Cassian entered the library quietly, looking left and then right to ensure no one saw him come in through the secret passageway. He saw Mira putting books back on a shelf on the far side of the library. Tiptoeing up behind her, he smiled playfully, and tapped her on the shoulder. In his hands he held the book and Halifaxian pear cakes out. With a startled squeal, she jumped in surprise and hit him on the arm playfully. Instead of being overcome with happiness to see Cassian back safely, her face was painted with a deep sadness. Her eyes were puffy and red, it was obvious she had been crying.
“What’s the matter? I’ve returned in one piece. No need for you to be sent off to the dungeons.” Prince Cassian said with a smirk.
Mira looked away as if she couldn’t bear to look the prince in the eyes. Each time she tried, she broke out in tears. Doing her vest to collect herself, she wrapped her arms around, “It’s y-y-your mother. S-she's been….” Mira stuttered trying to get the words out.
“What? What has happened to my mother?” He asked, face changing from playful to cold and colorless in less than a heartbeat.
“She’s been…murdered…they’ve requested you go to your chambers while the palace is secured.” Mira finally spoke softly, body trembling.
The prince's face turned white as snow, and he set the novel and cakes down on a crowded table. Without saying a word, he turned and walked to his room feeling claustrophobic as if the walls were closing in around him.
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When Cassian got to his room he closed the door behind him, tip-toed to the open window and cried out. It didn’t feel real to him, it felt like a sick joke. How could something like this have happened? Why would someone do this? He thought repeatedly. Each repetition sending him spiraling down into a deeper and darker abyss. An amount of time passed while Cassian was drowning in this pit of despair, but he couldn’t know for sure how long. The moonlight shined in on him from his large window and the frigid night air chilled his bones.
Eventually the feelings of despair and hopelessness threatening to consume him evolved into rage and hatred. His mind was a burning furnace for the anger to be stoked. Thoughts of vengeance against those responsible for this terrible deed brought him a temporary respite from the pain of loss. Cassian stared out the window of his bedroom high up in the tower at the city below. He held his palm above a lit candle until he couldn’t take the pain any longer and reflexively pulled it away. Over and over again he repeated the process of self-harm. The hurt momentarily took his mind off the warm, compassionate laugh of his mother. The laugh that would never again bring him comfort.
Knock. Knock. Knock. The sound of someone at his tall oak door surprised him. Cassian placed the candle on his bedside table and wiped his eyes with a linen cloth before moping over to the door. The prince breathed deeply before opening the door.
There stood a tired looking royal guard named Carlisle with a somber expression on his face. Cassian had known Carlisle for many years, and he knew him to be a good man. “My apologies for intruding your royal highness, and I want you to know I am overcome with grief at your loss. It is a truly sad day for our nation.”
Cassian sniffled once, then twice looking away before replying. “Thank you, Carlisle, you’ve always served my family well. I must ask, where is my father?”
“Your father went on a trip to the Blue Tower with the Lord Magister Njal after the Senate. We’ve sent riders to alert him and bring him back to the palace as soon as possible.”
“I see. That seems a bit suspicious, doesn’t it? I wonder what the Lord Magister needed to show my father that demanded such urgency.” Cassian said looking over his shoulder out the window towards the mountains that were home to the Blue Tower of the Magi.
Carlisle shrugged, “The machinations of the magi are beyond the comprehension of my simple mind. However, I do have something that I imagine will interest you greatly my prince.”
The prince looked back at the man with impatience, “Come on then, spit it out.”
“Of course, my prince. Not long ago captured the assassin on the orders of the High Chancellor. She’s in the dungeons as we speak awaiting the return of your father and his judgement.”
A look of contempt overtook the prince's manufactured blank expression. “Take me to her.”
Carlisle looked around unsure if he should obey. “I’m not sure your father would want y—”
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“Take me now!” Interrupted Cassian, temper boiling over.
