Elina lay on her bed, holding the black bow Veston had given her in front of her face.

  “Why are you so stubborn?” she questioned, sitting up.

  Every night since she had received the bow, she had spent a few minutes before bed trying to draw it. Over time, she had learned to string the bow, but no matter what she did, the bow refused to be drawn. She couldn’t even make the string move.

  Normally, she would have given up in a few days—but something about the bow seemed to call to her. It was like an itch that she couldn’t scratch, something she couldn’t let go.

  Feeling the smooth handle, she fell into her thoughts, her brows furrowed in concentration. I’m pretty sure that strength has nothing to do with pulling the string, she thought. If it did, someone stronger than me would have been able to draw the bow ages ago.

  That only left the quote Veston had told her, “Only the blood of a Pegasus would unlock the bow’s secrets.”

  “What does that mean?” she muttered, rolling over onto her stomach.

  She had asked all the maids if they knew anything about Pegasuses, but so far, all anyone knew was that they were mythical beasts—something that only existed in stories.

  Feeling as if she had hit a wall, she sighed in frustration as she put the bow on her bed. Surrounded by her pink and white bedding, it looked out of place—yet, somehow, it still felt right to her. It called to her.

  Getting out of bed, she began pacing back and forth at the foot of it, speaking aloud as her voice echoed around the room.

  “If Pegasus truly never existed, then Pegasus must be something else. A code word for something, or maybe a Family Crest?”

  Looking at the bow on her bed, she continued to pace, lost in thought.

  “If it is a Crest, then I might be out of luck, there is no way that in my current situation, I can find someone with that Crest. Even if I do, how would I convince them to help me?”

  Staring back at the bow she pursed her lips. “Maybe the library will have something about the bow or Pegasuses. Tomorrow I’ll go visit it. And if it is something else, maybe I can get help from Mr. Maliri.”

  Making up her mind, she picked the bow off her bed, unstrung it, and hung it over the fireplace before turning off the lights.

  Burrowing herself in her blankets, she drifted off to sleep, the quiet darkness allowing her to have a dreamless night.

  The following day, as soon as Anna had come to wake her up, Elina jumped out of bed announcing that she would visit the library.

  “Anna, we must go to the library!”

  “Princess, please eat breakfast before you rush off,” Anna argued, frantically trying to make sure Elina was properly dressed.

  Pausing to look at herself in the mirror, Elina smiled. She barely recognized herself—her outfit and toned body were so different from when she lived in the castle.

  Back in Castle Salizia, she had worn beautiful dresses that restricted her energetic movements, often getting her into trouble for ripping them. Now, she wore the new training clothes that her sister had designed: dark pants and a light shirt, paired with a long jacket in their house's colors.

  As Anna combed her hair, Elina made faces at herself in the mirror. She liked her new look.

  Running out of her room as soon as Anna allowed her, Elina marched towards the library, followed closely by her maid. As they made their way down the hallway she stopped, her stomach growling. “I think you are right. We should eat breakfast before the library,” she said, turning to Anna. “We don't want to be distracted by our hunger. It will also allow me to ask Mr. Maliri if he knows anything about Pegasus.”

  “It would also give you a chance to talk to your sister,” Anna piped up, a smile appearing on her face. “Princess Milina trains all day now—breakfast is the only time where you can spend time with her on the days you don’t train together.”

  Nodding at Anna’s words, Elina backtracked her steps and walked to breakfast.

  With summer just around the corner, the warm, humid air clung heavily to this part of the Vanura Kingdom, and Elina could already feel her skin growing sticky from a mixture of the air and her sweat.

  Grateful once again for her training gear, she dabbed her face with her handkerchief before entering the great hall. As she stepped inside, her eyes swept over the abundance of new and exotic fruits—like jewels nestled between the baked goods and glassware.

  With the warm weather, breakfast had become a colorful display of fruits and pastries, each one more beautiful and sweeter than the one before. Eyes sparkling with joy, she silently praised Anna for convincing her to eat breakfast.

  “Good morning.”

  Milina’s voice came from near the head of the table, accompanied by the boisterous good morning from Mr. Maliri.

  “Good morning Mr. Maliri, Milina,” Elina cheerfully said, running up to take a seat next to her sister.

  Milina was also wearing her training clothes, her muscular arms visible through her shirt. Ever since Zenrom had left the manor to chase after the caravan, her sister had been training diligently with Shina, stopping only to eat and sleep.

