Sytravious: The Lost Warlock Of Moruz (The Oathbreaker Book 1) (6 page)

Chapter 4

A Look Into The Past

S
ytravious shot up in bed, covered in a cold sweat, his vivid dream still fresh in his mind.  He looked around the obscurity of the room.  There was no way of knowing what the hour was in the windowless basement.  He assumed it was very early morning.  With a quick exhale, he collapsed backwards onto his pillow.

 “Am I correct in assuming you still have nightmares that haunt your slumber?”  Nyxseous asked as she emerged from the dark shadows of the room. 

Still in a state of unease from his dream, he jumped at the sound of his mother’s voice.  “Do you never sleep, and instead choose to lurk around my bed and stare at me all night?”  

Nyxseous sat down at the foot of his bed.  “I can get plenty of sleep when I am dead, but for now, answer my question.  You know Sytravious, your nightmares have increasingly become a distraction in your life.  You are a grown man, not a little boy.  You should be beyond these childish nightmares.” 

She produced a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped his damp brow.  As usual, her actions contradicted her words, but it was something Sytravious had learned to accept from her. 

“Son, whatever fears are plaguing your mind, conquer them and move on.” 

 He pushed her hand away from his face, “It was not a nightmare, just a pointless dream.” 

“Well maybe if you explain it out loud, you can make some sense of it, and it will ease your mind.”

Accepting her suggestion, Sytravious told her, “It started at the base of these massive mountains, which were so huge they jutted through the clouds.  However, it was not a coincidence I ended up there.  It was as if I could feel a strange energy from within, calling me to enter the depths of the territory.  Terrified, I tried to escape and felt as if a giant claw kept pulling me back.  Then all of a sudden, I felt the sensation of flight, as if I was a powerful, giant bird soaring through the sky.  Only then was I able to escape the mountains and fly south and it was there I saw a large army.” 

“I saw that they were marching south, but had come to a halt due to a colossal wall of red fire and smoke blocking their path.  I was under the impression that they were overwhelmed by the capacity of the force of nature.  It spread across the entire horizon, covering any area between the ground and sky, but something told me to go through it.  Therefore, I did.  I flew right into it and came out on the other side, unscathed.  I felt triumphant, until the ominous clawing at my back returned.  Unable to escape, it wrapped around my neck from behind, choking me until my last breath... then I woke up.”  He rubbed his neck, where he had felt the claws.  “What do you make of it?”

His mother had been wide-eyed during the entire story.  “I am not sure.” 

He could always tell when she was lying to him.  He eyed her with suspicion.  “So
none
of that sounded like it meant anything to you?”

“Sure it was some crazy dream you had, but it is just that, a dream.  You know once your stepfather told me he dreamt of giant mice attacking the forge,” she said with a chuckle.  “But, in response, we did not hail the city guard in the morning to prepare for a rodent army.” 

Sytravious knew she was just being downright ridiculous.  Of course, there was no rodent army, but what he had seen seemed so authentic.  He felt there was something more to what he had seen.

“Here son, I shall teach you a simple technique that will help clear your mind before you sleep.  It is a meditation my father taught me when I was once weighted down by nightmares.  Your grandfather thought nightmares were an attack on one’s mind, by enemy forces, meant to poison our thoughts and weaken our psychological strength.” 

His mother had managed to catch his attention with the mention of her father.  Sytravious was rarely afforded the opportunity to hear tales about his family.  He only knew of Nyxseous and Nysight, and even then, the information was kept to a minimum.  Nevertheless, he remained curious about them.

When he was younger, he used to ask about their lives before he was born, but had learned he was no match for his mother’s stubbornness.  After being snubbed many times, Nysight told him if he was patient, his mother would reveal the family history in due time.

“This could possibly be that time!”  Sytravious thought.  He was careful when approaching the topic and said, “That is strange, you have never mentioned
him
before.” 

“Uh…mentioned who?” 

“My grandfather, your father.  What was he like?  Why have you not told me about him before?” 

Nyxseous stared at her son a long time, contemplating her response.  She stood up and walked over to the wall where the torch hung.  Sytravious watched as his mother sparked a small black flame from the tip of her finger, illuminating the room with a golden glow.  His eyes adjusted to the lighting before he realized Nysight was not in the other bed, which meant it
was
early morning.  His stepfather must have already left for the forge, making it the perfect opportunity for Nyxseous to speak openly with him.

“Your grandfather was a great man Sytravious.  Many respected him.  His name was well known from shore to shore.  He was once the head of a historically great house and was very wealthy.  He was able to attain many allies by using his influence to achieve many storied feats.  However, with his success also came many enemies.” 

Sytravious was about to ask her a question, but she held up her hand to stop him from interrupting her.  “He was a lord, which meant our family was very privileged.  Never had I ever believed that we would be living in the situation that we are in now.”  She sighed.  “My father was betrayed, by someone very close to him.  That day, my entire family was massacred.  Everything I once knew was taken from me.” 

He could see the sadness in his mother’s blue eye
s
.
 
“Including my real father?” 

“Yes, he too died that day. I could have been killed that day s well, if it had not been for Nysight.  He rescued me, and we escaped while you were still in my womb.  I knew he had loved me since the days when he served as the Weapons Master for my father, so, once we settled in to our new lives, we got married.”  She gave Sytravious a small smile and stood up.

“So we live here, in poverty and solitude, just to hide from your enemies of the past?”

Insulted by his tone, she snapped at him, “No!  We live here, in poverty and solitude because we need to gain strength to avenge our family name!” 

