by Andrew Wood
After repeating the first part for the third time, he then added, "However, I am willing to leave six of my people here to protect you." Naturally, there were one or two gasps before the room fell into complete silence, although Joren had more to add. "However, I must stipulate they will only use force if you are attacked. I cannot authorise them to be used for anything but self-defence," he said making the one, but very important condition. "I will allow you your majesty to have them under your command, but you do so with that very restriction in place," he added.
Joren hoped that by making this offer, he would at least alleviate the Kothian's concerns about not being able to defend themselves, without Maxim being present. Ramon was the first to speak up, "I thought you did not have the authority to allow your people to be used in combat," the seer asked. Joren pondered the question, "We can use our powers to their absolute limit if we were attacked. If my people are here and they just happen to be in the way of any such future attack by the Bosarians, then they will have not broken any of our laws by utilising their powers against them." Ramon nodded as the Icenian high lord spoke, "A fine line you walk," he finally said.
Joren knew exactly what Ramon meant. Placing his own people directly in the way of any future attack was almost circumventing his nation's laws to suit his own purpose. He now hoped it was sufficient enough for them to allow his son to return home with him. The answer he got would ultimately depend on whether those in the room thought the offer suitable enough. "I am happy for you to do so," Anden said breaking the silence, "Although I think the final decision should be Maxims, and his alone."
Maxim suddenly found himself at the centre of attention, with all eyes staring his direction. Had he known before hand what his father was going to suggest, he might have had opportunity to think of an answer, time to weigh up the pros and cons of him staying or going. Naturally, he did not want to upset his friends, knowing Zack especially would not want him to go, on the other hand, he very much wanted to appease his father, and would love to see the land he was supposed to have called home. After what he thought was probably far too long without a reply, and with everyone seemingly intent on staring at him until he did, he decided to ask one further set of questions, "If I went Father, you would do all in your power to try and persuade the other high lords?," he asked firstly.
All eyes in the room suddenly moved and stared at Joren instead. The man nodded towards his son, "Of course Max, I have already promised you this," he replied as the focus of attention returned back to Maxim. "Even if they refuse, will I be able to return to Kothia to continue the fight?" he added. It was clear to those in the room that Joren was not comfortable with the question, as he stuttered his reply, "Very well Max, I will bring you back myself if that is what you wish."
There was another short silence before Maxim jumped to his feet, "Well then that's settled. When do we leave?" he asked with a grin. He would of course, want to explain to Zack and his friends about his decision, and although he was leaving them, he would return in the not too distant future. "We should wait for my people to return with your friend Zack, before we make any definite plans," his father told him, thankful that at last he could return with his son as planned.
Mikel and Melia had spent most of the day wandering aimlessly around the keep, arm in arm, just occasionally stopping off for a quick kiss, much to the disgust of those unfortunate to be passing by at the time. Shadow had been left to roam freely, but seemed content to be with the youngsters Samuel, Tia and Connor. The dire wolf appeared to have taken it upon itself to remain as a kind of protector, following them around where ever they went. Doing so of course, allowed his Master to spend his hours in the arms of his mate, something the wolf found strange; the mating habits of human beings were certainly puzzling.
Darkness was creeping over the land as Zack and the two Icenians finally returned to the outer gates at Pitford. After thanking his travelling companions, the young royal quickly made his way up to his room to see his friends. He excitedly opened the door looking forward to seeing them, to tell them about his trip, only to see Maxim packing a small bag with clothes. "Where are you going Max?" he asked, not sure, he really wanted to know the answer.
Maxim looked up from his packing to look his friend in the eye, "I am going with my father Zack," he replied honestly. Before Zack could voice any argument, Maxim thought it best to explain in detail, all of the conditions of him leaving. To his credit, his friend stood quietly listening as Maxim tried to justify his grounds for leaving them. Zack was clearly not happy with the fact he was once more going to lose his closest friend, "At least I know you are safe this time, and that you will return," he replied rather sullenly.
Maxim explained they would be leaving at first light in the morning, and all being well, he would return in a few weeks. "I'll get up early to wave you off," Zack told him as he sadly and slowly trudged over to his bed. Mikel had managed to peel himself away from Melia, who had now returned to looking after the three Bosarian youngsters, meaning Shadow was once more slumped down beside him. "The place will seem kind of boring without you Maxim," he said looking up from his bed. "I shall miss all of you," Maxim replied, realising leaving his friends behind was going to be much harder than he had first envisaged.
After visiting the room next door to explain to Connor that he was going away for a few weeks, Maxim started to feel the emotion setting in. The young Bosarian had become quite upset when Maxim had told him he could not travel with him, and it had taken Melia to help keep some modicum of calm. The morning would certainly be no easier, especially when it came to say goodbye to Zack.
Chapter 23.
