«What kind of ceremony?! Take her away!»
The guards, frightened by the anger of their leader, still found the strength to move. But as soon as they held out their hands, the girl recoiled. Turning around and looking at each of them, the maiden said in a firm voice:
«I will follow you whenever you say.»
Those, unable to withstand the pressure of her gaze, retreated. One of them nodded to her and went first. She followed him. The second guard closed the chain. He followed the maiden and could not take his eyes off her wonderful cloak, which stretched like a weightless mantle. Stephen, watching this picture, shook his head in displeasure.
The door slammed behind Deva, and she was escorted back through the winding corridors. They were on their way to the prisoner’s tower. She had read it all from the elders’ minds when she was in the room where they sat on their carved thrones. She understood perfectly well where she was being led, but she was still not afraid for herself or her fate. The only thing she aspired to was to understand where to begin the path to reconciliation of people. For all the time she had spent here, she had never seen any spark of desire for change in any person. They were all faded, as if they had frozen and died while alive. Everyone she met that day was not burning with any desire or aspiration related to a peaceful existence. More precisely, they wanted to live in peace, but they wanted to dominate, be above others, be stronger than others. But what could move them, what could help them to change, she didn’t know or hadn’t found yet. Her path was obviously long and thorny. Given the place where she was being led, the future seemed not just shrouded in fog, it was obscured by an impenetrable smoke screen, from which she had to find a way out, both for herself and for all mankind.
Getting higher up the endless steps of the spiral staircase, they finally stopped. Hearing the clang of the key in the keyhole, Deva realized that her path was over at the moment. «Now the door will close behind me and, probably, my mission will be completed,» she thought, giving in to despair, but tried to hold on and not to show it.
The guard opened the door for her, and without waiting for an invitation, she stepped inside with her head held high. At the same moment, the iron door slammed shut behind, leaving her completely alone. The key rattled in the keyhole again. One turn. The second. The sound of retreating footsteps. Deva was left along with herself and the bare walls that stared at her with bulging stones. Only a small elongated window was kindly positioned towards her, offering bird’s-eye views. Looking around, she saw a shabbily made bed in the corner. More precisely, its likeness, made of rough boards. Opposite, was exactly the same bed. The window was in the middle and divided the small room into two halves.
Deva, without thinking twice, walked forward. Ignoring the beds, she went straight to the window, the lower part of which was reaching the floor.
«So, these were the towers… the towers for prisoners,» she said softly and cheerlessly, now understanding the purpose of those four inner towers of the settlement. She stared into the inevitable dusk, and tears gradually welled up in her eyes.
From a height, Deva saw the valley. It stretched like a lifeless cradle for miles. To the right, there were peaks of mountains, probably belonging to a hostile clan. The lands were devastated and deserted. Seeing this whole miserable picture, even with such poor lightning, she was even more deeply struck by all the devastation going on outside the settlement wall. Deva finally allowed herself to exhale. She closed her eyes, and streams of tears poured down her cheeks. There was nothing she could do. She gripped the wall and sank smoothly to her knees. Her heart was almost not beating, and there was a continuous cloudy veil in front of her eyes. She sobbed with the realization of her impotence, swallowing salty tears. «Are they doomed, and did the Creators make a mistake?» she wondered. The tears did not stop running, filling the rivers formed on her cheeks with new streams.
Leaning back against the wall, she pulled her legs up to her and wrapped her arms around them. Resting her head on her knees, she watched as the night mist descended to the ground, taking over more and more new territories. Covering with a dark veil, hiding the ugliness that people have created.
Eventually, Deva falls asleep. It seemed like only a minute had passed since she closed her eyes when she heard the heavy footsteps of a warrior and the clang of a key in the keyhole. She lifted her eyelids and looked towards the opening door. There was the same guard who had brought her here yesterday. The face of the guard was gloomy and tense, but he didn’t say a word. Probably he noticed that the night had passed for the maiden quickly and brought neither cheerfulness nor rest. Deva indifferently turned away from him and looked out the window again. The sun was shining brightly and she squinted. The piercing blue sky appeared to her in its all glory, and, having got used to the light, she opened her eyes wide to enjoy its azure in a golden glow.
Gazing into its endless, she felt hope again. Gathering her courage, she turned her head and looked at the guard. He was still standing in the doorway, steadfastly waiting and not bothering her.
Stealing a curious glance at the girl, he decided to give her time, which was obviously vital for her now. She looked up at the sky as if it gave her the strength she needed after a night spent in captivity. And as soon as she looked at him again, he nodded at her, as if asking if she was ready. The maiden, without saying a word, got up from the floor, shook off the hem of her dress, straightened her hair and cloak and moved towards him confidently. He stepped aside a little to make way for her. The weightless cloak trailed behind her and didn’t even seem to touch the floor. He looked at it again, as if mesmerized, remembering how quiet starry nights can be.
CHAPTER 4
Stephen did not sleep that night again. Tossing from side to side, he ran in his head through the events of the previous day. «It’s already the second night without sleep. An endless stream of worries. I thought a miracle had fallen on our heads that would help us to cope with the enemies, but it turns out that it is of no use. Let’s see if the tower will bring her to reason. But if not? Then the dungeons?» He was full of doubts about what to do with her. «Why did you come to us? To remind us once again of our plight? Yes, we are falling into decline, no matter how deplorable it may sound. I, my elders, and perhaps the people already understand that this cannot be fixed. It is not possible to change or fix something that was broken centuries ago. I’m just trying to save time. I’m trying to slow it down as much as I can. If we win the war, it will probably revitalize the clan, pour new blood, and inspire the exhausted people. And if not? Don’t you dare doubt it! Don’t you dare lose faith! You have a son. It’s not all gone yet. Sleep, Stephen!» he closed his eyes tightly, trying not to let his feelings run away. Tried not to think about anything else. His body, like his head, demanded rest, and he obeyed then fell into a short and troubled sleep.
They wanted to notify him that morning was coming, but he didn’t seem to need it. Coming out of the dressing room and not believing his eyes, Stephen stopped in the doorway. He stared in amazement at the floor, which was covered with weightless golden lights. It had been a lot of time since the sun had looked into their lands. He took the first step, crossing the line, grunted contentedly to himself and headed to the exit of the chamber.
At the same time, the prisoner was taken out of captivity. Deva stopped at the wall and waited for further commands from her escort. The guard was rattling the keys as he closed the door and, having finished with it, he turned to the prisoner, showering her with a wave of derogatory gaze. The maiden shrank a little and lowered her head.
Convinced with his complete superiority, he headed for the stairs. The guard walked steadily down the steps and struck a rhythm with the iron tips of his boots. The maiden followed him noiselessly, and her light tread resembled the breath of a spring wind. The guard was silent, and Deva did not want to bother him with unnecessary questions. She followed him, maintaining their mutual silence.
Quickly descending the stairs of the tower, they found themselves in the corridors of the castle that she already knew. «How easy it is