Chapter Sixty Three

P O I S O N I N G : WHEATS, TREATS, DELETES

The poisoning of Mercedes Von Lux starts off with a prophecy.

“And it states, when the river runs red, look to the head. When the wheat lies white, run for your life.” She gave a dramatic pose. “For he will spread it across the land like a plague!”

“So..”

“Cool right?”

“..what does it even mean?”

“It means-”

“-that you will find the source at the red river. If the wheat turns white it’s too late.”

“Too late for what?”

“Poison.”

Morph huddled into his back.

The prophecy was to help Osiris find the source of the plague. Only Osiris will be able to see the red river. The poison kills the crops and infects their seeds and pollen. When they start to decay the wind will take it across the land and wipe out all of their other food supplies.

People who eat the dead or dying crops will get sick with a lethal virus. As far as he knows, there was never a cure found.

“..”

He found the red river.

It was a bright red fuchsia color. He could see little white particles of mana mixed in. He could tell the poison was already halfway into infecting some of the crops. Luckily Kou’s water source is monitored before it’s distributed, meaning it’s not attached to the rest. He says it’s to keep any sicknesses away from his food that could come from the river.

“..”

He was almost sure that’s the right way to do things, but then again, he’s thinking about quarantine tanks for fish, not plants.

They followed the riverbed until Osiris found the source. It was a tiny bead, the size of a pinhead. He remembers Isabella saying the original had a hard time finding it. He picked it up. He can imagine why. Osiris popped it in his mouth and bit into it. It cracked his molar.

“Ow, shit, why did I do that?!”

He held his jaw. He was starting to lose himself to his impulsive thoughts again.

“A-Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just did something stupid.”

“What’d you do?”

“Tried to bite a rock.”

“..”

He spit it out and used his fingers to crush it. Little shards of glass flew in the wind. He looked back and-

The river was still red.

“Hm.”

He tapped his chin.

He was sure Isabella only mentioned one jewel. He squinted his eyes and caught at least thirty other shiny beads in the grass.

“..”

They were going to be here all day.

At dawn the river was still red and he was out of patience. The wheat has started to gray. Most, if not all of the crops were infected. Even Kou’s.

“..”

“Well.” He dusted off his hands. “I tried.”

“P-Prince, what brings you to the fields?”

Kou had a little old farming family working for him. They stayed on the land and her son’s kill the beasts that try to steal from the crops. He pointed to a graying crop.

“It’s sick. I can smell poison on them.”

A hand covered her mouth.

“The prophecy!”

“Yup.” He looked back at the fields. “If this continues it’ll infect the entire land.”

“W-What do we do?”

“I can destroy the land.” He felt the wind excitedly ruffle his clothes. “I can prevent it from spreading, but we will lose everything.”

“D-Didn’t you say everything was infected?”

“It is.”

“Then haven’t we already lost everything?”

“..”

Osiris could see more and more farmers headed their way.

“How many work for the Queen?”

The little lady dropped her shaky hand to her chin in thought.

“I know ten, but most are from the King. He’s taken charge of food ever since…”

She gave him a look.

He handed her a stack of cards.

“Give these to the men you trust. Do not tell anyone. And do not let the Queen find out until after news of what I’m about to do, breaks.”

“Yes my Prince.”

Kou’s people always know how to deal with him. He smiled at her.

“Stay with me until the other’s arrive. Listening to you might make this easier for them.”

“We’ve all lost crops before my boy.” She patted his arm. “But this one is going to hurt.”

“It’s either that or death.”

“I’d rather die in my sleep, thank you.”

He chuckled with her.

No one liked the news.

One of the men even ate some and died bleeding from every orifice of his body. It was disgusting and made Morpheus gag.

“..”

Everyone looked at the body as it bled out.

“I told you so.”

Damn, that was fast.

He died within ten minutes. He was also sure Isabella told him it took a day to show..