  Glancing sideways at her, Elina once again wondered how her sister was able to keep training without burning out.

  Mr. Maliri on the other hand wore a deep blue silk shirt with matching pants, his shirt tightly stretched down his massive body and tucked into his pants.

  For the past couple of days, he did not seem to have much of an appetite, his face gaunt with worry and stress. Luckily with the news he had received last night, his appetite seemed to have returned with a vengeance—larger than ever.

  “Princess, you must have a taste of this pastry,” he said, taking a big bite out of the pastry in his hand and gesturing his cream-covered hand to a plate. “It’s filled with fresh cream and strawberries, it’s truly marvelous.”

  Grinning from ear to ear, she reached over, grabbing one. “They look lovely! Thank you for telling me. I can’t wait to eat it!”

  Taking a bite out of the pastry, Elina’s face broke into a smile, her eyes narrowing slightly in happiness. The sweetness of the cream was stronger than expected but coupled with the fluffy pastry and tang of the fresh berries, the whole pastry was perfectly balanced.

  “Oh my! They are good,” she exclaimed.

  “Aren’t they?” Mr. Maliri laughed, taking another bite. “If you like them, you should also try this sausage roll. It’s divine!”

  As the meal continued, Elina waited for the moment between Mr. Maliri finishing the pastry in his hand and reaching for a sausage roll before asking him a question.

  “Mr. Maliri, have you ever heard of something called, the Pegasus blood?”

  “Pegasus blood?” he echoed, slowing his eradication of his meal. Taking a moment to ponder, he shook his head.

  “I’m sorry Princess. I’ve never heard of such a thing. If you give me some time, I can ask around—but considering I’ve never heard of it, it’s unlikely I’ll be able to find it. If you tell me that kind of thing it is, I can see if there is something that might serve as a replacement.”

  “It’s fine, Mr. Maliri,” Elina said feeling slightly let down. “It’s something I heard of in passing. I was wondering if you knew of it.”

  “Oh, I see!” he said, reaching for his glass of fruit juice.

  Mimicking him by taking a sip from her cup, Elina looked over at her sister.

  Milina was eating absentmindedly, her eyes unfocused.

  “Milina?” she tentatively asked wondering what was causing her sister to act like this.

  “Hmmmm?” Milina replied, blinking and looking over at her.

  “How is your training going? I'm sorry that I rarely practice with you. It's just that I'm much better at the bow.”

  “You don't have anything to be sorry about,” her sister said, shaking her head slightly. “You learned the basics and have built your physical strength up. If you are better at the bow you should focus on it. Being able to defend yourself from a distance may be safer in the long run.”

  Putting her fork down she continued. “As for my training, I'm getting better but still no match for Shina, it infuriates me to admit, but we started learning to fight very late in life. In order to catch up, we must put in more work. Make sure you don't waste too much time. I want you to diligently practice.”

  “I understand,” Elina promised, reaching for a colorful spiky fruit and wondering if this was what her sister was concerned about.

  Nodding, Milina smiled. Sitting up taller in her chair she spoke. “I promise to keep you safe, but the stronger you become the better. I want you to remember that.”

  “I will remember,” Elina said, locking eyes with her sister.

  “Good, now let’s finish breakfast. I must go meet Shina soon.”

  After breakfast, Elina quickly made her way to the library, accompanied by Anna.

  The Maliri Library was grander than the Royal Library—its towering shelves reaching all the way to the ceiling. Craning her neck up to see where the shelves met the ceiling, Elina gazed at the multitude of books and scrolls, each one a different color and shade. If there were any mention of a Pegasus, it would be within these books,

  “How do we reach the top of the shelves?” Anna gasped.

  Looking around, Elina noticed that ladders were attached to the shelves, the small wheels on them allowing them to slide smoothly along the floor.

  “I think we use the ladders,” she pointed. “You start over there, at the left side. I will start on the right. Remember we are looking for anything regarding Pegasus.”

  “Yes, Princess.”

  Walking to the end of her row, Elina picked up the first book, feeling the weight and age of it. Bringing the book over to a small table she brushed its cover with her hand before opening it.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  Smelling the faint hint of dust and ink, she flipped through the pages, her mind delving deeply into its contents.

  A couple of hours later, Elina could feel her eyes becoming heavy, her head starting from boredom as she stared at the endless pages of tax codes and laws. At first, she had tried to read every word, but as the minutes crawled by, she resorted to skimming for keywords.

