The King's Defense

by Shawn Robert Smith

  Her father’s dead weight laid on her small frame. After catching her breath, she checked his pulse. She had killed him. She heard the horse moving a little farther away, giving her the belief that the man kept his distance. It gave her a minute to think about her circumstances.

  “You killed my friend. Come out from under him you pitiful—”

  Linette heard other noises coming from his direction and then hurried footsteps.

  “Linette, are you okay?” Winthrop exclaimed.

  A weight lifted from her chest. Relief that Winthrop received the message and came. He pulled Geoff off of her. She took the hand that Winthrop offered and she embraced him.

  “Thank you for coming.”

  “Always.”

  She continued to hug Winthrop and saw the horseman encased in Ox magic.

  “You performed magic.”

  “Yes, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I’m glad it did this time.”

  She wept.

  The weight of fear on her shoulders lifted, giving her a freedom she’d never felt before. They left for Claybury, wanting to be rid of her father’s presence. They’d send men to retrieve the bodies of the guards and arrest Geoff’s accomplice.

  Day 4 - Afternoon

  Winthrop sat in a chair by her bed, watching Linette breath. He took a deep breath, releasing the tension that filled his body when Joanna told him about what happened. Winthrop had dropped his feelings of anger and shame from his encounter with Aurora and took off to the stables. He begged the stable hand to allow him to borrow a horse, not realizing that as a wielder of magic, he didn’t have to ask.

  He and his steed stormed up the King’s road, maintaining the fastest pace the horse could handle. It took him a couple hours and his body felt drained from the constant tension in his muscles. He found her with Geoff on top of her, dead. Another man sat on horseback, ready to finish her off with an arrow. Winthrop said a prayer to the Creator, hoping his magic would come through this time. Fortunately, it did. Winthrop managed to encase the man in a cocoon-like structure. He imagined the man still there unless another member of his order released him. He struggled to keep himself awake on the way back, but he knew he needed to make it back to the Order of the Eagle so Linette could rest. He also knew that reporting the incident promptly gave her the best chance of appearing innocent. Only the guilty run. Linette passed out seconds after laying down, asking him to watch over her while she slept.

  Joanna came in after that. “What happened? Did he hit her?” she exclaimed.

  “He killed the guards and came after her. She hit Geoff with a rock, killing him.”

  “Serves him right,” Joanna’s fear turned to anger.

  “Can you inform the headmaster. He’ll want to recover his two guards. I suspect they’ll need to question Linette. Also, I left Geoff’s associate there locked in Ox magic.”

  “Yes, of course.” She left.

  Winthrop took another deep breath. He loved Linette and was glad her father could no longer hurt her. Yet, something she said on the way home troubled him. Linette mentioned that Geoff believed her mother worked with a Decayed—and that she threw a vial of dark liquid at him. It didn’t do anything, but he wondered if magic used in that way could work. He made a mental note to ask someone. He wanted to continue watching her and think about the events that transpired, but he felt sleep taking over like a successful coup.

  After some time, he woke up unsure how much he’d slept, and guards entered the room. They knocked their spears on the ground a few times, waking Linette.

  “What’s going on?” Linette asked, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

  “By order of the Council of Light, you are hereby detained until inquiries can be made regarding the death of two guards and your father. Please come with us.”

  “No, you can’t. She only protected herself from a man intent on murder,” Winthrop said, standing between the guards and Linette.

  “We must. If she’s done nothing wrong, then the Council will release her soon.”

  They escorted Linette away.

  Winthrop tried to follow, but they left the Order in a carriage pulled by horses. All the horses in the Order’s stable were in use, so he walked back to Claybury alone.

  Day 4 - Evening

  “They’ve detained Linette. She killed her father in self-defense,” Winthrop said.

  “Good riddance. Doesn’t surprise me that she’s under lock and key. They detained me and I only passed the Decayed test. I haven’t actually done anything wrong,” Markus replied.

  Markus saw the bitterness inside himself. It sat in his stomach like a dark brick of tar. Everyone taught him that the Decayed were evil, but standing here in prison for being one made no sense to him. His heart remained loyal to the Kingdom, to the Council of Light, to the Creator, and to loved ones. His moral character lacked perfection, but ultimately he chose the light over darkness. So why was he here?

  He noticed by the tension in his face that something bothered Winthrop.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Something Linette said is nagging at me.”

  “What?”

  “When Linette’s father started to corner her, he claimed that her mother conspired with a Decayed to kill him. Linette remembered her mom throwing a dark liquid at him, but nothing happened. At the time she didn’t think much of it, but I wonder if one can use magic like that.”

  “Like this?” He showed his cuffs to Winthrop and the glass sphere that held blue magic inside.”

  “It keeps your magic contained?”

  “Yes.” He tried to form a sphere of Decayed magic but it popped like a bubble.

  “When we first arrived, I thought Aurora’s earrings were dark blue to the point of looking black. With her robes on I thought I saw a twinge of blue.”

  “When I saw them they were clear. The torchlight reflected in them.”

