The Iron Butterfly

by Chanda Hahn

  A loud barking announced the arrival of a short elderly man and a large bundle of fur that turned out to be Stable Master Grese and his blue-eyed sheepdog, aptly named Dog. After quick introductions we were escorted into the large main hall of the Citadel which again flew the banners for each of the Adepts. Along the walls were colorful tapestries inlaid with gold and silver depicting Calandry’s history.

  The marble floors continued through the main halls into each of the wings. I learned there was a wing for classrooms, the training arenas, and student dorms while the servant’s quarters were off the kitchen that surrounded the dining hall. The grounds of the Citadel led into a huge outdoor foyer and, depending which arched columns you walked through, you would end up at the greenhouse, stable, training paddock, guard’s quarters and the infirmary.

  A servant led us to Adept Lorna’s office and I waited outside in the outer room while Joss and Darren went into the inner office with the Adept. Half a candle mark later, the door opened and a young woman wearing a rich, velvety cloak stepped from her office and was escorted down the hallway by no fewer than five guards. I couldn’t help but stare after her wondering who she was and why she needed so many guards. Someone cleared their throat and I got my first view of Adept Lorna. She was a tall woman in her mid-forties with glowing tan skin that spoke of a life used to being outdoors. Her pointed face was surrounded by short white cropped hair and ethereal blue eyes. Her stern gaze held mine as I heard Darren and Joss discuss me.

  “I really think I should be in there for this,” Joss argued.

  “Joss, we discussed this before, we brought her here and agreed that we would let Adept Lorna handle this situation. You agreed to come here to finish training and that’s what you are here to do. What happens to Thalia now is out of our hands. I’m leaving for home and you need to concentrate on your training. You promised your father.” Darren gave Joss a stern look.

  Joss’ jaw clenched and he looked at the Adept Lorna. “Will she be allowed to stay?”

  The Adept pursed her lips and then spoke up for the first time. “That is for the Adept Council to decide. I need to hear what she has to say and then I will speak with the other Adepts and Queen Lilyana. She’s a stranger and the farther she is from the Queen the better. We will do the best we can to find her family, but Darren is right. She is out of your hands. We need to discuss this and you need not worry anymore.” Her matter of fact tone didn’t leave room for argument.

  My pulse jumped at the implications that I may not stay. I had nowhere else to go and this could be the last time I would ever see Joss or Darren. I started to feel dizzy and I sucked in my breath and held it, looking between the two other people that had been my lifelines since my escape. But I had a feeling that Joss would soon insult Adept Lorna by insisting to stay for the meeting and may ruin his chances for a good start at the Citadel. I wanted what was best for him and I decided right then and there that the best did not include me. Otherwise he would spend more time worrying about me rather than his own studies. What I was about to do to him was cruel, but it needed to be done.

  “I don’t need a mother, Joss, so stop acting like one!” I said in the most offhanded, snotty voice I could. I stood and walked over to the silver-paned window. “Thank you for bringing me to the Citadel and to Adept Lorna.”

  He made a motion as if to interrupt me but I went on. “Your services and friendship are longer needed or desired.” I turned my back on him and gazed out into the courtyard, willing myself to not flinch or turn around. The sound of loud footsteps, followed by a heavy door slamming was indication enough that Joss had left. What surprised me more was to see that Darren had slipped out as well. I about crumpled to the ground in despair.

  “Well done, girl. It seems you do have a bit of a backbone after all.” Adept Lorna walked to her inner office door, opening it for me. “That one has the chance to become great and the potential to become a High Adept if he works hard. You were right to discourage him.”

  She closed the door behind me and I took in the utilitarian gray features of her office with its high, vaulted ceiling surrounded by wide windows and simple white curtains. The floor was simple tiles in muted grays, black, tan and ivory. A black desk set in the middle of her office surrounded by a no-nonsense tan rug. There were no personal touches evident in the room, but it was grand in its simplicity. The walls were bare except for the sconces to bring in more light when needed. A set of stairs at the back of the room led up to another level to Lorna’s private living apartment. Each Adept lived above their offices so they would always be close by in case of emergencies.