Finally they began to listen. He gave them an hour to pack up and leave. It was picking up speed and the longer they waited the longer that wheat would start to bridle and spread. He promised that the land would return to normal after a few weeks, and be better than before. Most didn’t believe him, but Kou’s people looked relieved. He was going to make sure the center was on Kou’s land. He had potent, flourishing mana. It would be good for them.

“..”

The wheat was starting to break apart.

He really didn’t need to do this. He could tell Kou to change his land and move on, but then they would need to import, and the war would make that impossible. He could eat the flesh of his enemies and live. They cannot. Without supplies, Kou won’t be able to make his detoxes. And if their supplies are delayed, his men could starve. Osiris sighed sadly at all the work put into this plan. What a waste..

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Osiris paused.

“Did you want to go with them while I do this? I’m sure the little lady can-”

“No!”

“Okay, if you’re sure.” He looked up. “Because we’re going up there.”

He pointed to the sky.

“I’m sure-”

Osiris jumped a few feet into the air. He was screaming bloody murder.

They landed with a small puff.

“..”

“I’m going to be going much higher than that.”

“W-WHY?!”

“Did you want to stay back?”

“..”

He answered by shoving his head as far as he could into the swaddle. Osiris pulled the covering up and over his head.

“Hold on.”

He yelped but stayed quiet as they rose through the sky. Osiris kept a snug hold of his ego around the boy as he looked towards the distance. They were still too close.

“Hm..”

What if he tries a laser approach-

The ground shook and rocks and animals scattered.

“Okay, sheesh, hold on.”

If he wrapped his ego around the area he might be able to contain the heat. With a laser he won’t have to worry about debris or shock waves, but the heat will be unbearable. He’ll be fine, it’s his mana. But the people down below. He didn’t want to cause Kou any more grief for this.

He propelled them further into the air.

“Can you do it?” His mana responded with a vigorous nod. “You better cause if they die-”

It waved an invisible hand at him. He smirked.

“Morpheus, just remember, I’m not going to hurt you.”

“W-What-”

All ten of his rings popped as his mana started to build. Morpheus fainted.

“..”

Well that solves that. Osiris looked down at the small ball of molten lava twirling violently in a small sphere.

“Tighter.”

His mana compressed.

He could feel it start to burn his flesh.

“Now.”

The farmer’s were frozen as they watched a beam of nearly pure red and orange light shoot from the Prince’s purch straight into their land.

They were blinded.

The little farmer lady squinted at the ground and noticed waves of heat headed their way. It was turning everything into ash. She screamed but the heat stopped a foot from their feet.

It hit a barrier.

“Let’s go mom.”

Her son’s shaky hands pulled her from the border.

She watched some of the grass lean towards the heat as they stepped away.

“…yes, let’s go ho-let’s just go…”

“..”

Osiris stood in the twenty foot crater he created. His mana was already being eaten by the earth.

“Let's make a pathway at least.”

On his way up, he stomped a pretty even staircase up the side. It should work until they fix it.

The King of Nox broke his pen.

Another one of his spells broke.

Osiris headed into the forest after he was sure the farmer’s were long gone. He'd probably catch up to them if he walked all night.

“W-What is are-”

Aaaand he was out again.

He can’t handle his mana at all.

That was dangerous.

Osiris decided to spend a few days in the wild with Morph. He’ll probably hate him for it, but he was glad he caught this now and not later.

“I hope you’ll forgive me for it one day.”

He smiled and patted his head.

It took several more attempts by Luella until Morpheus decided, for himself, to stay with Goss all on his own.

“You promise to call?”

“Yes, and if you call, remember sometimes I can’t pick up right away, okay?”

He was crying into his shirt, but this time it was with a lighter heart.

“Okay..”

Osiris lifted him into a hug.

He didn’t smell like a pup anymore.

After the farm incident they stayed and camped. It did wonders for his self esteem once he was able to walk with him along a path. When they returned he had to face hell since he didn’t save any of the infected crops, but like he promised, the land returned with more life than before.

