“Is the wand connected to him yet?” A different man asked.
Hallond closed his eyes and softly shook his head, “I cannot say. I doubt it could be fully passed on. Being granted the status of Dragon isn't so easy. They must only have the wand, retrieved it from wherever Tolen had concealed it.”
“Take whatever measures you have to,” the man’s voice said. “get that wand before they try anything with it. This is Tolen’s plan and we are all aware of the way you failed last time when faced with the tactical skill of Tolen the Wise. That boy is part of one of his intricate plans. If he gets near you, you will fail us again.”
Hallond’s hands fisted at his side; so tightly that his nails dug into his palm. He wanted to punch clear through the bronze mirror. “Do not forget that without MY tactical skill, you would all be dead!” His words were dripping with acid. “I am capable of handling one of Tolen’s plans.”
“Then do it!” warned the old woman. “Find a way to stop the child. Get that Dragonwand! Do not fail us again.”
Hallond yelled at the mirror again and it went dark, shook, and then exploded. He shielded his face from the glass shards, regretful he’d lost his patience as a few pieces pierced the skin on his forearm. “Control your temper Holland,” he mumbled to himself. “The way those whelps spoke to me was completely infuriating.”
He had worked for a thousand years to see that they are brought back to the living world in new bodies, and yet they had the nerve to address him in such a way. With a few calming breaths, he regained his composure. “Once my plans are complete, even the other dark wizards will be under his control. They might feel they have the right to speak to me thusly now, but when the time comes, I will force them on their faces. I will be supreme ruler of all, magical and non-magical alike.”
After a moment to consider his options, Hallond settled in his mind the notion of what he must do. Extreme as it might be, he knew that it would be hard to maintain control over the situation if people balked at obeying. He exited his quarters.
With all the appearance of nobility he sat on his throne. Everyone stood at attention, awaiting his orders. After a moment, he spoke to his Chief of the guards. “Take this decree.”
“Should I get the court recorder or an official or something?” Alex asked.
Alana stepped up quickly. “I can officiate any decrees you wish to sign.” Nearly tossing her papers aside, she grabbed a tablet and a quill from a box near the Throne. It was an honor to be the royal scribe, even under unusual circumstances. “Please, tell me what you wish to decree.”
The King looked over to her. “To all provinces, to all parts of Gallenor. By order of the King, all male children under the age of twenty are to be put to death on sight.”
Alana only had half of that written down when she stopped and looked up to him in horror. “What?”
The King stood, pointing. “Do you want to be put to death as well? Write this down now!”
Alana looked at the guards in despair. When none of them responded, she slowly finished the order. “Is…that all?” this came out from a dry mouth and a heavy heart.
Hallond nodded. “Yes. Bring it to me, and fetch the wax.”
She leaned down and picked up a small stone pot that contained a unique enchanted wax. A signet ring for signing important documents rested on a table next to it. She retrieved both of them and handed them over to Hallond.
Hallond placed the paper on the large, wide arm of the chair, dripped a little of the wax on the bottom right side of the paper and pressed his ring into it. The wax cooled and hardened, just as he pulled the ring free. This left the impression of the royal symbol for all to see. He smiled at the revelation that the spell was officially sealed.
The King took the quill from Alana and signed his name next to it. The decree was now the law. And with that, he held it out for Alex. The Chief Alex shuttered and stared at the paper with hesitation.
The King calmly and directly said, “Would you defy the Throne?”
Alex closed his eyes and slowly reached up and took the paper. “No, sir. I cannot defy the Throne.”
“Then see to it that this is delivered too all provinces and leaders,” Hallond said. “I want daily counts of the bodies until I am satisfied that the threat to Gallenor is defeated.”
“What threat?” Alana snapped. “What could a young boy do to harm Gallenor? What could possibly be so bad as to justify mass murder of children on this scale?” after the last words came out of her mouth her hands went up to cover her lips. She knew full well that this was the ultimate mistake to make in the courtroom.
Hallond looked to her with fire in his eyes. “You, young lady, have just sealed your fate. Chief Alex, kill her.”
Alex took her arm and bowed to the King. “At once, your majesty.” He turned and walked her out past all the other guards.
Hallond retired to his quarters and ordered the doors protected. He also left an order standing that if anyone protested the decree, they would be put to death where they stood. The guards wrote it out and nailed it to the doors outside.
***
Alex escorted Alana outside of the capital walls and into the darkness of the forest. She sobbed along the way, certain that death was around the corner. Alex was as stoic as a night sky. When they were clear of prying eyes of the guards on the walls, he released her arm and pulled out his sword.
She fell to her knees. “Oh please, you know this is wrong,” she pleaded. “All of it.”
He lurched forward and plunged his sword into the ground next to her. With a smile that could melt her heart he nodded. “I know. The king has lost his mind and I'm afraid that he'll incite a revolt if these orders are made known.” He helped her to her feet. She was still shaking, but less than before.
“What then?” she asked.
Alex shook his head. “I don’t know. All I know is that I am not going to kill any children, or you, for the madness of a King. But you must flee. Go away until he is no longer in power or has regained his senses. Until then you are not safe here.”
