Hézo

Hezo and Imany moved through the palace corridors with the caution of two shadows. Every step was measured, every turn carefully anticipated. They had taken care to avoid the sentries, to bypass the lit areas, to leave behind neither sound nor trace.

Their path soon led them toward a secluded wing, its hallways silent, the walls lined with forgotten tapestries. The place made Hezo shudder. He recognized it at once.

— I’ve been here before, he whispered. I didn’t know you knew this place too.

Imany gave a guilty smile.

— I discovered it a long time ago. But it was only by following you in secret that I stumbled upon certain rooms… And also by following my mother.

Hezo froze, eyebrows raised.

— You followed me? You? That’s spying, little sister.

— You followed my mother too, she shot back instantly.

— Touché. But why follow me? With your mother, at least, I had my reasons…

They reached a small dark wooden door, half-hidden behind a tapestry. Hezo recognized it immediately. It was the door Dyandra had taken, the one that led to that strange room below—the one he had never been able to enter.

A chill ran down his spine. His suspicion from the other day was being confirmed. And he wasn’t sure he liked what it meant.

He tried the door, but the handle resisted.

— Locked, he breathed.

Imany rummaged in the embroidered pouch at her waist. She pulled out a heavy ring of keys, their clinking making her brother’s eyes widen.

— What’s that? Don’t tell me…

— Yes, she confirmed, almost proudly. I copied several palace keys. I stole them, then a blacksmith friend—my classmate’s father—helped me make the replicas. I love exploring, but most places are locked. So… I found a way.

Hezo looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. It took him a few seconds to process what she had just said. His little sister was no naive dreamer but a true underground explorer. A palace spy. Bold. Fearless.

Fascinating.

Had he not been so consumed with finding his mother, he would have demanded every detail of her secret adventures. He had much to learn from her.

The lock clicked open. The door creaked ominously, revealing a spiral staircase plunging into darkness.

At that moment, footsteps echoed at the end of the hallway. Someone was approaching.

Imany reacted instantly. She pulled Hezo into the stairwell and gently closed the door behind them. Darkness swallowed them whole.

The silence was oppressive. Hezo could hear only Imany’s breathing, ragged but steady.

Then, she drew in a deep breath. A spark lit her eyes. Her hands glowed as she traced an ancient vévé in the air. At once, the wall torches flared alive one after another, casting dancing light across the stone.

He watched, moved. She did not yet have full control of her gifts, but she wielded them bravely. A pang gripped his chest: he had inherited no powers. She had.

Imany descended the stairs without a word. Hezo followed, throat tight.

At the bottom, three monumental paintings loomed on the far wall. Hezo had never noticed them before. One showed a nocturnal landscape, another a blazing bird, the last… the figure of a woman with her arms bound.

— How do you plan to open the door? he asked. Mother used an incantation. You’re not initiated—you can’t speak the language, can you?

— No… But I remember the words she spoke.

She placed her hand on the central painting, closed her eyes, and slowly recited a guttural formula. The syllables rolled like distant echoes, then rang with power.

A crack split across the wall. The painting slid aside, revealing a hidden door. It pivoted silently, opening their path.

A breeze slipped through the gap, thick with dust… and something else. A familiar presence.

At that moment, a memory crashed into Hezo’s mind, vivid as a forgotten dream suddenly resurfacing.

***

The fire in the hearth crackled softly. Young Hezo was nestled against his mother. She wore a deep green gown, her brown, curly hair cascading over her shoulder.

— Mama, why do you always look at the moon before tucking me in?

She smiled—that strange, tender smile, always tinged with melancholy.

— They say the moon protects those we love, even when we’re far away from them.

She touched his forehead with her finger, tracing an invisible circle slowly.

— As long as you feel this gesture, you’ll know I’m watching over you. All right?

— All right, he promised, eyes shining.

The invisible circle still seemed to glow on his brow.

Then the cold returned, sharp as a blade. The room they discovered was no secret chamber…

***

The place was a torture room. Chains dangled from the ceiling, rusted but intact. Hooks, stone benches, old marks scarred the walls. The air was foul, heavy, thick with painful memories.

And in the center… a figure. A woman in chains.

Hezo went pale. He felt Imany’s gaze on him, heavy with sorrow.

He rushed forward and dropped to his knees.

Tears filled his eyes.

“I saw a great shining palace, and in its depths, there was a woman I didn’t know. She was chained. It was a dark, narrow place. Her lips were dry and cracked, her body wasted. At first, I thought she was dead, but her chest still rose, barely…”

It was her. His mother. Mehia.

Her body was nothing but a shadow of itself: gaunt, withered, almost mummified. Her eyelids fluttered. She was breathing. Weakly.

Hezo screamed silently. He threw himself at the chains, pulling with all his strength.

— Where’s the key?! he shouted to Imany. Tell me you have it!

— I don’t! I’m sorry! I didn’t know!

He drew his sword and struck the chains again and again, the metal ringing in a desperate clamor.

— Hezo, stop! Imany begged, clutching his arm. We’ll be discovered! If the queen finds us here, it’s over. We’ll never get your mother out!

— I won’t leave without her!

Imany placed her hands on the chains. She summoned her power, reciting every formula she knew, but nothing gave way. She wasn’t strong enough. Not yet.

So Hezo pulled again, focusing on the joint in the ceiling. His whole body shook. His arms burned with pain. But he didn’t stop.

And then… a crack. A groan of metal. The chain snapped.

At that very moment, the door behind them opened.