A Mage's Power (Journey to Chaos) (53 page)

“Kallen Selios wins the Fourth Challenge. She and Eric
Watley will take part in the Final Challenge tomorrow at three o'clock.”

Kallen jumped off the arena and landed at Eric's side.
Speeding through a chant, she summoned healing light. “There you go, all
patched up.”

“Thanks, but did you really have beat me that badly? It was
embarrassing.”

Kallen shrugged. “Do you want me to treat you like an
inferior or an equal?”

Eric blushed. “You . . .You think we're equal?”

Kallen helped him up. “Not yet, but you will be.”

“I will?”

“By this time next year, you'll be as powerful as I am.”

Eric groaned at the “good” news. “I should've known you were
joking. There's no way I could get that strong in a year . . . Raising my hopes
like that . . .”

“Well, I might have exaggerated just a bit, but you will
make a lot of progress.”

“How'd you do it? Maybe I can do that.”

Kallen turned away coyly. “Oh no, I don't think you'd want
to.”

 “Is it some kind of Training from Abyss?”

She turned back and smiled. “Nope! Just ask Tasio.”

Eric felt a sense of impending doom. “I . . . already did
that.”

“There you go. Your life will be
so
interesting
you'll become as strong as I am just keeping up.”

Eric groaned even more despondently. “Is that what happened
to you?”

“Mm-hmm. I was at the right place at the right time.” She
tilted her head. “Or the wrong place at the wrong time. I can go either way,
depending on my mood.”

“ . . .uh . . .um . . .was it . . .uh . . .?”

 Suddenly solemn, she finished, “The Siduban Chaos
Explosion. I'll tell you about it sometime.” She walked off. “Good luck
tomorrow. May the best woman win.”

Eric decided to ignore that last comment and go home; his
bed was calling him. He pulled a drink out of his mini-fridge and lay down for
a well-deserved nap. However, when he closed his eyes, he didn't see Annala the
Maid, but the throne room of Roalt's castle.

Majestic banners of Noble Houses hung from the ceiling and
circled the room to center on the one above the throne; the royal seal. In the
four corners were ornamental pillars honoring the Houses of Ataidar, Heleti,
Esrah, and Stratos. They were the least of the decoration.

The four directions were painted proclamations of the
nation's history. The ceiling showed countless people bowing to a woman robed
in fire with the sun at her back. The floor showed the same woman breathing new
life into corpses. The left wall showed a Tiger joining paws with a Dragon, a
Shark, and a Chameleon against a war-torn background. On the right wall, a
kingly figure sat at a table with demons of all shapes and sizes.

Kasile stood at the room's entrance with soldiers at her
back. Her father sat at his throne and the Ceihan ambassador at a table for
guests. Both of them, which were surrounded by more soldiers.

“You thought you could get away with it, didn't you?” Kasile
taunted. “Your plan ends here. My Magic Sight revealed your deception. I can
see the rune you're using to control my father!”

She didn't wait for me!

“I've noticed your preparations,” Kasile continued. “Most of
the senior guards are away training new recruits and for the first time in
decades all high ranking members of the Dragon's Lair have been hired out at
the same time. Instead, I see
your
escort patrolling the palace as if
they owned it and they're using those outdated weapons Ceiha produces.”

She carefully pulled a wire cutter out of her pocket with a
gloved hand. “These were the tools that let the monsters loose during the Joust
a month and a half ago. They were used by the people tasked with guarding them;
I know because their fingerprints are smeared all over the handle. After the
Joust, both disappeared without a trace. The cages were specially made to
prevent the monsters from chewing through them so why would guards need tools
to break those cages? The answer is on the handle, 'Made in Ceiha.' If I hadn't
been kidnapped, I might have been killed by those monsters.”

She waltzed over to the ambassador’s table and leaned on it,
starring him in the face. “The remaining castle soldiers and the guards of
House Esrah have apprehended all of your 'escorts.'” Eric could feel the
triumph on her face. “You tried to extort my country. Be more subtle next time.”