Alana couldn’t help herself, overwhelmed for his act of kindness. She took him by the shoulders, pulled in close, and slapped a big kiss on his lips that left poor Chief Alex donning a goofy smile. “I will never forget this.”
With his hand over his lips and a smile that matched hers, he looked away. “Go, quickly.”
Chief Alex made short work of a passing hare and spread the blood all over his sword. “This shall do nicely. I hope that it is the only blood to be spilled over this.” He whispered, fearful that things could quickly get out of hand.
“Thank you,” Alana said. She took off and ran deeper into the dark forest.
Chapter 13: Echoes of the Past
Markus held two bowls of piping hot stew as he walked through the Citadel to where Crystal rested. For the past few hours he and Crystal have been reading through the Codex and learning everything they could from it. Once he had the staff, the decryption spell worked to untangle the words and make them readable to any who looked upon them. Markus believed that Tolen knew that by the time the Dragonwand was passed on, the Codex would be in safe hands.
Turning a corner, he found Crystal seated on the floor with the book open in front of her. She was up against the foot of one of the dragon statues with her tail perched alongside of her. Markus was amused at the intensity she displayed while reading. Her level of interest was intriguing. It warmed his heart that after all the adventures they’d been through; she was still thrilled by a good book.
She lifted her wand and pointed it in the direction of the wall across the room, then mumbled something before sending a bolt of red energy shot that burned a hog-sized hole in the stone. Apparently pleased by her accomplishment, she smiled proudly and returned to reading the book.
“Hey, time to stop and eat something. Treb found a cook pot and was able to reconstitute one of those stew potions of Donna’s into a good dinne
r. He even used a little spice he had with him to season it,” Markus said as he sat down on the floor next to her. He handed her one of the bowls.
Crystal held it up to her face and smelled. A moment of elation came over her as she whiffed at the scent. “Oh, I didn’t realize how hungry I had gotten.”
Markus pulled out a pair of spoons he had tucked into his pocket, and handed her one. “I know. We haven’t eaten since we left the Gnomes and so much has happened.”
Crystal stirred her stew for a moment to cool it off. “Yeah, and what we had to eat with the king wasn’t exactly filling.”
Markus sipped a little of the soup too quickly, forgetting to blow the heat from it. He did his best to hide his silly mistake from her, maintaining a calm expression as he placed the bowl down and coughed a few times. “So, have you done any writing before?”
She frowned and raised one eyebrow. “Before? I’m not writing now.”
“I know. I meant… have you tried your hand at writing any books of your own?”
“No, but I've thought about it. I've read so much it seems like I could. Why?”
“I don’t know. It seems to me that one of us should write down what has happened here so that history gets it right. I don’t want anyone to look back at what we did and think it was false or just legends. Besides, who else could write our story better than us…or really, you?”
She brushed a lock of hair from her face as she looked down at the Codex. “I'm not an author. I don’t know where to start.”
Markus laughed. “Just like Tolen said, start at the beginning. Don’t worry, I’ll help. After all, I want you to get my part right.”
“Oh, I know how to write about a flirty boy who chases tails.” There she was, teasing him again.
“Hey!” he said, in protest, although he’d loved the attention. “I don’t chase tails. I just happen to like yours.” He reversed the teasing right back on her with some silly flattery.
She accepted any flattery from him like candy to a child. “Okay, I’ll write the story as best as I can. What about you? Have you kept up your letters to home?”
“Kind of. I wrote on one back at the gnome city, but didn't get much down. I thought about writing one later before bed. But... I’m not sure if I should anymore.”
“Don’t stop. Think about it this way. You'll have a lot to tell your parents when you get back, and this way you won’t forget any details.” She flashed a coy smile. “Actually, I was hoping to use your letters as notes and pen our adventure into a journal.”
“No way,” Markus said, lightly impressed. The flattery now smashed in his face. “I guess I can. It does make me feel a little better to write to Mom and Dad. I sure want them to know about everything that has happened.” Markus scooped up some stew and tried it again. It wasn’t boiling hot any longer, but it was still quite spicy. He panted this time, and fanned the flames on his tongue. “I'm going to have to get used to all these spices.”
Crystal ate a spoonful with a pleased expression on her face. “Where would the flavor go without them?”
He laughed and stirred his soup around to cool it off a little more. “Maybe I can find a spell that will cool off the spices in the soup.”
Crystal giggled at him, and then asked, “So, have you learned anything from that staff?”
“From the staff?”
“I just thought you would be smarter, wiser, better with it. It may grant you more insight into magic.” She set her bowl down and turned the pages in the Codex to a section that had this very staff drawn onto the page “It says here that very powerful artifacts, imbued with unique magics, can even hold memories and spells within them, so each holder gains from the previous owners. I thought, perhaps, Tolen left something in it for you.”
Markus waved his hand over the ground and with a single thought the staff appeared before him. He put his hand on it and focused. “Nothing, so far. I don’t know, maybe that's why he left that Codex. He obviously liked having a lot of parts to his plans.”
Crystal looked at the staff with a hint of awe in her eyes. “I suppose. At least you know how to turn into a Dragon when you want now.”
