“Something is strange,” Charlotte agreed. “That much is certain.”
Lance and Charlotte made their way past several tables toward a young man sitting alone at the back of the inn. He glanced up as they approached.
“Can I help you?” The man asked. He was very handsome and wore clothes fitting of someone of a higher status. His voice was unusually high, and his expression made it clear he wanted to be left alone.
“I hope so,” Charlotte said. “We’re looking for information on our friend. He’s in a lot of trouble.”
“Not sure why you’re coming to me, but I’ll help if I can,” the man said. “What’s the name of your friend?”
“Quincy,” Charlotte replied.
As soon as the name was spoken, the man dropped his drink, stood up, and pushed the table into Charlotte and Lance. Lance steadied Charlotte from falling as the man made his escape, running out through the main entrance and into the street beyond.
* * *
“Come back!” Lance yelled as he and Charlotte chased the man from the inn down a side street. The man proved to be surprisingly fast and at this rate Lance doubted they would catch him before either losing him
or running out of energy.
They turned a corner and Lance skidded, nearly falling over.
“He’s getting away!” Charlotte yelled.
Lance picked up his pace, but knew she was right. He was already winded and his leg was throbbing in pain. Charlotte was running slower because of him and he couldn’t handle the pressure on his leg. It had been a long time since he tried to run and his body was reminding him of that.
Lance stopped and held out his hand, summoning the iron from inside his body and channeling it into the tip of his fingers. A net with iron weights materialized in the air, shot outward, and wrapped around the retreating figure’s legs. He tumbled to the street with a cry of shock.
“What are you doing?” Charlotte asked, placing a hand on his outstretched hand and forcing him to lower it. “Master Sellius will have our heads if he knew we were casting magic in town.”
“He was getting away…” Lance explained. He was out of breath and his ruined leg felt like it was about to give out at any moment.
“Don’t do it again,” Charlotte warned.
They made their way over to the struggling man.
“Why did you run from us?” Lance demanded.
The man looked up with fear in his eyes.
“Please… don’t hurt me,” the man said. “I only ran because I care about Quincy. I don’t want his father to disown him.”
“What are you talking about?” Lance asked. “He’s in a lot of trouble. We just need people to verify he was in town a few nights ago or he could be in a serious predicament.”
“Please promise me that you won’t speak to his father,” the man pleaded.
“Of course not,” Lance replied. “I don’t even know the guy or where he lives. We told you, we don’t care about that. We’re here for one reason only.”
Charlotte suddenly knelt down beside the man, her face concerned and sympathetic. “We are friends of Quincy and are only trying to help him. If we don’t prove he was in town that night, he could be in prison the rest of his life. If you care about him too like you said, then you need to help us.”
“Of course I care about him,” the man said. “More than that, I love him. We’re lovers, okay? Nowadays people are beat up or worse for admitting that.”
“I did not see that coming,” Lance said to no one in particular. He then looked at the man. “Will you help talk to Master Sellius at the palace and explain and verify where Quincy was that night?”
The man nodded. “You could help me by removing this netting around my legs if you don’t mind.”
* * *
Back at the palace, Master Sellius gave the group a dubious look.
“I am usually pretty good at telling when someone lies,” Master Sellius said. “All of you seem to be telling the truth, or at least how you see it. What doesn’t add up is the eye witness saying otherwise. Until this is sorted out, I will need Quincy to remain in his cell. Now leave me so I can wrap up the investigation with the new evidence.”
Lance and Charlotte thanked Master Sellius and Quincy’s friend and made their way toward the courtyard. There, they began to walk around the garden area, Charlotte making sure to take her time, knowing Lance’s leg was bothering him.
“I can’t believe Quincy was going to go to prison because he didn’t want his father to know he liked men,” Charlotte said.
“Some fathers are like that,” Lance said. “They only care about reputation and their royal line being passed down. Plus, if his father disowns him, Quincy not only loses the respect of his father, but is at risk to lose a very hefty inheritance. I don’t relate though because I’m poor and I never got the chance to know my father well. I was told he left my mother and me to fend for ourselves. If I ever did see him I would punch him in the face.”
“That’s terrible. I didn’t know that about you. I just wished Quincy felt he could trust us and confide in us,” Charlotte said. “If he told us, we could have helped earlier or at least tried to.”
“At least the mystery is solved,” Lance said. “Luckily Quincy has an alibi. Now it’s up to Master Sellius.”
“He’ll do the right thing,” Charlotte said. “I think Master Sellius believed us. Something still doesn’t add up and is why Quincy is still sitting behind bars. Why would Lawrence lie like that? Why would he tell others that he saw Quincy when there is no way he could have been there?”
“You’re right,” Lance said. “Either Lawrence is lying or there was a good reason for him to believe it was Quincy.”
“What do you mean? We both know he wasn’t there,” Charlotte replied.
“Yes, we know he wasn’t there,” Lance clarified. “But it could have been someone that looked like Quincy.”