  I sat in one of the two uncomfortable, high-backed chairs that faced her desk. She went over to a table and poured me a drink from a decanter before coming and sitting on the edge of her desk and handing it to me. This was when I noticed that she wore gray clothes that were made for a man but tailored for a woman to show off her best features. Comfy and practical, I thought. I could definitely see her riding a horse and not being encumbered with skirts, and I was slightly envious.

  I took a sip and swirled it on my tongue, tasting a sweet cinnamon and honey flavor, which covered an earthier ingredient I couldn’t identify. Taking another sip I tried with great difficulty to adjust myself in the uncomfortable chair. And then I realized, she probably bought these chairs for the sole purpose of intimidating students by making them uncomfortable. I wanted to dislike her just for her choice in furniture.

  Leaning forward, Lorna watched me before placing her hand on her knee and addressing me. “I’ve heard quite the story from Darren Hamden and the ever-exuberant Joss. What I would like to hear now is the story from your own mouth.”

  I started to speak but felt a fuzzy feeling in my head. She listened quietly while I told her everything, even the bits I refused to tell Joss and Darren, only pausing to collect my thoughts and feelings when it became too painful to tell. Partway through I felt a faint prickling at the back of my mind. When the question and answer session was over, Lorna paused in her thoughts.

  “And you have no clue to the real identity of the leader of the Septori, this Raven?” She sounded frustrated.

  I shook my head.

  “What about the Septori, do you know what country they were from? How many there are in total? Were there any signs that they were alleged with the King of Sinnendor?” With another negative shrug from me, she stood up and began to pace in front of her desk, a slight wear pattern evident in the tan rug showing that this was a regular occurrence. Stopping abruptly mid stride she turned and began a new set of questions.

  “How many in the cells were Denai, how many human?” She got a quill and began to write.

  I recounted how many I knew of including the ones that had passed away or disappeared. “What do you think the Septori were doing?” I asked.

  “We need to discuss this with the other Adepts, especially Kambel Silverbane, our resident historian, who just arrived shortly before you.” She pulled on a small pull cord and a page quickly appeared. Lorna scribbled a message on a slip of ivory parchment before handing it to the page. “Come.”

  Following Lorna down a series of back stairways and hallways I soon lost all sense of direction. Our destination was a large meeting room with heavy drapes covering the windows and obscuring all outside light. Candles were the only light within the room which lit up a large, framed map on the wall. Closer examination of the table showed a duplicate map of the lands of Calandry, Sinnendor, and the other surrounding provinces burned into the wood with an artistic hand. This must be the Adept’s council room. Adept Lorna nodded for me to take my seat. A lone chair sat in the middle of the room and it looked suspiciously like the same ones she kept in her office; hard and uncomfortable.

  We didn’t wait long before the main door burst open to a whirlwind of yellow robes and fluttering hands. It was Adept Breah Avenlea with her shoulder-length, brown hair. She was dressed in a soft yellow dress and was talking animatedly to Kambel Silverbane, who lo
oked every inch the part of a historian.

  Adept Kambel was short and slim with wavy, unkempt gray hair that disappeared into his long gray beard. His intuitive brown eyes peeked out of small silver spectacles. Ink spots littered his somber green robe and the tips of his beard, as if he would accidentally dip his beard in the ink instead of a quill. They were quite the comedic pair, long slender Breah talking with her hands in a frenzy and short Kambel bobbing his head in agreement to what she was saying. It looked like Adept Breah was conducting a symphony and that Kambel’s head was the orchestra.

  The mood abruptly changed when the door opened again and the largest man I had ever seen entered the room. He was dark as night with a bold demeanor and muscular stature, dressed all in shades of black. Three silver slashes marked the collar of his shirt. The same slashes matched his banner and identified him as Adept Pax Baton. His shaved head reflected the candlelight and the small gold earring he wore looked too delicate for the warrior’s frame. He strode into the room and took a seat at the table which looked like a child’s tea table in comparison. Surprisingly he expertly maneuvered his frame into the seat and spread his long legs out before him.