“What is our family name?  Who are the adversaries we need to kill?  Are we not strong enough
now
?”  He knew he had pressed the topic too far with his barrage of questions, but he could not resist. 

“That is enough!  Perhaps you can find inspiration in the information I have shared with you today.  Think about it the next time you want to neglect the education Nysight and I are trying to provide to you.” 

With those last words, the conversation had ended.  Sytravious paused to glare at his mother, before throwing the covers off his legs.  As he leaned over and grabbed his boots, he could feel his mother’s stare follow his every move.  He put his shoes on, got up, and walked out the door.

The early morning sun shined bright on his face when he stepped out of The Trapper House.  At this hour, he was supposed to be joining Nysight in the forge, but Sytravious liked to take advantage of daybreak, using it for his own interests.  Mornings were the best time to pocket new stuff.  The unsuspecting merchants were just setting up their stands.  They were busy and distracted, which provided him with the necessary chance to grab what he could.

He walked down the wide street that ran through the district.  Citizens crowded the road, ready to begin their shopping.  He surveyed the dealers that were out today and listened to the bargaining going on, as he strolled around.  Without a second thought, he pocketed two dinner rolls as he passed the baker’s stand.

He was just snatching some copper coins from a man’s pocket, when a loud commotion caught his attention.  Sytravious pushed through the people gathering around the spectacle, to find a band of soldiers escorting an old man from his home.  It had likely been a case of unlawful possession of magic paraphernalia, and as unfortunate as the situation was, he did not want to let such an ideal opportunity go untouched.

He looked up to see where the old man had resided.  It was a villa built above the market.  Figuring he could be in and out before anyone would arrive from the castle to investigate, he slipped around to the back alley and began to climb the wall.  He pulled himself over the balcony, before entering the old man’s study.  In the room, stacks upon stacks of old books produced a stale, musty smell.  He examined the area and decided to rummage through the desk. 

After shuffling through stacks of parchment that were covered with instructions for various spells, he found a small leather pouch that contained a few potions and herbs.  Motivated to find any other worthwhile magic items the old man might have possessed, Sytravious shoved the pouch into his pocket and continued probing through the man’s belongings.  Just as he began grabbing some more valuables, he heard footsteps approaching. 

His heist would have to come to a sudden stop. He cursed under his breath and tiptoed in the direction of balcony from which he had entered
.
 
He could hear men conversing on the other side of the study door.  Sytravious knew he had to get out; being caught was not an option.  With each silent step he took, he felt more and more that this impromptu plan had been a bad idea.  If he were caught, no sentence from the warden would be worse than his mother’s wrath.  It did not matter where he would be locked away, she would track him down and make him pay for the shame he had brought upon the family.  He shuddered just thinking about it.

He was distracted by that thought and did not see the pile of books he kicked over.  A cloud of dust filled the air as the books tumbled to the ground.  His time was up.  He heard the door slam open behind him and he dashed forward.  He was grabbing the balcony railing to jump over it, when he heard, “Stop right there!” 

He held his hands up in the air.  While his back was facing the man, Sytravious was mentally devising a spell, fully intending to end the stranger’s life so that he may save his own.  He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, and turned to kill the man, but when he saw him, he realized it was no stranger at all, but an old friend by the name of Elric Duegar.  Relief consumed Sytravious and he could not help but laugh.

“What are
you
doing here?”  Elric blurted out. 

“What do you mean, ‘what are
you
doing here’?  Did you think I could resist the opportunity to tease you about that bizarre outfit you have to wear?”  He pointed to Elric’s uniform.

Atop his head was a tall white hat, topped with a fluffy yellow feather.  He wore a crisp, white dress outfit with a cape strapped around his neck.  As he eyed his friend’s ridiculous ensemble, he thought it had to be the most over the top uniform in the city.  It was the official attire of the City Constable.

Clearly annoyed, Elric reminded him, “You know I just got promoted.”  Irritated, he continued, “Seriously, Sytravious please do not tell me you snuck into a crime scene to give me grief.  You could be imprisoned for even stepping foot in here.” 

“I know that, but like I said before, I had to get up here to taunt you.”  A wide grin spread across his face.

In all honesty, he had completely forgotten that Elric had been promoted.  Though they were good friends, since becoming Constable, it was hard to find him.  Elric had failed to show up for the past few weeks when his brother, Bryce, and Sytravious would catch up at The Trapper House for a drink.  With Elric’s sparse attendance, he had pushed the news of the promotion to the back of his mind.  Regardless of the fact that he had had not seen him for a while, he was thankful Elric was here now, as Constable.  It meant his friend had the authority to let him leave the scene, allowing him to avoid any trouble.

Elric frowned for a moment, while he considered the explanation, and gave Sytravious a look of disapproval.  “Well you got me.  I know I look comical, but it is a prestigious position.  I worked hard to achieve this.  So, as amused as you may be, one day I may be commanding the entire city guard.” 

               Sytravious mocked him, “
Prestigious
?  You have come a long way from the kid that used to peep up girls’ skirts at the market.” 

His friend chuckled as he recalled their childish pastimes. 

Sensing it was the perfect time to leave, he said, “Alright Constable, I will let you get back to your prestigious work.  I just wanted to say ‘hello’ and get a good laugh in.” 

“I understand, but next time, look for me when I am not on duty.  Attempting a prank, like illegally entering a crime scene, is a real crime Sytravious.  If someone else had walked in on this joke of yours, it would not have been so funny then.”