Cicero examined Lucullus carefully. “Thank you, captain. I’ll send him back to King Titus once I’m finished.”

Amadeus nodded, and left the chamber.

Lucullus felt slightly overwhelmed by Cicero’s chamber. So the rumors are true. His attention was held mostly by the small statue, which resembled the art on Draco’s walls. “I guess what they say is true, to some extent.”

Cicero briefly broke his concentration on his examination. “And what do they say?”

“Well, they say you’re a sorcerer, like the Dasos. But I know they mistake a sorcerer for a Mystiko user.”

Cicero chuckled. “I thought I was the only Lucium native who knew that term.” He went over to an altar — it at least appeared to be an altar — and opened a book which sat upon it. “I’m aware of the public’s distrust of me and my counsel. They think I’m a bad influence on my liege. Most of this is because of what Archduchess Sabina rambles about in public.”

“She seems to be good at sowing chaos in Lucium.”

“That, she is. But enough about rumors and general ignorance. You’re here to earn freedom, and I shall tell you how to do it.”

“I assume there must be some book you have that will help.”

He shook his head. “Not quite.” He grabbed a sealed letter from his desk. “But I know where you can find such books and records.” He motioned for Lucullus. “I want to show you something.”

Lucullus walked over, and looked down at the desk. “A map?”

“Indeed. It’s a map you’ll need for your adventures — not just one, but quite a few — and you’ll need this letter.” He handed Lucullus the letter.

“What’s in it?”

“Your ticket into the Alexandrian College of Aeras.”

Lucullus looked at him like he spoke a foreign language.

He sighed. “Think of it as a mages’ college. Those who seek to practice Mystiko travel there to learn. It’s a Savronite college, so a foreign layman like you won’t get in without a trusted person to accompany you. But since I can’t go with you — my duties in the royal court get in the way of travel opportunities — I will give you a letter confirming that I sent you on my behalf. It will tell them all they need to know, and it will allow you to have access to all you need in the archives. The superiors at the college can be quite tight on who can see what in the archives.”

“And the maps?”

“Those are for your benefit while traveling. You’ll be heading off to foreign lands, and it would be wise to have good maps of where you’re going. I don’t know exactly where your search will lead you, so I tried to get every decent map I could of the nations west and south of Lucium. Some maps are more helpful than others — Thalassa isn’t exactly well-documented with all those hostile giants roaming about.”

Lucullus studied over the maps. “I guess I should familiarize myself with Emporikos. Never thought I’d be going there…”

He chuckled. “The Savra have a way of weaving the greatest surprises into our lives. I said the same thing as you many years ago.”

“I once spoke with a man up north who knew about these Savra. What exactly are they?”

Cicero smiled. “Good to see you taking an interest in them. They are great spiritual beings, not belonging to any physical species of creature, though they may manifest an illusion of a physical form. They are often depicted as similar to dragons — quite majestic beings, unlike the type of dragon Chaodis is depicted as — but in truth, they only appear as such so that we may be able to describe them better with our language.”

Lucullus silently nodded along, taking in the explanation at his own pace.

“But I’m sure you’ll learn all of this and much more once you reach the college. Before I waste too much time keeping you from going on your mission, I must do one more thing.”

Lucullus took a step back. “And what might that be?”

“King Titus asked me to ensure that you wouldn’t desert your mission — not that he nor I think you will — just to keep anyone from being too suspicious.”

“And how do you plan to do that?”

Cicero picked up his book from the altar. “I know you might be quite apprehensive about it, but I must use Mystiko on you.”

Lucullus assumed a defensive stance. “What?”

“Relax. I wouldn’t put you in unnecessary danger.”

“Then what kind of danger are you putting me in?”

He turned the book around to show him. “It is a spell which can be undone, and which there is a countermeasure to keep it from overtaking you.”

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“What does this spell do to me, exactly?”

“It puts inside of you a parasite.”

Lucullus’s heart skipped a beat. “Parasite! Are you trying to kill me? How can I travel halfway across the world with a parasite eating away at me?”

“Not a physical parasite. It is more of a spiritual energy that I will place inside you. There is a prayer you must say frequently if you wish to keep it from killing you.”

Lucullus took another step back. “This sounds like something a Chaodite would do.”

Cicero pointed at him. “Don’t accuse me of being a Chaodite! They only use Mystiko for evil.”

“Then why do you know spells like that?”

He sighed. “It was originally used as a means of fighting the Chaodite masters. They were too powerful to keep as prisoners. And converting them was a hopeless endeavor. A spell was made, that it might curb their power and thin their numbers, and a prayer was added to prevent its negative effects. The prayer would only work if the form and intention were both correct.”

“Intention?”

He nodded. “It was also a test to see if a Chaodite had truly renounced Chaodis. If they did, then their recitation of the prayer would be very efficacious. If they didn’t, then their prayers would ring hollow in the heavens above, and they would continue in their affliction. I know that you have started to see the truth, so I am confident, as long as you say the prayer frequently, that you will be fine.”

Lucullus felt his heart beat normally again, but his apprehension was still strong. “If this was such a great weapon, why are the Chaodites a problem?”

