Mark of the Banished

by Salandra Wolfe

  Devin turned his head slightly to face Ryland. “This distrust you have of me brings me sorrow, Cousin. You know me. Why are you so quick to place the blame for this horrible deed at my feet?”

  Why indeed, Ryland asked himself. “Your closeness to me and the possibility of me taking the throne makes you all the more likely to have done it.” Which was true, but Ryland’s heart wasn’t in the accusation, and he suspected Devin could sense his reluctance.

  When they reached the bottom floor of the house, Devin took a step forward, examining the room.

  “Where did you say it was?” He tilted his head toward Ryland, awaiting an answer.

  “Somewhere around there,” Ryland said, pointing to a spot on the ground.

  Devin shuffled forward, using the soles of his shoes to try to locate some flaw in the floor. When that revealed nothing, he got down on his hands and knees, shuffling about more. Finally he stood up and tried a spell. Nothing happened.

  Devin continued with multiple spells, and Ryland glanced over at Caspian. His face glowed a dark shade of red, and his jaw clenched tightly as he stared at Devin. His expression was one of annoyance—deep annoyance—and seeing it startled Ryland.

  Is Devin putting on an act, or does he really not know where the trapdoor is? Ryland thought to himself.

  Devin paused and thought for a moment before nodding and performing another spell.

  Something was different this time. Ryland felt an energy in the air, and it swirled around him, pooling at Devin’s feet. Abruptly, it seemed to scatter, and, to Ryland’s surprise, the trapdoor opened to the left of where Devin was standing.

  Devin nodded gravely while the prince rushed forward to hold the door open. “That was dark magic,” Devin said, “Whoever put this spell down was a dark wizard.”

  Ryland wanted to believe him. “It did feel different.”

  Devin looked at him curiously. “You felt it?”

  Ryland nodded, unsure of why this was important.

  “Interesting . . .” Devin’s voice trailed off, his hand on his chin as he stared at the trapdoor. “Very interesting.” He shook his head and turned back to Ryland. “Tell me how you found this secret tunnel.”

  “We were in the tunnels under the castle,” Ryland started, nodding at Caspian, “searching for any sort of clue as to how the king’s murderer might have accessed them. I thought I saw something in the wall, and so I asked it to open, and it did. It was obviously magic. We followed it here.” Ryland motioned to the room they were in.

  Devin’s eyes widened. “You saw through the magic . . .” He blinked and muttered something incomprehensible, then shook his head and seemed to come back to the present moment. “I’m guessing you cut your arm in the tunnel?” He nodded to Ryland’s bicep, where a small scrape was scabbing over with drying blood.

  Ryland twisted his arm to inspect it. “Yes, the tunnel walls are very rough.”

  Devin nodded knowingly, his expression grim. The prince jumped slightly and looked at Ryland. Ryland stared back, unsure of why the man was watching him so intently. After a moment of eye contact, Caspian scowled and turned away. Ryland raised an eyebrow, confused as to what had passed between them.

  Devin let out a deep breath, bringing Ryland back to the matter at hand. “I had no idea this tunnel was here. And since I don’t normally dabble in dark magic, I didn’t detect the cloaking magic that was on the spell.”

  “Normally?” the prince asked from behind Devin, and the wizard swiveled to face the young man.

  “Yes, normally. I have studied a bit of dark magic in order to understand what the other side might use against our kingdom in battle, should I be called to assist.” Devin smiled at the prince. “If any dark wizards were to attack Algar, I would be our only line of defense.”

  The two locked eyes, and a tense moment ensued while they glared at each other, Devin’s expression more a satisfied smirk while Caspian’s was one of pure hatred. After an extended moment, Caspian pursed his lips and dragged his gaze away from Devin’s stare. Devin’s smirk widened into an all-out grin before he turned back to Ryland, who was beginning to worry the standoff would come to blows.

