by B. T. Narro
The king pulled a fine wooden box out of the inner pocket of his cloak and set it on the table. “It was recently my daughter’s birthday, in case you weren’t aware,” he said. “That is your gift to her. You came to me earlier and asked if there’s anything she’s fond of particularly. I told you that green is her favorite color and she is particularly fond of emeralds.” He gestured for me to open it.
I did so reluctantly. I tried not to make a sour face as I saw the beautiful bracelet adorned with emeralds.
“Um,” I said. “Won’t she know this is from you? I can’t imagine I could afford something like this.”
“You are paid very well, and you have spent very little of your coin, have you not?” The king sounded a bit offended.
“I apologize, sire. Yes, I am paid very well, and I have not needed to spend anything.”
“You could afford that bracelet. Trust me.”
He sounded to be telling the truth. Honestly, I hadn’t counted my money in some time. I had requested a while ago to stop receiving forty silver buckles each week and receive four gold coins, instead, because I had nowhere to keep all of the silver where I felt it was safe. Worrying about my money had begun to feel like a bother in the last few months. The king provided me and the others with everything we needed.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized I could probably purchase many bracelets as expensive as this one, and it wouldn’t make much of a dent in the little treasury I’d accumulated.
God, am I rich?
It was a strange thing to consider. I supposed it made sense. I was paid very well, and I never spent any of my coin. That was the big difference between the king’s sorcerers and most everyone else in Lycast. Everyone else had to spend just about all that they earned in order to go about their lives.
There was one major problem, however. “Wouldn’t a bracelet like this give Callie the wrong idea?”
The king gave a good hearty laugh. I was pretty sure I had never heard him laugh before.
“Jon, it is not that expensive of a bracelet.”
I hoped he would continue and give me some idea of his intentions with this gift, but he said no more.
“That is all,” he intoned. “She should be in her study at this time. Present it to her there.”
I slowly turned and started toward the door. My measurements were done. I had a new sword, and armor was coming to me. I owed this king so much, and I knew I should keep my mouth shut, but….
“Sire,” I said as I turned around. “Do you intend to offer your daughter’s hand in marriage to the Chespars?”
Kataleya hadn’t told me not to mention it. I supposed that would be my excuse if this came back to bite me, not that it was a very good one.
Nykal frowned. “That is far from being decided. Why do you ask?”
I figured he was waiting to find out more information about the Chespars before he made a decision. Or perhaps I was underestimating his paternal instincts, and he was leaving the decision up to his daughter. Somehow, I doubted that was the case. It was a while ago that Callie had made it clear that her father had given her permission to choose her own husband, but a lot had changed since then. I figured the king wanted to give his daughter the choice, but he just couldn’t do it with this war going on. Like Kataleya said, Callie’s hand in marriage was a valuable commodity right now.
What I still didn’t understand was how exactly a marriage to me would help their cause. Unless his majesty was worried I might one day betray him if I didn’t marry into his family? I couldn’t imagine that thought was in his head. More likely, he was thinking long past this war as he was considering how valuable I might be to him. That made more sense.
However, I couldn’t bring myself to think that far ahead. There were too many immediate matters to worry about.
I wasn’t ready to tell the king that I didn’t want to marry his daughter. That would be presumptuous, rude, and who knew what kind of damage it would cause me.
Hopefully, the king would decide to use a marriage into his family in some other way than to tie me to them. I wanted to serve my kingdom, and I believed in Nykal, but I didn’t need a marriage to Callie to do what was right.
I just hoped Callie would be happy with whatever was decided, as it seemed like she didn’t have too much control in it.
“No reason,” I told the king definitively. “I was just curious.”
I was certain he knew I was keeping something in, but he politely let me go with a simple nod. Perhaps he didn’t want to push me on the matter, just like I didn’t want to be pushed. It could be detrimental to both of us.
I was almost certain about one thing, though. Kataleya had told me to look out for signs of Nykal showing interest in possibly offering his daughter’s hand in marriage to me. If this bracelet, which I still considered to be expensive, wasn’t a sign of what she had been talking about, then I didn’t know what was.
It wasn’t a far trip to Callie’s study. I had her gift sitting in my pocket when I knocked on the door. Two guards stationed there pretended to pay no attention to me, clearly aware I wasn’t a threat.
I announced myself. “It’s Jon Oklar,” I said.
I heard a sliding lock. Callie pulled the door open.
She was studying in a large room, about the size of my room in the apartments. But without a window, it felt much more closed off from the rest of the world. I had seen her tutor enough times to recognize that this woman standing behind her was someone different.
The princess had changed since lunch. She wasn’t in a fancy dress but plain clothing, a loose shirt and soft pants. She looked more comfortable, more normal, to me. It might’ve been my imagination, but she seemed a bit happier than usual. Or perhaps that was just her expression because I was here.
I bowed. She curtsied.
“I’m sorry I missed your birthday while I was away,” I said. “I just came by to give you my present.”
I handed it to her.
She let out the faintest gasp as she looked down at the box in her hands. “You didn’t have to do that,” she said with a wide smile. Then she opened it and gasped for real. “Jon, it’s beautiful! I love it!”
