《Black Pawn》 Prologue: setting the board Prologue : Setting the board Looking at his shaking hands then raising them to the sky, Alaric said to himself "it''s a full moon tonight huh" as he can visibly see the huge moon looming over the noisy city, like a sentient being watching from above judging him from what he has done, as the moonlight illuminated his surroundings a red liquid starts dripping to the floor from his palms, Alaric observed how it has accumulated on the floor near his feet, but aside from the pool of blood on the floor there was also a silver object located at the base of his feet, its sharp edge drenched with the same red liquid on the boys palms. while his back is against the closed door to their small 2 bedroom apartment located at the 4th floor of rundown 6 storey apartment complex he let out a sigh of frustration. "so it has come to this" he muttered "kill or be killed, why?" he said to himself as he opened the door and observed the sight before him and everything came back, earlier he thought that maybe this was just a dream, The smell of alcohol reeked as he opened the door , the room was a mess, broken furniture scattered across the floor, and at the centre of the room a bloody lump can be seen, it was a middle aged man at around 35-40 years old, laying flat across his back, visible stab wounds can be seen along the man''s chest. around the man, a pool of blood can be seen soaking the rug that had been placed in the centre of the living room. "At least you did not go down without a fight huh old man, tears flowing down his cheeks" as he caressed his swollen face and bloody lips and spat blood to the floor while grinning. Anyone who would witness the sight will immediately assess that the person who had committed this heinous act is a psychopath, because while standing across the corpse he''s seen grinning and muttering inaudible words like a madman would, but why is this person crying, his eyes wide open grinning to the sight but tears keep flowing like there''s no tomorrow. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alaric was the son of Garent Holzen, He was just a 17 y/o high school student with unkempt black hair and regular looks, medium built but slightly muscular due to all the manual labour he has done while working part time in construction and other petty works. Earlier this afternoon when the bell rung to signify that the day was done, Alaric immediately got up and grabbed his worn out blue bag and directly headed to the school gate. Regular students opted to proceed to their own club activities after class but unlike normal students Alaric does not have the time or luxury to do any extracurricular activities, he doesn''t really have friends to spend loitering around after school hours and it''s not like he has the time to spend loitering around as well, sure he sometimes engaged in small talks with some of his classmates, but he can never really call them friends, he was seated at the back of the class at the far right corner next to the window he would sometimes look at the middle of the room during breaks or free period when his classmates would group up and talk about topics that are common to kids his age and would comment to himself how carefree they are. Alaric was working part time in a convenience store located near his house, and at 10pm in the evening the beeping on his cheap plastic watch would signify the end of his shift. he would usually buy cup ramen and bread to serve as his dinner ( very late dinner) before he would proceed home. Like any other night once he got home we would be welcomed by the sight of his father drinking leisurely, and like any other night once he got home he would receive endless sermon after sermon about anything that his father can find flaw in him and scold him, being used to the scorn of his father he just let the words pass through his ear and out the other, Alaric proceeded to their small kitchen and heated some water for his ramen. Sitting on a chair by their dining table while waiting for the water to heat up he opened the wrapper for the bread he purchased and started to eat quietly, watching silently towards the television screen that shows horses running across the track. "I guess the old is trying his luck again huh" he thought to himself. But this night is unlike any other night, his father is more obnoxious than usual, unknown to Alaric today his father was fired because of unruly conduct in his job as a manual labourer in the local pier, once he had drunk the last drop of his favourite whiskey he stood up and proceeded where Alaric was seated and with his drunken stupor demanded for cash to buy some more, usually Alaric would just give his old man extra money that he has earned working at his part time job to put an end to his father''s obnoxious behaviour, but tonight he has nothing to give, the next pay was not until the next 2 days. Alaric calmly answered " dad I think you had enough " His father''s eyes suddenly reacted to what this boy had said. He grabbed Alaric by the throat and said. "w-what did you say to me boy? feeling high and mighty are we now??" "Just because you''re able to go to that school does not make you a better man! who do you think raised you when that good for nothing whore left huh!?" added his