Guardians of Camlan

by A. T. Gilbert

  “Can we … Is it okay if I touch it?”

  “Better not. It’s a lot more fragile than it looks. Best to handle it as little as possible.” She hands me a small set of shears. “Cut off your blossom near one of the joints, where it branches off. Keep your fingers away from the blossom itself. Only touch the stem.”

  The intense cold of the stem jolts me momentarily but I take a careful grip as I claim my flower.

  I store my Ice Blossom in my inventory right away.

  Alithia Potion ingredients: 8 of 8 acquired.

  I let out a long slow breath. We’ve done it. We have all the ingredients and can now make the truth potion.

  “That’s it,” Erinocalypse says excitedly. “That’s the last ingredient.”

  Chapter 33

  Once we climb back out to the Great Hall, TexBadass casts again, protecting us from being seen by any of the half-dozen Queens Guards sitting in at the long tables in the Great Hall.

  Enhancement received: Curtain of Invisibility

  Description: You will remain unseen for the next ninety seconds by staying within four feet of the caster

  It’s just enough time to weave our way between the tables, this time avoiding anyone’s outstretched arms, and back to where the others are waiting for us. When we reach where SteelFeather, Balderdash13 and Callidus had been waiting for us, there is a dead Queens Guard at their feet.

  “What happened?” Erinocalypse demands in a hissing whisper.

  “He found us,” SteelFeather says. “We didn’t have any other option. Were we supposed to let him just see us and then go tell whoever he wanted?”

  “Damn it,” I say. “Damn. How long till he’s discovered? We’ve gotta move even faster.”

  I help SteelFeather push the body behind the curve of the stairs, hoping the corpse just disappears soon like in other video games.

  “Can you make us invisible?” I ask TexBadass.

  Enhancement received: Curtain of Invisibility

  Description: You will remain unseen for the next ninety seconds by staying within four feet of the caster

  We climb the stairs and when we reach the correct hallway, we see that Professor Dove has left the door open for us. The Library seems exactly the same from when we left it earlier in the day, only now we have all the ingredients we need to make the potion.

  “Ah! You have returned,” he says, standing up from behind his desk “That didn’t take long at all, now, did it? Very good. Just being able to collect the pertinent ingredients yourself will imbue the potion with a strength it wouldn’t otherwise have.”

  “Yeah, we have it all here,” I say, patting my bag. “What do we do first?”

  “Help me clear this table,” he instructs.

  Callidus, SteelFeather and I move to carry the stacks of books, papers, bottles and maps out of the way. The wide wooden table is cleared off in no time, and I stand at one end of it, unloading all my items onto the surface.

  “Good. Good, SirAsh3r,” the professor says watching me. He picks up the Small Bottle of Spirit Smoke to examine. “Excellent work.”

  Professor Dove crosses to a small shelf in the corner I hadn’t noticed that proves to be filled with boxes, rather than books. After appearing to consider them for a moment, he bends down to select the box near the bottom, carrying it over to the otherwise empty table. Once there, and still without looking at any of us, he lifts the lid of the box and withdraws a piece of burlap fabric, which he lays out like a placemat at his end of the table. Replacing the box on the shelf, he then crosses the room to the other side to collect a supply of glass bowls, flasks and other tools.

  “What is all this?” I ask.

  “This is the set-up that you need for the purest concoction of Alithia Potion,” he responds. “I believe we are ready. Come join me.”

  With the bowls and flasks set up on the table, Professor Dove offers his hand to me. As I get closer, I realize he has produced a piece of paper from somewhere. When I take it from him I get the message:

  Quest Completed: Truth Be Told

  Description: You’ve found them. You had to go all over the place, but you have collected all the ingredients yourself, from in and around Castle Nennius

  Reward: Recipe and lesson for Alithia Potion

  “Begin with your Flame of Eavoth,” he says. “That will maintain the potion at the right temperature as you mix it together.”

  I place the earthenware pot that holds my burning flame on the burlap mat the professor set out. He hands me a heavy glass bowl that just fits over the top of it, and it slowly warms as the flame underneath heats it.

  “Now, we will add the rest of the items, mixing them all together. Your recipe will tell you the exact order to add them in.”

  I consult the list and start by pouring the alcohol into the glass bowl where it pools at the bottom. Next to me at the table, Erinocalypse and TexBadass do the same with their own recipes. After the alcohol comes the Grave Dirt, then Starchwort Powder, Blood of a Varg, Spirit Smoke, and Bundle of Dried Mugwort. It’s a thick, wet pile of magical items. I haven’t yet mixed it together, but when I activate Power Perception I notice a very faint green glow coming off the bowl.

  This magic is working.

  The last step is using the Ice Blossom to stir it all together. I pick up the delicate stem and dip it flower-first into the warm bowl, beginning my counter-clockwise stirring as instructed. The heat from the Flame of Eavoth melts the Ice Blossom slowly and evenly, adding the water to the mixture at a consistent rate. With each rotation, the ingredients of the potion look less like their individual pieces and more like a magical substance, losing color, losing texture, and the green glow of magic coming off the potion increases.