  Unfortunately, even that was too tedious—worse she had nothing to show for it. Despite the mind-numbing effort, she had nothing of use.

  With a sigh she closed the book and rubbed her temples, yawning. Glancing across the room, she spotted Anna snoring quietly at her desk. This was not working.

  Returning the book she had just closed, she made her way over to Anna and gently shook her awake.

  “Anna, wake up.”

  “I wasn't sleeping!” Anna exclaimed, jolting upright.

  “Let's get out of here,” Elina said, pretending she did not notice how embarrassed Anna looked. “This was not a good idea.”

  “If you say so, Princess,” Anna muttered, hurriedly putting her book back. Her face was still red.

  As the two girls made their way out of the library, Elina fell into thought. If looking for information was going to be this difficult, she would have to think of a different strategy.

  “What should we do now, Princess?” asked Anna.

  After a momentary pause, Elina made up her mind.

  “Let's go bother June.”

  They found June at the back of the manor, a serious look on his face as he carefully attached arrowheads to a short wooden shaft. Normally he would have created his arrows at Veston’s blacksmith, but with half of the Diamond Guard away, he was forced to stay close to the manor.

  Motioning Anna to stay still, Elina crouched down, trying to sneak up on him. For days now, she had been attempting to catch him unaware, but every single time, he seemed to know exactly where she was—without even looking.

  Holding her breath, she slowly made her way toward him, the cool dirt staining her fingertips as she used them to steady herself.

  “Hello, Elina. Hello, Anna,” June said casually, not even taking his eyes off his work.

  Feeling a flash of annoyance, Elina dusted her hands off before standing up and stepping out of the shadows. How did he always manage to notice her?

  “Hello, June,” she muttered.

  “Give me one second. I’ll be done soon,” he replied, his attention still on his work.

  Finishing the final touches, he looked up, a large smile on his face. “Princess, I’ve finished your practice saber!”

  Reaching down he picked up a neatly wrapped package and handed it to her.

  In an instant, the frustration Elina was feeling vanished. Her eyes lit up in excitement—the saber she had asked for was finally here!

  Jumping up and down in elation she took the package from him, spinning around in joy.

  “Thank you, thank you,” she squealed.

  Opening the package, she took out a heavy saber—beautiful in craftsmanship but Spartan in design. As she drew the weapon, the morning sun reflected off it, shooting rays of light across the yard.

  The saber was perfect, its silver-like body polished till she could see her reflection on it. Gripping the handle that was wrapped with dark red leather, she brought the weapon closer to her, feeling its weight.

  “It’s heavier than I expected,” she said, practicing a couple of swings, her body stepping into the forms she had learned recently.

  As the saber moved through the air, her eyes widened in wonder. The weapon was heavier than she had wanted, but it felt easier to swing. The forms felt natural. How was that possible?

  “It’s heavier but it should feel more comfortable,” June said, seeing her expression. “Grandpa Veston told me that the weight of the blade should carry you through your forms. It’s harder to stop swinging the blade, but it should be easier to keep moving.”

  “It’s amazing,” Elina breathed, finishing the last swing in her form. Staring at her new practice saber, she heard murmurs of wonder from Anna who had walked up behind them.

  Grinning from ear-to-ear she returned her saber to the scabbard it had come in, the dark leather cool to her touch. Turning around she gave June a tight hug feeling his body stiffen.

  “This is beautiful. Thank you,” she laughed, watching him blush.

  “You’re welcome,” he stammered, straightening his clothes and glancing sideways. “Because it’s a practice weapon, the edge is not sharp. I can sharpen it for you anytime you want.”

  “Thank you, when that day comes, I’ll come to you.”

  Taking a moment to strap the saber to her back, Elina spun around, prompting both Anna and June to laugh out loud. She knew that having such a large weapon on her back wasn’t exactly practical—if she wanted to draw her weapon, she would first have to take it off. Still, it was better than the alternative: wearing it on her hip and letting the end of the scabbard drag along the ground.

  “Let’s go to the market!” she exclaimed, unable to hide her excitement. She wanted to show off her new weapon, even if it wasn’t the safest thing to do with the recent kidnappings. But she had been training hard, surely, she knew enough to keep herself safe in town.

  “Is that wise, my Lady?” Anna asked tentatively, her hands were clutched in front of her.

  “We’ll be fine,” Elina called over her shoulder as she headed off in the direction of the market. “The children that have been taken are younger than we are. We are not a target. June, is there any other news on the missing children?”

