CHAPTER 4. LIBRARY
Cedric woke up from the noise, pressing closer to his Mother's body.
"Cedric."
Something was calling him. He opened his eyes, feeling emptiness overwhelming his entire body like cold water. What a horrible feeling.
He just realized he was by himself inside the tent. Seraphin wasn't there.
"Cedric." The voice called again. He stood up, glanced around, and grabbed his Moon sword.
"Mum?" he said, leaving the tent and pointing the blade ahead.
The camp was empty. Only the dying glow of a distant fire remained. He walked on, searching. No horses, no wagons, no signs of a fight. Nothing.
Everyone was gone.
"Mum? Elowen? Sir Blunder? Eligh? Anyone?!" He panicked, looking around, confused and desperate. Why was he alone? Why had they left him?
Just then, he saw movement on the other side of the camp.
Moose emerged from the forest—the Forest Spirit. But this time, it was much larger.
Cedric's legs weakened as the red eyes of the beast locked onto him, straight into his soul. Its horns intertwined, forming a twisted circle.
A faint voice reached Cedric's ears. "You are not ready."
A red shadow loomed over the camp. He looked up and saw the moon glowing a vivid red. In an instant, a raging fire began devouring the forest and the camp, obliterating everything in its path.
A chilling scream pierced the air - a primal, horrifying sound.
"No!" Cedric jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat.
"Sweetheart, what's it?" Seraphina knelt beside him, gently soothing his clammy forehead with her hand.
"I..." He could barely utter a word. "Nothing. Just a nightmare, Mum."
"It's okay, don't be afraid. I'm here with you." She pressed his head against her freckled neck, stroked his hair, and kissed Cedric's cheeks. "My dear. It was just a nightmare."
He placed hands on the curves of her waist, feeling her skin, bones, warmth, and the scent of her lush brown warm hair. "I feel better now, Mum. Thank you."
He wanted to drown in her, but at that moment they were interrupted.
Elowen entered the tent and, upon seeing the entire scene, smiled at the corner of her mouth. "Well, well, well."
"What do you want, Elowen?" Seraphina kept stroking Cedric's head.
"Eligh is looking for our Great 18
th
descendant, Mum."
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"Sometimes, waiting is the key. I've heard that if you pray and meditate long enough to connect with the spirits for a long time, sooner or later, the king himself will fall at your feet." Riley sharpened his dagger, surveying the soldiers sitting nearby.
At that moment, Cedric flopped down right at his feet.
"What do you think about that, Cedric?" Riley grinned. It was as if yesterday's lake incident never happened.
The soldiers chuckled.
"Screw you, psycho. We're not friends." Cedric stood up heavily and raised his sword. There were a few new bruises on his young face.
"Fell again. You haven't learned your lesson on balance." Eligh took another bite of an apple, lowering his silver sword.
"Maybe that's because you never taught me anything! You just keep hitting me like I'm a punching bag. You're probably the worst teacher in all of Eldaria."
"If I have to teach you how to stand on your feet, then you don't deserve to wield a sword, kid," he said, pointing the blade's end at Cedric's hand and knocking the sword out, all while taking another bite of an apple.
"Damn old man." Cedric bent down to pick up the sword, but at that moment Eligh threw the apple right at his head. The prince turned away, narrowly avoiding the fruit. "Hey!"
"Well done. That was your first victory. Never take your eyes off the enemy and always be on guard, even in times of apparent peace."
The soldiers behind Cedric clapped. Elowen, sitting among them, cheered, "Bravo, Prince. Your victory is so impressive."
"No respect." Cedric sighed.
"Lift your sword. We've only just begun." Eligh stepped closer.
Cedric spotted Seraphina standing gracefully by an old oak tree. His mother, leaning casually against the trunk, had her arms crossed with a warm smile as she observed the scene with interest.
I can't afford to embarrass myself, especially when she's watching.
"Why are you standing like a stump? Scared?" Eligh took a step forward and swung the sword.
Cedric quickly moved out of the way and used his sword to stop the next move. Just then Eligh used his free hand to pull Prince down by grabbing his arm, but Cedric stood firm, spread his legs, and pointed the sword at Eligh's chest.
"Not bad." Eligh pushed the prince back.
The soldiers clapped, but not Elowen. Seraphina stood silently, smiling.