The princess fastened the bracelet around her wrist with dexterous fingers and held up her arm for a long look. “Yes, I really love it. Thank you.”
She hugged me. I felt a little ashamed that I hadn’t actually gotten her anything myself, but I tried not to let that come through as I returned the embrace.
“Forgive my clothes,” Callie said as she stepped back. “I didn’t want to wear a dress while practicing the magical arts.” She showed a wry smile.
“Oh?” I inquired. “When did you start training?”
“Just a few days ago,” she said. “I’m working on extending my range. So far it is quite narrow. Hey, you can give me some advice. How did you end up with such a wide range?”
“Princess,” the instructor said, as she watched us from a few steps away. “The wrong advice might hinder your progress. It’s best to follow custom.”
“Jon is the greatest sorcerer in my father’s service, and he never followed any customs!”
I picked up on some frustration between Callie and her instructor. It reminded me of my early adventures while trying to learn the craft of sorcery. There had been times I wanted to rip my hair out.
“I think it would be best if you leave, healer,” the stern woman told me. “I don’t want the princess hearing something that could disrupt her progress.”
“I understand,” I said.
“Will you visit again?” Callie asked, then lowered her voice to a near whisper. “I would like to speak to you, but I’m rarely allowed to leave the safety of this room. It’s best…” She lost her voice for a moment as her cheeks blushed. “If we can be alone.”
“I will come back when I can,” I said, hoping she wanted to speak about sorcery and not politics, though I had my doubts.
I bowed, she curtsied, and soon
I was walking out of the keep.
Politics exhausted me. I couldn’t imagine living as a noble and constantly worrying about my wealth and the people’s perception of me. At least Callie seemed to have a good chance of becoming a sorcerer. That was a gift attributed to her nobility. The rest of us had to be lucky to ever get a decent hold on our mana without proper instruction, which we couldn’t pay for.
*****
I spent a good amount of time getting a feel for my new sword, after showing it off in the courtyard, of course. Normally, I would’ve felt bad about doing so, but I knew the other swordfighters in our group would be receiving a sword like mine soon enough. I hoped Charlie wasn’t overworking himself in Koluk. He could become quite cranky and difficult to be around, and none of us were there to babysit him.
Something was missing as I went through that day, and I was always painfully aware of what it was. It was the first day in a while that I hadn’t spent any time with Hadley. I missed her company. I wondered what she had been up to. She had spent most of the day indoors, while I had been outside in the courtyard.
Half of the time I was out there, I was lifting myself into the air with dvinia. It had been too long since I’d had more than a few moments to practice. I was greatly pleased with my progress.
My power over dvinia had grown a lot since the battle in the forest. The same thing had happened after the last one. It made me wish to return to the woods and practice there, but I knew it wasn’t safe to be outside the castle walls right now. Even in the courtyard, I feared an archer might appear out of nowhere and shoot me in the heart. But I was constantly moving throughout the day. Chances were that they would miss, and I would be able to remove the arrow and heal myself. And if this archer targeted one of my comrades instead, I was confident I would heal him or her in time. I told this to myself many times as I worried. I also reminded myself that I kept the curse stone in my pocket. We wanted Valinox to come. We did.
Just in case, however, I practiced my ordia spell a few times. I didn’t cast anything with it, just hit the right notes. I could feel my mana waiting for a signal every time I did, but I still wasn’t confident I could disenchant the stone under pressure.
It was late when I finished my bath and retired to my room for the night. I had hoped I might be able to sit next to Hadley during dinner, but she was already squeezed in between Remi and Reuben when I arrived. It wouldn’t have mattered much anyway, I’d soon realized. Because of how our group of nine all sat close to each other, there weren’t really any private conversations between us. When Hadley had finished eating, she left the dining hall with Remi, presumably to walk back to the apartments together. I stayed behind with Michael and Reuben, as we three were waiting for a second serving of tonight’s beef stew. It was that good. I felt bad that Charlie missed it.
Entering my warm room during a cold night was one of the most comforting feelings I had in this beautiful place. It was common for one of the castle workers to start a fire in each of our hearths while we were in the dining hall, and I always appreciated their efforts. The castle staff kept our rooms warm, washed our clothes, made up our beds, prepared our meals, cleaned our dishes, and even saw to repairing our torn clothing. I didn’t miss doing any of these chores on my own, but I did fear that I had become spoiled.
I hoped the workers were happy here and that they were paid well. I would have to make more of an effort to show my gratitude, but it seemed as if the king had told them to avoid us. They kept their heads down and never made conversation.
It made me feel a little guilty, like we were considered a class above them and they had to treat us with deference. I had never seen the royal family be rude toward the help, but I had never seen them show appreciation, either.
I really would make more of an effort. I knew war would soon be upon us, but for now, life was good. I was going to appreciate it and the people who made it possible.
