A Royal Game

by Antoine Henderson

  There you are. I was wondering when you would slip and expose yourself. Her agents don’t seem that bright to stand and stare at their target even for the briefest of moments.

  Andrades surveyed the room once more before turning and walking down the hall. He focused his magical energy around his body, especially behind him, and then he heard it. Hurried footsteps were coming up the stairs. Andrades couldn’t see whoever they belonged to. He didn’t turn around, deciding instead to continue until he reached his destination. He stood in front of a large wooden door as the man reached the top of the stairs and took cover behind a wall, peeking out to see where his target had gone.

  Where Andrades was going didn’t matter, he couldn’t follow him once he crossed the threshold of the door. A hidden magical seal was placed on the doorknob and only members of the court knew of its location. He received the password earlier that day from Magnus: Owl feather.

  Andrades touched the door handle, making sure to place his thumb on the symbol. “Owl feather,” he whispered. A small white aura radiated underneath his thumb before he turned the handle down. The man down the hall waited behind the wall and slowly took a glance down it, only to see Andrades staring at him with a grin stretched across his face.

  The man took cover once more, silently cursing at himself for being caught. He slowly looked again and could see Andrades closing the door behind him.

  ***

  The man exited his cover and made his way to the door after it shut. Touching it, he used his senses to detect Andrades’ unique magical pressure behind it, but he felt nothing. He turned the doorknob and opened the door slowly, finding an empty study. He looked around the room, not understanding where his target could have gone. He moved about the room, looking for a secret room or entrance, but found nothing. He reached into his pocket and retrieved a phone. Pressing a button on the screen, it rang.

  “He’s gone, Nyre,” said the man.

  “Where did he go, Diedrich?”

  “I don’t know, I followed him to the second floor, and he entered a room at the far end of the estate. I entered only moments after he did, but he’s not here. There are no hidden passages or doors anywhere for him to have gone.”

  “I see. The door must be the key. A portal. Agent Castle, check to see if there are any symbols on the door.”

  He walked to the door and analyzed the wood, moving his hand around until reaching the doorknob. “You were right, there’s a symbol on the doorknob.”

  “There’s no use staying inside the room, we’ll have to wait until he comes back out. Head downstairs, Agent Castle, and be careful.”

  “Yes, of course, Agent Mauthe.”

  10. Court

  Twenty minutes passed before Lyberia arrived, closing the door behind her. The other thirteen members of the royal court were present and waiting for her arrival. The royal court consisted of thirteen of the most prominent heads of families in North America. Although there were hundreds of other families with pure bloodlines, members of the royal court were the oldest and most influential. The other families looked to them for guidance on a variety of fronts; from business to partnerships, to settling family feuds. The royal court had a hand in it all. They would convene once a month to discuss matters of importance and tonight was such an occasion.

  “Sorry to have kept you all waiting, I had—”

  Her speech was interrupted as her gaze fell on Andrades as he sat at the head of a long table. To his right was an empty seat for her. The other members watched her as irritation slipped into her old features. “What’s the meaning of this?”

  “Well, since it was my turn to hold the next court, I figured I might as well take my position. It is customary for the host to take the head seat. I know we are in your home, but I hope this won’t be a problem,” Andrades explained.

  What will you do, Lyberia? What can you do?

  “It isn’t and you are right, Andrades,” she said, forcing a smile. He could sense how uncomfortable the members were, and so could Andrades as they shifted in their seats and cleared their throats. She walked to the open seat and graciously sat, moving her chair closer to the table. Victor was to Andrades’ right and the other members gave Andrades their undivided attention. He didn’t really care about sitting at the head of the table or being the one to hold court. He only wanted the position so that he could watch everyone in the room.

  “First, I want to thank you for being here during these trying times. We all have places to be and things to do, and with MANA conducting an investigation, it seems to have made things difficult for us all. But I’m afraid there is a matter that cannot be ignored any longer.”

