Sytravious: The Lost Warlock Of Moruz (The Oathbreaker Book 1)

by Acevedo, E. B.

  Sytravious knew she was just being downright ridiculous. Of course, there was no rodent army, but what he had seen seemed so authentic. He felt there was something more to what he had seen.

  “Here son, I shall teach you a simple technique that will help clear your mind before you sleep. It is a meditation my father taught me when I was once weighted down by nightmares. Your grandfather thought nightmares were an attack on one’s mind, by enemy forces, meant to poison our thoughts and weaken our psychological strength.”

  His mother had managed to catch his attention with the mention of her father. Sytravious was rarely afforded the opportunity to hear tales about his family. He only knew of Nyxseous and Nysight, and even then, the information was kept to a minimum. Nevertheless, he remained curious about them.

  When he was younger, he used to ask about their lives before he was born, but had learned he was no match for his mother’s stubbornness. After being snubbed many times, Nysight told him if he was patient, his mother would reveal the family history in due time.

  “This could possibly be that time!” Sytravious thought. He was careful when approaching the topic and said, “That is strange, you have never mentioned him before.”

  “Uh…mentioned who?”

  “My grandfather, your father. What was he like? Why have you not told me about him before?”

  Nyxseous stared at her son a long time, contemplating her response. She stood up and walked over to the wall where the torch hung. Sytravious watched as his mother sparked a small black flame from the tip of her finger, illuminating the room with a golden glow. His eyes adjusted to the lighting before he realized Nysight was not in the other bed, which meant it was early morning. His stepfather must have already left for the forge, making it the perfect opportunity for Nyxseous to speak openly with him.

  “Your grandfather was a great man Sytravious. Many respected him. His name was well known from shore to shore. He was once the head of a historically great house and was very wealthy. He was able to attain many allies by using his influence to achieve many storied feats. However, with his success also came many enemies.”

  Sytravious was about to ask her a question, but she held up her hand to stop him from interrupting her. “He was a lord, which meant our family was very privileged. Never had I ever believed that we would be living in the situation that we are in now.” She sighed. “My father was betrayed, by someone very close to him. That day, my entire family was massacred. Everything I once knew was taken from me.”

  He could see the sadness in his mother’s blue eyes. “Including my real father?”

  “Yes, he too died that day. I could have been killed that day s well, if it had not been for Nysight. He rescued me, and we escaped while you were still in my womb. I knew he had loved me since the days when he served as the Weapons Master for my father, so, once we settled in to our new lives, we got married.” She gave Sytravious a small smile and stood up.

  “So we live here, in poverty and solitude, just to hide from your enemies of the past?”

  Insulted by his tone, she snapped at him, “No! We live here, in poverty and solitude because we need to gain strength to avenge our family name!”

  “What is our family name? Who are the adversaries we need to kill? Are we not strong enough now?” He knew he had pressed the topic too far with his barrage of questions, but he could not resist.

  “That is enough! Perhaps you can find inspiration in the information I have shared with you today. Think about it the next time you want to neglect the education Nysight and I are trying to provide to you.”

  With those last words, the conversation had ended. Sytravious paused to glare at his mother, before throwing the covers off his legs. As he leaned over and grabbed his boots, he could feel his mother’s stare follow his every move. He put his shoes on, got up, and walked out the door.

  The early morning sun shined bright on his face when he stepped out of The Trapper House. At this hour, he was supposed to be joining Nysight in the forge, but Sytravious liked to take advantage of daybreak, using it for his own interests. Mornings were the best time to pocket new stuff. The unsuspecting merchants were just setting up their stands. They were busy and distracted, which provided him with the necessary chance to grab what he could.

  He walked down the wide street that ran through the district. Citizens crowded the road, ready to begin their shopping. He surveyed the dealers that were out today and listened to the bargaining going on, as he strolled around. Without a second thought, he pocketed two dinner rolls as he passed the baker’s stand.

  He was just snatching some copper coins from a man’s pocket, when a loud commotion caught his attention. Sytravious pushed through the people gathering around the spectacle, to find a band of soldiers escorting an old man from his home. It had likely been a case of unlawful possession of magic paraphernalia, and as unfortunate as the situation was, he did not want to let such an ideal opportunity go untouched.

  He looked up to see where the old man had resided. It was a villa built above the market. Figuring he could be in and out before anyone would arrive from the castle to investigate, he slipped around to the back alley and began to climb the wall. He pulled himself over the balcony, before entering the old man’s study. In the room, stacks upon stacks of old books produced a stale, musty smell. He examined the area and decided to rummage through the desk.

  After shuffling through stacks of parchment that were covered with instructions for various spells, he found a small leather pouch that contained a few potions and herbs. Motivated to find any other worthwhile magic items the old man might have possessed, Sytravious shoved the pouch into his pocket and continued probing through the man’s belongings. Just as he began grabbing some more valuables, he heard footsteps approaching.