  “I really haven’t studied black magic enough to actually be able to detect it,” Devin said. “The spell I used just now was to dissolve all magic present.” He swiveled to face Caspian. “So you can let that go if you want.”

  The prince, his face red, dropped the door like it was a hot coal. It slammed shut but didn’t seal as it had earlier. “Why didn’t you say that before?” he asked, stepping away from the trapdoor, his voice layered with irritation. Devin grinned in response, and Caspian intensified his glare.

  A loud crash in the abrupt silence made all three men jump. One of the cabinet doors under the polished stone table had fallen off, exposing bottles of potions and other things that looked like ingredients. Devin looked embarrassed as he hurried over to the cabinet door to attach it back to its frame.

  “I’ve been meaning to fix that. It was bound with magic that disappeared when I used the spell.” He made a motion of his hand and the door fused back into place without a sound. Devin moved back toward the other two.

  “Why did you use that spell?” the prince inquired of him.

  Devin shrugged. “It’s the only spell I know that would help in this situation. I haven’t studied how to counter dark magic as much as I should.”

  Ryland relaxed, his concern melting away. He believed Devin hadn’t known the tunnel existed, and therefore could not have committed the crime. Which made sense. He and Devin had been best friends for as long as he could remember, and Ryland knew in his heart that Devin would never have taken part in the murder. Besides, all their time spent together had made it so Ryland could tell when Devin was lying and when he was not. Ryland caught Caspian’s gaze, nodding at him to communicate his belief in Devin, but Caspian shook his head and avoided his gaze. Ryland stifled irritation. What was going on in that boy’s head?

  “I suspect some wizard we are not aware of set me up,” Devin said. “Seeing as I am the only known wizard in Algar, any spell that was found in the tunnels would automatically point to me. And this,” he motioned to the trapdoor, which was closed, but very visible. “was to make sure you got the point.”

  Ryland nodded. “I believe you, Cousin. I didn’t doubt you for a moment.” Except he had. And he hoped he could make it up to his lifelong friend.

  Devin looked at him, his lips twitching with the beginning of a smile. “I know you didn’t. You’re a good man, Ryland.”

  Ryland smiled at the compliment. He opened his mouth to say something more but was interrupted by the prince.

  “Well, Ryland and I had best be going. We have a murderer to find.” Caspian shot Devin a glare, then marched up the steps. The next thing Ryland heard was the opening and slamming of the door upstairs. He winced at the prince’s impolite behavior.

  “Seems like the old prince is back,” Devin said. His eyes narrowed and his mouth pursed as he looked toward the stairs.

  “Seems like it.” Ryland sighed and sheathed his sword, his shoulders slumping as his gaze dropped to the floor.

  “You made the right decision to counter his claim on the throne, Ryland. He might have made some progress these past weeks, but he is not ready to rule Algar.”

  Ryland tilted his head up to see Devin looking at him with an intent expression. He thought back on the last couple of hours. He hadn’t seen the prince much lately, but to Ryland it had seemed as if he was starting to take on his responsibilities as the next king quite nicely.

  Except he had gone storming from Devin’s house like a child without explanation just now. Ryland wished it weren’t the case, but he still didn’t know what the prince might do next.

  Ryland shook his head slowly and took a deep breath. “I know you are right. I did do the right thing.” I think.

  Caspian gritted his teeth, anger seething in his soul. He glanced back across the field he was crossing t
oward the wizard’s house, his fists clenched so tightly his nails dug into his skin.

  That wizard killed my father. He knew it was true with everything within him. His thoughts raced, going through all the information he knew of the wizard, including that Devin was not actually Ryland’s cousin but a family friend they called a cousin.

  How convenient, he thought. Devin just so happens to be close friends with the one family in the kingdom that could lay claim to the throne.

