by Eric Vall
“The others are injured,” I pleaded. “They’ll come quietly, but be gentle with them. They need medical attention.”
The soldiers exchanged looks, but they took my words of advice and escorted Gawain and Nia out without force to stand in line with the rest of us against the ship.
Miriam looked us all up and down, but especially me, as she was the one in charge of my fate, something I was sure she was going to take the utmost pleasure in.
“I must say, I’m surprised to see some of you in this line,” the Grand Mage declared as he approached us. His voice was more of a bumble, and he reminded me of a kind old grandpa who had seen some shit in his days, but was also very done with a lot of shit, too.
“Nia Kenefick.” He stopped in front of her and clicked his tongue disappointedly. “I’ll be speaking to your father directly. The same goes for you, Mr. Madox.”
Gawain hung his head, but his jaw was set firm, likely from biting his tongue. Even he could recognize now wasn’t the time to open his big mouth.
The Grand Mage went down the line and offered his feelings of betrayal that we would go behind his back. When he stopped at me, he made a face, then turned to Miriam and Prestonniel.
“Who is this boy?” he asked them.
“Oh, Simone, this is the boy I was telling you about,” Miriam volunteered. “The summoner with the attitude.”
“Now wait a secon--“ I tried to argue, but the soldier who handled me swung and jabbed me in the gut. My breath caught in my throat, and I wheezed as I coughed.
“Gryff!” Nia and Arwyn called out to me.
“Oh yes, yes. Gryff.” Capricorn rubbed his hands together. “Yes, I’ve heard much about you from Miriam.”
I wanted to argue that whatever she had told him was a lie, but I wasn’t in a position to make any noise aside from gasps for air and groans of pain.
I watched through bleary eyes as Pretonniel whipped out a notebook and started to write with a quill. Miriam stood close by, chuffed as chips that she had me where she wanted me, as Capricorn started into his speech.
“As you have no doubt suspected, you are all under arrest for treason against the Varle Enclave and all of Mistral,” Capricorn began. “Your actions, though brave, were done in the name of Marangur Sleet, a terrorist to this society and all of mage and human kind alike.”
“What?” Arwyn shrieked, and she struggled against the hold the soldiers had on her. “How dare you?”
“Apologies, Ms. Hamner, but you are in no position to be questioning the Grand Mage,” Prestonniel cut in.
Arwyn growled under her breath, and her eyes narrowed on the councilman. I’d never seen her look so incredibly deadly, which was saying a lot. I’d seen her in battle. I’d seen her take down hoards of monsters single handedly. She was a force to be reckoned with, but in this moment, I thought she might actually commit a murder.
“As I was saying,” Capricorn continued, “you will all stand trial following a medical examination to clear you of any injuries you may have sustained, as per Article 7124 of the Magicae Libre.”
Capricorn bowed, then left us without another word. Miriam and Prestonniel flanked him once again. All that remained were the soldiers.
“Damn it!” Arwyn swore loudly, and Almasy shushed her. It was an odd role reversal from what had happened in the airship moments ago, but I had a feeling it was a dynamic the two of them had grown together over time.
The soldiers marched off with us and trailed closely behind the council. People stared at us as we were escorted along the docks to a large blue ship with golden trim and an ornate ivory design on the side. That must have been the council’s ship, I thought. While part of me felt honored to ride in such a lovely aircraft, I wasn’t fond of the terms with which the ride came.
Still, we followed without question. We could have fought them and made our escape, but Almasy’s ship wasn’t in the best of conditions, and running through the streets of Varle wasn’t ideal either. There could have been a lot of collateral damage in that scenario.
We may have been cornered right now, but we’d faced tougher situations than this, and we weren’t going to go down without a fight.
Chapter 2
The airship ride to Hartmire was spent in near silence. In fact, I considered us lucky the council allowed us to sit in actual seats during the journey instead of being chained to the wall or something equally degrading and inhumane. They lined us up single file, and the guards secured us like we were helpless children. That was certainly how it felt, even if the guards were cautious and careful not to have the restraints pinch our skin.
