Thunder cracked across the sky, flashes of blue streaking through the clouds and illuminating the throne room where Talon sat. The king of Azzellia hid his troubles from the world. Nobody, except for his mage advisor, Qidan, knew about his recent trip to Vandalor. An event that haunted the king far more than he let on.
Despite Talon’s good intentions, sneaking into another’s chambers and killing them haunted his every waking moment. He found no refuge in his dreams as nightmares reminded him of his actions. Yet he did his duty. Never failing to meet the demands of his nation.
The only time Talon enjoyed himself was when he was too busy to think about what he did. He had used the power to create a portal into Durran’s chambers, stabbing the king with his own sword. It was an action he could never come back from. His hands were stained with the blood of someone who had done him no harm.
Killing his uncle had been self-defense and that still filled Talon with regret. That was his life now: duty and regret. There was no in-between—not anymore. He shifted in his throne where a group of officers stood, waiting for his command.
“I want every coastal city to have guards and watchtowers built. If an attack happens, I want word sent to me immediately,” Talon said. He had handpicked his most loyal officers for this task.
The officers saluted and left the throne room, leaving Talon to his thoughts. Rickard, the commander of his guards, had placed extra security around him and the palace. Durran’s death had made Rickard even more cautious than before. He imagined no king was allowed to walk freely. A consequence he accepted. One of the few positives to come from his actions would be Vandalor.
Talon would have Vandalor as an ally. That was the only reason he killed Durran. Durran’s family had been more willing to speak about an alliance. He was being patient. He killed Durran a couple of months ago. He was getting impatient and wanted to reach out to Vandalor but forced himself not to. Durran’s family would reach out when they were ready.
At least the other nations are preparing for the invaders now. Talon thought. His spies reported banners being called among the other nations in preparations for war. His plan to frame Durran’s death on the invaders worked like a charm.
Part of him wanted to summon the power to let in that feeling of invincibility. It was the only time he felt good. It was like a drug that sustained him, which was why Talon didn’t seize the power. He trained every day, learning new techniques or optimizing ways to use the power. Yet that feeling of being unstoppable was something he didn’t want to rely on to get through a day.
The double doors that led into the throne room opened and in walked Qidan, who walked straight up to Talon. The mage was firmly under Talon’s control but he had to let his advisor look like he was in control. If anyone suspected that Qidan was helping him, the other mages would suspect Talon was up to something.
“Your grace,” Qidan said once he climbed the steps and stood next to Talon.
“What news?” Talon asked.
“I have an update on the investigation of Durran’s death,” Qidan said.
About time. Talon nodded for Qidan to continue. “Three mages are investigating the murder. It seems the mages believe the power was used to kill Qidan as there isn’t any evidence of an assassin climbing through the window or sneaking in any other way.”
“I opened the window; did that not throw them off?” Talon asked.
“Unfortunately, no,” Qidan said with a sigh. “I should rephrase what I said earlier. The mages believe the power was used to get the assassin into Durran’s chambers but not to kill the king himself. One of the mages, Kaden, believes the window being open was used to try and throw them off.”
“I see,” Talon leaned his head back. What was he going to do about the mages? He couldn’t hide that he could use the power forever. He would either slip one day or the invaders would force him to reveal the power. “Is there any way this can be traced back to me?”
“Unlikely. Your idea to put the banner of the invaders on Durran’s body has made the mages believe the invaders were behind the assassination. That alone has caused quite a scene back at Mortham tower.”
“Oh? Are the mages rethinking their position of neutrality?” Talon asked.
“I’m not sure,” Qidan said. He looked around the throne room before continuing. “The Kaidin is debating with the other counselors on whether to engage the invaders if they strike or wait to see what they do. If there are no power users, the mages likely won’t intervene.”
The Kaidin, the leader of all Mortham Tower mages, was a position of immense power.. Every mage answered to him. The current Kaidin, Fadamar Kroot, is considered to be one of the most powerful mages and has been leading the mages for over thirty years.
Talon recalled the Kaidin talking to his father once. Far as he knew, that was the last time Fadamar had visited Carhan. “That’s good news. I have no doubts the invaders will have their own mages,” Talon said.
“The discussion is nowhere near decided. Some of the counselors want to watch the invaders if – when they attack and not to engage unless there’s no other choice. I suspect Fadamar might push to talk with the invaders before doing any battle,” Qidan said.
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“I need to find a solution to the mages,” Talon said, drumming the armrests with his fingers. “I can’t hide my use of the power forever.”
Qidan didn’t say anything, which was fine. The mages were going to become a problem and he needed a solution sooner rather than later. The question was, what could he do? There was an idea but could he dare go for it?
“I’ve got a question for you. How many people do you think can use the power that don’t know they can or refuse to go to Mortham tower?” Talon asked.
“That’s a good question,” Qidan looked out the window as lightning flew among the clouds, along with a loud boom from the thunder. “A lot. Not many know this but Mortham tower rarely goes on recruiting missions.”
“Why?”
“There’s no threat to our power. A lot of mages don’t feel the need to grow our numbers when we have enough as it is. Recruiting strangers can cause problems we mages don’t want to deal with. If I had to guess, I would bet there are thousands—perhaps tens of thousands—of people who can use the power but either don’t know or choose not to join Mortham tower.”
