Arcanius

by Toby Neighbors

  The palace seemed dark and foreboding, but Lexi knew there was plenty of activity among the servants. Working in the palace was a highly sought-after occupation. There was prestige having access to the earl and city officials. The palace servants had small but comfortable apartments in the most secure building in the city. Food was plentiful, and there were so many servants working together that the palace was its own small community. Lexi had no desire to work in the palace, but she had no problem pretending that she worked there.

  It didn’t take her long to slip into the kitchens and find something that needed cleaning. The other servants paid her no attention as they went about their tasks, but she soon heard about Earl Ageus being locked in the dungeons. The palace servants were stunned, but the news was so scandalous that the rumor mill was in full swing. Lexi didn’t wait long to make her move. She knew how to get to the dungeon—she had just been there earlier that day, and it wasn’t far from the servants’ storerooms.

  Lexi was as quiet as a shadow as she descended the steps. She moved quickly past the storerooms and made her way to the heavy door that led to the dungeons. There was no lock on the door, and she opened it so slowly that even the rusty hinges didn’t make a sound. She slipped into the dark, spiraling staircase, leaving the door open behind her.

  Below she could see light and hear the sound of heavy breathing. She moved down the stairs cautiously, careful not to make a sound, and drew the Wangorian dagger without really thinking about it. Having the weapon in her hand made her feel more secure.

  Just above where the stairs opened up into the dungeon’s anteroom, she stopped. She was almost certain that what she could hear was the sound of someone sleeping. The only question was whether the sleeper was alone. Lexi couldn’t be sure.

  She proceeded down the steps, keeping her body close to the wall. There were two guards on duty, sitting beside a lantern. One leaned back in his chair, a greasy head propped against the stone wall as he slept. The other man was smaller, with a pointed face and tired eyes. He looked up as Lexi came into view, the dagger hidden behind her back.

  “What’s this?” the guard said. “Ain’t no one supposed to be down here.”

  “Miss Julanne sent for me,” Lexi lied. The guards were wearing the king’s uniforms, and Lexi doubted that they knew anything about Avondale or the servants who worked there. “She thought you big strong soldier boys might like a little female company.”

  “She did, did she?” the pointy-faced man said, his look of suspicion suddenly transforming into a look of hungry desire. “And what type of company do you propose to give us?”

  “Anything you like,” Lexi said, trying her best to sound seductive. “Why don’t we let your friend sleep while we have some fun?”

  The guard looked as his snoring and drooling companion. The bigger man had hoarded most of the food and nearly all the wine, too. Now he would miss out, while the smaller man took advantage of his good fortune, or so he thought. The pointy-faced man hurried forward, leaving his spear behind. He reminded Lexi of a starving child who had just discovered a cake.

  His hands were reaching out for her as he came, his pale cheeks flushing with excitement. Then she lunged forward, swiping the Wangorian dagger across the soldier’s throat. The blade was very sharp, and it sliced through the man’s neck easily. He staggered backward as Lexi circled away from him. He tried to cry for help, but all that came out was a sickening gurgle. He held his hands to his throat, trying desperately to stop the bleeding, but her cut had been deep and opened more than one vein in the man’s neck. Blood was pouring out over his fingers and down the front of his jerkin.

  He fell onto his side, his head smacking the stone floor with a hollow thump. The other guard grunted but didn’t wake up. Lexi waited until the pointy-faced man went limp, his dead eyes staring up at the ceiling. She plucked the keys from the man’s belt carefully, making sure the metal didn’t clink together. Then she rushed past the sleeping guard and down the narrow passage that was lined with cells.

  The dungeons were dark and cold, but enough light from the guard’s station allowed her to see. She held a finger to her lips when she saw Earl Ageus slumped on the floor. Then she turned and found Rafe. He had seen her come into the corridor and was now standing next to the rusty bars of the cell door.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked, his voice barely even a whisper.

  “Getting you out,” Lexi said.

