Gabriel stepped out into the hall and quickly found the nearest servant who looked at Pike’s head a terrified gaze. “Tell the King, the Head Mage wishes to see him,” Gabriel stated in Arconian, and the boy ran off with a relieved expression.
Gabriel stepped back in. Virgil had raised his face, and their eyes locked. “Please just kill me.”
“I would not give you the satisfaction of death, Virgil. You deserve a long life of suffering,” Gabriel replied. “For one moment, did you ever think your plan would turn against you?”
Virgil did not break contact with his eyes. “Of course, but not once you were captured.”
Gabriel grinded his teeth. “Do not mistake my actions. I very much wish to break your neck between my hands, but I will not contribute destroying a kingdom. You do know it is likely your kingdom will suffer as it never has from your actions? It will be a marvel if Queen Robyn does not pull every Anatolian off your soil and sever all trade. You can be certain I will not intervene with her plans. You do realize the Arch Mages planned this from the beginning?”
“I do now.”
“My kingdom was a hairsbreadth away from collapse because of what you did! Can you image what would happen if Jaden fell? The Mages would scatter; chaos would replace them; Ryker would snatch up the best and enslave them until the name Mage was a title of fear. They would go uneducated and unprotected. It would be a matter of generations before Mages bred themselves out or Ryker killed all non-Mages, I guarantee it.”
Virgil frowned. “I do not see the problem with that. Had it not been for these Arch Mages, we would not be in this situation.”
Gabriel seethed. “Do not blame them for your faults. You chose to aid.” Virgil opened his mouth, but Gabriel snapped a hand with a silencing look, and the Prince sealed his lips.
“I had the crown, you know,” Virgil whispered. Gabriel raised a brow that said to go on. “I had the control piece to Glittering. I would not give it to Maxine. I said it was lost.”
“It does not absolve you.”
King Victor took his time coming, leaving Gabriel to stand by the window with a sour look. The city moved slowly beneath him. Finally, the footsteps constantly passing in the halls stopped outside the salon and the door buckled inward.
King Victor made no surprised utterance as he saw his son, closing the door behind him quickly.
“What has happened?” he whispered to Gabriel, keeping himself back. “What have you done?”
Virgil kept his head down.
“Your Grace, your son nearly brought Anatoly and Jaden to their knees. He allied with an Arch Mage. We are all very lucky he did not fell your own kingdom in the meanwhile.” It took Gabriel a few minutes to retell the story.
The King stood silently looking at his crestfallen son. “What will you have me do with him, Head Mage?”
Gabriel stood beside Virgil. “Too many people have died in this past month. I very much want his head, but I have chosen mercy.”
The King blinked and looked faint. He stroked his trimmed beard as he braced himself on the back of a couch. “I do not deserve your clemency, Head Mage. My family has nearly ruined you. You have every right to kill him.”
Virgil did not argue.
“I am aware. However, not putting him to death is an act of compassion I must do. I have witnessed much death already.”
The King looked to the head in Gabriel’s hand. It had stopped dripping.
“I want him locked in an incanted cell and guards posted day and night until I say he can be released. I cannot have him surfacing during my last battle.”
Victor drew his hands into his sleeves before him. “And if I decide to enact…other measures?”
“Do it in the incanted cell. He still belongs to Arch Mage Maxine, and she will come for him if he’s in danger.” Her relinquishing him was just a tile played.
Victor looked pale, and he moved himself to a chair.
“Head Mage…I cannot accept your mercy. You must take his head.” Virgil made no motion to argue. Gabriel looked surprised at the King. “I cannot have word of this reaching my people. They will lose faith in their King, and their Crown Prince, making us appear rotten. Every rotten apple must be discarded. I ask you to take his head, quickly, before I lose my courage.”
“Are you certain?”
Victor swallowed. “Sometimes the best thing a leader can do for his kingdom is the hardest.” He looked up. “For you and for me.”