father. Alaric hated it every time his father brought up his mother. He never really remembered his mother, she was gone before he could even walk properly, every time he asked his father about his mother in the past it would only end up with him having a black eye or a swollen lip , so he learned not to press on the matter, the only thing Alaric was able to get from his father was his mother''s name, "Amelia", and the only memory that he could muster about her is the lullaby his mother would usually sing him "hmmm when the world is dark , would you be a knight , a bishop or a rook , or a pawn to bind them, rest your weary soul, worry not bound by oath no piece can harm you hmmm~~" a hymn with chess pieces involved, his mother must be insane he thought, but he had no time to dwell in such memories as his father picks him up holding the collar of his uniform and he mustered the worlds that he thought would be most appropriate. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Dad you know if have the means I would give you what spare change I have" Alaric defended "Shut up! when did you learn to talk back at me boy" retorted the man as he punched Alaric on his face, cutting his lower lip. Alaric did not react, it was not unusual that sometimes his father would strike him, as he was slumped in the corner beside the chair he was sitting on, he said to himself "just let it go, he''s drunk" he gritted his teeth. But like what was mentioned, tonight was unlike any other night, tonight his father was more aggressive than usual. The man picked up Alaric and punched him on the stomach, making the boy gasp in pain. "You useless piece of shit!" ranted the man. "Who gave you the roof under your head!" "If it was not for you! I could have gone and lived my life as I see fit!!" deep frustration can be felt from his father''s words. more punches came, towards his face, on his belly, pain was felt everywhere. All he could muster is "Dad stop...please.. stop .. dad." again and again he repeated those words. But the pain did not stop, Alaric saw his father''s eyes, the eyes of a madman that has lost his senses. This is it he thought, I''m gonna be killed. beaten to a pulp, no one would miss him, his classmates, his teachers, the manager of the shop he was working in.. and certainly his father who was currently beating him senseless, no one in the world cares, and no one would definitely notice his absence. Falling into the abyss accepting punch per punch, something broke within him.. "why?, why?, I have done nothing wrong.. I did what was asked, I did not ask for anything in my life, I accepted the reality that I have no mother, that my father was a drunkard, that nobody likes me in school shunned as an outcast, when I was young I looked at the kids on my neighbourhood playing with wonderful toys while all I have in my arms was an empty milk carton that I have poked holes to signify eyes and mouth of the robot in which I saw in the store when one time dad brought me to buy groceries, not then did I complain when he said that we could not afford to buy ActionBlaster X.. Alaric''s life seems to flash before his eyes.. I understood my place in society the bottom of the ladder, did anyone hear me complain? no.. not once did I raise my voice to complain. yes we lived in poverty, but I came to terms with that ever since I was a child. when I''m about 9 y/o I saw my dad crying one night, a glass of liquor in his hand, cursing his predicament being left a single parent, cursing my mother who had suddenly vanished, to raise a child by himself, through the years, even with all the insults, the pain I felt as I received the punches or slaps from this man I called father, I endured it all, he saw the pain his father felt, he could have left, like his mother.. He could have been found in a dumpster somewhere, but instead his father the drunkard that he was, kept him.. provided a roof above his head, that enough is something to be grateful for.. he is all that I have.... yet.. why... The punches have stopped, and in the midst of the bewilderment his eyes focused on his father''s chest, red liquid suddenly oozing out of him and on his hands he held a silver knife deeply embedded on the chest of the man he called dad.. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ As Alaric surveyed the scene sirens can be heard nearby, "tsk, aren''t they quick" Alaric knelt beside the man, " I''m sorry dad.. " tears flowing down his cheeks, closing the lids of the half open eyes of the man laying before him.. "let''s meet again someday I''ll bring your favourite whiskey "... is all he could muster. He can hear the sirens below the apartment complex.. and voices can be heard climbing the stairs.. Alaric walked towards the door and looked backed one last time, this was place where he had spent most of his life, blissfully examining and taking it all in, one specific spot caught his attention, the corner before his father''s room was located, where a couple of scratches with metric measurements was carved, as he recalled those where the lines his father and mother once measured his growth, a wry smile fell upon his face, "I wished I was there at that moment" as he could not remember such memories of happy times. The good with the worst , he accepted it all , this