  His heist would have to come to a sudden stop. He cursed under his breath and tiptoed in the direction of balcony from which he had entered. He could hear men conversing on the other side of the study door. Sytravious knew he had to get out; being caught was not an option. With each silent step he took, he felt more and more that this impromptu plan had been a bad idea. If he were caught, no sentence from the warden would be worse than his mother’s wrath. It did not matter where he would be locked away, she would track him down and make him pay for the shame he had brought upon the family. He shuddered just thinking about it.

  He was distracted by that thought and did not see the pile of books he kicked over. A cloud of dust filled the air as the books tumbled to the ground. His time was up. He heard the door slam open behind him and he dashed forward. He was grabbing the balcony railing to jump over it, when he heard, “Stop right there!”

  He held his hands up in the air. While his back was facing the man, Sytravious was mentally devising a spell, fully intending to end the stranger’s life so that he may save his own. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, and turned to kill the man, but when he saw him, he realized it was no stranger at all, but an old friend by the name of Elric Duegar. Relief consumed Sytravious and he could not help but laugh.

  “What are you doing here?” Elric blurted out.

  “What do you mean, ‘what are you doing here’? Did you think I could resist the opportunity to tease you about that bizarre outfit you have to wear?” He pointed to Elric’s uniform.

  Atop his head was a tall white hat, topped with a fluffy yellow feather. He wore a crisp, white dress outfit with a cape strapped around his neck. As he eyed his friend’s ridiculous ensemble, he thought it had to be the most over the top uniform in the city. It was the official attire of the City Constable.

  Clearly annoyed, Elric reminded him, “You know I just got promoted.” Irritated, he continued, “Seriously, Sytravious please do not tell me you snuck into a crime scene to give me grief. You could be imprisoned for even stepping foot in here.”

  “I know that, but like I said before, I had to get up here to taunt you.” A wide grin spread across his face.

  In all hon
esty, he had completely forgotten that Elric had been promoted. Though they were good friends, since becoming Constable, it was hard to find him. Elric had failed to show up for the past few weeks when his brother, Bryce, and Sytravious would catch up at The Trapper House for a drink. With Elric’s sparse attendance, he had pushed the news of the promotion to the back of his mind. Regardless of the fact that he had had not seen him for a while, he was thankful Elric was here now, as Constable. It meant his friend had the authority to let him leave the scene, allowing him to avoid any trouble.

  Elric frowned for a moment, while he considered the explanation, and gave Sytravious a look of disapproval. “Well you got me. I know I look comical, but it is a prestigious position. I worked hard to achieve this. So, as amused as you may be, one day I may be commanding the entire city guard.”

  Sytravious mocked him, “Prestigious? You have come a long way from the kid that used to peep up girls’ skirts at the market.”

  His friend chuckled as he recalled their childish pastimes.

  Sensing it was the perfect time to leave, he said, “Alright Constable, I will let you get back to your prestigious work. I just wanted to say ‘hello’ and get a good laugh in.”

  “I understand, but next time, look for me when I am not on duty. Attempting a prank, like illegally entering a crime scene, is a real crime Sytravious. If someone else had walked in on this joke of yours, it would not have been so funny then.”

  “Yes sir!” He saluted him and proceeded to climb over the railing before making his way down the back of the building. Sytravious looked up at his friend to see him shaking his head in disapproval. He waved and proceeded down the alleyway, back home.

  During the trip to The Trapper House, he felt a rush of excitement. His mind flooded with ideas of what he could do with the items he had retrieved from the villa. He was upset that he did not get to finish searching through the home, but he was sure what he had was worth something. Even if it was only worth a few silver pieces, it was more than what he had now.

  When he arrived home, he found out the stolen stuff was worth much more than he had initially thought. After the vehement lecture Nyxseous gave him about trespassing and burglary, she had gone through all the herbs and potions he had retrieved. Surprised by a few of the items, her anger subsided and she could see the potential in what he had done.

  “Sytravious, I am fairly sure we have all the ingredients to make a very desirable potion, one that will rekindle your strength in minutes. It can benefit you and Nysight after your training sessions.” She looked up at him from her vanity, where she had all the items laid out. “Well, we are missing one herb, but it is easily attainable. We can find the Rosewood herb in the temple’s fields by the springs.”

  At the mention of the springs, his heart skipped.

  His mother continued rambling, “I mean we will need Nysight to come for extra protection, we do not want to get caught---”

  “We can go now!”

  Nyxseous looked back at Sytravious, puzzled.

  “I mean…I will go with you whenever you are ready, as an extra precaution.”

  She seemed skeptical about his sudden outburst and narrowed her eyes. “Well, it would make no sense to go now. If you were just listening, I said we have to go early in the morning. That will be when the temple’s guard is most at ease.”

  “Right, I forgot.”

  He was distracted by thoughts of the priestess. Never mind that he had slept through his training with Nysight this morning, what mattered was that he had forgotten to go to the springs. He cursed his nightmare for putting him off his schedule today, but not all was lost.

  “Perhaps we could go after my lesson with Nysight tomorrow morning?”

  “Yes, I suppose we could. I will let your father know I will be going with you tomorrow.”

  “That is alright. I will go tell him now. I am going over to the forge.”

