by Sam Ferguson
“Oh?” Cyrus said as he closed his book and slid it to the side of his desk.
Janik nodded and pulled a chair up to the opposite side of the desk. “Kyra has a roommate,” Janik said. He looked around as if searching for eavesdroppers in the room.
Cyrus flicked his wrist and the candles burned brighter, illuminating Janik’s face fully so the old wizard could see the sour expression. “Why should that be a concern?” Cyrus asked.
“This isn’t just any girl,” Janik started. He fidgeted in his chair and wiggled his lower jaw side to side as he pulled in a breath through his flared and crinkled nose. “My father, rest his soul, was not always an honorable man,” Janik said.
“Most aren’t,” Cyrus replied. The wizard leaned back in his chair and folded his arms impatiently.
“I’ll just come right out with it, then.” Janik blinked at the desk, unable to make eye contact with Cyrus. “My father sired a child with another woman.”
“It happens,” Cyrus said flatly.
Janik nodded. “I saw her once. My father had left a portion of his estate to her, and to the child’s mother. I was the executor of the will. I went to meet with the mother and child…”
“But you never gave them what your father desired?”
Janik shook his head. “My mother was still alive at the time. I couldn’t dishonor her, or bring open shame upon the family.”
“And now you believe the roommate to be your half-sister, is that it?” Cyrus asked.
Janik nodded. “I don’t just believe it, I know it. She has false papers, and has been admitted to the academy. Headmaster Herion has instructed me to put her in Kyra’s room. I dropped her off only a few minutes ago. I spent some time in my office, I needed a drink to calm my nerves, and then I came here.”
Cyrus nodded. “Yes, well, that might be something hard for you to deal with on a personal level, but I fail to see why this is a problem for me, or why it should matter that she lives with Kyra.”
Janik shook his head. “What if they figure it out?” Janik asked. “If the girl knows I am her… her…”
“Half-brother,” Cyrus put in.
Janik nodded. “If she tells Kyra, then Kyra will not trust me. I told Kyra that there were no daughters in our family.”
“And that is the truth,” Cyrus said. “Most nobles don’t recognize illegitimate children. She’ll either understand this point, or she will hate you for your callous attitude toward an innocent child,” Cyrus said bluntly. “Either way, it shouldn’t matter for our purposes. If anything, that might push her closer to me. I wouldn’t worry about it.”
“What about Feberik?” Janik asked.
Cyrus shrugged. “Does he know?”
Janik shook his head. “I am the only one who knew my father’s secret.”
Cyrus sighed and rubbed a hand over his face before bringing it down to tug on his beard. “So you are nervous because of what he did at Caspen Manor?” Cyrus guessed.
Janik nodded. “I have given him the potion each night, but something like this will always rile him up beyond reason. I fear it might also make him too strong for the magic.”
Cyrus grinned. “You know, I would have liked to watch your brother at Caspen Manor. That whole incident sounded like a lot of fun.”
Janik arched a brow. “I’m serious, what if Feberik turns against me because of this? If I can’t keep him under the spell of the potions you give me, then we will lose him.”
Cyrus nodded. “Have you asked the girl whether she knows you?”
Janik shook his head and frowned. “No. If I ask her that, and she knows nothing, then I will only cause her to suspect something.”
The old wizard sighed again and began tapping on the desk with his forefinger. “My suggestion is to wait and let things play out however they may. If she knows who her father was, then it will come out in the open. Or, perhaps it won’t. If she has false papers to be here, then she might fear outing herself and getting expelled. Best case scenario is she doesn’t know, and won’t be a threat.”
“She came to study magic,” Janik said after a moment.
“Why do you warriors always say things like that as if the person is possessed? Not all magicians and wizards are bad.”
Janik chortled. “Well, considering you are the wizard I deal with the most, can you blame me?”
Cyrus smiled and flicked a brow up for a moment. “Fair point. However, the mere fact that she is studying magic is nothing to worry about.”