  Once the Ice Blossom has melted completely, the potion is complete. A pearl-like, iridescent liquid rests in the bottom of my bowl. Professor Dove nods encouragingly.

  “That’s perfect, SirAsh3r. Your Alithia Potion looks exactly as it should. Bottle it up and be careful about how it is used.”

  The Flame of Eavoth, in its pot, continues to burn. “I can save this, right?” I ask. “This flame can be used again?”

  “Yes. Save the flame for further use. As you continue on the path of alchemy you will find many uses for it.”

  I save the small bottle of Alithia Potion and the earthenware pot with my Flame of Eavoth in my inventory.

  Quest Completed: Get the Truth

  Description: You have successfully learned how to brew Alithia Potion and now have a bottle to use at your disposal.

  Reward: +100 XP

  “Thank you, Professor,” I say offering my hand for him to shake. “This has been exactly what we need, and I’m looking forward to continuing my study in alchemy.”

  “You have a talent for it, young man, and the right skills,” he says. “Let me offer you a note of introduction to my colleague in Smeaton. If you find yourself on that side of Camlan, she will be well worth meeting.”

  Quest Offered: The Alchemist’s Apprentice

  Description: Visit the alchemist in Smeaton to advance your alchemy skills.

  Reward: + 90 XP; Alchemy lesson

  “Great. Thanks.” As I save the note in my inventory I look up the location of Smeaton on my map. It’s almost on the complete other end of the realm, but, like he said, maybe I’ll find myself over there one of these days.

  “Good luck, travelers,” the professor says, showing us to his door as we begin the final steps of our open quests.

  Chapter 34

  “So now all we have to do is find Madam Avery, right?” Callidus says hopefully. “We’re done? We got the potion for the Dulock quest and now we just need to make it to the Throne Room. We’ll tell Morgana that we talked to the maid and we found out why she hasn’t been sleeping and maybe she can tell Captain Crowhurst to let the kid out of his promise. We did our part, and now she has to take us to the Throne Room. Right?”

  “It’s not a bad idea,” SteelFeather says. “Morga
na probably knows what a jerk her captain of the guard is. She can’t blame us for his refusal.”

  “That’s true,” Erinocalypse says. “We did technically complete the quest she gave us.”

  Something nags at me, but I can’t put my finger on what it is. Something about that whole power dynamic feels like we’re missing something. But it’s either that or try again to talk to Captain Crowhurst. And since it’s likely that the dead soldiers on the parapet or behind the stairs have been discovered, staying as far away from the captain seems like the best idea.

  I shrug. “Anyone know where to find her?”

  Callidus is already inspecting his map. “I’ve still got a yellow dot … that might be Crowhurst since our attempt at that quest for Ezra failed. There’s the dot in the Throne Room, for Cho’s quest we got at the beginning. Which means this one,” he points to a room on the fourth floor marked Private Quarters, “is probably her.”

  “Great. We’re going to just bother her in her bedroom?” TexBadass complains. “It’s the middle of the night.”

  “Yeah, I don’t know. This is sounding less and less like the right steps for the quest,” I say.

  “No, it’s perfect,” Callidus insists. “We’re less likely to be found by Crowhurst up there, right? It’ll just be her.” He has already halfway down the hallway to the stairwell, so sure is he in this choice.

  “I don’t know what else to do,” Erinocalypse says. “Other than taking another try at Crowhurst.”

  I shake my head and sigh. “Let’s go.”

  We follow Callidus down hallways, up and down stairs, through what should be a locked corridor before he is able to pick the lock, and all the way over to the other side of the castle. I think we must be in the wing on the opposite side of the courtyard, maybe even near the outer wall we had recently climbed. While we pass several of Crowhurst’s guards along the way, TexBadass casting Curtain of Invisibility regularly, it’s not nearly as many as I would have expected. Maybe I’m just paranoid, but that still unnerves me.

  Finally, Callidus pauses at the start of a still-lit corridor on the fourth floor, near the top of the castle. We are almost certainly not supposed to be in this wing. The difference in decor once we enter this passage is noticeable. Where the hallway outside Professor Dove’s library is cold stone, here we walk on thick, navy blue rugs that perfectly match the blue of the soldiers’ uniforms. Where the doors to the kitchen or barracks are solid, unadorned wood, here we pass intricately carved and painted doors that make me want to stop and look more closely.

  We get to the far end of the corridor and Callidus points to the door behind him animatedly but doesn’t say anything.

  “Knock, dude,” I whisper.

  A flash of fear appears on his face, but he overcomes it quickly. A short, strong knock sounds on the wooden door. We are left waiting in the hallway slightly longer than makes me comfortable. I look over my shoulder back down the hallway and wonder if she’s laying a trap for us or calling for reinforcements. But as soon as that idea flits through my mind, the door opens, and her face appears in the crack between the door and doorframe.

  From where I stand near the back of the group, I don’t get a good look at her expression other than surprise.

  “My friends,” she says as she opens the door wider, taking it in stride. She wears a thick navy blue robe, has her hair pulled back and it seems we may have woken her up. “What are you doing here at this hour of night?”

