange, you know that? Maybe you’re dragon-sworn and you can breathe fire out of your mouth or something.” The kid launched himself back into his outstretched arms.
“I neither have a forked tongue nor scales… yet.” The brunet replied with a grin and thought, when I’m Lord of Tartarus my appearance could resemble such. He realized his presence helped alleviate Elyn’s pain and sorrows.
The boy hastily wiped his remaining tears away. “I promised Mama that I’d never cry again… I don’t know what my uncle did to them so bad they have to kill him but…” Elyn squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed them with his hands repeatedly. “They won’t make me bitter and vengeful… At least I’d do that for Mama.”
A strange ache blossomed in Cinder’s chest. This boy had a mother who died protecting him yet he was still optimistic as ever. It was like pain and suffering could never dim the light blazing brightly in his soul. And this kid was half-demon to top it off who was supposed to have ice water for blood in his veins.
“So that means I’ll forget that you looked hurt when you were attacking the Lycans as if they were kin or something.” This unexpected statement made his mouth gape but the curly-haired boy didn’t seem to notice.
“I’m glad that you’re awake.” A deep masculine voice interrupted their cuddling moment.
Both lads turned to see the same regally dressed man from last night. In the daylight the king looked more majestic with flowing straight black hair cascading around his shoulders. His broad forehead complimented his strong pointed nose and high cheekbones. His beard was neatly fixed in a small braid accentuating his cleft chin.
“I’m sorry for causing more trouble for you, Your Highness.” Cinder said politely bowing and dragging Elyn with him to pay respects to their royal host.
The king’s navy blue eyes however wandered around his exposed torso before responding, “Please, don’t be so formal. I suppose if I knew better you were raised from a very noble family with that demeanor of yours.”
Cinder said nothing but caught those wandering eyes licking his skin. He didn’t want to get in trouble accidentally charring this kingdom’s ruler if Caelas plans to use his right to ‘deflower’ him. Elyn somehow sensed the tension building in the room and cleared his throat, “Your Highness, about our uncle…”
The king’s head snapped towards the direction of that boyish baritone voice. He inclined his head to the right as if seeing the boy for the first time again. Cinder discreetly rolled his eyes and didn’t really care if the king noticed. “Yes, as I have promised, we will have the funeral at sunset.” Caelas responded. The longing look didn’t vanish but his aura as ruler and protector of his people surged.
“Your Highness, where is my tunic and my necklace?” The brunet lad inquired gesturing his half-naked state. Luckily he kept the bottle of nectar within the secret pocket of his trousers.
“Can you please call me Caelas? And Olympia, the healer took good care of your belongings.” The king clapped his hands and instantly a servant approached them bowing gracefully.
“In what honor can I be of help, Your Highness?”
“Call Olympia and instruct her to go to my private receiving lounge. Tell her to bring Cinder’s belongings.” He dismissed the servant as quickly as he called him. “Why don’t I bring you some new ones?” The dark-haired king beckoned them to follow him in his private chambers, which was a door apart from the previous room.
Inside, the king rummaged in his neatly piled closet and grabbed a black silken vest with golden embroideries. Caelas handed it to him asking, “Is this to your liking?”
The king had surprisingly good taste in clothing. Back in Pandaemonium, the only piece of garment he had to wear was a stylish breechcloth or a skimpy chiton decorated with the most unearthly gems and crystals.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” The dark-haired king answered for him and handed the vest.
Cinder sheepishly gave his thanks and quickly slipped the top on. Now he really looked like a prince but the color spoke volumes of the king’s respect. Black was for mourning and they were the supposed relatives of the deceased man.
All three of them settled on the private lounge. The couches were draped with oriental designs and felt good against the skin without the irritation of fur. The king lightly explained that they were imported from Ras Tayma, a principality in the west of Corintha that manufactures all sorts of textiles and furniture drapes.
”I’m so sorry for what happened to your uncle. But the matter was out of my influence.” Caelas said morosely absently stirring his morning tea.
The lads could sense that the king was overwhelmed with fatigue. He looked tired and sleepless. Cinder knew that right now was the moment to press for answers. “Your Highness, I don’t mean to pry but what do you mean about that matter being out of your influence?”
Those navy blue eyes narrowed at his question visibly hitting the mark but they softened again upon gazing at his calm attractive face.
“This problem has been going subtly for the past years but the religious sect plans to thwart the kingdom apart.” Caelas replied with his head cradled on his hand. He looked about to fall over and doze right there. But he continued, “I’m not that religious myself though I pay my sincerest respects to the Blessed Goddess. That was what I thought back then when they erected the tower and the Ishman Faith became the kingdom’s official religion.”