Gabriel gave a steady nod. “Would you like to look away?”
The King shook his head.
“Prince Virgil, for crimes against the Queen of Anatoly and the Head Mage of Jaden, I end you.” He snapped his fingers together to make a light-shard of Spirit. With lightning speed he drew it across the Prince’s neck. He grabbed Virgil’s hair and gently pulled back. The wound had cauterized, leaving little blood as he pulled it off the body that slumped forward in its binds.
King Victor stood with a white face and an inconsolable expression. “Thank you for your mercy, Head Mage. You are a noble lord if ever one ruled. Now, if you will permit me, I must bury my youngest child.” His voice cracked, but he remained stoic, giving Gabriel a hard nod. Gabriel paid him a full bow, a gesture of the highest respect a Head Mage could give, and vanished into Void.
Chapter 25
Lael waited on the edge of his chair for someone to arrive from Viorica. Surprisingly, no more than an hour later, Challis walked through the doors to the anteroom. She looked drained and distracted, garbed in a soiled dress. He stood and let out a breath as he went to embrace her. “I am relieved to see you alive.” The embrace she returned was desperate and she held him tightly for several breaths. He squeezed all the tighter.
She was followed by her three daughters. All dark haired and tanned skinned with their mother’s beautiful face though they looked a little exhausted and worn.
“Were you mistreated?” he asked Challis as she broke away, but the Queen shook her head.
“He locked us in incanted rooms, no more.”
“What happened?”
She turned to her daughters. “Please escort yourselves to my chambers and leave the Secondhand and me to talk.” The girls all bowed and left respectfully. “Viorica has fallen. Ryker took over with an army of Gaelsins and a collection of other races, powerful Mages. They purged the city of anyone who could stand in their way. The pyramids and great families have been burned from their homes, and the few Mages left have been killed.”
“Who?” Lael breathed.
“Lord and Lady Rocan, the Tresden twins, and the Etchen family.”
Lael lowered his head. “Stars.”
“What happened here? Who did we lose?”
“Aisling, Lewis, and Penny.”
Challis looked away and thinned her lips, “Stars. How did the Head Mage escape? He truly broke out?”
“He did,” Lael smiled. “And in perfect timing. The rest of us were horribly broken. Another day and I think Dagan would have been lost to us forever.”
“At least Jaden stands.”
“We have Shaun to thank for that. He assumed control in our absence.”
Challis smiled thoughtfully. “I always liked him after his Classing.”
“Please do not expound on that thought.” Challis flushed red and covered her lips. “There is much to fill you in on but…”
A flash of white halted Lael, and he breathed a breath of relief as Gabriel appeared. His relief turned to astonishment when he held up Pike Bronwen’s head in one hand and Prince Virgil’s in the other.
“You—you….”
“I know,” Gabriel whispered, neither elated nor weary.
“How?”
“Quickly, with Pike. Ryker has an army of at least two hundred Mages, though I only skimmed the hallways. The main pyramids burn, but there are four smaller ones that still stand. Much of the city is evacuated.” He looked to Challis. “The Cinibarian army is dead.”
“What?” Challis breathe
d.
Gabriel shook his head as he set his burdens down. “One of the fires burning in your city is a pyre of soldiers.”
Tears rose to her eyes. “I…I had thousands of men.”
Gabriel tucked her under one of his arms, and she fell into his chest. They shared a bond Lael never understood fully, but thought it sweet.
“Cinibar really has fallen,” she whispered as she broke away, drying her eyes. “What do we do now?”
“We bury our dead, we refill the Council, and then we take the fight to them,” Gabriel answered.
“What of Prince Virgil?” Lael asked.
“For his crimes, his father wished him dead. It was the most merciful thing I could do.”
Gabriel slowly marched behind the coffin in the winding procession to the necropolis deep in the mountains. Cordis walked beside him. The three coffins were flanked by the families left behind, while the streets lined with every soul in Jaden holding candles, flames, or glowing balls. Silence fell as the coffins passed, quieting Castle Jaden to the point where the wind itself gave a moment of silence.