“I’m not following.”
“The Drakaran seem to have magic abilities we are incapable of matching or even understanding.” Lance remarked. “To add to the confusion and maybe to be able to move about the keep freely, perhaps they used a spell to make some sort of powerful illusion.”
“Even if they did, there would be no way to prove that,” Charlotte said.
“Well, Quincy can’t be in two places at once,” Lance said. “We did what we could to prove his innocence. It’s up to the Masters of the trial now.”
Chapter 16
“The crippled is stronger than we anticipated,” General Crowl fumed. He slammed his armored fist into a tree trunk. “I have yet to meet a human who was able to block my attacks for so long.” He looked like he was about to tear the tree into tiny pieces with just his bare hands.
“Patience,” Mallagan said. “We will have our army soon and with it we will capture him again. This time, you will pluck the memories from his mind immediately. No delays. No talking. Without those crystals we cannot bring our armies to this world. You and I are not enough to make all of humanity bend its knees.”
“It is humiliating that out of all these weak humans, a crippled is the one who makes a stand,” Crowl mused sullenly.
“The irony is not lost on me,” Mallagan agreed. “But there is also someone very powerful helping him, someone who can block my attempts to locate and identify them with magic and who protects Lance’s memory. But they have never faced a Drakaran and I know where to find them now.”
“I think it is time I check on Greyson and his army, Crowl said.
“Yes, it is time,” Mallagan said. “But know that an army marches toward us as we speak.”
“What? How?” Crowl asked.
“Greyson might be useful, but he is not subtle. Amassing a large army with mountains of gold is not easily kept secret. But don’t worry. This is all part of the plan. I expected this.”
“Care to let me in on the plan?” Crowl asked, doing little to hide his annoyance.”
“No,” the old woman replied.
“I alone will know the plan. I have seen several futures, and there is a very good chance we will succeed. Stick to the plan and this world is ours.”
* * *
With the amount of gold the Drakaran gave Greyson for recruiting, he was tempted to run away with it. But with the Drakaran’s uncanny ability to find him wherever he went, it could prove to be a fatal decision. Greyson was surprised the Drakaran let him live after he tried to throw a knife into his neck the last time they met. It was emasculating to think that the crazy Drakaran General had no fear of him. There was no worry in his red, inhuman eyes. Greyson was used to getting his way and he didn’t like answering to someone else.
Greyson paced the rampart, staring down into the courtyard below. His army was looking strong, but they were lightly armored and unorganized. Half of them had little to no proper training or real experience in warfare. The only thing keeping them from tearing each other’s eyes out or running off was because of the promise of much more gold. Greyson wasn’t stupid. None of these men owed him any loyalty. Therefore he needed the gold as leverage.
Greyson felt the air tingle around him with energy. He didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.
“Checking up on me?” Greyson asked, continuing to watch the men below him.
“How many men do you have?” Crowl asked.
“Around six hundred so far,” Greyson answered. “But I expect our recruiters to get many more in the coming days.”
“No,” Crowl said. “There is no more time. A massive army is a day’s march from here. Fortify your defenses.”
Greyson turned. “What? Are you out of your mind? You brought the enemies to my doorstep?”
“No. You did that by being careless. I’m here to clean up your mess. Besides, your army is meant only to be a distraction. They are sending a lot of men. That means the palace is less guarded right now.”
“You’re using me as bait? You bastard!” Greyson screamed. He turned around to glare at the Drakaran.
“Settle down,” General Crowl commanded. “They won’t be able to take this castle if you stay behind its walls. Even with magic, the hill and castle walls will keep them at bay. Stock up on food and provisions. I need you to draw their attention and hold these walls.”
“Well, I don’t plan on dying,” Greyson replied sullenly. He hated the Drakaran. “How long will we need to hold them off?”
“A few days at most,” Crowl said. “Just don’t try anything stupid and you should be fine.”
“You know me,” Greyson said. “Strictly by the book.”
* * *
Quincy’s trial was behind closed doors and ended much faster than Lance imagined it would. Charlotte and Lance were waiting on a bench outside the trial room when Quincy stepped through. He looked like he hadn’t slept in two days.
Lance tried to gauge Quincy’s expression for how the trial went and at first it was difficult to tell from the impassive, blank stare. Then Quincy’s face lit up at the sight of them and he gave them a wide smile.
“Thank you for what you did,” Quincy said. “Even though I did tell you not to.”
“That wasn’t going to stop us,” Lance said and tried to give him a hug.
Quincy pushed him away. “I might be gay, but it doesn’t mean I want to hug you.” He smirked. “Just kidding. Bring it here.”
“That was scary for a moment,” Charlotte said. “I’m glad everything worked out.”
“Yeah,” Quincy agreed. “I just want to dive back into training.”
“Hopefully everything will go back to normal now,” Lance added.
“Let’s hope so,” Charlotte said. “It looks like the king sent most his army to fight the remaining Dark Ones, so at least the fighting will be far away.”