She promised! This is just like last time! . . .. Well,
she seems to have it under control . . .

The ambassador didn't look scared. Instead, he clapped.
Kasile's confidence faded into confusion. “Your daughter is quite the
detective, sire. She gathered all those facts and put them together in very a
creative way. It's such a shame that she is incorrect.”

He took a sip of tea before continuing. “The soldiers are on
a legitimate training exercise. There were so many new recruits, mostly thanks
to
you
princess, that more instructors were needed. Since the castle is
currently understaffed, I offered my personal guard to fill in the gaps. As for
the Dragon's Lair, your speech inspired others to hire them.”

Kasile's confusion faded into horrible realization.

“About the monster guards . . .” the ambassador continued. “It
should be no surprise that they vanished without a trace; they were eaten,
clothing and all. Simply because those wire cutters were made by my country
doesn't mean we were behind the release of the monsters. I heard it was the
Black Cloaks themselves because the monsters provided an excellent distraction.”

The ambassador adjusted his glasses.

“Finally, you have misunderstood the circumstances of our
meeting. Your father and I thought it best, in the name of efficiency, to
explain our positions one at a time. Just now, we were discussing what Ceiha
will do for Ataidar in exchange for those concessions weren't we, Your Majesty?”

The king nodded. More color drained from Kasile's face.

 “While we are playing detective, I would like a turn. You
frequent the Dragon's Lair very often as of late, don't you, princess? I
believe it has been for lessons, correct? Lessons in the art of hand-to-hand
combat as well as magecraft. However, they have been teaching you more than
that, haven't they? Lessons about their philosophy, how they do things, and
perhaps, how they think things
should
be?”

Kasile backed away as if in retreat. Her back hit the line
of soldiers and they didn't budge.

“You've hired the Dragon's Lair for more than lessons, am I
right? You've often hired a 'Culmus' and I hear you are quite close. In fact, I
believe he is your boyfriend. A stunning choice since the second duke of Esrah,
a young man with greater courage, devotion, and overall competence as
future-king, held that distinction until recently. Then there's another
mercenary, an 'Eric Watley,' who seems to follow you everywhere, like a paid
shadow. He was there when you were first kidnapped and he was there to rescue
you from the rogue's hideout—his reason for finding you was rather suspicious
by the way—and finally, he is your newest political puppet. Or so the public
thinks.”

The ambassador stood up and circled Kasile. “The mercenaries
have profited a great deal since you were kidnapped. So many jobs coming in
because of your endorsement and one of their own has made it to the final round
of a prestigious magic competition-his performance has been miraculous-and
lastly, their PR gained a generous boost from your report that Eric and Culmus
were not hired to rescue you nor received any reward. Most suspicious of all is
the slaying of a prominent citizen whose murderer not only walks free, but participates
in this contest.”

 The ambassador looked down on Kasile. She stared back
bravely, but Eric could feel the fear and doubt she tried desperately to hide. “I
cannot for the life of me reason out this sudden and close relationship between
the princess and the mercenaries . . .Oh yes . . .there is one possible
explanation.” He turned to the king. “Your Majesty, it is with my deepest
regret that I give you this terrible news: your daughter has been brainwashed
by the Dragon's Cult.”

I do not blame him,
Dengel said.
You hardly make
yourselves out as respectable.

“The princess is an unofficial member of this
cult
and
they have used her to achieve their own ends. The incident at the Joust, your
daughter's kidnapping and rescue, and their subsequent popularizing, are a
power play on Your Majesty's government. To stack the deck further in their
favor, they set their royal puppet on me as if
I
were the bad guy.
Surely Your Majesty knows what this means.”

The king pointed his scepter at his daughter. “Guards, arrest
that traitor!” The soldiers Kasile rallied swarmed her instead. She was in too
much shock to resist.

Eric wanted to say something, but didn't know what. The king
didn't say a word, but his steep frown said plenty. Fortunately, the Ceiha
ambassador didn't say anything more. He had said enough, in Eric's opinion. His
story was ridiculous and he was going to tell the king just that . . .until
Dengel pointed out that he was the
last
person the king would listen to.