  “There’s been another kidnapped child,” he admitted, running up to her and lowering his voice. “Reges wants it kept quiet for now.”

  Frowning at the news, Elina heard Anna gasp, her hands covering her mouth.

  Placing her hand on Anna’s shoulder she turned to June. “What are the town guards doing? Do they have any leads? Did my uncle send you some soldiers to help with the investigation?”

  Letting out a small sigh of helplessness, June fiddled with his fingers before answering. “Ever since Zenrom left, it’s just been Reges and the town guards looking into the disappearances. We don't have enough people to search the surrounding farms and keep this town safe. As for your uncle, he has his hands full with the aftermath of the rebellion. I also heard that the religious factions within the capital are on the verge of open conflict. He’s too busy to send us any men.”

  Pursing her lips, Elina studied June’s face, she was able to read between the lines. One of the reasons the Diamond Guard had a lack of manpower was because of her sister and her. Vast amounts of resources were used to keep them safe. Without the need to keep them safe, Shina, June and the rest of the guards could help look for the missing children.

  “And what of the leads?” she finally asked, making up her mind. If June could not work because of her, she would help with the investigation.

  “There is something slightly different about the last disappearances,” he sighed. “According to Reges, it’s the first time a child disappeared from a place that already had one child go missing. The reason it took us so long to realize that children were being taken was because each place only had one child go missing. That’s changed now.”

  “What does that mean?” Anna asked.

  “Honestly? I don't know” June murmured, his shoulders slightly down.

  “It could be many things,” Elina reasoned, crossing her arms in front of her chest and thinking out loud. Her mind was trying to put the pieces together. “Maybe the kidnapper is getting careless or maybe they are getting desperate. Maybe this kidnapping is done by someone else or it's not a kidnapping at all. We don’t know enough.”

  Taking a deep breath, she looked at the other two. “We need more information.”

  “Where should we get information?” Anna asked.

  “Town!” Elina announced, walking in the direction of the market again. “Anna, remember when all those pies started to go missing? We found the culprit by talking to everyone at the castle. We are going to do the same thing. We are going to talk to everyone in town. Someone will know something!”

  “The guards already talked to everyone!” June protested, picking up his pace and catching up.

  “Did they talk to the children?” Elina asked.

  “Children? No… They don’t like talking to the guards,” June admitted, his words trailing off.

  “That’s right,” Elina said, smiling brightly. “Children don’t like talking to the authorities. It was the same thing in the castle. I think if it’s the three of us we can get more out of them.”

  “You might be right,” June agreed, his eyes lighting up. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that! Let’s go!”

  The three of them started to move with purpose, a smile on their faces as they made their way to the market, what started as a boring day in the library had changed to one of catching kidnappers.

  For the next couple of hours, Elina and her group talked to every child they came across, asking questions and keeping notes of everything they learned.

  Waving her hand at a young child who they had just talked to, Elina felt frustration run through her. So far no one had any useful information.

  Walking absentmindedly down another street, she noticed Anna stop, her face peering down an empty street.

  “My Lady,” Anna whispered. “That's the guard we saw the other day, the one with the purple cloak.”

  “What guard?” June asked, stopping and looking in the direction Anna was staring at. As the boy stared at the man, his eyes narrowed in thought.

  “That's not a guard,” he finally said. “I don't recognize him.”

  Hearing June claim that the man wasn’t a guard, Elina turned her attention to study him more closely. The man wore a worn purple cloak, and his clothes didn’t look all that different from those of the local guards. The only thing that stood out was the sword on his side—its scabbard was decorated with small amounts of gold inlay and gems. It was unusual for a guard to have such a scabbard, but not unheard of.

  “He looks normal,” she said.

  “My Lady, his boots,” Anna hissed. “Those are new and extremely expensive and used by many of the high military commanders. Your uncle used to wear similar ones! When I was younger, I helped some of the older maids polish them!”

  Frowning in surprise, Elina looked at the man’s boots, squinting as she studied them. They were made from soft black leather that went all the way to his knees, with a slight heel added to help with riding horses. They looked like every other boot she had seen. “Are you sure?” She asked, realizing she had never truly noticed what kind of boots a commoner would wear. Until just now, she had assumed that everyone wore similar ones to her.

  “I am sure.”

  Feeling troubled by her lack of knowledge, she shook her head, chasing away the feeling.

