Linette glanced over his shoulder and noticed exactly that.
“Who was on duty in the foreguard position on that side last night when we arrived?” She pointed to which side she saw the guard check the wagon.
Aaron thought about it for a few seconds. “That would be Meek, but he’s on leave for the rest of the week. Something about taking ill. Wait, do you think his illness has something to do with the Decayed? I try not to believe those myths about crossing a Decayed’s path and it causing an illness.”
“It might. Thank you for your assistance. Where might I find Meek now?”
“If he’s finished at the infirmary, he’d be in the barracks.”
Linette kissed Aaron on the cheek, causing them to redden. She smiled at him and nodded at Winthrop to follow her. Winthrop’s forehead scrunched up.
Day 3 Afternoon
Markus sat on the floor of his grimy cell. It stank of bodily fluids and mildew. He hated it here. He tried to form a sphere of darkness in his hand but the Ox cuffs dampened his power. Odd things, made of metal and shaped into bracelets with a hinge. Markus could break the simple hinge if the Ox magic didn’t protect it. Opposite the hinge, the two pieces connected into a glass orb filled with blue Ox magic. The reservoir of magic kept the metal on Markus’s wrist and also stopped him from forming his black spheres. At each guard shift, a member of the Order of the Ox refilled the orb with the dark blue fluid.
Why had this happen to him? He loved the kingdom and its people. He wanted to rule one day to make the world a better place. To start, he’d hunt down the remaining Decayed loose in the world and put an end to them. Now, he realized that included him. He tried to shake out his frustration on the bars, but they stood solid.
He heard footsteps, thinking Winthrop and Linette came back to try and cheer him up. Nothing could manage that today. Aurora stepped into view. Her blue robes flowed down to the floor. Underneath she wore a white blouse with lace ruffles, revealing a modest amount of cleavage. She wore clear glass earrings that contrasted with her jet black hair and pale skin. The comparison was like his belonging to the Decayed and his desire to serve the Kingdom.
“Markus. I imagine this is a difficult time for you. I wish it didn’t have to be this way, but the Decayed almost destroyed the world twenty years ago. We can’t let that happen again.”
“Then why did you deny our story when we arrived. In less than a day, Knilin defeated two Decayed and a traitor from your Order.”
“Knilin’s been telling stories for the past decade. He’s yet to offer proof that the Decayed have real power.”
“How about three eyewitnesses, confirming Knilin’s story. The Decayed body somehow turned to ash in that Trader’s wagon. I don’t know how, but the body disintegrated.”
“Two Decayed don’t prove that they plan to overthrow the Kingdom. If what you say is true, they are isolated incidents.”
“I saw the scroll instructing the Decayed to assist an assassin. I wouldn’t try to overthrow the Kingdom unless I had the power to take it when it fell. Something is going on.”
“Maybe you’re right, yet you need to think about your own future. You have two choices. You can stay imprisoned and train as a Decayed, using your gift to test others. Or, we’ll remove your middle finger on both hands and allow you to return to a life without magic. Take a few days to think about it. Once you decide, you can’t change your mind. Without your middle fingers, you’ll never wield magic again. If you choose to train as a Decayed, we’ll never let you out of here without chains.”
She walked away, her robes swaying from her momentum. Markus put his face in his hands and screamed.
Day 3 - Afternoon
Winthrop walked with Linette to the barracks. Although jealous that Linette kissed the guard’s cheek, he knew that it was only a gesture. He felt guilty about Markus’s fate giving him a better opportunity to woo Linette. His adopted father negotiated a marriage between the two when they were young. Linette’s father called it off later, but Winthrop didn’t believe in breaking promises. Plus, he loved her. He didn’t at first, but over the years his duty became more than that.
“Let’s go in with caution, Winthrop. Meek might belong to the Decayed.”
“It’s hard to believe that people are defecting to them,” Winthrop stated.
