The Roots of Wrath

by B. T. Narro

  “I’ll return whenever my business is done with the king,” I said. “It shouldn’t take more than a few hours.”

  “I’ll meet you here,” she said as the sheriff approached.

  “Jon?” he asked.

  “Is anyone dying who needs immediate help?” I asked dutifully before I left.

  “Uh, no, but—”

  “Then Remi, or Veronica as you know her, will explain,” I interrupted. “I have to be going. It is good to see all of you again. If anyone is in serious need of healing when I come back, have them wait here in a few hours.”

  I took off as I heard many utterings of shock.

  Normally, I looked forward to returning to the castle, but without any of my peers there, I thought I would feel like a visitor. That feeling changed when I landed in the courtyard near the keep and Randy nodded to me as he opened the door. I thanked him and entered.

  I encountered more guards on the first floor, most of whom I didn’t recognize. I figured Nykal had brought in more men to keep the castle defended while his trusted sorcerers were gone. A couple of them escorted me up through the keep to the second floor, where a few more guards stood outside a closed door.

  “I have urgent news for the king,” I explained. Recognizing Rick in front of me, I figured more explanation would not be necessary.

  He gave a nod and opened the door for me. The king sat at one end of the table with a number of parchments in front of him. On one side, sitting close by, was his councilman, Barrett. The man sitting close to the king’s other side looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him. With gray hair and a wrinkled face, he didn’t appear too threatening, so I didn’t know why my instincts were telling me not to trust him.

  The king’s glance appeared heavy, his eyelids drooping as if he’d been missing sleep. “What happened, Jon?”

  I glanced at the other man, not sure if I should divulge this with him here.

  “This is Luther Prigg,” Nykal said. “Aliana’s father.”

  That’s how I recognized him. I had seen him once before. He had the same bronze skin as Aliana, though he was much older than her mother and not easy on the eyes, as she and her daughter were.

  I didn’t know how to ask politely, so I just let it out. “Wasn’t he in prison for treason?”

  “He was, but now he has, and continues to, make up for his crime.” The king spoke mostly to the noble.

  Luther nodded. I thought it was done with a little too much pride when it should’ve been with a lot more shame.

  I figured the king enlisting Luther’s help was a matter of need more than forgiveness. The king had to trust nobles if we were going to have any chance in this war. Most were either his enemies or his allies. If he could turn one of his former enemies into his ally, then it was worth the minimal risk. I just wasn’t sure how minimal the risk really was, but I had to trust that the king knew. Nykal couldn’t have his subjects second-guessing him, especially now. And as powerful as I had become, I was still a subject of the king.

  I explained how Ray from Drayer had come to our fortress and told us of the event that had transpired in his town earlier in the day. I then explained how I’d fetched Michael and taken him to the town after making a plan with Byron. I went into detail about how that plan didn’t work out and we were forced to improvise. I relayed my frustration as I explained how Valinox had saved this metal mage of Rohaer who had the capability of making our army impotent one row of armored men at a time during even the most chaotic of battles. I concluded by explaining how Jennava was probably just now arriving in Drayer to act as lord regent until his majesty chose someone more suitable to replace her.

  I had not discussed this last part with Byron, but I told the king bluntly: “We have to have a way to contact either Souriff or Failina in a timely fashion when we need their help, or Rohaer will always remain a step ahead of us.”

  “I have pushed Souriff to accept a callring,” Nykal said. “However, my request has done nothing but irk her.”

  “I believe it would be best to speak to Failina about taking a callring, and without her sister there.”

  “I have tried to set up such a meeting, but without a way of contacting them. I must wait for them to show up in front of me. I understand your frustration, Jon, for I feel it too.”

  “So you haven’t heard anything from them since the events with Airinold?”

  “That’s correct.”

  I wondered what they were up to. It probably had something to do with this Caarda demigod they had been talking about.

  “Regarding the new lord of Drayer,” the king said, “I believe the best man for the task is right here in this room.”

  I was hoping he was talking about Barrett, but it was clear from his gaze that he referred to Luther.

  “Yes, I think that would be best,” Luther said. “I’m certain I can keep a town of farmers in line.”

  “They’re good people,” I said. “They want to cooperate with us already.”

  “You will see to their needs,” the king stated.

  “I will, sire, of course, but the priority is your archers and the fortress. Their needs far outweigh the needs of civilians, especially those in Rohaer. I would like to take five good men who I trust. They can stay with me in the lord’s manor to help ensure our will is followed.”

  “Make a list of their names, and I will send them by carriage, but I want you there immediately. Jon will take you to the fortress where you will speak with Byron. You should be able to arrive there by this evening and speak with Byron. It will then be up to Byron when you will be escorted to Drayer, or if Jon is to take you there immediately after your meeting is finished. I leave Drayer up to the two of you. Ensure that the people there are happy enough that they would never even think of rebelling. However, if the town cannot be defended without losing many of our men, then you’ll retreat to safety.”

  “I will, sire,” Luther said. “Considering what Rohaer’s army has done to their own people, they will be counting their blessings every day I watch over them.” He glanced at me and rubbed his nose, then looked back at the king. “My only concern is traveling all the way there on this boy’s back.”