  Caspian took a deep breath, trying to control himself as he considered his next steps. Even after studying the prophecy and determining that he needed to rule his own kingdom, there had been a large part of him that still thought Ryland would be a far better king. He’d even wondered if his relation to the royal bloodline was close enough to satisfy the prophecy. But now everything was clear. He understood the line from the prophecy and why Ryland couldn’t rule. Ryland was level-headed, courageous, yes, and also loyal. Too loyal. But not to Algar. Caspian could see that now. Ryland was so blinded by his love for his cousin that he couldn’t see that Devin had obviously murdered Caspian’s father. And he would never see it. No matter what Caspian told him, Devin would twist Caspian’s words until Ryland thought he was justified in taking his throne, even though Caspian had been completely running the kingdom for a month on his own now.

  Devin must have convinced Ryland to put a claim on my throne, Caspian thought. He did this so he could rule through Ryland. I’m sure that once Ryland is crowned, Devin will subvert him further. A new thought occurred to him. Or maybe Devin will get rid of him altogether.

  The idea made sense. Devin had always given Caspian a strange feeling, especially when his strange cloak touched him. It radiated a feeling of lurking evil that would strike if Caspian wasn’t careful. Though he had always avoided the man, he knew Devin was a powerful wizard—and a wizard that powerful should have noticed a spelled trapdoor in his basement, no matter what kind of magic it was. If Ryland could see through the magic door in the circular room, Devin could see the trapdoor in his own basement.

  Caspian paused, his breathing back to normal now. His brisk walk across the fields on his way back to the castle had managed to take some of the anger out of him, but his thoughts were still darting from one subject to another with no warning or connection. It was enough to make him worry that he was still a little out of his mind—but no! He was right about this. He knew it.

  He also knew that what had happened in the circular room meant Ryland wasn’t all he seemed, even if he hadn’t realized it yet himself. This had been evident by the surprise on his face when he had seen through the spell disguising the extra tunnel. But Caspian knew how magic worked. A person had to be born with magical abilities first, and then they could become a wizard through training. That Ryland had seen the magically hidden door meant he had magic in his blood. The thought was both frightening and compelling.

  Wizards hadn’t been in Algar for centuries, but their presence was still felt by everyone in the castle. The magical lights that filled the castle rooms, the water that supplied the royal suites, and now the smooth tunnels they had discovered—all had been left by wizards, and each innovation was documented in the royal library.

  Except the tunnel leading to Devin’s house. That was new.

  Devin was a trained wizard, and if his spell to the magic door in the circular room had been weak enough for Ryland, untrained as he was, to detect and break, Devin must have been confident no other wizards would stumble over it. He hadn’t been expecting to be caught red-handed or charged with treason.

  Caspian sighed, not sure what to do about his discoveries. He didn’t have any solid proof Devin was the murderer, and if he tried to use his authority to get rid of him, Ryland would rise up against him even more than he already had. He had enough sway with the people that an outright fight between their supporters wouldn’t go well for either side. In the end, they were all Caspian’s people, and he didn’t want them to suffer. Perhaps his best option for the time being was to wait and hope Ryland came to his senses.

  Caspian frowned. I’ll just have to do better. I have to defeat Devin at his own game.

  Taking another deep breath, Caspian resumed walking toward the castle.

  Ryland wandered to his room, thinking deeply. He had just returned from Devin’s house much faster than he had expected. Devin lived surprisingly far away from any towns, but luckily a passing stranger had recognized Ryland and offered him a ride back to the palace. The man hadn’t seemed to believe the rumors circulating that Ryland had been the one to kill the king because he had been deferential during the entire carriage ride. The respect made Ryland feel awkward but also powerful. Things had certainly changed for him since he’d gone away to school.

  The first thing Ryland did when he arrived at the palace was to make sure the prince was home safely. Caspian was not only securely back inside the castle but also locked in a meeting room with one of his advisors. At the moment, Ryland didn’t really have anything else to do except think about how grateful he was that Devin was not the murderer, and how he had no idea of where to go next in the investigation.

  He decided to pay his father a visit to discuss the issue. They hadn’t talked since his father told him about the rumors that Ryland had murdered the king, and he hadn’t visited his mother or Fayre since then either. He missed them. He’d change and ride over to the estate immediately.