I was placed in the middle of our group, with Arwyn and Nia directly against my sides. I tried to reach for their hands as some form of reassurance, or maybe even for some comfort. Whether the gesture was meant for one of them or for myself was left to be determined, but as it was, I couldn’t reach either of them no matter how I wiggled without making it blatantly obvious I was purposely struggling against my bindings.
We’d been in tough situations before and faced off against some of the most deadliest, dangerous creatures in Mistral and beyond, but none of them seemed quite as severe or damning as being criminalized by the council of mages. There was an overall air of foreboding, and my friends and comrades all held similar looks that ranged from distraught to outright furious.
I couldn’t blame them. Nothing about this situation was ideal.
I sighed as I trained my eyes forward, unsure of where else to look. Was it true what Capricorn had said, that they had already apprehended Sleet and had him in custody? If that was true, what did that mean for the Academy? Would someone else take over as Headmaster? I wondered, if that was the case, if there was anyone who was suited for the position. I doubted there was anyone else as powerful and knowledgeable as Marangur Sleet.
Soldiers kept watch over the mechanical doors and flanked us on either side with guns at the ready if we so much as sneezed in their general direction. There hadn’t been any sign of Miriam, Prestonniel, or Capricorn since we’d departed the aerodrome, either. I imagined they were seated in some private chamber on the upper deck sipping mimosas and champagne while we were barely afforded the luxury of not being kept within the confines of a jail cell.
With that thought, I glanced back at Nia. Her cheeks were red, and her teeth were gritted to keep as quiet as possible. I hadn’t noticed it until now, but she had been wriggling from side to side and shimmying her shoulders, and she winced as she tried to free herself from her confines. I frowned as I was able to catch a glimpse of her wrists. Dark red lines marred them as she scratched and tore at her skin with her nails.
“Nia,” I whispered, but she didn’t respond. If anything, it was like she couldn’t hear me, lost in her own head. I tapped her with my foot, but still nothing.
“Nia,” I tried again. “You’re hurting yourself. Stop it.”
I couldn’t be sure if my voice had really reached her or not, but she did stop, and the fog that had glazed over her eyes lifted, as though she was being released from a trance. Her eyes searched mine, and she suddenly hissed as the irritation on her wrists began to sting.
“Shit,” she swore under her breath, and she clenched her jaw tighter.
“Relax,” I told her, but given the situation, I knew it wouldn’t be an easy feat.
Nia sat back in her seat and tipped her head down. Her long ashen locks covered her beautifully sculpted features, but I could just make out the bright glisten of fear and frustration that had settled on them. She had been through so much already, first with losing a teammate in the Magicae Nito, then being sent on a mission while she was supposed to be mentally and emotionally recovering, and then being kidnapped and held prisoner in the Shadowscape for what was equivalent to two months in our world.
My frown deepened. I wanted nothing more than to hold her right now and promise her she was going to be okay, but the bindings behind my back made it hard to do anything but sit and helplessly watc
h her struggle. I settled for leaning my head over and resting it on hers with the hope she would be able to sense my desire to make all of her pain vanish.
We remained like that for a good while, and I felt everyone’s eyes drift to us. It didn’t bother me at all, and if the guards had anything to say about it, they didn’t. Maybe there was a silent understanding of the need to console someone in need of it, but that didn’t matter.
At the end of the day, I wanted Nia to come out of this on top. I wanted all of us to, and we would, but given our situation, I foresaw a lot more ups and downs before we saw any sort of balance in our lives again.
As I comforted Nia as best I could, I noted Gawain on her other side. He pointedly avoided looking at us, and that was okay. I knew he was bitter about my relationship with Nia. If averting his gaze helped him to cope with it, then so be it.