  “I’m glad you got my missive,” Lorna stood and waited while Adept Breah and Kambel took their seats. “It’s unfortunate that I had to send Cirrus away this morning, but this can’t wait for him.” She quickly relayed both my story and Darren and Joss’ tale of finding me floating in the river.

  “How do we know she is telling the truth?” came Pax’s deep timbre of a voice.

  “Because I put Alethiem in her tea earlier and tested her mind for shadows and hints of deceitfulness.”

  This took me by surprise and I stared at Lorna feeling betrayed by her dishonesty and low handed tactics. It was as if any trust she had previously built up was destroyed with a few words. I could feel the resentment start to rise to the surface and I had to bite back an angry retort that I was ready to spout out.

  Adept Lorna turned to me with a solemn face that spoke honest sincerity. “I’m so sorry Thalia, please forgive me. Alethiem is an herb that when ingested makes it impossible for the speaker to lie.”

  “I didn’t lie! I told you the truth,” I snapped out.

  “I know, I know, she said guiltily. “But I also was in your mind reading for any half-truths and tampered memories, which could have been a possibility since you couldn’t remember your time before imprisonment. Your memories could have been planted and we had to be sure. You will be happy to know that I didn’t find any.” A small smile crept up Lorna’s face in an attempt to reassure me.

  “If you would have asked I would have agreed to it without you having to do it covertly. I’m telling the truth and I’m sorry if what happened to me and the others is an inconvenience to you!” I was starting to get worked up, losing the little control I had on my emotions.

  “We know. You see, this is not the first time rumors of a rogue group have surfaced. We have not located them because they seem to be constantly on the move. They have hidden their identities from us and even though we have searched, we’ve only found this.” Lorna stepped forth with a piece of cloth.

  Unraveling the cloth she showed me a design sewn into the scrap. It was the familiar design, the Septori’s design; two slashes in a circle. “This was found in the mouth of a dog belonging to a shepherd, it seemed one of them tried to steal his sheep.”

  “That’s them. That’s the mark of the Septori, each one of them have that permanently branded somewhere on their body. If this isn’t the first you’ve heard of them, then why haven’t they been caught?” I was astounded and angry. Maybe if this Council had done their job, I could have been saved, Cammie would never have died.

  “Because we don’t know where they are!” Pax Baton interrupted. “Granted, a few stolen items, wagons missing and a lot of speculation was not proof enough to start a war on a rogue group. The Queen ordered them watched, but no one could ever find them. It’s like they disappeared into thin air.” His large hands flew as he spoke enunciating each syllable.

  “Or across the border,” Breah added.

  “You could have prevented this! If you had looked into the missing items, lives could have been saved!” I yelled.

  “Calm down, child,” Kambel spoke up. “We will find them. But we also have another concern.”

  “What could that possibly be? What could be more important than catching them?” I asked indignantly.

  “What they obviously were trying to do to you?” Kambel intoned.

  “You see, what was done is against the law and this is very troublesome to us because what was attempted is the stuff of legends and myth. Theories that have never been fully documented or proven, only speculated. And most of the High Council have always been against this kind of experimentation.”

  “But I don’t understand. What didn’t work? What happened to me?” I felt tears of frustration start to sting the back of my eyes as I held them in.

  Kambel actually seemed to get excited and sprang from his chair, walking quickly around the room speaking as if to himself. “It’s just a guess, but it sounds as if Raven, the, uh, leader of the Septori, has gotten hold of one or more of the Horden journals that we believed were lost for all eternity.”

  “The Horden Journals?” Pax asked.