The goodbye was bitter sweet.

There were hugs and tears, but he still had to leave.

Osiris stood at the elven land edge. He decided to take the long route home this time.

That night it was a little harder to fall asleep.

It was spring break and the Headmaster kicked him off campus. His siblings have been making his life hell, and he guesses he can understand. Even he was tired of them. Osiris laid on the dinner table in the empty castle.

His sooks were taking another break, and he was stuck with his family for two weeks.

“..”

Osiris went to his room and slept.

3 A.M.

Osiris was awoken by people slamming his door open. He blinked at them.

It was the Queen and her men, she had tear streaks down her face. She looked ugly.

“You’ve gone too far this time Osiris.”

He squinted at her.

“What the fuck are you talking-”

He felt her mana field activate.

“Do not pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about!”

The Queen’s gift was judgment.

Within her little field she can tell when another is lying or not. She had the powers of speak no evil, see no evil, hear no evil. Blinding, deafening, and silencing. He can still remember that sticky tape over his mouth.

“I don’t.”

He didn’t. This could be something his men did, or something he did yesterday and forgot.

The Queen grit her teeth as she heard no lie.

That’s impossible.

They may not have mana eyes, but they had a mage that can tell the difference between mana. And he knows all of the royal family by heart. He found traces of the boy's mana on her daughter’s dead corpse.

He sat up. He was shirtless.

“Seriously, what-”

“There were traces of your mana found on Mercedes’s body.”

“..”

So it’s the poisoning.

Osiris yawned and started to roll to the edge of his bed. The men went to move but Osiris’s eyes stopped them.

“Touch me and you die.”

He hasn’t been sleeping well, and now the Queen came to bother him about something he didn’t even do.

Osiris walked by the Queen and started to look through his drawers. She wanted to move but her mana told her to stay still. The boy had deep bags under his eyes. He looked sick.

The Queen watched him raise a vial in the air, nod, then fucking vanish.

“Find him!”

Luella and Axel were crying over her body when he found them.

“You-”

He threw Luella across the room and into a wall. He could hear a few ribs break. Axel took a step back.

“W-”

“Shut it. I don’t have time to play games with you today.”

He shoved Axel and he fell on his ass. It hurt.

“Ow, fuck.”

Luella was having a panic attack from the pain.

Axel watched Osiris lift a bottle he had in his hand and bite the cork before spitting it at him.

“Pathetic, ALL of you. Can’t even tell the difference between planted mana and traces. I should just kill them.”

Osiris was standing over Mercedes.

She wasn’t dead, not yet. It was a slow acting poison, it had to be. If she shows symptoms right away, then it is possible to be caught in time, and making him the scapegoat wouldn’t work so well in that situation.

But should he even save her?

He looked at her.

Just a few more months. You’ve made it this far, right?

He poured the liquid into his mouth before spitting it into her slightly open jaw.

“If anyone disturbs me again I will kill them.”

Osiris shattered the vial then vanished.

The Queen was there not a moment later.

“Where-”

A cough.

Their eyes snapped down.

“Mom?”

Claudia had her in her arms as she sobbed.

Luella limped over and Axel sat up straight.

“Did he-”

“Really just-”

“Save her?”

Claudia pulled back to look at her daughter’s pale face. She was clammy, and sweaty, but she was alive. The Queen’s heart skipped. She was still alive. Claudia held her face in her hands. She almost lost her. She almost lost-

“Did he really do it?”

It was Darwin. He was standing at the back after he felt his brother arrive. Just one look and he could see he was exhausted.

“….”

Claudia looked at her alive daughter.

“When I asked he told the truth. He had no idea this happened.”

“Before he left he said we couldn’t tell the difference between planted and traces.”

“….”

Claudia pursed her lips.

That means someone else is after their heads.

“This isn’t good.”

Luella bit a nail and cringed, holding her side instead.

“If what he said is true-”

“Then-”

“Who else was it?”