Mark of the Banished

by Salandra Wolfe

  “Father?” she asked, her voice breaking. “Where did Lord Ryland go?” Technically, she should call him King Ryland, but he had vanished before he had ruled over anything, and Lacy didn’t think him worthy of the title.

  Her father didn’t respond, but she heard the creaking of his chair as he shifted positions. She knew he wouldn’t approve of the question. Percy was an honest man, and he would tell her the facts. But he hadn’t approved of Ryland from the very beginning.

  “You know what I think,” he responded slowly.

  “You think Lord Ryland did all this on purpose. You think he’s a terrible person who’s using the dark wizard as a cover.” Lacy turned back around to face her father’s dark expression. “What does everyone else think?”

  He shook his head. “Most think the wizard did something to him. Many believe he will come back and save us.” He grimaced. “But the only person saving us will be Prince Caspian.”

  Lacy nodded and fingered her skirts. She wondered where Caspian was, or if he was even still alive. Her father had told her countless stories about the royal family when she was little. She had always thought of them as kind and generous. But it had already been over two months since the prince was banished. Where was he? Most likely, he was dead, and even if he returned, he’d be killed on sight. Lacy couldn’t see how the prince could save them, not while bearing the mark.

  Percy sighed heavily. “Come here, Lacy. I’ll help you embroider a beautiful shawl. Maybe this one will sell for more.”

  Lacy hung her head dejectedly. She didn’t care much for embroidery, but it was the only way they could sustain themselves since her father couldn’t work anymore. Before the dark wizard’s takeover, he had done accounting work for the neighbors. Now, no one had money to spare for such a luxury. The last time he had done his rounds, a man had pushed him over violently, yelling about how they couldn’t afford to support a cripple like Percy.

  Hard times reveal people’s true selves, Lacy thought. It was difficult to believe she and her father had been middle-class before this whole ordeal had started. Their house, though small, had been cozy, warm, and complete with a couple of servants. Now, it felt empty and lifeless. They had been forced to sell everything except the clothes on their back, and they had let the servants go as they were unable to pay for their services.

  Someone knocked hard on the door, and both of them turned. They looked at each other, hesitating. The knock came again.

  “Open up, in the name of King Devin!”

  Lacy’s face went pale, and her eyes swiveled to meet her father’s. She didn’t like the expression she found there. He nodded at her, bidding her to open the door.

  Biting her lip, she opened the door and stood to the side as the soldiers barged into the room. They brushed themselves off, and their leader stood tall and proud.

  “Percy of the house Strongham, you are hereby summoned by His Majesty to serve the Kingdom of Algar by working in the mines.” The soldier paused, looking down his nose at her father.

  “No!” Lacy yelled, stepping in front of the men that started forward to take Percy. “Please, no!”

  Percy stood slowly, his face resolute. “Lacy, get out of the way. I’ll go peacefully.”

  “No, you won’t!” Lacy shot back. She turned her pleading eyes on the leader, but his eyes were hard, devoid of any feeling. “He’s a cripple. He can’t work in the mines. He’s of no use to you! He will die!”

  The soldier scowled at her. “He is meant to serve his king, even unto death. If you stand in defiance, you will face the consequences.”

  “No!” Percy yelled. “No, she’s not defying you. She will back down.”

  Despair turned Lacy’s stomach inside out. Her father nodded despondently.

  “I can’t lose you, Papa. Please don’t let them take you,” she whispered.

  “What can I do?” he asked her. He waited, but she didn’t have an answer for him. “Stay out of trouble. Send for your uncle. He will take care of you.”

  Lacy could no longer fight the tears, and they came rolling down her face. Her father must be really desperate to suggest she contact her uncle. They had been fighting since before she was born.

  The soldiers started forward, and she watched helplessly as they grabbed her father by the arms. When he couldn’t walk fast enough, they ruthlessly dragged him toward the door. Lacy watched her father’s face, noticing the agony etched on his features. His injury made being dragged through the dirt very painful. He clenched his jaw, refusing to call out.