Maxim stared sadly at Zack, the tears ready to burst from his eyes. "I'll be back before you know it," he said sniffling, before wrapping his arms around his friend and holding him tightly. "Take care Max...I will miss you," came Zack's muffled reply. "At least I get to say goodbye this time," he added allowing the tears to roll freely down his face and on to Maxim's shoulder.
Joren watched on as his son bade farewell to his closest friend, and felt a little guilt at being the cause for tearing the pair apart. He let them take as long as they needed, allowing them to say their farewell in their own way. A few minutes delay was not going to make a lot of difference, especially when it was clearly something that his son needed to do before he left. Joren watched as the two youngsters finally broke apart from their hug, and with both having tearful faces he felt a lump in his throat.
Maxim gave a final wave goodbye, before allowing himself to be whisked off into the distance. The group of crimson-red robed figures moved at such pace, he was glad he was being carried, and not having to supply the energy for them to teleport as he would normally. They crossed hills and vales covered by an early morning mist, covering mile after mile in a matter of minutes.
After a while, the group paused unexpectedly and Maxim was a little puzzled as to why. "Do they need to have a breather Father?" he asked thinking that if it was himself moving so quickly, he would probably need one. His father shook his head, "No Max...See over there," he replied pointing off far to the distance. Maxim screwed his face up as if it somehow helped him see objects further away. "That is Berxsley...The Kothian Capital city," His father said, "And if all works out well, your friends will one day be back there," he added.
Maxim stared blankly, feeling rather pensive as he thought of all the people living there, and just how frightened they would be. He wondered if they even knew their king had fallen, and the crown prince had taken his place; perhaps they had already given up and were bereft of any hope, that they might one day be liberated. He dared not think of what horrors might be going on behind those walls at that very moment. His pondering came to an abrupt end as he felt himself once more being dragged forward, leaping further north.
As they reached the north coast, Maxim could smell a change in the air, as the noise of gulls circling above sounded off in the distance. He realised he had never seen the sea before, and as the g
roup came to a halt, was dumbstruck at the sight. They stood atop a cliff top looking out, and Maxim could see water as far as he could see. He ventured a little nearer the edge to peer down over the top, and watched the waves crashing up on the stony beach. Joren smiled as he watched his son, clearly fascinated at the sight. He felt a little saddened that he had of course missed all Maxim's younger years, where he could have showed him such simple things as the sea.
Maxim stood up grinning from ear to ear, "Wow," he said, aiming the word to no one in particular, but turning around to look at his father. "Watch this," the man said placing an arm around Maxim's shoulder and gesturing to look once more out to see. Joren waved a hand and a short distance out to sea a huge ship appeared. "Our transport home," he said proudly unveiling the vessel. "We obviously keep it from view so not to cause alarm to anyone. Having a huge great ship from a foreign land anchored off your coast, tends to attract unwanted attention."
Within a few moments, Maxim was teleported out to sea, and aboard the ship. There were more red robed Icenians aboard, all of whom seemed intent on staring at him. Maxim rather bashfully gave them a small wave, "Hello," he said feeling a little unsure. He felt his father place a firm hand on his shoulder, "This is my son," Joren announced to the crew who had remained onboard the ship, whilst he had visited Maxim. "You shall refer to him according to his status," he added, as Maxim watched them all bow their heads subserviently towards him. Maxim naturally felt uncomfortable with such a thing, and went to turn to his father to say as much, "Come Maxim we shall go below deck," his father said before he could speak.
No sooner had they walked below, than Maxim felt the ship move, although not in a way he had expected. He had been on much smaller boats before, and always assumed that larger craft in such rough waters would cause at least some rocking movement. "The boat is powered and kept steady by the use of magic, just in case you were wondering," Maxim heard his father tell him.
As those below deck were formally introduced to the son of their Icenian High Lord, the ship picked up pace, once more cutting through the waves as if they were not even there. Joren did explain to Maxim that even though they were, and would be travelling far quicker than any normal ship, it would still take them several days to get to Icenia.
After a light lunch, Maxim ventured back up on to the top deck, and stood watching the murky waters of the ocean. The sea appeared to behave unnaturally around the ship, and he quickly realised this was the magic his father had mentioned earlier. He remembered back to when he had used his own powers to propel the barge across the great lake on his own return to Kothia. On that occasion, he had manipulated the water underneath the craft to move it forward, and as he leaned a little further over the edge, he wondered if the Icenians were doing a similar thing. He also realised there was no wind; strange he thought how he had not realised it before. By the size of some of the waves further away from the ship, he could tell the seas were actually quite rough, and he suddenly understood what his father had meant by there being so many other things one could achieve with magic.
Maxim had to admit that both Bosaria and his own nation of Kothia utilised magic as a weapon, apart perhaps from the healers he thought, although he supposed even they were only really there to clear up after any fighting. After deciding he had seen enough of the sea for now, he turned to watch the group of red robed figures stood in the centre of the deck. Each face was staring blankly forward as he circled around them, clearly deep in concentration. He wondered how long they would last before their power levels drained; another question for his father he thought.