Gabriel had spoken words over each coffin to the masses gathered in the courtyard. He knew all three well: Lewis who had maintained all calm when severing his hand, Penny whose grandmotherly attitude kept him from frustration more than once, and Aisling who kept everyone in line and helped control two kingdoms. They could never be replaced.
They silently proceeded into the necropolis lit with green balls. The statue of Barbrielly and Tollen welcomed the newcomers. Each was given a notch in the cold tunnel reserved for Council Members. The pallbearers carried the coffins to pre-carved holes, and with flourish slid the bodies into the mountain while the family members paid their last respects.
Gabriel sealed the holes with an Earth pattern, and embossed their names and statuses over the front with their Elemental symbols. He did his best not to shake as he sealed Aisling’s niche. Families passed their hands over the graves in a last farewell. Lord and Lady Lamay were in front with the Council with friends trailing behind. The ceremony was over too quickly, and soon Gabriel stood before Aisling’s grave alone, staring at the words he wrote over her head.
Cordis found him solemnly standing there some time later.
“You alright, lad?”
“I feel like I never knew her.”
Cordis put his arm around Gabriel’s shoulders, almost matching him in height. “No one ever truly knows a woman they love, my boy, or really any woman at all.” He squeezed Gabriel’s shoulders. “We must be thankful for the time we spent with her. We are but a breath away from sharing her fate.”
“I wish I had a chance to say goodbye.”
Cordis nodded and pulled him through the necropolis, extinguishing glowing balls in his wake. “She loved you very much, Gabriel, though it was hard for her to say it.”
“I know. I know I was a burden to her.”
“Lad, where do you get such ideas?”
“She did not raise me,” he replied. “I got in the way of her career. I’ve known for a while, but I came to accept it long ago.”
“Don’t think of it like that. Think of it as she rather wanted someone to raise you with unconditional devotion. She could not have done that.”
Gabriel nodded.
“Buy you a pint or two?”
“Two.”
Chapter 26
The Council Hall was far too quite.
It had been cleaned and repaired as quickly as Earth Mages could manage, but spots of missing plaster and paint still dotted the walls. More than one of the Council hesitated to enter right away.
Mikelle watched Lael and Adelaide across from her, the only remaining people on that half of the table. She noticed how they kept their gaze down. Adelaide had taken to wearing her hair in a loose enough braid to let her long hair fall over her left eye. It shielded the blemish Gabriel had not yet healed.
“Shaun,” Galloway nodded.
“Shaun,” Challis agreed.
The vote came to Mikelle. “Obviously.”
A nervous chuckle rippled through the room, a blessed sound.
“That makes it unanimous,” Gabriel nodded. “I would like to have him take over for Aisling, who handled disputes. I will require his assistance in much of my coming plans. Does that agree with everyone? Next suggestion, Cordis?”
“I would like to see another Gaelsin on the Council considering they make up almost half our population now, but I do not know enough to recommend one.”
“May I, Head Mage?” Adelaide asked. “Mage Laiken is one of their history keepers, a proverbial father figure, and a scholar of cultures. I do not know if anyone else has spoken with him, but he is an exemplary gentleman, a true leader.”
“Is he a yes-man?” Gabriel asked.
“No.”
“I have spoken with him,” Lael nodded. “Markus and I took tea with him shortly after he arrived. Mikelle, we have not yet Classed him, correct?”
“Correct.”
“He controls Earth and Water.”
“I like him already,” Dagan smiled.
“Before we make a decision,” Gabriel interjected, “I would like all of us to speak with him to give him a fair advantage against the rest. Let us move him up to be Classed tomorrow. We can broach a Council decision in a few days. Other suggestions?”
“What of Mage Malain?” Galloway asked. “Of anyone here, he understands what we are up against.”