  She inserted the key into the lock very slowly and turned it. The tumblers still made a metallic clunk as they were pushed into the unlocked position. The door swung open, and Lexi handed Rafe her dagger. The snoring had stopped, and Rafe left the corridor. Lexi heard a loud thump as the sleeping guard fell from his chair. She didn’t see what was happening with Rafe, as she unlocked the earl’s cell, but Rafe was wiping the blood from her dagger as he returned.

  “Where’s Tiberius?” Rafe asked, still whispering.

  “He’s outside the palace,” Lexi said as she turned to unlock Olyva’s cell.

  “I’m so glad to see you,” Olyva said. “There’s a dead body down there in the dark.”

  “I know,” Lexi said but didn’t explain. “Come on, we’ve got to get out of here.”

  “Who are you?” the earl asked.

  “My lord,” Rafe explained. “This is Lexi. She is Tiberius’ companion.”

  “You left the city when my son was banished,” the earl said.

  “Yes,” Lexi said. “I borrowed some horses, too.”

  The earl raised an eyebrow but smiled reassuringly. Rafe led them out of the dungeon, taking a sword, spear, and shield from the dead guards as he went.

  “What’s our plan?” Olyva said.

  “We have to get the earl out of the palace,” Rafe explained. “Once the war band sees him, they’ll rally to our cause.”

  “And Tiberius knows what we have to do to stop Leonosis,” Lexi said.

  She felt a tremor of fear when she realized what she had said in front of Earl Ageus. She had heard what happened in the earl’s audience chamber, but she didn’t know how the earl felt about his eldest son, who now King of Valana.

  “Take me to Tiberius,” the earl said. “I must speak with him.”

  “This way,” Lexi said. “We can get out through the kitchens.”

  “The servants will recognize us,” Rafe complained.

  “There is no way out of this place without being seen,” Lexi argued. “At least this way we’re not likely to run into soldiers.”

  “She’s right,” the earl said. “Lead the way.”

  They hurried back up the stairs, past the storerooms and into the kitchens. They didn’t stop or hesitate, even when many of the servants bowed their heads or dropped to one knee in front of the earl. When they finally got outside, Lexi wound their way around the palace, moving in shadows and keeping a watch on the palace. She expected armed men to come running after them at any moment or for an alarm to sound, but nothing happened. The night was still and quiet.

  Lexi led them to the alley were Tiberius was waiting.

  “Father,” Ti said when he saw the earl. “Are you well?”

  “Yes, thanks to you. And to Grentz,” he said sadly.

  “What happened?” Tiberius asked.

  “Before we hash things out, we need to find a safer place to wait out the night,” Lexi said.

  “I know where we can go,” Rafe said. “Follow me.”

  He led them back toward the palace but then turned and took them up into the watchtower.

  “Where are we going?” Tiberius said.

  “The war ships,” Rafe explained. “Father and I captured the men who crewed them earlier today. We can wait there for morning. If someone comes for us, we can flee the city.”

  They were soon too winded from climbing the seemingly endless stairs of the watchtower to keep talking. Lexi was at the rear of the group now, stopping to listen occasionally for pursuers. When they reached the watchtower, they found thr
ee of the earl’s men on duty, but the earl ordered them to continue their watch and to keep his presence a secret.

  Tiberius and Olyva had the hardest time climbing the rope ladder up into the war ship, but eventually they succeeded, and Lexi followed them up. She was almost to the ship’s railing when she caught some movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned and saw Dancer’s limbs spread out as the little wind glider came swooping in to land on her shoulder.

  “Where have you been?” she said happily, as the little animal nuzzled her cheek.

  Dancer trilled happily, and Lexi grinned.

  “It’s good to see you, too. I was worried about you.”

  The animal cooed, and Lexi climbed up to join her friends on board the war ship.

  Chapter 24

  Tiberius

  “Tell me what happened,” Tiberius said, but not to his father.

  He knew as soon as he saw Rafe that something was wrong. Olyva’s demeanor could be attributed to the fatigue she always felt as soon as the sun went down, but Rafe looked as if his world had been knocked off its axis. He’d never seen his friend so grief-stricken before.