“Is it? How long have the people in our village ignored my father’s abuse of his wife and child? The same people that claim to live in the light. What about the Council lying to you about your father and then denying the Decayed are fighting their way back to power? When truth and reality are ignored, the world dies a slow, painful death.”
Winthrop hadn’t expected her outburst, but he saw that she’d thought of this before.
“Yes, those are wrong and shouldn’t happen, but the Decayed want to destroy our way of life. They might have stopped your father’s abuse, but only because they’d kidnap you and abuse you themselves. Do you think we are on the wrong side?”
Linette’s eyes watered. She let her hair fall to hide her face. “No, but things aren’t perfect under this King and Council.”
They continued walking through the castle to the back, where the barracks sat. They had slept here the night before, but now they intended to find someone. Many guards moved around the area. Some going into the barracks, others leaving to their posts. Winthrop and Linette entered the large, open room filled with bunk beds. As a guard passed them Winthrop asked, “Where can I find Meek?”
“Who?” the tall guard asked.
“Meek works as a foreguard at the entrance.”
“Never heard of him.”
Winthrop asked a few others and one mentioned that with over a thousand guards, they might not know him if he was new.
“Does anyone know Meek?” Winthrop yelled to anyone who’d listen.
A young man walked over to them. “I know Meek, he bunks above mine. You’ll find him in the infirmary. I sure hope he makes it.” Meek’s friend turned his eyes to the floor, a clear lack of happiness in his posture.
“Has he acted odd at all lately?” Linette asked.
“He became a bit distant after Aurora visited him recently. One day, we had fun pranking some of the other guards, the next I couldn’t get him to loosen up, not a single laugh out of him. He didn’t know, but I saw him talking with her. I suspected she reprimanded him, you know. Put him on the straight and narrow.”
“Thank you for your help.”
“Anytime. Glad to help.
“Winthrop, can you check the infirmary? I’m going to visit the headmaster of my order to see what I can do about my father.”
“Sure.”
Winthrop made his way back to the castle and located a stairway that took him to the third level. Why they put the infirmary up here confused him. It’d be easier to lug someone to a spot on the first floor. He entered and found a large room with two dozen beds. It smelled of sweat and the metallic tinge of blood. He heard occasional moans from different parts of the room. He spotted Knilin still lying unconscious. Winthrop walked over to him. Knilin’s face was wet with perspiration and he looked like he’d lost several pounds. His eyes were sunken in and had dark rings around them. Otherwise, he breathed normally.
“Knilin, we need your help. The Council doesn’t believe us about the Decayed. Please, come back to us.”
“Doctor, we need help over here,” a nurse called.
Winthrop looked over to see what she referred to. The doctor rushed over and checked the patient over. They did a bunch of doctor stuff that Winthrop didn’t understand, but then they all turned from tense to dejected. The doctor threw something to the ground in frustration. With the same hand, he palmed his forehead.
A nurse left the scene and came over to check on Knilin. “Who was that?” Winthrop asked.
“Meek, a guard here at the castle. He just died.”
“Died? He was fine last night.”
The nurse looked troubled. “There’s an illness going around.
We’ve never seen it before.”
“This has happened before?”
“I shouldn’t talk about this.”
“Please, I need to know.”
She looked Winthrop up and down, an assessment of sorts.
“I haven’t seen you here before. What is your business at the castle?”
“I arrived with Kn—”
“Shannon, we have another one!” the doctor called to the nurse. She turned to her duties.
Winthrop stepped back and observed. A member of the Order of the Eagle floated in a woman in blue robes. He laid her down on an open bed. The nurse ran over and began fanning the Ox member. Winthrop hadn’t seen her before. Her skin varied between pale and flushed. She perspired profusely and dark rings surrounded her eyes. The nurse attempted to give her water, but the woman spat it out. Another nurse laid a wet cloth on her forehead. It took about fifteen minutes, but they managed to reduce her fever.