“That many?” Talon said, unable to hide his surprise. He was expecting a thousand at most. If there were so many potential power users out there... This was something to think about. “I’m surprised you would tell me how many potential rogue power users there could be.”
“Why?” Qidan asked.
“No reason,” Talon said. “Tell me, if I asked you before becoming king, would you have told me the answer?”
“No,” Qidan said. “No mage would willingly give that information away. That knowledge could give people bad ideas.”
“A threat to your power you mean.”
“Precisely,” Qidan hesitated for a moment and shrugged. “Why do you ask? Are you planning something?”
“No,” Talon said. A dangerous idea that he would need to think about. Even under his control, Talon doubted he would ever trust Qidan completely. “There’s a lot I don’t know about you mages. If I want to beat these invaders, I need to ask many questions to help form a plan.”
“You want the mages to start recruiting like the olden days?”
“Of course not,” Talon scoffed. He found himself getting irritated. “I need to think about some things.”
“As you say,” Qidan took the comment as a dismissal and walked down the steps.
Talon watched him leave, wondering how much the mage might know of his plans. There were so many things in motion that he found it difficult to keep track of it all. He didn’t dare write any ideas down. All it would take is a servant getting nosy to ruin everything. A slight misstep was all it would take to be taken down.
Sighing, Talon stood up and walked down the steps. He was going to meet with Corvin, Peitar, and Arthur. He needed to know how his friends were doing for he would need them to be by his side and soon.
He understood why the mages wouldn’t want the average person to know about all the potential power users out in the world. Someone would surely try to create a rival group of power users to take out Mortham tower. A king would as well.
Of course, hiding a group of power users from Mortham tower was going to be hard. The mages were very thorough in investigating rogue power users. How could someone hide a group of power users from the mages? A group of people using the power would stick out to anyone who could use the power.
The thought was gone before Talon could think on it further as he arrived to where Corvin, Peitar, and Arthur were standing. He quickly noticed the new armor and swords on his friends.
Peitar’s hair was trimmed and he looked more like a knight now than he ever did before. Arthur looked like a prince. His hair was slicked back and his armor was shining. He looked relaxed as he stood there.
“Your grace,” Peitar and Arthur said at the same time. Both bowed deeply.
“My friends, no need to be so formal in private,” Talon said.
“We haven’t talked much in over a year; can you blame us for being so formal?” Arthur asked.
“I suppose not,” Talon said. He had hidden who he was when hanging out with Peitar and Arthur as he dressed as a commoner and befriending other common people. A much simpler time, one that Talon missed greatly.
“Thank you for all you’ve done for us,” Peitar said. “I’ve learned so much about fighting. No wonder you beat us all the time.”
“I was trained by the best,” Talon said, turning to Corvin. “Corvin, how are they progressing?”
“Very well,” Corvin said. Peitar and Arthur straightened when the commander started speaking. “They are both exceptional fighters. A bit stubborn but they are learning fast. I see them moving up quickly in the ranks.”
“Excellent,” Talon said. He had hoped his friends would thrive in this environment. They both wanted to prove they were worthy of being knights and he would bet they were working harder than most of the other trainees. “You better not be going easy on them.”
“I would never,” Corvin said.
“I know,” Talon turned back to his friends. “Both of you are important to my plans. You will be fighting in battles and doing missions for me. I trust you and want you to be well-trained. The missions I plan to give you will not be easy. Does this frighten you?’
“Not at all,” Arthur said quickly. “To serve you would be an honor.”
“What he said,” Peitar said, grinning from ear to ear. “We’ll do everything we can to help you out. You’ve given us an opportunity nobody else would.”
Yes, that is one reason I trust you. Talon felt guilty with that thought. He wished he could go back to being a prince and sparring with his friends. A part of him would worry about Peitar and Arthur, especially when it came to fighting. It was a worry for another time. “We’ll celebrate once you finish your training. For now, I have to speak with Corvin for a moment.”
“That means you two need to get out of here,” Corvin said sternly when the two boys weren’t moving.
“Ah, sorry commander!” Peitar exclaimed.
Both boys walked away quickly. Talon didn’t bother hiding his amusement. Military commanders were harsh and he was sure his friends had learned that the hard way. “Thank you for training them as you did with me.”
“I do as my king commands,” Corvin said.
“Still, you didn’t argue,” Talon said. “Anyway, how is the royal army coming along?”
“The recent assassination on Durran and the attack on Talin Grad have been good for us. Volunteers are at an all-time high. Many of the lords that were against this have been changing their tune,” Corvin said.
“Good,” Talon said. He hadn’t thought about recruitment when killing Durran. He was glad another positive could come of that event. “Do you need anything? Weapons? Supplies?”
“No, we have plenty, for now.”
Talon nodded and turned around. “I have some things to do, keep up the good work,” he said and walked off. Quick meetings were nice, something he was sure his commander appreciated as well.
The royal army was coming together, the other nations were preparing for war. There was now one concern Talon needed to deal with. He needed to think of a solution to the mage problem and an idea was blossoming like a flower. If he proceeded, he would either destroy his kingdom or secure its prosperity for generations to come.