The harshness and fire inside of the prince was out of character. It startled the royal guard and he nodded.
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The dungeons beneath the palace were a dreadful place. Cassian had made a point all his life to avoid them. As he walked down the winding stairway he was reminded why. The energy got noticeably gloomy, and he felt as if it was weighing heavily upon him. Was it the collective misery of those who had been tortured or put to death in this place seeking revenge? Carlisle and the prince passed by stern royal guards who stood at attention, saluting as Cassian passed by.
When they reached the corridor where the assassin was being held Carlisle pulled out a copper ring with easily a hundred keys on it. He thumbed through them before finding the one he sought and unlocked the hefty, rusted iron door. Carlisle began to step into the chamber before Cassian spoke. “I will speak to the assassin alone.”
Carlisle looked down at his feet trying to decide whether that was a good idea or not. The prince cut the guards debate short, entering the prison cell and slamming the door shut behind him. The cell was musty and miserable. No windows lit the chamber, just a single candle flickered in a grimy sconce affixed to the far wall. In the dimly lit cell Cassian could only see the shape of the woman chained to the floor. When he approached the slender woman, his mouth fell open in shock. The rage he had prepared for the assassin shifted suddenly to puzzlement. Standing in front of him was Luna, the leader of the Blind Alchemists.
Cassian stopped in his tracks, face contorting with confusion. “Is this some kind of sick joke? I know you’re not the assassin. I was with you in the Undercity when the murder occurred.”
“Well, that makes two of us that know I’m innocent.”
“This doesn’t make any sense, why did they arrest you for the crime?”
Luna’s weary green eyes darted around, flustered. “They came to my home and arrested me out of nowhere. I was as shocked as a child grabbing an electric eel. They said they found a Blind Alchemist’s mask and vials of venom near the queen's body. Considering it’s well known that I dabble in the arts of alchemy, they said it was obvious I was guilty. I think it’s rather clear I’ve been framed, but the royal guard captain didn’t listen or care. To him I’m just another lying, filthy lowborn.”
The prince paced back and forth in the dark cell. “This whole thing feels wrong to me. Like I’m trapped in a nightmare and any moment I’ll wake up in a cold sweat. Who would want my mother dead and why they would do this?”
“You know the truth and that I’m innocent! You’re the bloody prince, please, if the words you spoke earlier bore any semblance of truth, you’ll free me?” Luna pleaded, waving her arms around to emphasize her point.
“It’s just not that easy, I’m afraid. To start, I wasn't supposed to leave the castle or go down to the Undercity. No one here knows I was ever there. Beyond that, I have no real power or sway here. They treat me like a bloody child. If I ordered, you to be released the guards would say they need to wait for my father.”
A look of hope washed over Luna’s face. “Perfect! You can tell your father I’m innocent and he will release me surely?”
“Again, it’s just not that easy. When my father arrives after a long cold ride home from the Blue Tower of the Magi he won’t be willing to listen to me. My father has been carrying the burden and stress of an entire kingdom on his ailing shoulders and I fear this news will be the straw that breaks the camel's back. I honestly cannot predict his actions, but I have many concerns.”
Luna’s eyes darted from side to side trying to figure out a solution and she began to hyperventilate as nothing solid came to her.
The prince cursed under his breath. “He will return by morning, at which point I fear for your safety. He will be overtaken by grief and rage. I have a very bad feeling about this, but I have a proposition for you?”
Luna looked at him glumly and sighed. “What is it”
Cassian came in close to her, putting his hands on her shoulders before asking quietly, “If I help you escape will you promise to help me find my mother’s killer?”
She considered it for a moment looking from her chained wrists to his eyes before nodding. “If you can help me now at my lowest point. I will do everything in my power to ensure you get your vengeance against your mother's killer.”
He looked into her green eyes for a moment that seemed to freeze time and somehow he knew that her words were sincere. “Okay, we have a deal. I’ll be back very soon.”