  “It has been tested,” the king said. “Travel is safe through the air.”

  It was safe, yes, but that didn’t mean it would be enjoyable for either of us. I knew I couldn’t ease Luther’s worries with a charming smile. I just didn’t have it in me, so I didn’t even try when he glanced at me again.

  I was concerned about three things. One, I didn’t trust him nearly as much as the king did. Two, I wasn’t sure I would be able to get him to the fortress and then retrieve Remi before nightfall. And three, the most important thing, it looked like I was going to miss supper.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  “There must be some other way for you to carry me,” Luther insisted in the courtyard as I tried to show him how to get in the harness. “A method that doesn’t involve me clutching your body.”

  “There isn’t. Just get on.”

  There was something strange that happened to me when I knew I wouldn’t be eating for a long time. It wasn’t that I was hungry yet, but because I knew that I would be soon, my body had the opposite reaction than I wanted. With the idea of food tantalizing me, I was already salivating.

  I wished I had time to convince the king’s chef to make me a dish before I left. He would, I was certain, which was why it was even more difficult to fly out of here without eating while this arrogant noble was practically wrapped around my back.

  “This can’t possibly be safe,” he complained. “I have not heard of any mortal flying like a demigod. Even Cason could not sustain himself in the air for such a distance.”

  It was a reminder that Luther’s traitorous actions had helped Cason and his loyal dark mages, probably through coin and shelter.

  “Were you in contact with anyone from Rohaer?” I asked.

  “No, but Cason was.” Luther finished strapping himself in
with the harness. “Like this?”

  I tested a few of the straps. “There’s one way to find out for sure.”

  I wrapped dvinia around my torso, hoisted us a few feet into the air, and suspended us there.

  “Shit, you little runt! Put me down, I’m not ready!” He squirmed wildly.

  I ignored him. “The harness holds fine. Look.”

  I hurled us much higher this time. He screamed and wrapped his arms around my neck, probably without realizing he was choking me.

  “If I can’t breathe, I will drop us,” I warned him.

  “Let me down. Let me down!”

  “Relax! Look, the king is watching. Do you want him to see you acting like this?” I turned so we would face the top of the keep, where the king looked at Luther disapprovingly through a closed window.

  I didn’t know what face Luther made, but I could feel him relaxing as he loosened his hold. Then I noticed Callie looking from another window on the second floor of the keep. She waved to me. I waved back, then gestured at Luther with a roll of my eyes. I could see Callie laugh.

  “You’re going to drop me and make it look like an accident!” he whined.

  “I promise you’re not going to fall,” I assured Luther. “Unless you choke me.”

  He lowered his arm across my chest.

  “Here we go,” I warned him.

  He screamed again as I hurled us over the castle wall. I wasn’t done yet. We picked up more speed as I hurled us farther and higher. He wrapped his limbs around me as he pushed his head against the top of my shoulder.

  “Slow down, sorcerer!” he yelled in my ear.

  “This is the speed we need to go,” I yelled back with a turn of my head.

  He lifted his head up. “We’re starting to sink!”

  “That’s normal.” I propelled us again. He screamed once more.

  “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” he accused.

  “What is there to enjoy? A man I hardly trust is clutched around my back and screaming in my ear.”

  “You are enjoying this! I bet you’ve dreamed of embarrassing someone of my class since you were young.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yes, all the hours I spent training with dvinia was just so I could frighten an arrogant noble. I’m practically giddy with enjoyment.”

  “How much longer will this take?”

  “A long time, especially if you constantly distract me.”

  The next few minutes passed in blissful silence. Luther no longer expressed fear when we started to slow and sink, or when I would jolt us higher with another heave of my mind. Eventually we passed over the army marching to meet our enemies. I could feel Luther shifting to look down at them.

  “What can you tell me of them?” I asked.

  “What do you mean, sorcerer?”

  “My name is Jon. I’m sure you know that. And I mean, should we be worried about them turning against us?”

  “Nothing that concerns you.”

  “You do realize that I’m going to be the one who has to fight, don’t you?”

  He waited a moment before he spoke. “That’s a fair point,” he said to my shock. “I imagine you are very useful on the battlefield if you can take us this far through the air without a break. That must be why you are so arrogant.”

  “I’m arrogant? Ugh, never mind.” I didn’t want to argue. I only cared about convincing him to share valuable information with me. “If you really are on the side of the king, then I’m your greatest ally.”

  “You question my loyalty?”

  “Of course I do.”

  He sucked in air as if insulted. I expected something else to come out of his mouth, but nothing did for some time. Eventually the Chespar army was far behind us.

  “Are you loyal or not?” I asked.

  “I am, and it is not your place to question me.”

  “I’ll question you if I want and tell the king if I don’t think you can be trusted. If you don’t care about that, you can choose not to answer, but you might as well make this easier for everyone and cooperate. Now why were you helping Cason?”

  “That should be obvious. Because I thought Lycast stood no chance in this war. I still would believe that if Cason were alive, but now that he’s dead there is a chance to defeat Rohaer.”