  Lacy couldn’t take it anymore. “Let him go!” She launched herself at the soldiers, ready to claw and bite her way to her father. “You’re all just a bunch of bullies!”

  The nearest soldier grabbed her arm and threw her across the room as if she weighed nothing. She crashed against the dining table, knocking it over. Her head rang, and her vision blurred from the impact.

  She forced her eyes open, meeting the eyes of the lead soldier. He stood over her, his eyes reflecting a darkness inside that didn’t seem human.

  “You’d do better to obey your king.” He put his hard boot on top of her right hand and pressed down with slowly increasing pressure. “Tell me your allegiance,” he growled at her.

  Her gaze shifted past him to her father. He was in the doorway, held firmly at the arms by the wizard’s soldiers. His face twisted with worry, and he shook his head at her.

  Lacy gritted her teeth and looked back up at the soldier. “My loyalty is to Prince Caspian.” Drawing up all her courage, she spat at him, the liquid landing square on his face.

  He flinched, a growl rising in his throat. He leaned all of his force onto her hand, and Lacy heard the bones snap. She bit her lip, tears coming to her eyes, but she didn’t cry out. She wouldn’t give in.

  “I’ll give you one more chance.” The soldier leaned down. “Or else I’ll start with the other hand.” He pushed harder with his foot, and Lacy whimpered as more bones snapped and ground together. “Don’t you make a living with your hands? How unfortunate that they’ll be ruined due to your defiance.”

  Lacy bit her lip so hard it drew blood. This did little to distract her from the pain in her hand as the bones fractured further. Her gaze went to Percy, who gave her a pleading look.

  Her chin dropped to her chest. “My loyalty is to my king . . . King Devin.” She sniffed. “Hail King Devin.”

  The soldier gave a satisfied smirk, stomping hard on her hand one more time before releasing it, motioning to his soldiers to leave. “And, just so you know . . .” the soldier started, looking down at her with a gleeful expression on his face. “Caspian is dead.” With those final words, he spat on the ground next to her and walked away.

  Lacy watched as they took her father away, curling into a protective ball, her right hand cradled to her chest. Tears ran down her face, leaving tracks in the dirt and blood there.

  Prince Caspian, she thought desperately. Where are you?

  Caspian hid under the shadows of a house, a dark cloak hiding his clothes and face from the view of any passerby. A normal person would probably think he was a criminal, hiding in the shadows so he could steal something, but Caspian didn’t care. He was waiting. He had determined he was going to be patient despite how slowly the plan was progressing. He was sure if he had his actual soldiers on hand, this whole thing would have been finished a lot quicker. But the wizards were trying, and they were very helpful. And they would be even more helpful when the time for battle came.

  Suddenly he saw a figure also cloaked in a dark shroud motioning for him. He caught a glimpse of a wide smile under the hood and instantly knew who it was. Reen. Grinning, he jogged over to the man, and Reen nodded at him before they started walking, weaving their way through the alleys of the small and dirty town.

  “I’ve never been in a small town before,” Caspian whispered quietly. “The farthest away I’ve been from the castle before this was the hunting grounds.”

  Reen bobbed his head and s
hot Caspian a keen look. “It’s a bit different up close, ain’t it?”

  Biting his lip, Caspian nodded. “I feel more connected to them.”

  “You haven’t seen the half of it,” Reen replied, and Caspian was once again shocked by the depth of the excitable young man. There was a lot more to Reen than met the eye. “Of course, things are worse now. In the two months since you were banished, Devin taxed the people and confiscated their property until they don’t have enough money to survive, let alone take care of their families. All able-bodied men have been forced to slave away in the mines.” Reen stepped over a piece of rubble from a shattered doorway. “Most people are fighting each other to survive.”

  Caspian bit his lip, too taken aback to respond. A lump rose in his throat, and he swallowed it roughly. He had to take back the kingdom. Not for himself, but for his people.