“Sure, just what I’ve always wanted, to transform into a giant lizard that can fly.”
She teased him again. “Like I said before, at least you now have a tail.”
He flashed a flattering smile of his own, cheeks burning. “Sure, I have a one ton tail. Again, what I always wanted.” He liked to sound of her giggling and loved even more to see her happy. It brought an immense joy to his heart. “So, what were you learning when I walked up?”
She turned the pages back to where she had been studying. “There is a section here about some combat spells that are pretty dangerous. I thought I would try one. I don’t think I did it justice, but I could at least get something out of it. I haven’t been very good at destructive spells before, but this wand really makes it easier.”
“Oh, that wand is something else. The first time I tried using a spell with it, the wand threw me through the air and nearly crashed me right into the side of a mountain. Funny thing, if that spell had not gone so crazy, I may never have found the Rakki, or you.”
Crystal turned the page of the book. “I don’t believe that it was chance you arrived when you did. How you arrived may have been an accident, but I believe Tolen intended you to find us. Or he would not have left the Codex with us.”
Markus let out a sigh while he tried another spoon full and ignoring the spiciness this time, as his hunger took priority. “Well, I can accept that. I doubt he intended on sending you with me, but I’m sure glad you came.”
She looked at him with those gorgeous eyes. “Fate is a funny thing. Tolen may have never purposed our contact and connection, but love was always a part of the equation, of that I'm certain.”
Markus paused, caught up in her beauty and resumed sipping. He swallowed and asked, “Do you know why you have trouble with your destructive spells?” leading her on.
“No, it is like I simply cannot force it to happen. Though, recently my destructive spells have been more powerful than ever. When I cast the wind spell in the Gnome city, it was stronger than anything I had produced before. Just now, when I cast that spell, it was far greater than I expected. Yet, I still don’t think it was as powerful as it could be.”
Markus turned the book around and looked at it. “Spells are produced through two sources, working as one, in the wizard. Magic is the energy we control and use, but emotion is the means by which magic happens. When you use healing magic, you allow your feelings of compassion and sympathy to fuel your thoughts, even if you did not realize it. When a Donna crafts a potion with magic, she will use the constructive feelings that give us concentration and focus. But, when a wizard casts a destructive spell, he draws upon fury and rage.”
Crystal was stunned to hear that, eyes bulging. “You mean you use anger to fuel your magic?”
He shook his head. “No…well at times you can, but that isn't the same. Fury and rage are not inseparable from anger or hatred. Hate and anger are feelings spawned by fear and loathing. Fury and rage are spawned by feelings of injustice.”
“How do you know all of this?”
“Donna’s spell book.” He pointed toward the bags piled together. “I was reading it while we traveled and learned a lot about the intricacies of magic. It says destruction magic must never be conjured purely from feelings of hatred or anger. Those feelings can create destructive magic, but it is never as complete as it should be. When I first started out, I know my spells were spawned by the anger at my family for being so stubborn. But, when I found you and learned of your parents and what the King and Morris had done, I found a new fuel for my magic. Since then, I have discovered my powers growing in ways I never imagined possible. I know it's why I was able to transform into a Dragon back in the canyon. If I had just used hatred, I would never have found this power inside of me.”
Crystal looked down at the wand lying next to her. “It makes sense. When we were running from the Gnomes, I thought of preservation when I cast that wind spell. Now, when I practice, I no longer think of hurting Morris, but fighting to free my parents.”
Markus smiled at her. “Then you will learn how to be a complete wizard. Don't let the hatred and anger compel you, only the fight against injustice.”
Crystal was smiling at him, but her smile faded as she looked back down at her wand. “I… ”
Markus closed the book and scooted closer to her. “What is it?”
“Since I was young, since that day my parents were stolen from me, I’ve wanted to hurt Morris. When I think of using destructive magic, the image that fills my mind is him in pain. I wanted him to feel the kind of pain he put me through. I know my heart should only seek to fight injustice, but I wanted the satisfaction of hurting him. I don’t know if I can let that go so quickly. Even though he is dead, I don’t want him to be. I want him to be alive so I can kill him myself.”
Markus put his arm around her and rubbed her back. “You're a sweet, kind, loving, and generous person with a lot to give this world. Don't let hatred have even an inch of your soul. When you think of the anger he inspired, put something in your mind that fills you with such joy and love you cannot feel anger at that moment.”
Crystal stopped looking down and turned to look at him. “You know something? You're a wise kid.”
“I know, you’ve told me before.”
She put her hand up to his head and brought him in closer to her. “Why don’t you give me something to think about when I am getting angry? Something to distract my thoughts.”
There they were again; face to face with only a breath between them. Just as they were about to kiss, Treb appeared. “Hey!” he said, interrupting. He held the cooking pot by the handle as he stirred it around with the ladle, preparing to dish out some more. “I thought you two were studying over here.”
Markus and Crystal backed away from each other, terribly embarrassed. Crystal lashed at him. “Daddy!”
Legacy of Dragonwand: Book 2 (Legacy of Dragonwand Trilogy) Page 12