is was his home there was no denying that, as he walk towards the door, "well this is it, time to pay the piper" the knob creaked as he twisted it open. Then a bright light shunned his eyes, and suddenly an arm grabbed his shoulders, at first he thought it was one of the cops with their highly exaggerated shock and awe tactics he saw much in television and movies. But as he soon adjusted his eyes to the light, the figure he saw before him is a towering being, clad in full armor. "whaa-t!?" "who.. what are you doing?!!" he stuttered The being grabbed him roughly around the collar and announced "As order of Queen Beatrice Val Brava, you have been identified as a pawn and is requested in her court to swear allegiance." "A-allegiance?! what are you talking about!?" And with a flash of light, all that was left was an empty apartment with a corpse in the middle of it. Chapter 1 : Black was the sheep Chapter 1 : Black was the sheep An overwhelming feeling of nausea came over him, with his remaining strength he was able to stop the urge to vomit, it''s not like he has much to spill though, all he had for dinner was the bread that he was not able to finish, thinking back he recalled that he was boiling water for his ramen, but it''s not like it would matter now, able to let out a snort like laughter, "what a pitiful meal to enjoy for his last day of freedom" Alaric said to himself. But along the corner of his mind he sense something was not right, it did not add up, the last thing he could remember was looking towards this towering persona, clad in white armor, pulling him out the door by his collar, and then the next thing he knew he was surrounded by a blinding white light, and as the light slowly dissipated, allowing Alaric to open his eyes, like a newborn infant, squinting and waiting for his vision to adjust to sudden influx of white light earlier. "I must be losing it, what the hell is this, surely I must be dreaming, yeah.. that must be it, the shock from what I have done must be the cause to this vivid hallucination" he thought, the scene where his father laying flat on the floor dead because of him, it is all fresh in Alaric''s mind, how could he easily forget that, "I''m a murder" he said to himself. His vision returned to normal, the first thing Alaric observed was the platform he was on, it was a square platform, from his observation it was made of marble seeing how polished it was, the platform was covered with bizarre symbols unknown to him, captivated by the strange designs he did not realize the figures around him until. "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh.. wha-whats happening!!?!" a scream can be heard behind him. Because he was facing front he really did not notice that behind him was a couple of characters, upon looking back Alaric saw that he was not alone, he saw a couple of people with the same dazed expressions as him, 3 people to be exact, one was a black haired tall muscular guy with brown complexion , must be around 20-22 y/o he guessed, the other was a Caucasian male with blond hair and blue eyes who''s built was almost the same as the big guy but he was a bit shorter and I guess his age might also be similar to the muscular one, and the last one, the one whose scream earlier was heard, a girl with fair complexion, upon closely examining the girl''s face she was about his age, with captivating facial features, a small cute nose, round eyes, pink glossy lips, flowing long black hair", and she got a fairly nice figure to boot", he muttered to himself. "Where am I!?, man, do you know what''s going on? where are we??" Muscleguy said pulling Blondboy''s right shoulder towards him. "I''m asking myself the same thing bro!, so stop pulling my shirt!" blondboy barked, his eyes earnestly surveying his surroundings and eventually his eyes met Alaric''s gaze. "You!" blondboy shouted "What?.." Alaric timidly responded. "Do you know anything about this? if you do spill it!" blondboy commanded. As if he heard nothing Alaric turned his back, he had experienced a lot of people with the same boisterous behaviour before and he knows the best way to deal with this type of character was to ignore them and avoid crossing paths with them, it would only bring him inconvenience being with such crowd as he said to himself a couple of times in the past. "Hey! ... Oi!! you!!.. you there!.. Hey!!..Bastard do you know what''s happening right now!?" he can hear blondboy voicing his frustration at his back due to the fact that he did not answer his calling. But Alaric remained steadfast and did not pay him an ounce of his attention. A couple of minutes seemed to pass by. I guess blondboy has grown tired of trying to get his attention because he can now hear the three , muscleguy , blondboy, and screamingbeauty conversing with each other recalling what they were doing or where they were before being brought here. Alaric would have joined them and exchanged information despite the fact that he was annoyed by blondboys attitude he would have still joined them in order to grasp an obtain every bit of info he could get out of his current companions, but he was lost within his own thoughts at the moment , " what''s happening, if I''m not dreaming then am I dead? no.. it can''t be, then why are they here, are they also