Janik sat silently, shifting his gaze to the floor and sighing loudly.
“I can hear you breathing,” Cyrus said. “I don’t like it.”
Janik looked up and snorted. “Yes well, if you hadn’t rescued me in that vampire’s lair, I guess you wouldn’t have to listen to me breathe.”
Cyrus’s features grew hard and he shook his head and waved Janik away. “Go. I have studies of my own to attend to before Kyra comes. Keep this matter to yourself. It will all work out in the end.”
Janik left in a huff, mumbling something about imbecilic, senile wizards and their schemes as he exited the room and pulled the door shut behind him.
Cyrus sat at the desk, pondering this new information.
He went to a statue of a large crow that sat in the corner of the room. He waved his hand and a small piece of parchment appeared in front of the statue. As he thought the words, they appeared upon the parchment in glowing, green ink.
Dear Hairen,
I have thought about your proposal much since our last conversation. I believe that working with you may be more beneficial than my current arrangement with the warlocks of the Order of the All-Seeing Eye. Additionally, I may have found a new recruit for your coven. Give me some time, and I will inform you of my progress.
Sincerely,
Cyrus
*****
Kyra and Linny had only just finished their plates when Kathair walked into the room. He was smiling wide and approaching fast.
“Hi Kyra, can I talk with you for a moment?” Kathair asked.
Kyra looked to Linny and excused herself. She stood from the table and they walked a few yards away for privacy.
“I’ve made another break through on my project. I think you will want to come with me,” Kathair said.
“Why? What are you grinning for?” Kyra asked.
Kathair leaned in close. “The school received a falcon today. It described how the monsters in the south were killed. The dragon slayers aren’t too happy, but I overhead the headmaster saying he was going to call a special meeting. Come with me, and we can listen in.”
“Listen in?” Kyra echoed. “I don’t think we can just walk into his office and sit down.”
Kathair shook his head. “Of course not, but I do have a few tricks up my sleeve. I mean, how do you think I got that book for you?”
“Well, I was going to help Linny unpack her things.”
“Kyra, we don’t have much time, come on,” Kathair urged.
Kyra nodded. “All right. Give me a moment.” She walked back to Linny. “Are you able to find your way back to the room? I have something I need to do.”
“Sure,” Linny said with a hollow smile.
Kyra felt conflicted about leaving her, but Kathair was already walking by, having heard Linny’s answer.
“Great, I’ll have her back to you soon. Nice to meet you.” He shot Kyra an expectant look and then continued walking toward the exit.
Kyra felt pulled in two directions. She wanted desperately to hear what Kathair was so excited about, but she hadn’t missed the fact that Linny was having a hard time. There was a large part of her that wanted to stay with her and help.
“It’s all right,” Linny said. “I can find my way back. I’ll see you soon,” she said. Linny made the choice easier for Kyra by getting up and walking in the opposite direction.
Kyra walked briskly to catch up with Kathair. He was nearly to the courtyard by the time she caught up with him. She was about t
o suggest they not go into the open courtyard, for Feberik might see them, but Kathair turned down the corridor to the left before Kyra ever brought it up.
“Come on, hurry up,” Kathair said. He quickened his pace and Kyra nearly had to jog to keep up.
“What’s so important?” Kyra asked.
Kathair held a finger to his mouth and shook his head. He stopped suddenly at a large door and tested the handle. It turned easily in his hand. He poked his head through and then opened the door wider.
“Through here,” he said quickly.
Kathair led her through a laundry room full of large vats of steaming water and linens hanging on lines. They snaked around the large tubs and then stopped at a grate that was about three feet long and two feet wide. Kathair bent down and pulled the grate up as if it was made of sticks.
“What are you doing?” Kyra asked.
“Come on, in you go,” he said.
Kyra shook her head. “No.”
Kathair sighed and set the grate aside. Then he dropped down into the hole. His feet hit the bottom before his head dropped below floor level. “Stay if you like, but I promise you are going to want to see this.” He held his hand up for her.