  “Madam Avery,” TexBadass begins in his overly polite drawl. “We are ever so sorry to be bothering you, ma’am, but we thought you would want to know as soon as possible when we had completed the task you set for us.”

  “Oh, yes, of course. Thank you for your diligence. Of course, I should have expected such conscientiousness from Guardians of Camlan.”

  She offers us a grateful smile before continuing.

  “I do want to discuss this, but not here. At the other end of this hallway, on the left, is my private study. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable and I will meet you there in just a few minutes.”

  “Thank you, ma’am,” TexBadass says, bowing a little. “We sure do appreciate it.”

  She closes the door on us and we enter the study at the other end of the hall, behind the doorway with the carved depiction of a queen with a man kneeling before her to be knighted. It is mostly unremarkable. A tall bookshelf, a desk, a fireplace, several chairs around the room, for whenever she has guests. Behind the desk is a single large window with a wooden chest underneath it; I cross to check out the view.

  “Should you be going back there?” Balderdash13 asks.

  “Back where? I’m just looking out the window.”

  It’s no big deal, I tell myself, even though my gut tells me otherwise. Something about Morgana tells me she has secrets. Secrets that she will do anything to keep. The way this room is set up, it is evident the space behind the desk is her sacred space.

  The window looks out toward the meadow north of the castle, where the road leading away from the front door disappears into the darkness. The guards and parapets must be one level above us. I see the flickering light from the torches, but not the fire itself.

  When I turn back around to the room, some of the papers on her desk catch my eye. I know better. I really do. I know Morgana could walk in at any moment, but it is almost as though there is a very faint golden glow coming from the bottom of one of the piles. Could this be something that we need for a quest? And, if it is, why didn’t this dot show up on the map?

  “What are you doing?” Balderdash13 whispers to me when I get close to the desk.

  The sheet that caught my eye just pokes out from underneath several others. I can’t quite read what it says, but the word “Prison” jumps out at me. Does this have something to do with Lance’s imprisonment?

  I cautiously lift off the top of the pile, careful to hold the papers in the same haphazard pile so I can return them to the exact same spot. The word I thought was “Prison” is actually “Prisoner Dulock” screaming at me from across the top like a headline. I quickly skim the body of the memo—it seems to be a note from one of the soldiers assigned to guard him, directly to Madam Avery herself and refers to something that they were meant to keep from the queen. A visit? Or series of visits to the prisoner? It’s not clear from my cursory look, so I start reading again from the beginning.

  I only just have time to drop the papers in my hand back to their original pile when the study door swings open.

  Chapter 35

  I’m still backing away from her desk when Morgana comes bustling in to her study. The presence of the window, my original reason to be back there, gives me an excuse to now give her.

  “You have a great view,” I offer.

  She smiles, though it doesn’t go as far as her eyes. I watch her attention stray to the paperwork on her desk briefly before returning to me. I don’t dare hazard a glance, but I’m almost certain no one could tell that I touched the piles of paperwork there.

  “It is a lovely view,” she says, coming over to stand next to me at the window. “During the day. Right now I don’t see how you can see anything at all.”

  There is the slightest hint of accusation in her tone, but I decide it would be better to ignore it. I nod and return to the far side of the desk where my friends have been sitting and waiting.

  “So, you figured out why my maid hasn’t been sleeping?”

  Erinocalypse looks at me, ducking her chin a little to defer.

  “We did,” I say, standing. “Well … Yes, we did find out the problem.”

  “But …” she prompts.

  “But we have failed in our attempts to fix that problem.”

  She sighs. “Tell me.”

  “Well, we saw the maid and we followed the thread, talking to another of your staff in the kitchen, and what it comes down to is your Captain Crowhurst needs to give his permission for a would-be soldier to be released from his commitment.”

 
“Captain Crowhurst is the obstacle?”

  “He is, ma’am.”

  “Of course, he is. I had guessed; I’m not surprised at all. How did he take it when you confronted him?” She turns her back to us and watches out the window again. “I would have thought he may have tried to get rid of you in some way.”

  “Oh, yeah. Well. He did. He actually thinks we have left Castle Nennius.”

  She spins around and looks at me carefully. “How’s that?”

  “He just refused our request to release the commitment and threw us out with the promise to never return.”

  “But you’re here.” She looks confused.

  “Yes, we … well, we figured out a way to get back in where we didn’t need to go through the front gate and get his permission.”

  “I see. So, you lied to my captain of the guard. Then you broke into the castle that is under my supervision. And then you came here in the middle of the night to ask me to do something for you?”

  “I, uh—”

  The door bursts open. Morgana stands imperiously behind her desk.

  “Excuse me? How dare you interrupt us.”

  The captain of the guard stands in the doorway, glowering, with at least half a dozen other guards behind him in the hallway.

  “Is this them?” Captain Crowhurst asks, crossing the room in just two strides and roughly grabbing Callidus by his upper arm. “Is this who imprisoned you and broke the prisoner out of jail? Where is he? Where is Dulock?”

  The Captain has lost the detached cool he had earlier and is so forceful in his angry demands, flecks of spit fly out of his mouth.