“His understanding is based on bitterness against Nolen and Ryker,” Gabriel slid in. “He would be an advantage for as long as we fight them together, but after that?”
“Oh, I think Malain is a noble character,” Lael nodded. “Look at all he has lost and how positive he stayed. He is a grounded man, and this is not an easy position.”
“He did risk his life to save Queen Robyn before he knew it was she,” Cordis inserted. “He is selfless and honorable.”
“I hate to bring this up,” Gabriel began, “but if he knew at all what his son was up to, he will be considered a traitor. Also, once on the Council, he will be privy to that secret. Do we want to tarnish the memory of his son?”
The room fell silent, and a few nodded.
They dithered back and forth for the better part of the morning, discussing benefits of every name given.
“I wish we had another Shaun,” Markus sighed.
“What of Afton?” Lael asked.
Gabriel shook his head. “She is powerful, yes, but she is timid. She does not stand up for herself, and we need a strong person to sit here. Plus, it is my wish for her to take over the infirmary.”
“I still like the idea of Malain,” Dagan stated.
“Do we want to vote?” Gabriel asked, and they nodded, coming away with six in favor. Gabriel frowned, having been one against. “My biggest concern is what he will do when he learns of Dimitri.”
“We could not tell him,” Adelaide offered.
A few brows raised. Slowly, Gabriel nodded. “I could agree to that.”
“Vote again,” Lael commanded, and Mikelle noted everyone’s hands raised.
Gabriel smiled. “I will speak with Shaun and Malain about the positions. In the next two days please meet individually with Laiken and come back with an agreement or another Gaelsin suggestion. Dismissed.”
Mikelle finished her notes and snapped the book shut, following Gabriel out. “Are you going to ask Shaun now?”
He looked over his shoulder. “I am. You can’t come.”
“Why not?”
“I do not want to pressure him into saying yes. Or in your case, he may say no. Living and working with you is near intolerable.” She slapped his backside and made him squeak.
“You deserved that.”
He stopped in front of her door, giving her a glare that sent her back several steps. Shaun admitted him a moment later. Mikelle perched on her toes, trying to listen in excitement. If she moved too much, it would attract Shaun’s attention.
Gabriel
emerged a minute later. “I…am so sorry,” he whispered. “He agreed.”
She threw her hands up in glee and rushed in to congratulate Shaun with a much-deserved kiss. The man was an excellent kisser with strong, full lips that were still amusing even when she caught him off guard. He smiled through her kiss but held her back a moment.
“T’ank you, Head Mage.”
“Councilman Shaun, we will swear you in in two days. Enjoy your freedom while you have it. I would like to see you in my study soon. I have something for you.”
“I can come now.”
“She can’t.”
“It’s alright, mate, I know how to control my woman.”
“Can—can you see the look she’s giving you?”
“No, I can feel it,” Shaun whispered, alarmed.
Gabriel chuckled. “Meet me in my study in five minutes.”
Gabriel called for admittance and Shaun stepped in, shutting the door behind. “Mate, I don’t know what chocolate is, but I need some.”
“What did she say it was?”
“Some kind of garment I believe was t’ context she used.”
“Stars,” Gabriel muttered and ran a hand over his face. “Come here. I have something I want you to look at.” He realized his choice of words too late, but Shaun did not seem to care.
Gabriel pulled a medallion the size of an apple from his pocket and set it on the desk before him. It was gold with a fat ruby in the center. The metal wrought in spirals, with a thick chain looped through a ring in the back.
“Do you know what this is?” Gabriel asked with bated breath.
“Not sure I do.” He pick it up by the chain and grabbed the medallion with his other hand. As soon as he made contact with it, he jumped back with a cry and dropped it on the floor. “What…?” he breathed and stooped to pick it up again.
Gabriel could not contain his grin. “It is Maxine Flint’s Excellyon.”
Felling Kingdoms (Book 5) Page 19