She looked at his blue eyes, sparkling above his impish grin. Finally she nodded and jumped down beside him, making a point of not taking his hand for help. Kathair then grabbed the grate and pulled it into place.
“What if someone locks it or something?” Kyra asked, gesturing to the grate as they ducked.
Kathair shook his head. “Won’t happen, and if it does, then I know another way out. Come on, we have to hurry before they start.”
“Before who starts what?” Kyra asked.
Kathair was already hunched low and waddling through the tunnel.
Kyra sighed and followed him.
The light stretched for quite some way into the tunnel. Whenever it appeared to dim significantly, there would be another drain from above that would allow in more light to help them see by. Kyra noticed that none of the other drains were nearly large enough to crawl through. They were all the normal kind that appeared to be just a few inches across, nothing like the one from the laundry room.
They made their way through a series of turns and twists, and then they emerged from the tunnel to stand in a room that was ten feet across and about fifteen feet long. Kathair moved to his left and struck a match, lighting a candle.
Kyra’s eyes widened as she saw not only a table and chairs, but a small bookshelf, a pair of swords crossed behind a shield hanging upon a wall, and a rug made of some sort of animal hide, though it was far too large to be a bear or anything else she was aware of in the area.
“Welcome to my sanctuary,” Kathair said.
“I thought you said there was going to be a meeting?” Kyra said.
Kathair nodded and moved to the bookshelf. “Right this way,” he said. He gripped the left side of the bookshelf and pivoted the thing out to the side in an arc, revealing a small doorway that led to a wooden ladder. The young swordsman motioned for her to go first. “Ladies first,” he said with a bow.
“I’m in a dress,” Kyra pointed out.
“Oh, right!” Kathair said as he blushed. “I’ll lead the way then.” He moved through the doorway and made his way up the ladder. Kyra followed him, a little hesitant to start climbing. The ladder went up at least two stories, and there was no way for her to know where it led.
He was nearly at the top before she finally decided to go after him. She went up the ladder and then had to crawl into a small space at the top that led into another tunnel. There were cracks in the wall, spaces where the mortar had fallen out, that let in enough light to see by.
Kathair turned to her and put his finger to his lips. “Nothing more than a whisper,” he cautioned.
Kyra nodded, noting how much he looked like a rogue with the small band of light striping across his eyes. He led her around, crawling slowly through the dim tunnel until they came to a dead end. Kyra looked up and saw that Kathair was now in a crouching sit, staring through a small gap between the large stones in the wall. He pointed at the crack and motioned for her to come close and take a look.
Kyra scooted beside him and then leaned forward until she nearly touched the stone. Through the crack she saw a rectangular room, with sconces along the far wall and a long table in the center. Wooden, high-backed chairs were situated along the table. A few people were already sitting there, their backs turned to the wall behind which Kathair and Kyra hid.
A door on the right, bearing a large engraving of an eagle, opened, and in walked Headmaster Herion. The old wizard was dressed in a black tunic and green trousers. He moved into the room and then turned to motion to someone else.
Kyra felt her heart nearly stop when Feberik walked through the open doorway. So far, she had avoided him for most of the summer. The very thought of their arranged marriage made her feel ill, and she had to compel herself to stay in place and not scurry back down the ladder and run away.
“I believe you all know Master Orres,” Headmaster Herion said in his gravelly voice. “We have taken care of his initiation already, though I believe a few of you were absent for that.” Headmaster Herion turned to look at someone sitting in the chair nearest them.
A tall man in black robes stood and nodded. “Welcome, Feberik,” the man said as he held his hand out cordially.
“What, no insult today?” Feberik replied in his booming voice as he took the proffered hand. The man in the black robes shook his head, mumbling something about dull swordsmen, and Kyra got enough of a glimpse of his profile to know at once who it was. The man was Master Fenn, Lady Priscilla’s husband.