  “His father died protecting me,” the earl said sadly.

  Rafe looked down, and Olyva wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he sobbed. The ship wasn’t built for comfort, and it was hard to see more than dark shapes, but Olyva led Rafe away. Lexi lay down and was soon asleep. Tiberius followed his father to the command deck, where they sat on the small platform away from the others.

  “I was a fool,” Ageus said.

  “Tell me what happened.”

  “Your brother happened,” Ageus said. “Brutas returned to Avondale thinking he would be earl. I expect he thought I would be dead, which I very nearly was before you arrived. I still can’t believe what you did for me. I feel young again.”

  “Magic is for the good of all mankind,” Tiberius said. “Somehow we lost sight of that.”

  “Where on earth did you learn magic?”

  “I found an old book—well, actually it was only a piece of an old book. That’s really why I left with Rafe when he was banished. I knew I couldn’t stay in the city and I didn’t want to think of him facing the blighted lands alone.”

  “And you couldn’t talk to me,” the earl said sadly. “I have been a fool, Tiberius.”

  “We can’t focus on the past, Father. Valana is in too much danger.”

  “From your brother? I guess you know how he managed to get the other earls to support his claim to the throne.”

  “I’ve given that a lot of thought,” Tiberius said. “What do you know about magic?”

  “Nothing,” the earl said. “Other than the fact that it is illegal.”

  “Do you remember when the princess was here, right before I was banished?”

  “Of course.”

  “And she chose me to accompany her to the feast.”

  “Yes,” the earl said, drawing out the word as he remembered how surprised he had been with the princess’ behavior.

  “That’s because she practices magic, too,” Tiberius explained. “She could tell that I was learning magic and she wanted to know what I could do.”

  “So, the princess is a witch?”

  “She’s also the queen now,” Tiberius went on. “But I don’t think she’s completely to blame for what’s happened. I think she somehow summoned a demon or some type of spirit being that is behind everything.”

  “How do you know all this?”

  “I don’t know for sure, but I do know a few things for certain. When we reached Hamill Keep, the earl there—Earl Marcus—seemed strange. He wanted to send me to Sparlan Citadel and he knew things about me that he shouldn’t have known.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like the fact that we had found a magical gem called the Balestone. When Olyva saw her father, she knew something was wrong with him, too. Something was controlling his body, but Earl Marcus was dead.”

  “Something was controlling his body?” the earl asked, obviously struggling to believe what his son was telling him.

  “I know it’s hard to accept, but it’s true. When we resisted his plans, the earl attacked us. He didn’t respond to pain or even bleed when he was wounded. I had to burn the body to kill him.”’

  “You really killed an earl?”

  “No, Earl Marcus was dead already. What we did was destroy the body so it couldn’t be used by whatever foul creature had possessed it.”

  “You think the princess did this?”

  “No, I don’t think she did it herself. That kind of dark magic can’t be done by humans.”

  “You’re telling me bedtime stories, Tiberius. None of this can possibly be real.”

  “It is,” Tiberius said. “You know that I can do magic. Why is it so hard to believe that there are other people who wield that same power, but with darker intentions?”

  “It makes no sense because your brother already has the throne. What more could he want?”

  “I don’t know what Leonosis wants,” Tiberius said. “But there are more of these magical gems—two more. If the spirit being that is controlling the other earls gets them, he can enslave our world.”

  “This is madness,” Ageus said. “I want to believe you, Tiberius, but it’s just too much. Your imagination always did run away with you.”

  “It’s not my imagination, Father, but you don’t have to believe me. We’ll help you subdue Brutas tomorrow, then we’ll leave.”

  Ageus looked at his son in the darkness, and Tiberius felt like he was a child again, caught doing something he shouldn’t have and facing his father’s wrath.

  “You have saved me, Tiberius. Twice now you and your friends have rescued me. Avondale is your home. I will rescind the banishment. There is no need for you to leave Avondale again.”