  “You speak of the prophecy?” asked Lyberia. “That was ten years ago, Andrades, and nothing has occurred.”

  “The White Crown shall put an end to the royal bloodlines,” Magnus recalled before slamming his fist on the table. He sat farthest down to Andrades right. “That was the so-called prophecy that you warned us about ten years ago. And it’s exactly the reason why we are all in this predicament to begin with!” Magnus roared.

  “Is this what this meeting was really about?” asked Victor.

  “Yes, Victor. The prophecy is still a threat to us all.”

  “What proof do you have, Andrades? All we’ve had is your word, and you see how far that’s gotten us!” said Magnus. “The last time we discussed this, a certain family disappeared. So there shouldn’t be any threat now.”

  Andrades reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket and placed an orb the size of a billiard ball on the table. It was transparent with black mist swirling inside of it.

  “Andrades is that—”

  “Relax, Lyberia. If you don’t believe me, you can ask her yourself.”

  Gasps and whispers echoed around the room as Lyberia stood from her seat and slammed her hands on the table. “Relax?” she screamed. “If you intend on summoning an Avatar in my home—a month before the war, only to alert the Gamekeeper—then no, I’m not going to fucking relax! We won’t only have MANA investigating us, but the entirety of the Avatar Commission!”

  “You worry too much.” Andrades sighed. “Neither the Gamekeeper nor the Commission will be alerted of her summoning. It took me a while, but I’ve already removed her contract when I served as Gamekeeper and first learned of the prophecy,” he assured them. “So you needn’t worry. In fact, none of you should.”

  Lyberia looked at Andrades coldly, biting her thin lip, wanting to argue against it, but with a quick glance around the room, she realized she was the only one opposed to this. The others looked on in curiosity, wanting to see what would happen next and how it would benefit them. They weren’t as vocal as other members of the court, following whatever direction that court was going on that particular day. She sat down promptly, regaining the composure fit for a royal. Andrades looked around the room, seeing if there would be any more interruptions.

  “Now, she will be summoned and she will answer our questions,” said Andrades. He placed his hand over the orb for a few seconds. “Reveal,” he whispered.

  The orb began to glow with a faint violet light that swirled around rapidly. The violet energy exploded in front of Andrades, creating an arch of violent energy from the orb to the center of the table. It formed into a kneeling human covered in tattered brown robes and furs. The energy faded from the orb into the human who kneeled in front of the group of elite royals. She growled harshly as saliva fell from her thin blackened lips. She held a wooden staff decorated with feathers and jewels in one hand, a black crystal ball in the other.

  “Who dares summon Salamandra Noir?”

  “Me,” answered Andrades, unafraid and unmoved.

  She snapped a look at Andrades and her eyes widened. “You!” She hissed, her body shaking with fear. She backed away quickly, stumbling over glasses sitting on the table.

  “An old witch of legend, tamed?” Victor commented.

  The witch composed h
erself and glared at him. She rose to her feet, still hunched over, and pointed her staff at Victor, who backed away in his chair. Andrades stood from his seat staring down the old witch. He twisted the top of his cane and removed the blade that was hidden inside it and aimed at the orb.

  “If you so much as breathe on him, I will send your soul to oblivion!” he roared.

  Salamandra looked back at Andrades, then at Victor. She hissed once more and slowly withdrew her staff. Her attention was now on Andrades alone.

  “What do you want of me, mage?” she asked in disdain. “Speak!”

  He placed his blade back into his cane, twisting it forcefully and laying it in front of him. He sat back in his seat before continuing. “I only have three questions for you, hag. Answer them, and I’ll return you to your orb safely. If you don’t ... well, I think you know what will happen.”

  “Bind your word!” she demanded.

  “Consider it bound, hag.”

  “Then speak plainly and I shall answer your questions, you vile insect!”

  “The prophecy you foretold ten years ago. We took steps to make sure that it would not come to fruition. Did we succeed?”