Shannon came back to Winthrop’s side. “Were you about to say you arrived with Knilin?”
“Yes, who is that?”
“She was one of the King’s Ox guards. Meet me at the library tonight at the eighth bell.”
CHAPTER SIX
Day 3 - Evening
Linette took her time walking back to the Order of the Eagle. She hid in the forest anytime she saw people walking in her direction. Being close to Claybury castle didn’t help since most people walked along this same path. Her best chance of ending her father’s plan lay in having a master magician and his order backing her. Dulius the Brave headed the Order of the Eagle and Linette tried to put her hope in him.
Dulius earned his name because of his unwavering courage. The stories about him said that he never flinched or hesitated during the night of sorrows. He battled the Decayed until it became evident they had no chance of defeating them. At that point, he left Mapleglen castle and a gorgantula confronted him. No one has faced down one alone and walked away. Except for Dulius. Markus used to dream of fighting one on his own, proving his might. He spent a few months reading anything he could find about them. He obsessively drew pictures of them and hung them in his room. They looked like some kind of mix between a tarantula and a chameleon. Plus, they were large enough to eat a horse in one sitting. If Linette never encountered one, she’d count herself lucky.
Markus never found one, thankfully, but Dulius did. The legends said that the gorgantula revealed itself to Dulius—something it did to challenge an opponent. If it had just been hungry, Dulius would never have known what happened. Fortunate for him, the gorgantula sought a challenge. Dulius severed its head from its body and put it on a spike for the Decayed to see from the castle walls.
Even after reminding herself of the Master’s capabilities, she struggled to believe he’d help her. Why would he inconvenience himself to help a poor girl from Pinemere? She had little to offer other than her hatred of her father and bitterness at the Kingdom and its people that failed to protect her. A part of her had believed that she’d pass the Decayed test. It surprised her when she didn’t pass. She saw the darkness in her heart, even if the Creator hadn’t destined her for the evil ways of Decayed magic.
Linette slowed as she approached her new home. She kept a sharp eye for her father and listened intently for his voice. It wouldn’t be the first time he yelled at some guard for not giving him what he wanted.
“Linette,” Joanna called after her when Linette entered the courtyard. “Where’d you go?”
“Can you take me to see the headmaster? I need to speak with him.”
Joanna’s face tensed and she scrunched her eyebrows. “Of course, follow me.”
She led Linette to the base of the building and an Eagle member floated them both up to the entrance. Joanna guided her inside and up three flights of stairs—to the top of the structure. They crossed a bridge overlooking the courtyard and then up another couple flights. Now, near the top of the castle, Linette’s body tingled with anticipation. After years of hoping she had a talent, she’d left her father. Forever, if she had any say in the matter. Having the ear of one of the most powerful people in the world, provided an insurmountable obstacle for her father. That is if the headmaster believed her. She doubted he would.
After walking along a hallway decorated with tapestries showing off members from this Order fighting in battles well-known even to those who didn’t learn their histories, they reached a double-height wooden door with the Order’s emblem burned into it. The burnt wood showed the heads of four eagles in each direction: up, down, and sideways. The eagle had a menacing look to it. Two guards stood at each side of the wooden door. Joanna knocked, the guards didn’t stop her from entering
A small voice, muffled by the door, bid them come in. Joanna opened the door, revealing a large square room. Large tapestries and rugs hid the drab stone walls and floor. Linette didn’t see the Master at first. He coughed, bringing her attention up. Dulius sat in a chair in the middle of the room on the ceiling. He formed white spheres, flipping him right side up and lowered himself to the ground. His white cloak remained straight and without a flutter. He motioned the ladies to come join him in his seating area. A large desk sat against the wall behind him, scrolls covering every inch.
“Ah, a newly minted wielder. Joanna, please introduce us.”
“Linette, I present to you Dulius the Brave, Head of the Order of the Eagle, former member of the Council of Light, Master of Magic, and Master at The Orders. Dulius, I present to you Linette, from the village of Pinemere, daughter of Geoffrey Durich.”