dead?, I can''t remember any serious injuries during the squabble with my father, the cops could not have shot me since they have just arrived below the apartment complex, he once again recalled the last thing he could remember before arriving to this place, I was about to step out and surrender myself to the authorities for killing my father, then suddenly that white light appeared and I was dragged here by that huge being clad in white armor, he was muttering about a queen, and something about swearing my allegiance. Suddenly the wall north where Alaric was currently standing divided itself in half and out came numerous individuals wearing the same iron clad white armor as the being that he saw outside his apartment, as he recalled people who wore full body armor such as their attire were supposed to be called knights, he learned this from his previous lesson about history and culture of people in the past. As the knights assembled themselves in a straight row, an elderly male emerged from the division on the wall, from his appearance this person would be about 60-70 y/o Alaric observed, wearing a white outfit similar to priests, while also displaying his impossible to miss headpiece with silver and gold outlines, he stood in front all out the knights and courteously bowed towards Alaric and the other three. "My lords And My Lady" humble was his voice, but Alaric can sense something about this old man but he can''t figure it out just yet. "My deepest apologies for the sudden summons" he paused, while looking at the young faces in front of him. "I know each of you have a lot questions in mind, why are you here, what''s happening and where are you right now, such questions will all be answered in time" he paused again.. "But now is not the right time and place to discuss such issues, but at least let me provide you a brief introduction and explanation of your current situation, you all deserve that provided that all of you were inconvenienced by the sudden summoning that has occurred " "My Name Is Ferdinand Guas Majora, current Cardinal of the Grimwall Empire, in which you are in right at this moment" once again he paused. "And All of you my lords, and lady(while looking at the only girl among the group), Are called forth in this hour of need, you may have not noticed this but at the nape of each of your necks are symbols inscribed the moment that you have selected and brought forth to our world of Avarith" his eye''s serious, surveyed each of their expressions. "Each pattern will symbolize the power bestowed upon you, and this power can only be wielded by you and you alone, now I humbly ask that all of you, one by one step forward so we can verify your gifts and the roles given to you" he ended.. The four of us uneasily exchanged glances who would go first, I''m not really convinced of what the old geezer had just said, so I''m guessing those three are thinking the same thing as well, I mean, getting summoned , special powers, aren''t those stuff only in fairy tales and movies, he must be joking right, but it''s not like we have any other choice than to comply at the moment, he thought. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. It''s not surprising that the first one to move forward was blondboy. "ahhh.." while the Cardinal was inspecting the back of his neck, he proclaimed "The Knight".. "Ever brave and Loyal", and may I know your name my Lord?" "I am Arthur Jhon Benedict" blondboy proudly announced, I guess anyone who would be given the title knight would have a sense of pride around them, well whatever like a care(Alaric thought to himself), It''s not like he was jealous of the guy, he just hated the guy''s character from the very beginning, now added his newly acquired status as the knight, Alaric knows it would only further increase blondboy''s air headedness. The next one to come forward was the tall muscular guy. "hmmm the rook, very good, very good.." the old man muttered.. " formidable and truly unwavering", and may I ask your name my Lord "Ummm.. Dimitri Astorga" the muscleguy said while scratching his head, obviously shy upon being called Lord up close by the old man. Alaric decided to be next but was immediately overtaken by the screamingbeauty, I guess she would not like to be the last one huh, Alaric thought. Upon inspection the old man announced " the bishop, keeper of light " looking at the girl with a grin, our church would definitely benefit from your strength my Lady, and without waiting for her name to be asked screamingbeauty announced, " Cyra Nakano.. My name is Cyra Nakano". Pleased to meet you my Lady, the old man answered. I guess I''m next Alaric muttered to himself.. As he came face to face with the cardinal he turned around and presented his nape to be inspected, .... ...... ........... What''s with this silence, the other''s did not wait this long to have their symbols announced, Alaric thought. Then a voice finally came out of Cardinal, it was spoken in a cold tone " The pawn.. a black pawn ". Alaric turned around and observed the Cardinal''s grim expression. "Sentinels..." the Cardinal spoke. Immediately a couple of the bodies clad in armor that Alaric thought to be knights earlier moved in unison and surrounded Alaric in an instance. "What''s the meaning of this! what''s going