  “When did you see her wearing clear ones?” Winthrop asked.

  “Yesterday morning.”

  “When I saw her they looked dark and she had just come from the dungeon. Aurora is bringing Decayed magic to someone to poison the guards.”

  “It must work then. Aurora uses them as a reserve. It didn’t work for Linette’s mother because she wasn’t a Decayed.”

  “Unless I can catch her wearing them with Decayed magic in them, no one will believe me.” Winthrop’s face contorted, the face he displayed when thinking through things.

  Markus missed this—the back and forth with his best friend. He loved it, but now that his status hindered him from having any sort of social life, he felt depressed again.

  “Markus, I hope you know that you’re still my friend. The world may label you as a Decayed, but you’re still the egotistical, but kind friend I’ve known since I moved to Pinemere.”

  Markus chuckled, “Thanks, I’m a little bitter about my situation. I haven’t decided what to do yet.”

  “You have until tomorrow night, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “When Linette is released, we’ll both come by and weigh your options. But whatever you decide, know that you can always count on me. I’m sure Linette too, but I won’t speak for her.”

  Winthrop’s comments helped lift Markus’s mood. He tried to push away his bitterness and help his friends with their problems. He saw that his self-loathing had taken its toll. He’d heard from a guard about what Aurora did to Winthrop. If Markus chose to join the Decayed here in the dungeons, he’d find a way to make Aurora’s life a little harder. Nothing to jeopardize his place here, but a way to cause her frustration.

  “If Aurora isn’t the assassin, then who is she helping?” Markus asked.

  Winthrop scratched his head. “I have no idea. Have you ever heard of Belinda the White?”

  “No, who is that?”

  “She belonged to the Order of the Eagle back before the Order of Man turned.”

  “And…?” Markus questioned.

  “Oh, sorry. The si
ckness that the guard caught is similar to something that occurred back then. The doctor who investigated received a playing card from a boy whose family member died from the disease. Something about it seemed odd to the doctor. I thought there might be a connection.”

  “Belinda, Belinda. It sounds familiar, but I don’t recall any details. Did the library have anything about her?”

  “I checked, but couldn’t find anything. I might try and ask someone at the Order of the Eagle.”

  “Wouldn’t hurt to ask. In the meantime, who else could assassinate the King?”

  “Anyone who has access to the King can try. That includes hundreds of servants, guards, other wielders, and clerks. The King assured me that he has additional layers of security, but if someone compromises his first layer of security—the members from my order--then he’ll lack defense. Any extra layers can only provide offense. He’s relying on them to contain any threat before it can hurt him.”

  “If that’s the best way to kill the King, maybe it’s one of his guards? Two members of the Order of the Ox provide protection to the King at any given time. If the right two guards have turned traitor, they’d just need to be on duty at the same time to pull it off. They could release their magic at a specified time and kill him swiftly before anyone figures it out.”

  “That’s a good idea, but who else might fill the role of assassin. I’d rather not assume it’s a guard. If we knew for sure who planned to kill Luther, we’d only need to follow him until we found enough proof or he tried to attack. Any ideas?”

  Markus paced in his cell, thinking about the problem at hand. “I bet the King’s clerk has a list of his appointments. With that, you could begin to investigate each person.”

  “That’s probably a long list, plus it won’t include any servants, but it’s a start. I’ll see what I can do. Yet, the King’s clerk doesn’t like me at all.”

  Winthrop left. Markus smiled and hoped Winthrop could figure this out.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Day 5 - Early Morning

  Winthrop reached the Order of the Eagle as the sun peaked over the horizon. He wanted to figure out what he could about Belinda and then get back to Claybury to check on Linette. He didn’t know when they’d bring her before the Council of Light.

  He approached the floating building, noticing a guard standing by the door ten feet above him.

  “State your business,” the guard cloaked in white said.

  “I have a question about a former member of this Order and hoped someone might help.”

  “Which member?

  “Belinda.”

  “The White?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The wielder smirked at him. “Come with me.” He formed a white sphere and threw it at Winthrop, who felt himself floating up to the entrance.

  The man in white brought him up several flights of stairs and across a bridge to a large door with the Order’s emblem on it. Two guards flanked the doors but remained still when his escort knocked and then opened the substantial door.

  Winthrop entered and found a man floating mid-air with white magic glowing around him. He opened his eyes and descended to the floor.

  “Who might you be?”

  “Winthrop from Pinemere, sir.”

  “Yes, Knilin has told me about you. I’m Master Dulius, head of this Order.”

  Winthrop assumed he meant about his father, not sure what to say.

  “I hope Knilin recovers soon,” Dulius said.

  “Me too, it’d solve a lot of problems.”

  “Like what?”

  “We were attacked by the Decayed…twice. The Council didn’t believe us when we told them the Decayed planned an assassination attempt on the King.”

  Dulius paced around the room, his face contemplating Winthrop’s words.

  “I’m sure the King took it seriously, even though he brushed you off. Have you been able to provide any proof to them?”