  “No,” she hissed.

  “Why?”

  “The White Crown still exists in this world, your steps achieved nothing,” she said with a ghastly smile. “Now, you have only one question remaining. Choose it well!”

  “How do we find the White Crown’s location?”

  “Consult the man with a tongue of silver, hair of gold and roots of lies. Your questions have been answered; never summon me outside the war again!” Her answers were riddles, but he bound his word and thus returned the witch to her orb.

  “I believe I know of whom she speaks,” said Victor. Lyberia shot him a glance as did the others at the table. “She’s talking about Wiley MacKenna the head of the Spell Network—a black market organization. I’ve had dealings with him before.”

  “How can we be certain she is telling the truth?” Magnus coughed near the end of the table. “She could be lying for all we know, toying with us from the beginning!”

  “That’s unlikely, Magnus. If you recall, her word was bonded, as was Andrades’. Not to mention, lying to him would not benefit her,” Lyberia argued.

  “Are you certain, Victor?” asked Andrades.

  “Yes, I am.”

  “It’s true; I’ve had dealings with him as well. I didn’t think at the time he’d be of any help. Silver tongue, ear-length blonde hair—there’s no mistaking it. She was speaking of Wiley MacKenna,” said Lyberia.

  “If this is the case, we need to meet with him at once,” said Andrades.

  “What about the MANA Agents following us?” Magnus asked.

  “It won’t matter if none of us are alive to be investigated!” Lyberia snapped. Her attention fell back to Andrades. “I can take us to him.”

  “When?”

  “We go now. If what Salamandra said was true, we don’t have time to waste. When it comes to dealing with clients like me and Victor, even if Wiley is halfway around the world, he’ll make time for me.”

  “I’ll join you as well, Lyberia. Andrades, you should also be with us when we meet with him,” said Victor.

  “I agree,” said Lyberia before rising to her feet. She removed a cell phone from her pocket and dialed a number, waiting as it rung. “Yes, good evening, Ollie, this is Lyberia Lafayette. Is Wiley available? Can you patch me through to him? Thank you.” A moment passed before she spoke again as the other members of the court waited patiently. “He’s busy? Can you pass on this code to him and be sure that he gets it as soon as possible? The code is: r-4-v-3-n-d-3-a-d… Thank you, Ollie.”

  Lyberia hung up her phone and took a seat. A small square of light green energy—the aura of communication magic—the size of a laptop screen, appeared in front of her moments later. A man’s face appeared within. He had blond hair, fair skin and his eyes had circles around them. The screen was transparent and the other members of the court could see him as well.

  “Lady Lafayette, it’s good to hear from you again! How are things?”

  “They could be better, Wiley, but this isn’t a social call.”

  “Figured as much, but you know me, I love small talk. Ollie gave me the code, I take it you’re ready then? I’m just finishing up with my meeting. Come right over and we can meet.”

  “Thank you, Wiley, we’ll be there soon,” said Lyberia. With a swipe of her hand, the screen vanished, and the energy disappeared. “While I, Victor and Andrades meet with Wiley, the rest of you should wait until our return. Magnus, you can head home now, you’ll be our point of contact when we get the information, and you can have your men ready.”

  “Right,” said Magnus with a smirk.

  11. Betrayal

  Andrades stood, making sure to place Salamandra’s orb inside of his inner jacket pocket and picking up his cane. Victor joined him as Lyberia walked toward the wall behind Andrades. She placed her hand's side by side and slowly stretched them out wide.

  “Wiley,” she whispered. A white line of magical aura appeared and extended, following her hands. On the other side was what looked like the lobby of a large building. Without a word, she stepped through the energy’s threshold, followed by Andrades and then Victor. The energy shut behind them, stranding them somewhere else.

  “Where are we?” Andrades asked.

  “The Spell Networks headquarters in Los Angeles,” Lyberia answered plainly before walking toward an elevator where a short man stood flanked by two larger men. All of them were wearing suits while the short man’s face held silver-rimmed glasses.

