The Last Golden Eagle

Chapter 13 - The Dark Secret

The hurricane descended quickly and dropped the body of Darian on the floor. His eyes were still closed, but his hair still shone. The shine slowly faded until his hair was plain blonde.

Her Holiness moved closer to observe his face. "I have finally found you, Golden Eagle. My problems are over."

Guards rallied behind her. The danger was finally over, so now, they could show how strong they were. Without turning to face them, Her Holiness spoke. She said, "Take the boy and lock him in the dungeon. I have injured the golden eagle inside him, but I have not killed it. He won't act up until I have prepared the ritual to destroy him completely." She walked away.

***

The royal city was quieter now. Only a portion of the palace was burnt. There were still many houses and places that remained intact. Inside one of them, Lucas and Ally sat together at a table. There was a purple jug on the table covered with paintings of flowing water. The two cups they used were also the same.

Lucas kept staring at his hot tea. The steam rose in curly lines. His eyes seemed to be fixed on them, but his mind was far away.

Ally placed one hand on his knee and rubbed it gently to get his attention. Lucas raised his eyes and looked at her.

"Better," she said. "I know you must be disappointed by Darian. He hid from all of us his true identity. I always knew there was something wrong with his mother. And now I know that there is something wrong with him too. Dear, do not be bothered about Darian. I bore you two healthy sons who are free of the eagle syndrome. They would never turn to Eagles on the spur of the moment."

Lucas rubbed one hand on his forehead. "Can you stop talking? I am already having a headache."

Ally frowned. "Well, do not take your anger out on me. I am not the one who has the forbidden Eagle Syndrome that acts up like it's a crazy maniac and burns up everywhere! I told you not to bring him to stay with us, but you refused. Now, everyone may look down on us for having such a boy in our custody. Well, I have already told my friends that he was the son of a nameless woman. I will have nothing to do with him."

Lucas's brow furrowed. The way Ally was going, she would talk all evening. Lucas rose to his feet after wiping his hands on the sides of his clothes.

Ally pouted on seeing that he was not going to pay any attention to her.

Lucas walked towards the open door and leaned against it. His eyes gazed up at the sky. All his life, he had hoped this day would never come. When he met Helena years ago and they began their romance, it had been under a full moon like this that she had told him her secret. That night, he had placed a jasmine in her hair and bought her an expensive necklace. Then, he had asked her to marry him.

Helena’s eyes had displayed sadness. At first, Lucas had wondered if she was not interested in him. Then she told him about how her family only marries their kind. Lucas had asked what that meant. That was when Helena had exposed her identity as a member of the eagle clan that were once rulers of the land.

Lucas had secretly married her regardless. Then Ally, who was his childhood friend, discovered what he had done. She used her status to deal with Helena and his family. To save Helena from dying, Lucas had to divorce Helena and send her off to a safe place where he would send provisions to her. Helena was also pregnant at that time.

After Helena had given birth to Darian, she had sent a letter to Lucas that a golden eagle had appeared to her in her dreams. And she suspected that her newborn son was the prophesied Golden Eagle.

Lucas sighed as he recalled past memories. They had hidden the secret so well. They had even gotten the ring. What could have happened that exposed Darian?

At that moment, Lucas saw Alfred walk towards him. When Alfred stood in front of Lucas, without uttering a word, he opened his palm. In Alfred's palm lay the emerald ring. He explained in a hushed tone, "Jules and Jordan made the Crown Prince punish Darian harshly. Darian tried to defend himself, but he was humiliated. And the ring was forcibly removed from his finger."

Lucas picked the ring from Alfred's palm and spoke in an equally hushed tone. "They are going to do the ritual tomorrow night and kill him. Right now, his eagle body is broken. He is too weak. We have to break him out of here and take him to a place where he can heal and mature."

Alfred nodded his head. "What are your plans, Master?"

***

Darian's eyes opened slowly. His first sight was blurry. He could feel pain on his wrists and feet. His eyes opened wider. He looked at his hands and feet. They were chained at opposite directions. He looked around his environment. The place was dark with only three candles at different corners giving little light. The floor was full of hay or straw.

This description suited well to what he had read about. This place has to be a dungeon. He had many questions. Why was he chained? Why was he here?

He heard a voice, "You are awake, aren't you?"

A figure emerged from a dark corner by his side. It was that woman with ash hair, who carries a crooked stick.

"Did you enjoy your rest? And how do you like my place?" she asked.

Darian recognized her instantly. "You are the woman who took my mother away! I remember you. Where is my mother? And what am I doing here?"

The gray-haired woman raised her free hand and waved it slightly. "Children ask a lot of questions. Do not worry. I will answer everything. I will start by telling you my name. My name is Her Holiness." At the mention of her name from her lips, her voice changed and became thicker. It resembled the mixture of several voices speaking at the same time.

She continued, as her voice adjusted to the normal level. "I am the third ruler of the kingdom, and I have lived for thousands of years. But, you know that, right? You are the Golden Eagle?"

"Golden Eagle?" Darian spat the question with a puzzling look.

Her Holiness’s eyes brightened with understanding. "So you did not know your true identity? You just happened to begin manifesting in the palace? This is good news. The evil spirits have brought my enemy to me."

Darian could not understand the woman's excitement. His voice shot up. "I don't understand a thing you are saying. Just tell me where you kept my mother. And let me get out of here!"

"I will never let you get out of here alive!" Her Holiness yelled back. Her eyes turned red and ice surrounded her.

Darian shuddered. He felt a heavy rush of fear down his spine. He wondered if this woman was normal. Why did she look so strange?

Her Holiness regained her composure. Her voice calmed. Her red eyes became glassy again. The glass around her melted. She inhaled and exhaled deeply. "For thousands of years, members of the ice clan have searched for the Golden Eagle. Now, I have found you. I can never let you go. As for your mother... Do not worry about her. I assure you that the both of you will be reunited soon. I will kill you just like I killed her."

Blood drained from Darian's face. He balled his fists. "Did you really kill my mother? You killed my mother!"