“Welcome, Linette. Have you begun your training, then?”
“Sort of, Sir. I began my first lesson this morning, but I have a problem that I hope you can solve.”
“A riddle? I love riddles. Do tell me.” His voice was high pitched, but not annoyingly so.
Linette wasn’t sure if she should phrase her problem like a riddle, so she hesitated. Overwhelmed by her situation, she felt her eyes fill with tears. None fell out, but she took a deep breath to calm herself. What was she doing here? This great Master didn’t want to hear of or deal with her problems. She considered leaving. She wasn’t worth the trouble.
Without a sound, Dulius knelt next to her. He wiped her right eye with his knuckles. It momentarily surprised her, but his touch calmed her. Something her father never gave her—comfort.
“Dear dear, tell me all about it. I can tell the seriousness of it.”
Linette gathered herself and spoke, “My father abused my mother and me for years. The village knew, but no one ever stood up to him. He hit us in places no one would see, keeping our bruises hidden. I found ways to console him and to lessen his abuse, but it never stopped. Once, my friend Winthrop stood up to him, but it didn’t end well. I dreamed and dreamed of having a talent, any talent, so I could leave him for good.”
Dulius’s eyes grew larger. “He came looking for you. To bring you back.”
“Yes, so I fled back to Claybury, but I feared he’d come looking for me there. Can you help me? Will you help me? I don’t ever want him to touch me again.” She felt vulnerable, opened up like a bleeding wound exposed to air. It stung, but she hoped the pain signaled that she needed healing. Dulius paused. Linette failed to read his face but began to think he’d say no.
“Yes, of course.”
The tears of sorrow that filled her eyes turned to tears of happiness and flowed down her cheeks.
“I’ll make sure the guards bring him to me when he tries again and I’ll talk to him. You are safe here. However, I won’t be able to protect you forever.”
Linette hesitated. “What do you mean?”
“Your training begins now. Soon, you won’t need me to protect you. You’ll fight your own battles. Do you know why they call me Dulius the Brave?”
“Yes, my mother told me the stories.”
“But I bet she missed the most important part. I have no fear because I trust in my years and years of training. I know what I’m capable of. When that
gorgantula confronted me, I knew I’d defeat him. Truth overcomes fear.”
Linette left feeling confident that she’d never had to fear her father’s tyranny again. With a spring in her step, she left the Order of the Eagle to go see Winthrop and Markus. She tired of her own problems and wanted to cheer up Markus.
Day 3 - Evening
Markus’ cell continued to stink. The guards refused to change the chamber pot often enough to keep the place smelling better. He considered attacking the guards with the hope that they’d kill him, ridding himself of this shame. He thought over Aurora’s proposal. He didn’t want to learn his Decayed abilities. He knew that performing dark magic had a cost. All the hate and anger turned one into something evil, abnormal. Plus, he’d live trapped in chains his entire life and the Decayed lived a long time—longer than others. He wondered why? He thought that it had to do with their relationship with decay. Somehow they suspended their own decay, giving them a longer life.
He looked up to find Winthrop and Linette standing before him. He jumped a couple feet, hitting his head on the top of his cell.
“Ouch.”
Linette tried to reach him through the bars, “Are you okay?”
“I’ll live,” Markus said, rubbing his head. “What brings you two here?”
“Last time I checked, we are still friends,” Winthrop said. Markus wanted to slap that smile off of his face, yet he did appreciate that they hadn’t abandoned him. Yet.
“Thanks. How is your search for the assassin going?”
“Winthrop found the guard who had access to the Decayed. He died in the infirmary from an unknown illness. A nurse promised to fill us in later.”
“Oh. That’s unfortunate. Did the trader ever turn up?”
“Nope,” Winthrop said, “I’m starting to think that Aurora belongs to the Decayed.”
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