  The two didn’t have another chance to speak before they arrived at a doorway of a small and humble home. Reen nodded at him and took his position by the front doorway. Caspian climbed up the step and took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. Reaching out, he pushed the door open and strolled into a dimly lit room. Two other cloaked figures stood in a corner, and Caspian knew them to be Charwin and Arthur, who had insisted on coming along to protect the young prince from any harm.

  Turning his attention away from his companions, Caspian spotted the inhabitants of the house: a woman, a man, and two small girls. They stood huddled together on the opposite side of the room, their faces dirty. Caspian was pretty sure he saw blood in the man’s hair.

  “Is that really you, Your Majesty? Have you returned to take back the kingdom?” the man asked, taking a step forward.

  “Be quiet, you fool. It’s probably a trap,” his wife hissed at him, grabbing his arm. The man shrugged her off, and she wrapped her arms around her two children, staring at Caspian with frightened eyes. “Think of your brother! The guards had him hung when he refused to pledge allegiance to King Devin.” She shot a fervent glance at Caspian. “Hail King Devin!”

  The man continued forward until he was right in front of Caspian, then stopped, trying to peer into his hood. “Tell me it is you, Your Grace.”

  Caspian took a deep breath and put his hand on his hood, then hesitated. How would they react to the scar? Would they recoil in horror? Cast him out of their house?

  For Algar, he thought, throwing back his hood.

  “Your Majesty!” the man exclaimed, tears leaking from his eyes. He slowly sank down into a kneeling position. “It is you!”

  The woman gasped and put her hands to her mouth, tears glistening in her eyes as well. “Prince Caspian?” she asked, taking a step toward him and peering into his face. “He has the mark; it really is him!” Suddenly, she flung herself forward and wrapped Caspian in a giant hug. A bit taken aback, he hesitated before patting her gently on the back.

  Quickly realizing her error, she dropped to her knees next to her husband. “You have come to save us from the wizard, yes?” She looked up at him, hope radiating from her face.

  He smiled, the left side of his mouth quirking upward. “I am glad of your reception. I was worried you would not accept me.” He brought his hand to his cheek, then scolded himself, bringing his hand back to his side.

  “Oh no, we would not turn you away,” the woman protested.

  The man grinned, his whole face seeming to glow as he said, “You are the prince who was branded for Algar. Your loyalty to your people is engraved upon your skin for all the world to see.”

  “We, and the rest of the people, will support you in all of your wishes, my lord,” the woman promised quietly.

  Caspian’s spirits lifted. His people—or at least these two—saw him as a hero, not a banished man. “Good,” he said, “because a lot shall be asked of you.”

  The husband and wife exchanged a glance, then looked back up at him with determination in their eyes. “We are ready,” they said together.

  That was exactly what he wanted to hear.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Caspian shifted, slightly uncomfortable in his ceremonial armor. The wizards had made it for him, insisting he not only needed protection but also needed to look like the prince he was. Caspian had never been one for all the pomp and prestige that came with being royalty, but he did understand the sentiment.

  He glanced around, noticing that the others were getting into their armor. Reen looked up at him while buckling his belt and gave him a huge smile. Caspian nodded back, trying to assure himself that their attack would succeed. After another month of hard work, they were finally ready, and most, if not all, of the commonwealth supported them. Three months had passed since his banishment, and it was time for action.

  “Well, Caspian, this is it: the day you retake your throne.” Charwin walked up from behind Caspian and clasped his shoulder.

  Caspian chuckled uneasily and turned to face the man. “Right.” He paused. “Will you stay and be a King’s Wizard if—when—we win?” he asked the older man.

  Charwin smiled to ease Caspian’s fears. “I will follow you to the ends of the earth, my liege. I would be honored to serve at your side.” Patting Caspian roughly on the back, he added with a mischievous grin, “Besides, someone needs to keep you out of trouble.”