  The rest of his day was spent in The Dew Drop Inn, doing minor jobs for their customers. Time dragged by, and Sytravious daydreamed about Raiven while he waited for the day to end. He had no doubt, instead of vicious claws, tonight his dreams would be filled with fair skin and honey-colored eyes.

  Chapter 5

  We Meet Again

  Walking through the Foxfire Woods seemed to take much longer than he remembered, probably because he was so anxious to reach the spring. Throughout the fighting lesson, he had just completed, he could only think of Raiven. His mother and stepfather both had commented on his inattentiveness during the sparring session. He had ignored their remarks, finished practice, and rushed off while Nyxseous and Nysight made their way to the nearby temple fields.

  “I am going to get some water and keep an eye on the perimeter for you,” were his last words before walking away.

  He hurried as he hiked through the humid forest, hoping it would take his mother a while before she harvested what she needed. Even though it was fall, Havencrest was known for its indeterminate weather. When he finally approached the entrance of the spring where he had met Raiven a couple days before, he kneeled down and filled his flask so that what he told his parents would not be a complete lie.

  After surveying the familiar area, he did not see the young girl, but Sytravious decided he had better check thoroughly. He took off his boots and shirt and laid them on the bank. The water had seemed cool when he touched it moments before, but as he submerged his body in the spring, it grew warmer.

  He swam further into the water, taking in the spectacular view. Flower-covered vines hung from the tree branches and dipped down into the water, as the sun was beginning to break through the canopy of trees. His chest tightened at the sight of her. She was sitting on the raised embankment, wringing out her wet hair. The priestess’ dress was pulled up to her knees and her feet were immersed just below the water’s surface. He saw her looking over her shoulder, as if waiting for a visitor. Rays of light reflecting against the water sparkled against her face. She looked radiant, even more beautiful than he had remembered.

  He was careful not to make a sound as he snuck up to Raiven. He wanted to surprise her, seeing as her attention was elsewhere. She jerked her foot out the water with a frightened yelp when he poked it. She held her hand over her heart, and puffed out a breath of relief. He beamed up at her, and she lit up.

  “You startled me!” She fixed her dress, covering her exposed legs, then rose to her feet.

  “You do not have to do all that for me, Priestess.”

  She chuckled. “Well I have already finished swimming and was about to leave. I was beginning to wonder if you had come to your senses since our last meeting.”

  With a facetious intent, he said, “I am ever so sorry, my dear lady. I was rather busy yesterday morning. Please, ma’am. Please, do not dash off just yet.” He stepped up closer to the edge of the water, near where she stood, and stretched out his hand to her while bowing his head. “My most sincere apologies.”

  “Well, my dear sir, I suppose I can accept your apology,” she teased.

  Then he sensed her smooth hand in his, which gave him goosebumps. Even though he had felt confident coming into this encounter, he still felt a little strange being so close to her again. Sytravious tugged her hand softly, and Raiven kneeled down. He looked up into her bright eyes, and kissed the top of her hand.

  “Why, thank you for your forgiveness, Priestess.”

  Her cheeks flushed a faint pink and she giggled as he rubbed his thumb over the spot he had just kissed.

  “For you, I am sure I can make up a good excuse to stay a little longer. Even though when I last saw you, everyone in the castle and temple got riled up, including my cousin.”

  “Let us not worry about such things right now. I just want to enjoy whatever time you can spare for me.”

  He gave her hand a squeeze, before yanking her off the edge of the bank and into the spring with him. There was a shriek, followed by a small splash as she landed in the waist-deep water. Her eyes widened in sho
ck and disbelief. He looked at her perfect face, which was now spattered with droplets and he had to chortle with amusement. The sight of the waterlogged priestess was not a sight he would soon forget.

  “Do not look at me like that, Raiven,” he spoke through laughter.

  She glared at him with a furrowed brow and squinted eyes. “So this is funny to you?”

  “Hilarious!”

  “Yes, well, let us see how hilarious it is when you never see me again.” She huffed and turned her back to him.

  “Now, wait a second! That is not fair!” He swam around to the front of her to see her expression. There was no way she could be serious, but her face insinuated otherwise. Her lips were pursed and arms were crossed.

  Fearing what she said was a true threat; he began to plead for mercy. “Raiven, please, I am sorry. It was only a joke. I thought you would find it funny…” His voice tapered off when he noticed the corners of her lips curl up into a smirk.

  She began to giggle and used both her hands to splash him in the face. He closed his eyes and let her get revenge, just to be able to hear her pleasant laughter. Once his face and hair were dripping with water, he grabbed her by the wrists to stop the attack.

  “Okay, I will admit it. You got me.”

  “Was that not good? I really had you going!” She looked down at his grip on her wrists and timidly stared up at him.

  He let go and broke eye contact, looking down to the water. “Sorry, you are a priestess. I should not have touched you in such a way.”

  “Sytravious, it is okay.”

  “Wait, you did not let me finish. I should not have touched you in such a way without first asking the omnipotent Vesalys.” He snickered, trying to maintain his seriousness.

  Raiven’s expression transformed from soft and understanding, to unamused. “Ha, ha, Sytravious. You are so funny.”