  Tiberius smiled. “Thank you, Father.”

  “We should get some rest.”

  “I’ll stand watch,” Tiberius offered.

  Earl Ageus wasn’t accustomed to sleeping out in the open, but soon enough he was asleep. Tiberius wanted to sleep, too, but he had too much to think about. He had hoped that his father would accept him, accept that he was now a wizard, and to an extent, his father had. Before returning to Avondale, Tiberius would never have believed that his father wouldn’t punish him for practicing magic, but the earl had offered to let Tiberius stay in Avondale. It was a small victory, even if it wasn’t the acceptance and pride Ti had hoped to gain from his father.

  Lexi and Olyva were both sound asleep, just like Tiberius’ father. Rafe stayed with Olyva through most of the night, but Tiberius could tell his friend wasn’t sleeping. Just before dawn Rafe joined Tiberius at the railing of the ship. The city was quiet and dark below them, although the smell of freshly baked bread was wafting up and making Tiberius’ stomach growl. Neither man spoke for a long time; they just stood side by side, comfortable in the silence.

  “I can’t believe he’s gone,” Rafe said.

  “He was a hero,” Tiberius said. “The best man in Avondale. Everyone knows it.”

  “I never thought I’d see it. He always seemed indestructible.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Tiberius said.

  “Me, too.”

  There was another long pause as Rafe regained his composure. Tiberius had never known he could hurt so much for another person. He knew Rafe had wanted nothing more in life than to make his father proud. It had been the single most important thing in his life, the driving ambition that pushed him to train so hard and outperform every other person in the earl’s war band.

  “You saw him yesterday?” Tiberius asked.

  “Yes, he was more understanding than I expected. He helped me take these ships. The first one, it was just the two of us, fighting side by side.”

  “Was it the way you always imagined?”

  “Better,” Rafe said with a smile. “And afterward he treated me like an equal, Ti. It was the best moment of my life. He said he was proud
of me. I’ll never forget that.”

  Tiberius couldn’t hold back the tears. He had wanted as much from his own father, but it had never been a possibility. The earl only had time for one of his children—his heir, Leonosis. Rafe’s father had been different. He had trained all three of the earl’s sons in swordcraft. He had been patient with Tiberius, encouraging, and supportive. It was as if Rafe’s father knew that Tiberius wasn’t getting what a boy needs from his own father. And surprisingly enough, Rafe had never been jealous of Tiberius, even when Ti got the affirmation that Rafe longed for. Tiberius and Rafe had only grown closer over the years, and now that Rafe’s father was gone, Tiberius felt a little part of his own life was gone, too. They could never go back to those childhood days—not now.

  “I’m really happy for you,” Tiberius said. “You deserved to hear that from him. I’ve always known you were a great warrior and an even better man. You are honorable and strong, Rafe. You’re my best friend.”

  “Thanks,” Rafe said, sounding strange.

  Tiberius turned and looked at Rafe for the first time. In the predawn darkness, he couldn’t see his friend’s expression, but he knew something was wrong.

  “What is it?” Tiberius asked.

  “I heard you talking with your father,” Rafe said. “You’re going after another magical stone?”

  “Yes,” Tiberius said. “To the south.”

  “I can’t go,” Rafe said, his voice breaking as he said it. “My father died protecting the earl. I should take his place.”

  Tiberius felt a coldness in his gut, a strange sort of fear that felt like he was hollow inside. He knew he was losing something precious, and he had no idea how to stop it. He wanted to argue with Rafe, to convince him to come along, but he also knew that Leonosis would never give up chasing Tiberius and the stones. If Rafe came, he might die trying to protect Tiberius, just like his father, Commander Grentz, died protecting Earl Ageus.

  “You’re sure?” Tiberius managed to say.

  “Yes,” Rafe said. “I’ve given it a lot of thought. You weren’t there when Brutas took control of the palace. He means to kill your father, and I can imagine that Leonosis feels the same way. Earl Ageus needs my sword, and I think it was what my father would have wanted.”