  Caspian grinned back, relieved. “You certainly are good at that. You even managed to pull me out of the greatest trouble I have ever found myself in.”

  Charwin tilted his head, acknowledging the compliment. “Just make sure I don’t have to do anything like that again,” the wizard said with a laugh.

  Laughing with him, Caspian silently hoped he would never be in such a position again.

  Looking around the room, Caspian thought about what lay ahead, and suddenly it seemed as if it would be a lot easier with Charwin by his side. Charwin was wise and always seemed to offer the best guidance for every situation Caspian had found himself in since the wizard had saved his life. Charwin was also powerful enough to protect Caspian during the coming battle. After the battle, ruling the broken mess Devin would leave behind was not going to be easy, and Caspian would need someone he trusted and liked to advise him. That was the real advantage of having Charwin become the King’s Wizard. Caspian would always have a friend nearby, ready to help should the burden of ruling ever seem too hard to bear. After Ryland’s betrayal, that was worth more than anything else in Caspian’s mind.

  Caspian took a deep breath and became aware of the others staring at him expectantly. He glanced at Charwin, who gave him an encouraging nod. Taking a deep breath, Caspian clapped his hands. “I’m not really great at speeches,” Caspian began, thinking of the last time he had tried to address his people, “but I would just like to say how grateful I am for your help. Without you, the kingdom of Algar would remain in the ruins you saw it in, and my people would be forever enslaved by an evil tyrant.”

  The crowd’s heads bowed as they considered the destruction that had fallen upon the once beautiful kingdom of Algar. Caspian himself could barely recognize the place he had lived in his entire life. Fighting back tears, he continued his speech,

  “We will win for them, the people of Algar.” He paused before punching his fist into the air. “For Algar!” he shouted.

  His makeshift warriors yelled the words back, lifting their weapons in determination. A few of the wizards stepped back and raised their arms, surrounding the group. Charwin followed their lead, and they all began chanting together. As they did so, a shimmering shield connected their upraised arms and surrounded the small army. Suddenly, they were standing in the shadow of a grassy hill outside the castle walls, the air a bit chilly with the coming fall.

  Caspian motioned, and Reen came forward to reveal the secret entrance into the tunnels under the castle. The group filed in, and the prince searched the darkness in complete silence, uneasy about how the tunnels had existed his whole life, making the castle vulnerable, a weakness both he and Ryland had exploited in the past. Despite using the tunn
els to escort new troops into the castle during its lockdown, Caspian had never ventured into the tunnels after that fateful day with Ryland, and he couldn’t help the chill that came over his spine. The tunnels were dark and unsettling, and he could see his breath forming mists in front of him.

  It was both an annoyance and a relief that they couldn’t magically teleport into the tunnels. The wizards said it was protected by strong magic that prevented them from getting inside by magical means, even with their combined magical force. This and fact that the entrance was very well concealed, made Caspian feel marginally better, and he tried not to let their presence bother him too much, although he did plan on sealing them off once he was back on his throne.

  However, one thing did still weigh on Caspian’s mind. How had Ryland’s troops managed to get into the tunnels during the first attack? The prince assumed they had tunneled inside somehow, as Devin had done with the passageway leading to his house. Caspian had made sure all the entrances he knew of were blocked off and well-guarded, but apparently Ryland’s men had somehow managed to get inside somewhere else. That meant there was at least one more entrance Caspian had not located, and he would need to rectify that as soon as he was reinstated to the throne.

  The group crept through the tunnels with even their breathing hushed to the point of silence. Their plan was similar to how Ryland had stormed the castle on that horrible day three months earlier. Caspian and his group planned to sneak into the dungeons and free his loyal soldiers from the prison. Then, after giving the signal, the citizens of Algar would attack from the outside. The inhabitants of the castle would think it was a revolt and wouldn’t notice Caspian and his troops inside the building, making their way to Devin, ready to kill the evil wizard, if killing him was even possible.

  But of course, that was just a plan, and Caspian already knew plans could go ridiculously astray.