  “Ah, Lady Lafayette, welcome back.”

  “We need to speak with Wiley at once, Ollie.”

  “Of course, but It was my understanding that you would be bringing guests with you, so I must ask you all to surrender your conduits.”

  “What’s the meaning of this? I don’t have to—”

  “I’m afraid I must insist, Lady Lafayette. Wiley’s orders,” said Ollie as his men blocked her attempt to pass them. “They will be returned to you upon your exit.”

  Lyberia scoffed. She hesitantly followed his instructions and removed a wand from her purse, handing it to Ollie. Andrades handed one of the larger men a scepter from inside his jacket pocket. Victor removed a scepter from an inner pocket of his jacket and handed it to the other.

  “Is that all?”

  “We don’t have time for this, Lyberia—”

  “Give him the orb, Andrades,” she interrupted.

  “The orb?”

  “Yes, I would think a witch of legend would be considered a weapon,” she sniped.

  “Fine,” said Andrades.

  He reached into the pocket of his jacket and handed the Avatar orb over to the man. The three men parted and allowed them to walk to the elevator, it opened as they arrived and they entered. The three men watched as it closed. Andrades checked his watch. They stood silently until reaching the top floor where they exited into a large penthouse suite. Classical music played from the speakers of an expensive player and a man stood looking into a fireplace holding a glass filled with vodka. The penthouse made up the entire top floor of the building, with expensive couches, carpets and other furniture spread throughout.

  “Welcome!” He exclaimed as he walked toward them.

  He wore a loose purple button-up shirt that was a size too large on his frail tan body. His hair was golden and fell to his ears. He wore tight black pants and expensive loafers with hand-crafted jewelry circling his wrists. His movements were sporadic and Andrades took notice. He was neither drunk nor inebriated in any way. It was the man that contacted Lyberia via spellscreen, Wiley MacKenna.

  “Lyberia, my dear, how are you?” Wiley said before hugging her tightly. “It’s so good to see you!”

  “I’ve been better, Wiley. And you?”

  “Alive and well,” Wiley said while pulli
ng back and opening his arms. “Victor, how’s business, old friend?”

  “As good as it could get,” he said with a smile. “How’s the family?”

  “The same!” Wiley said before taking a drink from his glass. “And you are?”

  “Andrades Archibald IV.”

  “Oh, that’s right. How rude of me. Apologies to you, Andrades Archibald IV,” Wiley said before bowing quickly. “That’s one hell of a name ya got there, quite a mouthful, am I right?” he continued before slapping Andrades on the arm and turning to walk back to the fireplace of the room and they followed him.

  Had it been a different place, a different person and a different time, Andrades would have lashed out at the man who would be so disrespectful as to mock his royal name and have the nerve to lay a hand on him. Lyberia and Victor could feel it, their worried eyes showed it. Unfortunately, this was not that place, not the time and definitely not the person. Far graver matters usurped his pride at that moment. He needed information from Wiley. And at this point, he would be willing to subject himself to this kind of treatment to get it.

  “So, I hear you are in need of some information, am I right?”

  “Indeed. We were led to believe that you and your organization could supply the information we seek,” said Andrades.

  “You were led to believe correctly, sir,” said Wiley. He walked toward the group and took a seat on one of the couches. He crossed his legs and rested his elbows on the spine of the couch. “You could consider me the king of information. That’s only a fraction of what my company does of course, but you can rest assured, if there’s anything you need to know, I can find it for you. My only concern is what price you are willing to pay for it.”

  His question wasn’t out of the norm for this type of dealing, but he was the head of a prominent royal family. Surely he’s dealt with many rich and powerful people before and would know that money isn’t of any consequence to him. No, there was something else hidden beneath the question and Andrades knew it. He hadn’t achieved his status in the royal magical community resting on his laurels; he’d been in Wiley’s position before.