For a moment, it felt like snakes were crawling through Kyra’s stomach. She hadn’t seen Master Fenn for a long time either, and seeing him now brought back the memory of throwing Lady Priscilla into a wall. Kyra closed her eyes and tried to steady her nerves. Fortunately, there was little silence, for Headmaster Herion broke it quickly.
“Have a seat, Master Fenn,” Herion said. He then turned to Feberik and gestured to a chair further down the table. “You may sit next to Lady Arkyn.”
Feberik nodded, the reddish-blonde streaks in his otherwise dark hair catching the light just right. He walked around the table and Kyra held her breath as he stepped closer to where she was hiding. She wasn’t able to exhale until the large man pulled out his chair and sat down.
Headmaster Herion then moved to the head of the table. “I have called you all here to witness a mission. I sent Master Baird and Lady Stirling north, across the sea to one of the islands. I am not going to name the location, and if any of you recognize it, be sure to keep it to yourselves.”
Headmaster Herion waved his hand and a large, purple ball of crystal descended from the ceiling. It glowed dully and sent tendrils of golden light out to steady itself as it neared the top of the table. Herion whispered a command and the ball began to glow brighter.
“In the interest of full disclosure, I should warn you all that this may not end well. You have all heard the reports of strange beasts attacking the countryside lately, have you not?”
A few of the individuals nodded.
Master Fenn pointed down the table toward Feberik. “You mean the events that started occurring after the death of Feberik’s fiancé’s mother?”
Feberik rose out of his chair and pointed right back at Master Fenn. “You’ll do well to keep your mouth shut, or I’ll close it permanently.”
Headmaster Herion snapped his fingers and two bolts of yellow light shot out from the purple ball. One struck Master Fenn and the other hit Feberik. Kyra jumped when she heard the loud kapop that accompanied each strike.
Master Fenn dusted his arm off in the spot where the bolt had landed upon him. “All I am saying is that we should not be harboring someone like her here.”
Feberik stormed around from his chair and Kyra could barely breathe. His blue eyes were alight with crazy fury and his face grew red.
Headmaster Herion slammed his fist on the table and the purple ball began to crackle and come alive with a stormy mess of golden bolts. “Sit down!” Herion ordered. He then turned to Master Fenn and pointed at him. “You keep your mouth quiet. Kyra is no different from any of the other students here.”
“Except for the fact that she is born of a vampire,” Fenn shot back.
Kyra blushed and looked away from the crack in the wall. She couldn’t take it anymore. She turned to leave, but a gentle hand on her shoulder stopped her. She turned to see Kathair looking at her empathetically.
“Sorry,” he said. “I wasn’t trying to embarrass you. Stay, they will get onto another topic, and I think you will want to see it all.”
Kyra nodded sorrowfully and went back to the crack, and then she looked to Kathair. She felt as though he needed an explanation. “I didn’t know I was a vampire’s daughter,” she said.
Kathair looked to her and his brow drew in tightly as he shrugged. “What difference does it make?” he asked sincerely. “You are who you are, and I like you. That’s good enough for me.”
Kyra sat there and smiled. Kathair turned back to the crack and continued watching.
“Just,” Kathair began out of the side of his mouth, “don’t chomp on my neck or anything all right? I don’t think we could be around each other anymore if you started drinking my blood and all.”
From anyone else, that might have cut her, but coming from Kathair, with his playful tone, it turned the negative experience into a funny moment. She stifled a laugh and backhanded him in the ribs. He jumped and then shushed her, putting on a mock-serious face and pointing toward the crack in the wall.
Kyra looked back to the room. Headmaster Herion had regained control of the room, and the ball was glowing brighter now. The sconces flickered around the chamber.
“As I was saying,” Herion began. “There have been many attacks lately. They point to something sinister operating in the area. This is no shadowfiend, for they normally operate alone and don’t let minions and monsters roam free for fear of being discovered. This points to something else.”