The scowl on his face was instead aimed at a painting that hung on the wall across from us, and he pretended to be vastly more interested in it than he probably was in reality. I did notice he was looking a touch more pale than his usual pasty self. Perhaps his injuries had started to catch up with him from our battle with Phi and the vingehund. Arwyn had given him something on the airship, if I recalled correctly before I passed out, but that was hours ago. Perhaps whatever medicine she had was only a temporary fix until we could reach Varle to see Meriden.
So much for that.
I knew we were arriving in Hartmire when the chatter amongst the soldiers started up. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but I was distinctly able to pick up one specific sentence that made Nia stiffen.
“General Kenefick will be awaiting us upon docking,” one of them muttered to the other. They nodded at one another and went about their business, whatever landing preparations that needed to be taken.
Of course, it made sense for the General to be there. After all, his daughter had been missing for months. It was only right he would want to see her with his own eyes after so long.
The five of us continued to remain quiet as the ship landed in the Hartmire Aerodrome, and the soldiers continued to mull about with their duties. Finally, the hum of the ship became still, and out of their own private section came the Grand Mage and his lackeys. They hardly spared any of us a glance as they made their exit, but through the open door, I could see several inquirers with ink and parchment, eager to take notes of what was to transpire when we walked out the door.
“So much for the council keeping things hush hush,” Almasy growled under his breath, and I bit back a dry laugh.
“They arrested Sleet’s best,” I boasted. “If anything, let’s eat up the attention and be proud we did the right thing instead of hanging our heads.”
“You’re awfully optimistic for someone that’s tied up,” the pilot joked.
“Well, someone has to be since you aren’t the most chipper lot,” I tossed back, and I heard both him and Arwyn snicker.
“He’s right,” Arwyn agreed, “what we did was done with pride and dedication to not only one another and Sleet, but to the people of Mistral. We have nothing to apologize for.”
We all nodded, save for Nia, who was lost within her own thoughts once again from what I could tell. Her hair completely shielded her face now, so I couldn’t get a read on her expression, though if I knew anything about her body language, and I did, she felt utterly defeated and useless.
Her father tended to do that to her.
With a sigh, I lifted my head and conceded. For now, there was nothing else I could do for her but place a quick kiss to the top of her head before the soldiers motioned for us to move with them.
We stood and followed, as demanded, single file out of the airship. As we did, we held up our chins and set our jaws. We would not frown, and we would not let the acts of the council destroy what we knew in our hearts to be right. Step by step, everything seemed to move around us in slow motion. As curious as I was about our surroundings, I kept my sights forward and proud. Everything around me became blurry, and the voices grew muffled. Every footfall was heavy and deliberate, made with purpose.
When the crowd around us tapered off and there were only a few who remained, I finally spotted General Gallahar Kenefick. He was wearing black military garb decorated in medals with a red cape pinned to his shoulders, and his handsome face was set firm, his lips pressed in a thin line.
“Ah, Gallahar!” Capricorn greeted as though he were an old friend, and the General bowed with a hand placed over his heart before he righted himself again.
“Grand Mage,” he replied with proper etiquette, “I’m glad to see your travels were safe.”
“Oh, think nothing of it,” Capricorn chuckled and brushed off his concerns. “I’m sure you know the reason I had you meet us here.”
“Indeed.” Gallahar bowed his head again, and when he lifted it, there was something unreadable in his eyes as he looked at us. He scanned our line as though he were mentally analyzing us, and he stopped at his daughter. There was a brief flicker of emotion in his eyes, I thought, but his face never changed. He kept his jaw firm, and his eyes hard and cool.
“I’m afraid due to the severity of their infraction, I cannot give you much time with her,” I heard Capricorn say to the General in a hushed tone.
“Of course,” Gallahar replied with a nod. He excused himself from their conversation, and then he stepped away to walk down the line of us.