  “So you admit to making a mistake.”

  “I have done much more than admit to it. I have been punished.”

  “And with Aliana?” I asked.

  “What about her?” He spoke defensively. “That’s none of your business, anyway.”

  He didn’t say anything else. I decided to let it go because I trusted that it’s what Aliana would’ve preferred.

  We were silent for the better part of an hour. Eventually I took us off the road and flew over the forest. I felt safer away from the main route between the kingdoms, where I could descend into the trees if I saw something dangerous approaching, like a flying demigod.

  “Have there been sightings of the helpful elf?” Luther asked.

  “I haven’t heard from Eslenda in a long time. The king hasn’t, either?”

  “No, we believe she has left the area.”

  “What does his majesty take that to mean?”

  “Just that she has nothing left to gain.”

  I didn’t think that was the right reason, though. What had Eslenda gained by sticking around so far? She cared about stopping the spread of dteria, though she seemed more interested in the rivalry between the demigods than in the war between the kingdoms. I wondered if she had somehow figured out that we had destroyed Gourfist and brought Airinold back. Perhaps she didn’t approve. Perhaps it was the last straw after we had recruited a witch—Hadley—and now we had shown mercy to the creator of dteria. She had probably gone back to live with the other elves in Evesfer.

  “We may not like each other,” I said, “but I will fulfill your requests so long as they come from a good place. If they don’t, if they come from greed, I won’t hesitate to throw you back in the dungeons myself. And you can imagine what will happen if you try to fight me on that. I don’t care if you’re the father of my friend. I can deal with Ali hating me as well. What I can’t deal with is letting you ruin the lives of innocent people.”

  “You speak as if you’re above me, but you’re not. You are simply lucky you’ve had the good fortune of obtaining such powerful sorcery. Would things be different, I’d have you cleaning my privy when this is done.”

  “And you’re lucky you were born into wealth. The difference between us is what we do with our power. Are you going to behave in Drayer, or am I going to have to personally do something about your greed?”

  “Greed? You do not know me at all. I am not greedy.”

  “Then what are you? Honorable?”

  “I’m smart.”

  “Yes, you seem absolutely brilliant. And who does this brilliance benefit besides yourself?”

  “Lycast, you impudent hog. I have paid my dues, so you will speak to me with respect or you will regret it later.”

  “I will give you respect when you’ve earned it. I have friends in Drayer. I plan to speak with them as this war goes on. I recommend you make sure they have nothing bad to say about their new lord, or you will regret it later.”

  A silence stretched on. “What are the names of these so-called friends of yours?” he asked.

  “Find out yourself after you get to know the people.”

  *****

  I dropped Luther off in the fort and directed him to Byron. Having gone the whole way without a break, I needed some time before I headed all the way back for Remi. Even the cold settling in for the evening hadn’t managed to prevent me from sweating. I figured I had just enough time for a bit of bread during my break before I went for Remi. I didn’t see any of my friends during that time. They were probably busy in the forest.

  I felt my skill with dvinia growing stronger each time I carried someone a long distance. Unlike muscle pains in my body after heavy use, the ache of
sorcery was fleeting. So long as I ate and slept, I felt as though I could keep up my spells throughout the whole day with minimal breaks because the exhaustion was purely mental. Although I was certain a lot of this extra power had to do with the Induct stone I kept in my pocket, which seemed to feed me mana in the form of dvinia, I knew a larger part had to do with all the time I had spent casting in the forest.

  I was quite pleased with my progress. Perhaps I would even have the time to learn a new spell soon. I wondered if there was one I had not discovered yet in the school of dvinia. I needed Charlie and Leon’s help to figure out what notes to try, but we hadn’t been able to conduct the necessary experiments.

  Souriff should know, shouldn’t she? I mean, she created the school of magic. Knowing how she was, however, she might prefer to keep the secrets of dvinia to herself. Everything I’d heard about her from Airinold made complete sense to me. Souriff had purposefully made dvinia difficult for others to reach because that’s the kind of demigod she was. I imagined Valinox had done the same with mtalia. The two schools were on opposite ends of the spectrum of mana, one requiring extremely high frequency and the other extremely low. The other schools required frequencies more in the middle of the spectrum, which made them more accessible to anyone who had a decent grasp on their mana.

  I wondered about this demigod Caarda. I felt my thoughts going toward him for the first time since meeting Airinold in person. The only thing I had figured out about him before now was that Caarda had probably made Earth—the single note that represented an entire school of magic the same way that the note of mtalia did. Or was that wrong? What if Caarda had created a more complex school of magic and the single note of Earth, llB, was just one part of it?

  I spent the rest of the trip wondering what else could be related to Earth—Aliana’s tracking skill—that had not been discovered. Unfortunately, I couldn’t come up with anything that seemed possible based on any of my experiences with mana.

  I finished my bread. Time to go.

  *****

  It was difficult to find Granlo after sunset, but I knew I was close. I soared around the open land looking for lights, but there were none to find. It was so late that most people had gone to bed.