  “We should trail him! Someone who is trying to look like a guard might be up to no good!” Grinning slightly, she continued. “It's also a good opportunity to get better at sneaking.”

  “My Lady, I don't think that's a good idea,” Anna disagreed, her expression uncomfortable. “If he notices us, he might get angry with us.”

  “It's fine,” Elina replied, stepping behind a wall. “What's the worst that can happen? We are just watching him from a distance. Let’s go!”

  Ignoring the uncomfortable looks June and Anna were giving each other she started to move.

  The three of them carefully crept from shadow to shadow, keeping the purple-cloaked man within sight. As the minutes passed, Elina noticed they were gradually approaching the outskirts of town, where the narrow, winding streets were increasingly boxed in by the buildings on both sides.

  Crouching down behind a barrel for a couple of minutes, she began to feel her legs ache. Grimacing, she slowly stood up, allowing the blood to rush back into her legs.

  When she looked up, she blinked in surprise—the man had vanished.

  “Where did he go?” she uttered, swiveling her head from side to side.

  “I don't know,” June gasped, his words trailing off in confusion and embarrassment. “I just took my eyes off him for one second. And now he’s gone.”

  “I also missed where he went,” Anna agreed.

  The three of them slowly left their hiding spot, searching the area where the purple-cloaked man was last seen. After some time, they stopped, their faces crestfallen—no one had thought that they would lose their target so fast.

  “I haven't lost someone I've been trailing, since I was small,” June whispered, scratching his head.

  “I'm sure you wouldn't have lost him if you were alone,” Anna said, noticing his expression.

  “I agree with her,” Elina said, looking around. “We probably distracted you. I would like to keep looking for him, but we should head back home, it’s getting dark.”

  “I agree with you, my Lady. Let’s look for him another day.”

  That night, Elina lay in bed her mind running in endless circles. Thoughts jumped from one topic to another—the missing children, the religious unrest in the capital, how many of the kingdom's problems seemed to be beyond her understanding, and the secret of the black bow.

  Sighing, she pushed her blankets aside and got out of bed. Tiptoeing across the room, she climbed onto a chair and stared at the black bow. Losing herself in its allure, she reached out and touched it, feeling the coolness of its grip.

  With a sudden lurch, her stomach dropped—she had forgotten that she was standing on a chair.

  With a painful clatter, she crashed to the floor, the bow tumbling down with her. Groaning from the shock and pain, she sat up and inspected herself. The fall had left her right arm numb.

  Feeling a warm, sticky sensation running down her throbbing arm, she looked down and noticed a cut on her elbow—bright red blood slowly trickling down.

  Knowing she would get in trouble if anyone found out she was hurt, she bit her lip to keep from making noise, baring her teeth in frustration.

  Fool why did I do that?

  Clutching her elbow, she made her way to the water basin and began to clean the wound. It wasn’t large, but deeper than she had hoped—the blood refused to stop.

  I must have hit my elbow on the marble mantle, she thought.

  As the panic and shock faded, pain took its place—her elbow pulsing with every heartbeat.

  I need to do something now!

  Rushing over to her pouch, she grabbed the vial with the red salve in it—the one that Veston had given her. Dripping a couple of drops on her wound she bound it tightly with a clean towel.

  The effects of the salve were startling. Within moments, the pain radiating from her elbow vanished, and the blood staining the towel stopped.

  “Wow,” she silently mouthed, looking at the vial she had just put down. This works better than I thought it would. I should get some more.

  Shaking her head in amazement she made her way to the fireplace.

  I need to clean the blood before Anna sees it.

  As she approached the fireplace, she froze, her breath catching in shock—the drops of blood on the floor were slowly being absorbed by the black bow, vanishing into its dark surface.

  Watching in horrid fascination as the last bits of her blood vanished, she cautiously stepped to the bow, nudging it with her foot—ready to jump back if anything happened. When nothing happened, she carefully reached for it.

  The second her hand grasped the bow, she felt a torrent of Aether rush into her, the energy forcing its way through her crest and into her Aether Passageway. Losing all contact with her surroundings she felt her mind swept into a state of chaos and elation, the veins, muscles, and tendons in her body bulging out, her body stiffening with pain.

  Feeling a mix of fear and wonder, she felt the Aether pour into her, burning through her body—a scorching, intoxicating heat that made her chaotic mind spiral uncontrollably. As the Aether reached a crescendo, everything went blank, and she collapsed into a deep, soulless slumber.