I didn’t think any of us knew what to expect from him. As it was, we had all been of the belief that the General and Sleet were on good terms, but it had been months since I had any interaction with either of them. There was a chance they had a falling out. If Arwyn and Almasy knew anything, they hadn’t mentioned it. When Gallahar met their gazes though, I could see the confusion on their features.
We were all of the same mindset, then.
The General stopped and regarded me briefly, but I didn’t speak a word to him. Our eyes met, and he narrowed his gaze on me for a short moment before he drew them away from me entirely.
He then cast a look at Gawain for a spare second before he drew his eyes directly behind me to Nia. Though I couldn’t see her, I could feel how anxious she was. The thick chain that bound all of us together rattled as she trembled, and I heard her stifle a sob.
“I’m disappointed in you,” he told her in a disgusted tone. “That my own child would defy the very powers that nurture her magic, the powers I have devoted my life to, that have provided for her since the day she was born, is truly abhorrent.”
Nia’s shaking continued to jerk the chains, and the sobs she tried to stifle began to slip past her lips. She said nothing in her defense, nothing to put some perspective on the situation, though I doubted he would hear any of it.
“You are no daughter of mine,” he finished with a bite.
“What the fuck is your deal?” I snapped as my face turned red with anger. Though I couldn’t fully turn to face him, I did my best to.
“What?” he growled back. “What did you say to me?”
“Your daughter witnesses her teammate get slaughtered protecting her, she gets kidnapped for two months, and now she’s being wrongfully arrested for treason,” I spat, “and you have the balls to tell her she’s no longer yours because she did what was right?”
“Gryff, not here,” Nia whispered, but her words were broken and choked as tears pricked her beautiful eyes. Whether she was sad or angry was irrelevant.
“He shouldn’t talk to you like that,” I hissed as I glared daggers at the General. I didn’t bother to keep any formalities at this point. There was no need to, not when Nia’s happiness and mental stability were in jeopardy. “No one should talk to you like that.”
There were no other words spoken, however. General Kenefick turned on his heels without another glance or regard to his daughter and paid my words no heed whatsoever.
I growled under my breath, and I heard Nia’s breath hitch as she sniffled. The amount of hatred I felt for the General in that momen
t was indescribable. I’d seen Nia cry too many times recently, and that didn’t sit well with me.
“Asshole,” I grumbled, and I hoped it was just loud enough for him to discern through the rush of the hustle and bustle in the aerodrome.
I eyed him as he hardly said another word to Capricorn and took his leave. No sooner was he lost in the crowd were we escorted along by the soldiers who flanked us. I noted there were more of them now, two in the front leading Almasy, two on either side of me, and two trailing behind Gawain. I’d considered that maybe they wanted to shield us a little from the public eye, though I would have thought they would be chuffed as chips to declare they’d apprehended Sleet’s largest conspirators, especially if he was already in custody himself.
None of this made a lick of sense to me, and I stared at the ivory and black marbled tiles of the aerodrome as we were escorted to wherever their medical facility was. I could hear the noise of the Enclave outside the walls. Hundreds of thousands of people who we put our own lives on the line for on a daily basis had no idea their saviors were being jailed and tried for treason. None of them knew, they just went about their day like it was any other.
For once, I wished I were in that ignorant bliss. Maybe they were better off not being involved in a mad plot to go under the council’s nose and investigate the changes happening within the Shadowscape.
As we stepped outside, the late morning sun blinded me. I squinted as I tried to spare my poor retinas and slowly adjusted from the dim, ambient lighting of the aerodrome to the blazing summer sun. When I could see beyond the back of Arwyn’s head again, my jaw dropped in sheer awe.
Hartmire Enclave was unlike anything I’d seen before. Sure, Varle was the largest and most renowned, but Hartmire was in a league all its own. It had a similar overall feel to Varle, with its city streets full of life and vibrancy, and I was sure it had its less savory areas like anywhere else, but there was something regal about it that Varle didn’t have. A certain air of prestige seemed to emanate from the sky blue and gold accents that seemed to be the theme of the Enclave.