  He sighed as he grabbed the door handle to his room, twisting it open. A dark shape inside stirred, and Ryland instinctively grabbed his sword handle.

  “Relax.” Maddox chuckled as he stepped forward into the light from the corridor. “It’s just me.”

  “Oh, Father.” Ryland released his sword, stepped into the room, and began lighting the lanterns lining the perimeter. “I was planning on riding over to see you. But why were you waiting in the dark?”

  “I didn’t think I’d have to wait this long.” Maddox slowly sat down on a chair as he eyed his son. “Are you all right? You look pale.”

  Ryland paused, his back to his father as he lit the last candle. He wanted to tell his father about the tunnel leading to Devin’s house, but what if Maddox thought Devin was the murderer? It was clear to Ryland that his cousin had been framed, and he was certain he could convince his father of that fact. But he didn’t want to cause any sort of rift among his family members, especially not during these uncertain times.

  “I’m fine. I . . . uh, I was exploring the tunnels with Caspian.” Ryland finished lighting the lamps and turned back to his desk, putting away the tinderbox.

  “Prince Caspian,” Maddox corrected, a stern look in his brown eyes.

  “Yes. That’s right.” Ryland sat down on his bed, rubbing his eyes. “Is there a reason for this visit?”

  “Yes, there is.” Maddox faced Ryland more fully. “Your mother and I are worried about you. You spend every waking moment here in the castle, trying to track down the murderer. It’s wearing you down.”

  “It’s my duty,” Ryland protested. His fist clenched, gathering the fabric of his trousers.

  “It’s been six weeks since the king’s death. If you haven’t found the killer yet, well, I’m afraid you never will.”

  Clenching his jaw, Ryland looked away from his father’s kind expression. He knew, deep inside, his father was right. The trail was too cold, and the killer was too smart. But admitting defeat was something he was not willing to do. “I can’t just give up. The prince won’t stand for it.”

  Maddox stood up and approached his son, laying a hand on his shoulder. “You’re not giving up. You’re staying vigilant but focusing your attention on something more important.”

  “What could be more important than the safety of the kingdom?” Ryland was surprised at the comment.

  “If the killer wanted to do anything more, he already would have.”

  “Maybe he’s waiting for us to let our guard down, and then he’ll strike.”

  “Ryland.” Maddox’s
hand gripped Ryland’s shoulder tightly. “You can’t let fear rule your life. Some things are out of your control, and this is one of them. You need to move on.”

  Ryland’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “Is that the only reason you’re here?” he asked quietly. “To encourage me to give up?”

  “Our family is going on a vacation to our manor in the country. All of us.” Maddox released his hand from his son’s shoulder. “We’re hoping it will help you clear your head so you can focus on what you need to do next.”

  “And what is that?” Ryland asked, listening to his father’s footsteps as he walked to the door.

  “You’ll need to figure that out on your own,” Maddox replied. “But it won’t happen until you let the investigation go. This isn’t a request, Son. You will come with the family.”

  The door opened and shut, leaving Ryland alone. He clenched his fist and emitted a muffled scream through his teeth.

  He had failed, and even his father knew it.

  Chapter Seven

  A week later, Ryland stepped out of the carriage into the bright late summer sun and released a sigh. He was back at the country manor house, a place his family retreated to often over the years. Normally, he would be excited about spending time here, but it felt different now that his parents had forced him to come. He didn’t want to be there, but Ryland would always honor his father. Loyalty to his family meant everything to him.

  Fayre bounced out of the carriage and grabbed his arm, her red hair flying behind her. An involuntary smile spread across his lips at her boundless energy.

  “Isn’t it so exciting? We’re back here, after all these years.” She giggled and leaned her head against his shoulder. His heart melted a little at the action.

  He chuckled and laid a hand over hers. “Yeah, I suppose it is.”