I noticed my curtains moving slightly as I undressed for bed. I felt a pang of fear as I went over to investigate. My window was latched shut, but there was a small opening between the bottom of the window and the windowsill. It seemed unlikely that enough wind could’ve come through to move my heavy curtains. I looked around my room as I held my breath, listening and watching. I had a sneaking suspicion I wasn’t alone.
I started to feel that my mind was playing tricks on me. I closed my slightly open window and went over to my bed. My room was covered in dancing shadows from the fire in my hearth.
I peeled back the heavy covers and was about to blow out my lamp, but a sense of danger stopped me. I carefully looked around my large room again.
I didn’t see anyone. I casted my Identify spell of ordia, but it didn’t pick up anything except the cursed stone on my bedside table. I still wasn’t satisfied, though. I thought about who of my neighbors might hear me if I was to cry for help. Aliana was on the other side of the wall of my bed. Charlie was usually on the other side of the wall of my hearth, but he wasn’t here. However, the ranger was probably the best person to rely on if I had to choose one.
“Aliana?” I called as I tapped on my wall. “Are you awake?”
“Is something wrong?” she asked, fear in her voice.
“Do you sense anyone else in my room?”
It was silent for a moment.
“No, just you.”
“All right, thanks.”
“Good night, Jon.
“Good night, Ali.”
I still wasn’t completely satisfied, though. There were limitations to Aliana’s low-frequency spell of Earth, which allowed her to sense life. When we had first encountered Eslenda in the forest, Aliana told us that her spell didn’t pick up the elf’s presence. Later, Aliana had saved Remi from being killed only because she’d sensed Eden and Remi on our roof, not Valinox.
With my sword now in hand, I walked from corner to corner of my room, listening closely for footsteps besides my own. However, I made it around my room and didn’t hear anything. I was starting to feel that it really was just the wind that had moved my curtains.
Then I thought to look under the bed. It was the only place someone could hide. I did it quickly, falling to my knees with the lamp in hand and looking under the bed for an invisible silhouette.
Nothing was there.
I stood up. My curtains billowed again. My heart stopped.
I know I closed that window.
I felt a chill down my spine as I knew what this meant. Get out! Get out! I was so filled with fear, however, that I couldn’t move.
Then my adrenaline hit. I ran for my door.
Dteria grabbed me. I let out the start of a yelp as it closed around my mouth, muffling me.
I had my sword in hand, but my arms were pinned against my sides by the clear energy.
I felt someone pass around me before I noticed the nearly invisible silhouette. I tried to blow him back with dvinia, but it couldn’t escape the barrier of dteria that completely surrounded me. Valinox was still mostly invisible as he turned the lock of my door, preventing anyone from coming in.
I figured Valinox had brought someone into my room. I didn’t know how long they had been hiding here. They had probably snuck in behind the servant who entered to light my fire.
Facing the closed door, I couldn’t see the rest of the room behind me. I sucked in air through my nose, my mouth muffled. I feared I would be stabbed in the back of my head at any moment.
I waited just a moment longer, then casted from the back of my head, the only opening except over my nose. My spell was not nearly as strong as if I could use my hands, but it still did the trick. I heard a man make a sound of shock as his feet pattered away from me. I imagined him stumbling backward.
“I always have to do everything.” Valinox’s voice came from the silhouette near the door.
I tried to pull his dteria away from my mouth with Grab, but he just pushed it harder against me. Has he gotten stronger?
Then he enclosed dteria around my entire
head. The pressure was immense. It felt like my face was crushed between the ground and a heavy boot.
I could no longer cast from my head, or from anywhere. My mana required a little distance to formulate a spell, and I had none.
“Like I told you,” Valinox said.
“I’m doing it,” answered a voice I didn’t recognize.
This man was just some sorcerer from Rohaer I had not heard of. The thought of dying at the hand of someone I’d never met and wouldn’t even get to see with my own eyes filled me with rage.
I struggled against the dteria, hoping if I thrashed hard enough I could free some space around my hands or head. That way I could cast. But I was quickly losing strength because I couldn’t breathe through Valinox’s dteria around my mouth and nose.
“It’s in place,” said the man.
Suddenly the dteria around my head slipped away for the briefest of moments. I sucked in a breath of air and was about to scream for help, but a new encasing of clear energy wrapped around my mouth and nose. It seemed to be just as strong as the last.
Flailing with all my strength just seemed to take away my breath faster. I could barely move.
“Jon, I feel someone there now. I’m guessing it’s none of my business?” Her tone was as if I had a girl in here with me.
I tried to scream, but I barely made a sound.
“Jon?” She waited, then yelled louder. “Jon!”
I didn’t know what else I could do besides thrash and try to cast, but I was completely stuck and incapable, suspended in the air.
“Shit!” Aliana yelled. It was a moment later that I heard her try to open my door. “We need help here!” she screamed loudly. “We need help!”
It was going to take too long for even a group of them to break through the lock. This sorcerer was going to suffocate me, then stab me in my heart when I fell unconscious. I knew I was going to die if I didn’t think of something.
I couldn’t cast any spell, not even the simple one of ordia. Soon there was more shouting from the other side of the door, then banging as if someone was trying to kick it down.