He grabbed materials, presumably for the spell. “You’ll find out when I do the spell.” He began flicking oil from a little bottle in his hand, and dotted the room with it. “First, I need you to kneel down.”

Lucullus scratched the back of his head. “Okay…” He did as instructed, though in a hesitant manner.

Cicero took a small makeshift podium, and put his book on it. He began to recite prayers in a language similar to Dasosan, but with elements foreign to any language on the continent. He opened his hands, and lifted them up toward the ceiling. Occasionally glancing back at the book, he performed the ritual in one smooth motion, as if he was a master. He mentioned Lucullus’s name in the middle of one of the prayers as he brought his hands together, and placed them on Lucullus’s head. After a few moments, he said his final prayer, and stepped back from Lucullus. As he did, he nearly fell backwards, but caught himself on a chair.

Lucullus reached out to catch him. “Are you alright?”

Cicero recomposed himself. “Quite so. As you can see, this little ritual isn’t something that can be done quickly like casting fire. Far from simple, this spell is just as tiring for me as breaking horses is for you.”

“Breaking horses isn’t quite the same as whatever that was.”

“True. But my point is that such rituals are rarely able to be done. When they are able to be done, on a master Chaodite no less, it is a great relief to the whole world. It took a great deal of power on my end to do it. It certainly isn’t something for the faint of heart. Many years of practice in Mystiko and meditation have allowed me to be able to do it successfully. In a way, it’s both a spiritual and physical task, showing both aspects to be intertwined.”

Lucullus clutched his forehead. “That’s nice, but how do I prevent these symptoms from getting worse. I seem to be feeling an intense headache, and I can only assume your ritual had something to do with it.”

He chuckled. “Listen carefully, this is the prayer which you must say frequently: ‘Aeras, wisest of the Savra; channel within my soul a great flow of Pnevma, and open to me thy wisdom and strength.’”

“Pnevma?”

“You’ll learn more about it at the college. But just so you have a basic idea, it is a word for spiritual strength. Think of it as water flowing in a river; it brings life to the fish, as it does for us, though by a different means. If you grew barley on a field, and suddenly there was no more water to irrigate the land, the field would become barren; so, too, does your soul if the flow of Pnevma is not properly maintained. Of course, you’ll learn far more from consulting the archives than from me.”

“I guess I have two prayers to keep up.”

“Two?”

Lucullus nodded. “One from you, and one from that spirit that visited me three times.”

“Ah yes, I think you mentioned something about prayers in the hearing, but I didn’t know the spirit commanded you a specific prayer. I would be very interested to know what this prayer is.”

He shrugged. “I don’t know the name of it, or what all purposes it’s used for. The spirit just told me to pray it, and meditate on its meaning; I’m still figuring that one out.”

“Please do share the words of this prayer.”

“Very well: ‘O Hikma, source of all grace, protect me from the snares of my enemies, and lead me always on the path of Thy holy light’.”

Cicero went a little pale. “Hikma? Are you sure that’s what you heard?”

Lucullus nodded. “I’ve yet to figure out the actual meaning of that word. I think I get what the rest of it means, but that one word is so foreign. I knew a guy from my time in the Avarus Wall who seemed to be familiar with a lot of spiritual stuff, but he couldn’t discern its actual meaning, or its origin.”

“How is it that an apparition told you to pray directly to Hikma? That name is hardly spoken of.”

“I’m just doing as the spirit told me. It seemed to know how best to direct me away from danger. It predicted the quakes and blizzard that allowed me to escape, and was the only reason I attempted an escape. The prayer kept me from dying in the blizzard, just as it promised. And it also predicted that Titus would offer me my freedom, and not condemn me, and that I was to accept his offer.” He shrugged. “The spirit hasn’t been wrong so far.”

“You must’ve been chosen for a great mission if you were given a prayer without the involvement of any Savra.”

“All I know is that the spirit has a perfect prediction record.”

“Very interesting. Well, I won’t keep you. You probably should get back with the king. I bet he’s wondering what’s taking so long.”

As Lucullus met with the king, he was given new armor and weapons, and all the supplies he would need to reach the college. Titus and Amadeus walked with him to the stables to show him his horse.

Titus stroked the horse’s mane. “She’s a good horse, and a fast one, too. I hope and pray for the success of your mission, Lucullus. Even now, you show yourself to be truly loyal to Lucium.”

Lucullus mounted the horse, and adjusted his stirrups. “I promise I’ll bring your daughter back home. Either you’ll see me with her in tow, or you won’t see me at all. And I will bring back proof of the conspiracy.”

“I hope so. Somehow, I think these two things are intertwined, but I just pray that what you say about the conspiracy is wrong.”

“I wish it was,” Lucullus admitted, looking down and letting his expression turn grim.

Amadeus and Titus saluted Lucullus as he rode off.

“I hope you know what you’re doing, sire. He seems too wild to let loose like this.”

Titus turned to Amadeus. “I assure you, captain, that I have taken every precaution I can. Besides, I’m not concerned about his loyalty. I’m worried about whether he’ll make it back.”

“That makes two of us...”