  “No, we had brought a Decayed body with us, but after we left to see the Council, it disappeared. The trader who let us use his wagon to bring us to the Council went missing and the one guard who saw the Decayed body died the other day.”

  Dulius paced some more, his white cloak stayed smooth and stiff.

  “What brings you here now?”

  “Belinda the White.”

  The Master put on an odd expression. “You won’t find her here. She died a while ago.”

  “I know, sir. What can you tell me about her? I failed to find anything about her in the library. I looked throughout the section on this order.”

  He walked over to his desk, grabbing something. “She excelled in her Order. Her talents at damming rivers and restraining avalanches remain unmatched. They gave her the title White since it almost seemed like she did magic from this order. Her Ox magic stopped the normal results of gravity.”

  “She was of the Order of the Ox?”

  “Yes.” He handed Winthrop a card of Belinda the White. Winthrop almost thought he’d handed him the wrong card. Belinda looked exactly like Aurora. “She’s related to Aurora?”

  “Oh yes, Aurora is her daughter.”

  Winthrop’s mind spun. Did the boy see something Aurora did and thought she was her mother? The chance seemed like more than a coincidence. Winthrop explained the story he read in the medical journal.

  “It appears there’s a connection, but it’s still not proof. I’ll look into this myself, but we need more to bring this to the King’s attention.”

  Winthrop knew the Master was right. He needed more. The King’s clerk disliked Winthrop, so he’d go and find the head guardsman to see if he might give him a list of the King’s visitors.

  “Thank you. I’ll let you know if I discover any evidence.”

  “As will I.”

  Winthrop left, allowing the entrance guard to lower him to the ground. He requested a horse from the stable and took off to Claybury. He firmly believed that Aurora was a part of this plan, but he doubted she’d be the one to assassinate the King. He needed to figure out who her assassin was.

  Day 5 — Early Morning

  “Put your shackles through the bars,” the guard barked at Markus. He complied, allowing the guard to refill his restraints with magic. It filled the glass container with a dark blue liquid that the guard materialized from his hand.

  “Nice trick. What other purposes does magic like this serve?”

  The guard looked around, checking for his other half. They always came in a pair when they dealt with Markus.

  “It can be for a specific reason, like your restraints or sometimes it’s a reserve when a wielder can’t focus his emotions.”

  “A backup,” Markus stated.

  “Yes.” The guard finished the first hand and moved to the second.

  “What about offensively? These are to keep me from attacking.”

  The guard looked up at him.

  “Which I don’t plan on doing,” Markus said.

  “Someone from the Order of Lion might have some in a knife that will make it burn when they stab their opponent.”

  The other guard walked over. “Quit chatting and finish up.” He walked back down the hall.

  “Anything exciting going on today? I don’t hear much down here. It’s probably too early, but has Linette’s trial happened?”

  “It starts soon.”

  “What else?”

  “Blacksmith Moran is presenting the King with his anniversary sword today.”

  Markus blinked. Moran is making that sword. Could he be the assassin? Markus didn’t want to believe it after his friendly offer to help him. Markus refused to take the chance.

  “You have to alert the head guardsman. Moran is a former Decayed. I fear he might assassinate the king.”

  The guard’s eyes widened. He closed off the cuffs with magic and took off running.

  Day 5 - Morning

  The guards locked Linette in a room that she guessed they reserved for foreign dignitaries. They kept it lav
ishly decorated and they brought her the same food she ate as a guest. At regular intervals, they arranged for her to use the facilities. The guards allowed no visitors, however, leaving her lonely during this period. She felt elated that her father no longer ruled over her, but she hesitated to embrace that joy until the Council cleared her of wrongdoing. Killing wasn’t a part of her identity, but something she’d do when needed. Her father intended to murder her and Linette didn’t take that lying down.

  Someone knocked, and then one of her guards opened the door. “It’s time,” he said.

  The guard led her to the courtyard and then to the Keep. Inside, they brought her up the few flights of stairs to the same hallway she’d walked when she’d first arrived with Winthrop and Markus. Given her circumstances, the hallway felt more intimidating than before. The Council had the power to hang her if they thought she murdered her father. Given that no one saw it happen other than Geoff’s friend, she questioned how they’d decide what really happened. He’d, of course, lie through his teeth.

  She stood on the platform that looked up at the Council and began to sweat. Aurora and Luther sat there on their thrones, ready to mete out justice. Something about their posture brought concern to Linette. Aurora looked pale like she might be sick.

  Thomas the clerk approached Linette with a scroll, “We are here to determine the fate of Linette Durich. She, her father, and two guards traveled to Pinemere yesterday. Miss Linette previously complained to Headmaster Dulius that Geoffrey Durich abused her over the past several years. Given her age, her father demanded that she return home until she became of age. Miss Linette reports that her father and his accomplice killed the two guards and tried to kill her. In self-defense, she killed her father using magic. Further, a witness named Mrack Siviln claims that Linette murdered both guards and her father without remorse, that she did so with intent and while the victims were defenseless.”