on!" Alaric shouted as the Cardinal stepped back, Arthur, Dimitri and Cyra all seemed confused about the current situation, Dimitri tried to step forward to help Alaric but the Cardinal blocked Dimitri with his right arm suggesting him to stop. The Cardinal felt the tension in the air between the newly arrived summoned beings thus he had no other way to relieve this tension but to explain why Alaric, the black pawn is currently being surrounded by the sentinels. "My Lords, and Lady, do not fret no harm will befall you, for what you are witnessing right now is just punishment for this fellow" the Cardinal spoke with an cold tone. Upon hearing that Alaric quickly replied.. "Why must I be punished!? for what reason?? tell me! aren''t they summoned the same way as I did!??" Alaric blurted out pointing to the three standing behind the old man, Alaric is losing his temper, unjustly being summoned and now being treated as such, he admits to himself that he had committed a crime by killing his father, and would gladly pay the consequence, but this was different, he does not understand why the Cardinal and these so called sentinels are suddenly hostile towards him. Another door opened up at the southern part of the chamber and it seems that the sentinels will be dragging Alaric towards that opening. "I agree, all of you are summoned the same way, and even I can''t really explain or comprehend the current situation because this was not suppose to happen" the Cardinal spoke, as Alaric was slowly being dragged away. Then he continued, "It may seem to be very unreasonable for us to be acting this way towards you right now but we do have a very good reason to do so", he paused, and looking at Alaric straight in the eye the Cardinal muttered, "I deeply apologize my boy, if only it had been a white pawn, we could have been celebrating". Dumbfounded by the last few words the Cardinal had said all Alaric could do as he was being dragged away was scream insults towards the Cardinal and cry pleas for help towards his three companions, but they all looked away, he even begged Cyra the screamingbeauty for help but all he got was a look of pity before turning her eyes away, surely such a beauty would definitely have a soft spot or so he thought, well he is damned wrong, When Alaric''s screams can nowhere be heard the Cardinal turned around. "I do apologize for witnessing such an event my Lords and Lady, hopefully you would not judge us for what has transpired, I just acted accordingly and trust me it is all for the best". The three summoned beings looked at each others eyes but did not comment on the Cardinal''s statement, still in shock I suppose or opting not to press the issue with regards to the black pawn afraid of incurring the same hostile treatment. so the Cardinal continued. "Now I know all of you must be eager raise your questions, we shall answer them accordingly in due time, but due to the unexpected turn of events I must take my leave" he paused. The cardinal ushered the three sentinels towards him and instructed. "Guide our guest towards the their respective chambers, and make sure they are provided properly" The sentinels bowed. looking back at them the Cardinal spoke, "These are the Majesty''s personal guards and they will be guiding my Lords and my Lady to their bed chambers, if you are hungry just say the word and they shall call upon the royal chef''s and provide you with nourishment''s, I shall introduce you to her Majesty the Queen once the urgent matter that requires her attention has been dealt with and after that we would further explain the meaning of each of your symbols, the power they hold and why you have been summoned, now if you would excuse me I really must take my leave" The sentinels began ushering the guests out of the chamber towards a flight of stairs. Once they were out of sight the cardinal called for the remaining sentinels and instructed them to fetch the Queen and told them to deliver this message. "It''s urgent, he''s in the Dungeon, Amelia''s son" Chapter 2: Vile blood Chapter 2: Vile Blood Two sentinel''s are dragging Alaric across a dark corridor, one sentinel on each of his arms, dragging his feet along the moist concrete floor while two more sentinel''s are following them. This must be the dungeons as he observed the dark rooms with small openings at the bottom of each door that he guessed where food for the prisoners are pushed through. "Damn, can''t I get a break, it has been trouble after trouble" muttering to himself. "Are we there yet?" with an bored tone he asked his captors, well I''m not going anywhere might as well get back at these fuckers in any way I can he thought. Alaric kept nagging and whining at the sentinel''s hoping to irritate them somehow, but to no avail. "Are they even human?" he asked himself seeing that not a bit of emotion was shown through their actions as the sentinel''s continue to drag him to the farthest reaches of the dungeons. Then a sudden halt. One of the sentinel''s following them opened a wooden door with a silver key that was hanging on in waist, as the door creaked a foul stench leaked out, the one''s dragging him pulled him to his feet and then pushed Alaric through the door. Then as soon the sentinel holding the keys was about to close and lock him