Relived, Cedric exhaled, only to be caught off guard as Eligh spat on his back. He tumbled face-first into the mud, with the thick muck invading his eyes, mouth and nose.
"But that's still not enough to defeat the real enemy. Don't get cocky, kid. See you tomorrow."
Struggling to the feet, Cedric grumbled, "He hit me in the back. I can't believe it."
Elowen clapped again, this time by herself. "I'm starting to like Eligh more and more."
Still wiping his eyes, Cedric looked towards the tree, but his mother vanished. He sighed, "I almost managed to make an impression on her."
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The entire following day Cedric's body ached from the extensive journey and he couldn't shake off the unsettling thoughts from his nightmare. Was it merely a bad dream, or did it carry a message from the Spirit?
As he wearily continued walking, he yearned for the comfort of a warm home, his own cozy bed, and the taste of royal food. "I'm just not cut out for this kind of adventures. Funny, but at least that I no longer dream of the pretty maids from the castle. Their bodies are no comparison to Mum's beauty."
The memories of the previous evening spent by the lake and the intimate kiss they shared were the only things on his mind. It was only these thoughts that propelled him forward.
I can't let her think that I'm weak. It's all so wrong, but I can't help it.
"We'll reach the library in a few hours, Prince." Blunder walked beside him.
"I hope we'll deal with it as fast as we can, and return home. I'm so tired." Cedric adjusted the backpack, barely feeling his shoulders.
"Your mother mentioned you had a nightmare. Is it somehow related to our quest? What if spirits are trying to say something? Maybe we should ask Riley?"
"Riley?" Cedric glanced at the white-haired soldier up ahead. "No, it was just a nightmare. Can we even trust this guy, Lord Blunder?"
"Can we trust Riley?" Blunder stroked his beard, glancing at the soldier. "I found him in the woods many winters ago when he was just a kid. He couldn't explain why he was there or where his parents were. Since that time he followed me everywhere. Riley has a good understanding of supernatural things. I don't know how, but he knows stuff. He might seem a bit odd, I understand that, but I trust him as much as I trust myself."
"I see," Cedric nodded, looking around for Seraphina. "Do you mind if I ask you how's my Mother? It seems like you catch up with her more than I do. She keeps avoiding me most of the time."
Blunder smiled. "She keeps asking about you all the time. Your mother is a strong woman. She can take care of herself in a camp filled mostly with men. Like you, she finds it challenging to be away from home for so long after years of royal life. She misses your father, but you should give her some time. She'll feel better."
"Yeah, you're probably right. Thank you, Lord. For everything."
Elias smiled through the bush beard and slightly bowed the head.
Cedric moved ahead and spotted Seraphina near one of the wagons, noticing how some soldiers were giving her admiring looks. It hadn't crossed his mind that others might find his Mother attractive, besides him.
"Mum?"
"Cedric? Why are you here?" She leaned, and he felt her warm breath on his neck. "Do you want Lord Blunder's people to see you walking alongside your Mother?"
"I don't care, Mum, about what they think of me or us. Is that why you've been avoiding me again? Trying to make sure Blunder's people don't think less of me?"
"What? Me? Avoiding you? Nonsense. Of course, I'm not avoiding you!" she blushed. "I was at your training this morning, remember? You fought well."
"Not well enough. I still ended up face-down in the mud. Was Dad not good at fighting when he was young too?"
"No, he was the best fighter I ever knew." She smiled.
"Yeah, right. Of course, he was." Cedric frowned and then turned around.
He saw Elowen nearby, who was eavesdropping on their talk. She was hiding behind a wagon, and Cedric pretended not to see her.
"Are you still missing Dad, Mum?"
"No, I'm doing better now. We had a good time together yesterday; it cheered me up a bit. Thank you," she said, looking at the road, deep in thought. Red and black roses grew at the edge of the road. "But you know, it's the end of summer. When we first met around this time of year, your dad gave me Black Briars flowers. Every year since then, he's given them to me to remember the day we met. Arik said I was like them—beautiful yet hard to approach." She smiled, remembering the past fondly.
"And where do these Briars grow?"
"Hmm? Honestly, I'm not sure. It's a secret only your dad knew," she said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "You can ask him yourself when we get home. I hope that when we stop the Eclipse, we'll be together again, and he'll give me one once more."
"Yeah... I hope so." Cedric frowned again and thought. "Would it comfort her if I gave her one of these flowers?"