There's gotta be something we can do!
We have to
help her!

Do you know
Kasile? Because if you did, then you
would know that she is beyond saving.
Her life is centered on serving
Ataidar and now she can no longer pursue that goal.

Someone knocked on the door. Groaning, Eric marched to it;
he didn't have time for some random guest! He looked through the peephole, and
his blood ran cold.

Soldiers were on his doorstep. They wore full armor and
carried lances and short swords. One of them stepped forward and said, “We are
the Ataidar Royal Guard Section 3: Sedition Prevention Division.” They flashed
a badge. “Are you Eric Watley?”

Eric backed away, shook his head, and rubbed his eyes. It
made sense that they were here, the ambassador—
How did they get here so
quickly?!

“Mr. Watley, we have a warrant for your arrest. Please come
quietly or we will use force.”

Eric looked frantically for another exit but there was none.
This building was supposed to be a bridge not a house.
This is what I get
for choosing cheap rent!

In a panic, he asked Dengel for a teleportation spell. The
dead mage replied that even if he
could
teach the basics of
teleportation in the next ten seconds, Eric had a better chance of killing the
soldiers single-handed than coming out of a teleport in one piece. He then
lectured on the dangers of teleporting and forgot Eric was there.

You're no help at all!

Fear creeped up from his feet and consumed his whole being.
His heart pounded and his mind raced from one idea to another.
Useless! All
of th—

CRASH!

His front door collided with the floor and the soldiers
swarmed like so many ants. Within moments, he was surrounded. One stepped
forward and withdrew a scroll.

“Eric Watley, Squad Three Novice of the Dragon's Lair, you
are formally charged with the following crimes: accomplice to kidnapping,
obstruction of justice, breaking and entering, murder in the first degree,
brainwashing of the crown princess, and conspiracy to overthrow the government.
Come quietly or we will use force.”

Chapter 20
Who
Needs Who?

“I want to see my advocate!”

“You will.” The leader held a pair of handcuffs. “Your
fellows are being arrested as we speak.”

No back up . . .
Eric chanted under his breath. If
this didn't work, he was finished. He spoke the final words, but the blinding
light wasn't his flare spell. The blue haze was a barrage of mana bolts.  

They pounded him one after another and shredded his barrier.
Over and over and over until he collapsed, barely conscious. A wave of searing
pain woke him up. Someone was holding his staff! He wanted to retch and scream
at the same time. The power of his evil eye put the soldier into shock and she
let go. One pulled her away and the rest pounced.

Three pinned him while another two held his staff in place
with their boots and two more wrenched it from his gasp with metal pliers. They
cuffed them, tethered his ankles, and fixed a soul-biting collar on his neck.
Eric couldn't feel his mana. It was gone; cut off. Dengel's warning echoed in
his mind.
“The most dangerous situation for a mage is to lose their magecraft.”

“I apologize for my subordinate's action,” the Leader said. “She's
new and doesn't understand how the Staff Taboo is accommodated by our code of
ethics.”

“Noobs never read the bloody manual,” another concurred.

“She will be punished later, and if you like, I will order
her to apologize.” Noting his confused look, the leader continued, “Yes, even
in cases such as this the taboo is given the highest respect.”

One of the many bags of junk stirred
.
A hand shot out
and grabbed his staff. Eric gasped but didn't feel pain. The hand pulled his
staff into the bag and vanished. A soldier grabbed the bag and shook it upside
down. Nothing came out. He stuck his hand in but felt only the bottom. In
frustration, he threw it on the floor, stomped on it, and walked away. The hand
reappeared and pulled his leg out from under him. The hand twiddled their
fingers and disappeared again.

Now furious, he kicked Eric. “Where is it!?”

“I don't know.” The soldier kicked him again, and he was
whacked upside the head by the leader.

“Do that again and your punishment will be termination and
jail time instead of two month's toilet cleaning and two fifty-gold fines.”