Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 470: The Dunes 3 ()

Tara pursed her lips, debating on whether or not it was okay to say anything to Neveah.

"I am not here to be just another pampered noble lady, Tara. I will find out eventually." Neveah pointed out.

Tara hesitated for a moment before she finally nodded in agreement.

"Before your arrival, the dune lord already announced your title as his heir. There is no one in the dune castle who dares keep anything from you." Tara admitted as she took a seat beside Neveah.

"There has been some strange happenings within the light hall and the Asvarian beacon, that is all I or any one other than the dune enforcers know." Tara revealed.

Dune enforcers were the highest ranked dune dragons and there were just ten of them, including Lords Rodvan, Coran, Orin and Garron whom Neveah knew to be her father’s closest confidants.

"A report arrived from the light hall for the dune lord only this morning, but it was kept classified. All the enforcers have been summoned to the meeting hall, we should know more of it soon." Tara whispered to Neveah.

"Come now, Tara... the girl has only just arrived, let her have at least one night of rest." An unfamiliar voice sounded from the door as a dune dragon stepped in.

"Orin." Tara said in surprise, shaking her head as Orin winked in her direction.

"You are... Lord Orin. One of father’s closest confidants." Neveah acknowledged.

"He said that?" The dune dragon, Lord Orin asked, lifting a hand to his chest to show how touched he was by what Neveah had unintentionally revealed.

Neveah chuckled quietly, nodding her head slowly.

"I must be. He had me come check in on his most precious daughter. I am your Uncle Orin by the way...here in the White Dunes, there are no titles amongst family." Orin said as he ruffled Neveah’s hair before taking a seat across from her.

Neveah still stared in surprise and astonishment at how easily Lord Orin settled into his place as uncle like he had been looking forward to it all his life.

And whether it was intentional or not, Neveah was not sure but his casual and playful approach immediately made her feel comfortable, much more than Tara had, even.

"Now girl, you need your rest and your father does not want you to be concerned. At least not for tonight."

"If you want to know more, you will have to wait to hear from the dune lord at the end of the meeting...but given what you have already heard, I will say this alone."

"You must know, how important the Asvarian beacon is to the stronghold."

"To the dune dragons... the dune lord, to all of us, protecting the beacon is our life sworn duty. And when anything... and I mean anything is amiss..." Orin trailed off.

Orin did not need to say more for Neveah to understand her meaning, and what it meant to her father.

"To think I kept him away from his duties all this while...made him worry so much that he had to come fetch me himself. If I would have left with him the first time..." Neveah murmured with a heavy sigh.

"I do not know much about what has happened to you Neveah, but what I do know is... There is your father’s duty and there is his love for you, and none is any less important than the other." Orin clarified firmly.

"Now, ease your heart and rest. The white dunes can surely wait one more night for it’s heir ." Orin said with a smile.

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"Father..." Neveah called, her eyes fluttering open the moment Kaideon stepped into her room.

It was already late into the night and Neveah had long retired to bed.

"Did I wake you? I was just going to check on you." Kaideon said quietly as he walked over to Neveah, taking a seat beside her bed.

"No... I could hardly sleep. I was waiting... Is there a lot of trouble? And please don’t ask me not to worry because I will. Keeping it from me will only make me worry more and I should know... it’s my place to know."

"I am your daughter. Your oath to the dunes and the stronghold is mine, the sooner I get to understand it, the better." Neveah murmured, sitting up on her bed.

Kaideon was quiet for a moment before he sighed.

"How much do you know of the White Dunes?" Kaideon began with a question.

Neveah’s brows furrowed slightly, she had read a lot and heard a lot of the White Dunes, especially since she had realized it was her home.

But all she knew was still just what she heard from various sources, nothing more.

"Not much... other than the obvious." Neveah admitted.

"You have heard that the White Dunes is one of the most important fortresses in the stronghold?" Kaideon asked.

Neveah nodded in agreement, though the importance of all twelve great fortresses could not be overemphasized, there were a few that were set at extremely strategic positions and as such, more strictly guarded.

Amongst these were the four fortresses that bordered the four cardinal points, East, West, North and South.

These were the White Dunes that reached across the North and South, Fort Scabbard of the East, North’s End at the Far North and Kezrar Dun and Fort Inferno of the South.

"Do you know why?" Kaideon asked.

"The White Dunes is home to one of the Asvarian Beacons and protects a good portion of the Northern and Southern borders, at particularly strategic positions." Neveah summarised what she knew.

"Indeed. But do you know what lies beyond those borders? What these border forts guard against?" Kaideon asked again.

Neveah shook her head slowly, not many volumes told of what lay beyond the borders of the Asvarian stronghold.

Though Neveah had heard one or two strange tales, none of what she had heard could be confirmed.

"Remnants of the dark age... that’s what. Trolls, golems, beasts forged of dark magic that escaped the uprising and took shelter in the lands where the stain of darkness still touched." Kaideon said.

"Beyond the borders lay the shadow swamp itself, what is left of the greatest fortress of the dark age and above all, shadow people... creatures forged from the darkness, death and magic blood that seeped into the shadow swamp." He continued.

"The darkness beyond the borders...it is like a virus, spreading and tainting the lands. The Asvarian Beacon is a lighthouse of ancient magic, the magical light keeps the darkness and shadows from getting past our borders...keeps our people safe."

"The fairies of the light hall are dedicated to replenishing the magic of the lighthouse so it never wanes and we who guard the border fortresses ward off whatever danger approaches... ensuring the borders are never breached. It is our sworn duty." Kaideon said, his eyes fixed on Neveah’s.

Neveah nodded slowly, though she did not fully understand it yet, she knew she would come to know the weight of duty her father carried and what it meant to be the heir of the white dunes.