“I can’t wait for this craziness to be over,” Lance said.
“Let’s grab a bite to eat,” Charlotte suggested. “Master Mindy said we have a tough week of training coming up and we could use some relaxation before then.
* * *
“Stop waiting on your partner to make the first move and do something!” Master Mindy yelled. She paced back and forth in front of her students saying a mixture of encouragement and criticism.
The yellow robe students shuffled uncertainly about the room. The drill was a race to complete a puzzle of wooden blocks while they were on a team of four. The puzzle pieces began to shift around almost randomly, banging into each other and sliding across the floor. At first the students were excited to mix their magic and training with a game that sounded fun, but it was anything but fun.
“Would you quit knocking my pieces around?” Quincy yelled to his partners.
On the other end of the room, Lance tried his best to coordinate with his group, but four minds focusing on the same task proved to be extremely difficult.
“Reach out with your minds,” Master Mindy advised. “Feel and sense the others in your group. Each person’s thoughts and actions will have a distinct and subtle vibration.”
“This is impossible!” A student named David exclaimed.
“It’s not impossible,” Master Mindy replied. “It is difficult, but not impossible. Clear your mind of any distractions and focus on the task at hand.”
An hour later, Lance’s team managed to make headway. With only five small pieces left, Master Mindy came to stand before them with an impressed look on her face.
“Being powerful on your own is great, but being able
to work in a group with others and compliment your powers is considerably better,” she told them. “As you continue, you will start to recognize your team members’ distinct magic touch and can then work with it rather than against it.”
Before long, Lance and his teammates slowed down. The slower pace allowed them to focus more and each could start to sense when the others were moving pieces and where. Lance finally realized that the key to the rave was not rushing but rather taking their time.
“Finished,” Lance’s teammate Sandra announced. She smiled and they gave each other high fives.
“Well done!” Master Mindy congratulated. “So it is possible. For the rest of the groups, I still expect you to finish. Instead of rushing, take the example of this group and slow down. Only then will you sense your movements and be able to coordinate.”
Lance was proud of himself. He was progressing in his training. Hopefully it would lead to him becoming a Master himself one day.
Chapter 17
Mallagan stumbled when she stepped through the portal, General Crowl catching her at the last minute.
“Curse this feeble body,” Mallagan muttered.
“Getting old is a terrible certainty,” Crowl said. “You are sure this is the place?”
He looked around. The wind swept by them at an incredible speed. This high up, the sun beat down on the pale skin of face with intensity he was unused to. The mountain top was home to no animals and very little vegetation, its tallest peak threatening to pierce the sky.
“You doubt my powers?” Mallagan sneered.
“Of course not,” Crowl replied. “It’s just rather… remote up here.”
“They are up here,” Mallagan asserted. “They are close.” She sniffed the air and waved her fingers around. “Come out, come out wherever you are.”
The air around them swirled. Mallagan smiled.
A middle-aged man wearing a brown robe materialized before them, his hazel eyes watching them with curiosity.
“You are not from this world,” the man stated, his voice deep and powerful. Something about his features looked eerily familiar.
“And you are more powerful than I have had the pleasure of seeing anywhere in this world of yours,” Mallagan responded.
The man gave a curt bow. “I am known as Quem. Ah, but you are not here to give me compliments. You are here for another, darker reason.”
“I will not take pleasure in killing such a powerful human,” Mallagan said with sincerity. “Most of your kind is weak. It would be
a shame. Relinquish your protection of Lance and let us do what we need to do and we will leave you be.”
Quem sighed. “You know I can’t do that.”
The silence that followed was terrifying. A particularly strong gust of wind blew Quem’s hood back to reveal a face marked by more than a dozen small scars. His eyes were narrowed and the grip around his staff remained tight.
“This is your final decision?” Mallagan asked. “This will not end well for you.”
Quem nodded. “I am aware. There is no other choice.”
“We will make your death quick if we can,” Mallagan told him.
“I will not be so easy to defeat,” Quem warned. “I may still be able to defeat you. I will do everything within my powers to protect my son, and a father’s love has more weight than you could ever understand.”
Mallagan’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Let us begin.”
* * *
The kingdom of Atrion and Delvin pulled up just short of the hill leading to the castle reportedly held by the Dark Ones. Combined, they had almost two thousand soldiers. The horses neighed with impatience as the troops watched the castle and surveyed the terrain.
“The hill is suicide,” Lieutenant Trent of Delvin remarked. They stared up its mile-long incline with not even a tree for coverage. The clear view would give archers an easy target and boulders and logs could roll down it with ease.
“Aye, it is,” a soldier of Atrion agreed. “Which is why we have siege engines and catapults coming. We’ll pelt them with boulders and rocks until we either starve them out or punch a hole through their walls.”
“Good, because although the Dark Ones need to die, I don’t intend on losing hundreds of men today,” Lieutenant Trent said. “How long until the siege engines arrive?”
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