Cinder and Elyn looked at each other. The curly-haired boy took the hidden scroll from his pocket and handed it to the brunet (Miermi had this in mind). Cinder clutched the parchment in his fist and observed for the king’s reaction, saying, “Do you mean that they plan to seize control of the kingdom from you, Your Highness?”
Caelas hastily looked up with a grim expression and breathed out, “Yes. I have received reports from my loyal elite that there were killings happening outside my knowledge. These people were dubbed as heretics and tortured then murdered. I was against this brutality. Religious are supposed to venerate the Immortals but human sacrifices have long been considered an act of cruelty.”
“And uncle was… He was killed because he was accused…?” Elyn murmured with tears forming at the corner of his eyes.
The brunet immediately held him and the king nodded sadly. “I’m very sorry… I know my apologies are never enough to quell the pain in losing him.”
“Then last night you were…?” Cinder let the statement unfinished. Their eyes met again and the king’s regal shields were put down. His navy blue eyes were bare and emotional.
“Another dubbed heretic was to be executed last night and I told myself I would prevent this no matter what. I took the most loyal soldiers I have and we searched for the dungeons and back alleys.” The dark-haired king answered.
“And you found us instead.” This time the brunet filled in.
“You were screaming in immense pain. I thought we found the victim. What happened to you by the way?” Caelas asked with a worried and puzzled expression.
Cinder’s cheeks colored scarlet with embarrassment, “My brother and I just escaped from the Order’s headquarters, I think a spell was cast on me when my body erupted in sudden inexplicable pain.”
The king stared at him a moment longer, apparently he was not convinced. “Are you sure? I find it strange that you have no wounds... unless it was a spell cast upon you indeed.”
It was that instant that the door burst open. A woman in a minister’s robes entered with a couple of armed guards. Behind them was the healer, Olympia.
“Your Highness! Stay away from those two! They are heretics!” The woman in elegant robes shrieked. She looked a bit older than the king. She had elegantly braided blonde hair, grey frosty eyes and red small lips that was fixed in a frown.
“Ah, Katharine, these are my guests. And did I fail to mention to you that it is rude not to knock on the king’s door before entering?” Caelas stood up, unfazed and commanded the guards to lower their weapons.
The guards looked confused but obeyed their ruler.
“Olympia, I thought I told you to bring my guest’s belongings and not your mother.” The king continued with a cold displeased manner.
It was amazing to watch Caelas change from empathetically apologetic to cold and dismissive. This was an irritated king with his authority blatantly challenged.
“But Your Highness, that young man has a Dagmots stone pendant, right here.” Olympia let the necklace dangle with the translucent pink stone.
“My daughter means Dagmast stone Your Highness. That stone is sacred to the Opposing One.” Katharine corrected making her daughter look down in shame.
Cinder hid a smirk. This woman better not do anything with the pendant or else. Today was the day of the full moon. Ra’asiel was personally coming to meet him tonight.
Elyn equally appeared unaffected while this scene played. He had his favorite spot snuggling next to Cinder’s side.
“Possessing that stone equally means a heretic to you? Local herbalists and alchemists also use the stone in their trade. Does it make them all heretics?” It was obviously the lack of sleep making the king cranky and sarcastic.
The minister’s mouth opened in surprise. But she quickly struggled to regain her lost composure. “Being king doesn’t exempt you Caelas. If it is proven that you would rebel against the Goddess Gesryma, whose blessed name I carry, your people will have you dethroned.” Katharine threatened and exited leaving her daughter transfixed in her embarrassed posture.
So it was the monarch versus the religion. This kingdom was on the brink of instability… or perhaps it is the case already.
“Olympia, return my guest’s belongings if you must.” The king commanded sternly.
The healer hesitantly moved forward and dropped the articles none too gently on the brunet’s hands. She hissed at Cinder but her face was still a light pink mirroring the pendant’s color when she bolted out the door.
“She’s totally following after her mother. Now you can see the extent of the disunity between the religious and the kingdom’s court officials. I apologize again for her impolite display.” The king shook his head, disappointed.
“It’s understandable Your Highness. I do not deny that I know the implications of keeping a dagmast stone.” Cinder gave him a knowing look but the king didn’t flinch.
“Hanging or subjecting a person on the rack because of his different religious belief is shallow for me, young man.” The word ‘rack’ made the brunet lad flinch instead.
Caelas noticed his reaction and his brow creased. If his clairvoyance knew better…
“Have you been subjected to the rack, yourself Cinder?”
The lad became stiff as a statue. Elyn tugged at his hair and he jerked towards the king’s inquiry.
“No, not that I remember, Your Highness.” The brunet replied honestly but his fingers instinctively gripped his pendant.
“Ah, forget it. I must be the most ungracious host.” He clapped his hands for a servant to serve the abundant breakfast.
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