in, he raised his right hand and flipped his middle finger to the sentinel, then the door was shut, I don''t know if they could even understand the gesture but hey it was worth it Alaric muttered. He observed his cell, streaks of straw on a long wooden board will serve as his bed, and on a corner a rusty bucket can be seen, "Well a nice soft bed to lay on, and my own private toilet, great just great" he sarcastically said to himself. "How am I going to get out of here" frustration can be heard from his tone. ================================================================================ "This place is huge, I can''t believe this" Arthur said to himself currently sitting comfortably on a sofa. The three of them, Dimitri, Cyra and Arthur got bored waiting in each of their allocated rooms so they decided to explore for a bit, Dimitri asked the sentinel assigned to them if there was a place where they could kill some time, the sentinel then proceeded and directed them to one of the common rooms. There was a bar on the common room and Dimitri was browsing through the wine bottles. Arthur was on a sofa sitting comfortably humming a tune. And Cyra was admiring the paintings on the wall. Then out of nowhere Cyra asked her companions "what do you think will happen to that guy?" Dimitri answered "I don''t know and I don''t want to know, you saw how serious that old guy was, when he found out about that black pawn or something, he might be dangerous". "The thing is that priest keeps trying to force on us that he''s dangerous but I can''t really feel anything dangerous about that him" Cyrna added, "And aren''t we all the same? summoned to this unknown world, shouldn''t we stick together?" Arthur finally joined their discussion "Forget about that guy Cyrna, what? feeling sorry now? whatever that was it''s none of our business, let''s focus on getting answers and perhaps finding a way home". "And Cyrna" Arthur added. "What?" she answered "Don''t do anything stupid ok?".Arthur looked at her with cold eyes "whatever" Cyrna muttered and went back to her room. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon."Now that baby girl''s gone, the adults can finally talk". said Arthur in an arrogant tone. "Hey Dimitri!" "Yeah?" Dimitri answered while still rummaging through the wine racks. "Do you feel different? you''re supposed to be the rook right?, so you should be strong and stuff" Arthur asked. "Hmmmm..I don''t think so, if I was I really can''t feel it right now, and the old guy said they would still explain to us about our symbols and such, maybe we''ll get to learn how to use them by then" Dimitri answered. Dimitri was able to finally pick a bottle and asked Arthur if he would like a glass as well. "sure, why the heck not, nobody said we can''t" Arthur arrogantly answered. ================================================================================== A woman was currently walking on the path that leads to the inner dungeons , 4 sentinels were marching up front and 4 at the back following her, the woman was wearing a white dress embedded with precious gems and stones, her long blond hair sways along her waist as she walks, her eyes are as cold as ice, her smile is was considered poison to men who she considers as prey, and on her head sits a golden crown, this woman in non other than the Queen of the Grimwall Empire, Queen Beatrice Val Brava. It''s highly unlikely to see her highness on the dept''s of the castle dungeons but for this person she would make an exception. As she was nearing the room where the boy was kept, her procession stopped. "Greetings your highness, beautiful as ever" bowed Ferdinand "Greetings Cardinal, let''s make this quick I can''t stand this place" with a cold tone "how sure are you that he''s Amelia''s heir?" asked the queen. "I felt it my queen the moment I touched the symbol of the black pawn embedded on the back of his neck, I felt Amelia''s lifeforce, I could never forget Amelias mana your highness, for she had the same distinct energy pattern that you have" Ferdinand answered with assurance. "tskk" grinning her teeth, somewhat irritated by his answer.. very well the Queen finally spoke " but still that does not explain how he got the pawn" . "what can you say about the matter Cardinal? how could a runt like him acquire such piece!" the Queen was obviously furious, "umm-i-it must have passed through the bloodline yo-your highness", the old man was stuttering as he spoke, definitely affected by the strong killing intent projected by the Queen. "That must be the only reason, Amelia was the last of the black pieces, the cursed line, it would not be a shock if her son would receive the piece that could rebuild the cursed pieces". Ferdinand ended, his eyes glued to the floor. "Damn you Amelia, the Queen keep muttering, even in death, you mock our ancestors with that vile blood your runt carries" The Queen thought to herself. "It does not matter, that runt has not awaken it''s powers yet, we have this under control" the Queen comforted herself. "Cardinal, I want to talk to the runt" ordered the Queen her eyes as sharp as daggers. "Y-ye-ss your highness" the cardinal ordered the Key Master Sentinel to open the last door in the hall where Alaric was detained. The Queen followed by her guards moved forward..