  “They are the mad rantings and experiments of a half-crazed human.” Kambel looked around at the confused expression on Pax's and Breah's face. Rolling his eyes at the ceiling, he quickly filled us in as he stroked his beard in thought. “A human known as Lord Horden had lost his only son in a terrible accident and went crazy with grief. He tried to force a young Denai to bring him back to life but the Denai couldn’t. Lord Horden infuriated began conducting secret experiments in trying to bring the dead to life. He documented everything until he ranted that he had found ways to become more powerful than the strongest Denai. Of course, his lab was investigated and they found the remains of his first attempts. Lord Horden was immediately imprisoned for his heinous crimes against humanity, but his notes on his experiments and findings were never discovered. Even after many trials, and bribes, he refused to tell anyone where they were hidden and he was eventually executed.” Kambel slowed down to catch his breath before intoning slowly, “There wasn't any proof that he succeeded, but there wasn't any proof he didn't.”

  Silence filled the room, no one stirred or moved. My mouth dropped open as I sat frozen in my chair afraid to move lest I bring myself to their attention. I was happy when Kambel spoke again breaking the awkward silence.

  “So they forbade any further testing and experiments. They burned down his lab in hopes of destroying his hidden journals.”

  My mouth went dry and I swallowed nervously, as I watched closely the reactions of the Adepts.

  “It sounds like someone found the Horden Journals and is trying to duplicate Lord Horden's experiments. I’m just not sure to what end though?” he continued.

  “But that’s against the law!” Pax shouted, his heavy hand pounding the table with a closed fist. “To do any kind of experiments is inhumane, especially to a child.”

  There it was again, the statement that I was a child.

  “The people of Calandry wouldn’t stand for it,” Pax growled.

  A nervous swallow escaped Kambel. “Yes, it is against the law here, but she was found in the river which borders Sinnendor and Calandry.” His mind was spinning with excitement. “What if she was over the border of Sinnendor?”

  “But the people of Sinnedor hate Denai since the war. The country is anti-Denai,” Breah spoke, the worry in her voice making her sound younger than her years.

  “Exactly, so it would be the perfect place to do these kinds of tests. Sinnendor might even be in league with them,” Kambel stated.

  “But that would be implicating that King Tieren knows that this was going on,” Adept Lorna said, leaning into the table. “It could cause a war. No! We have to keep that idea to ourselves. We must look at all aspects
and directions before we accuse a neighboring country. Especially when we have a strenuous treaty as it is. But at least we know that it was unsuccessful? Right, Thalia?”

  It took me a moment to register that I was being addressed. “Believe me; I’m still the same person,” I answered with hesitancy. When really I wasn’t sure if that was true. I looked around the room at the worried faces of the Adepts and I suddenly felt tired and old.

  “But why can’t I remember anything from before?” I asked dejectedly. I was getting answers but so far none of them were encouraging. Slumping down in the chair I started to pick at the table.

  “I tried to look farther back into your memories when I was testing for the truth,” Lorna answered. “I really did, but there is nothing there. You have no emotional memories before your capture. They are gone.”

  “But how can that be, Lorna?” Breah pondered aloud. “You’re the strongest when it comes to reading minds.”

  “I can’t read what isn’t there. There is the space where they existed but nothing more. Like an attic that once was full of dusty boxes, and then when you remove them, the boxes are gone but the outline of the boxes is still there marked in the dust. It’s as if they’ve been erased,” Lorna mused.

  “Erased! How can someone just erase away my memories, and why would they need to? We obviously weren’t going to make it out of there alive?” I was clenching my fingers in anger and felt my knuckles pop.

  “Obviously it was to hide the identity of your abductors, which leads us to believe it may very well be someone you knew.”

  This new information froze me to the bone, I never considered the possibility that it may have been someone I knew that helped kidnap me, but the longer I pondered it the more sense it made. I looked up to catch the last half of what Lorna was saying.

  “There are numerous plants and herbs that when ingested can remove memories, but unfortunately there are no known cures. Maybe over time they will return,” Lorna said solemnly. She walked over to a side wall and pulled a golden cord. This time a different servant came at the summons.