By evening, those atop the deck had changed, the boat only slowing slightly whilst they did, before quickly resuming their previous pace. Joren had placed a large map on the table in the room he was sharing with his son. "Here is Kothia," he said pointing to a large land mass on one side of the map. "Here is Icenia," he added pointing to an island, larger than Maxim had first envisaged it would be. There were also several smaller islands around its coast; "Are these smaller ones also part of Icenia?" he asked trying to show an interest in what his father was saying. Joren nodded, "Yes they are all part of Icenia, and they all have people living upon them."
Joren then pointed to a city along the coastline on the main island of Icenia, "Here is Reka, the city where I live, although you will find our cities quite different to yours." Maxim enquired whether all the High Lords were situated in the same city, to which Joren replied they were, but apparently all in different palaces. "That sounds rather strange...So you have three rulers all living in different palaces?" Maxim asked just to make sure he understood the concept correctly. Joren chuckled, "You may find a number of things different to what you are used to."
As the trip they were undertaking was a long one, and the scenery somewhat the same, Joren thought that perhaps they could run through Maxim's repertoire of magical skills. Maxim shrugged; if truth were told, he was not even certain anymore of what he could or could not do, so sudden had the change happened. "Perhaps we could also spend time discussing our plan of action. Persuading the other High Lords will not be an easy task Maxim," his father warned him. Maxim nodded his understanding, and thought perhaps that they should probably spend more time on this matter than any other.
After venturing briefly out into the darkness, Maxim took one last look at the stars in the night sky, before heading back to his room. At least the time spent on the journey would allow him time to learn more about his father, although the very concept of it still appeared very strange. His mind wandered back to the moment they had first met, and he afforded himself a chuckle as he recalled being hung up in the air to stop him from using his magic.
The room in which he was given aboard the ship for sleeping was surprisingly bigger than he thought it would be. Although the wood from the build of the ship could be seen quite clearly, a large rug on the floor and a tapestry hung on one wall covered a large area of it. Aside from the neatly made bed fixed along the far wall, there was also a small table and seat and even a washstand. Maxim thought the room was far beyond his expectations, and probably on a par with the one that he resided in at Pitford.
Hanging on the back of the door, he noticed a crimson- red robe, the same as all the Icenians seemed to wear. He was not sure whether he was supposed to use it, or whether they had just placed it there in case he wanted to blend in with the others. Seeing the garment did get him thinking, and he realised he had never seen his father or any of the others for that matter, wear anything but their rather distinctive robes. He shook his head, no he thought, surely they must have other clothes to wear, another question to remember to ask in the morning.
As he undressed down to his under-clothes, he did not feel cold, in fact if anything, a little warmer than he usually was in his room at Pitford. More magic he thought, increasingly impressed by how the Icenians appeared to use it for so many different things. The bed was a little softer than his usual mattress, but still very comfortable, as was the pillow he leant his head upon. With a wave of his hand, the small lamp burning on the table went out, sending the room into darkness, he closed his eyes and fell straight to sleep.
Chapter 24.
Zack strolled along the top of the inner wall, looking out into the town below. The people had quickly returned to their normal routines, and aside from the rebuilding, all signs of any battles had all but gone. Even the weather was continuing to improve, as day by day it appeared to feel just a little warmer.
Since his friend's departure several days earlier, life inside the keep had also seemed to return to some kind of normality. Now a new king was on the throne, one of Anden's first declarations was an amnesty for all those with magical ability, and to let them know there was a safe haven and place of learning for them. As of yet, only two people had volunteered themselves to join them at Pitford, but Zack knew that as word spread more would come. Danton had already been dispatched to a nearby town to spread the king's word, and hopefully recruit further possible cand
idates.
The classes at Pitford had resumed for those magicians fortunate enough not to have been affected by the fighting, although one or two of the tutors had changed as a result. Kurtis Raston, having been pardoned by Anden, had since been given a post of teaching. The young man may have betrayed them, albeit under the influence of mind control, but Ramon trusted him completely. Kurtis had hence been given a teaching role, tutoring the very youngest members of Pitford's magical fraternity.
Zack had been excused most of his lessons, especially as much of his time was taken up advising the young king, who as it happened had stepped into his role quite admirably. Any thoughts that Anden was too young to have made a good king were quickly being proved wrong, as the young monarch was already proving he was a determined, focused leader. The queen mother, although still very wary of any magician being close by, was at least showing signs of improvement.
Ramon had suggested to Zack, that he keep using his magical abilities, especially now he was not taking lessons, to help keep them fresh and sharp. As a result, he had found teleporting around the keep much more fun than walking around it. He had also set aside a little time each day to practice the skill being taught to him by Danton before all the troubles started. Zack was determined to learn the ability to create a globe of light and have it hang there when he needed it to. As of yet, he had only managed a few flickers, but he knew managing the skill was tricky, and he was not far off doing so.