Chapter 2

“Of course you had to threaten to flatten the entirety of the palace grounds, Zavel. Right to the King’s face, no less… Of course you had to! Look what you’ve landed us into now!”

Zavel shrugged his shoulders indignantly. “Well, how was I supposed to know that the wrinkled old bastard would have us cuffed in nullantium while we were asleep?”

Halyes only groaned and leant his bare back against the bars of the cage holding them. They’d been stripped, and their belongings confiscated by the guards driving the carriage that carried their temporary prison.

“Of all the ways to be punished, and all the people to be punished with,” he moaned again, gazing up at the sky, “it has to be life imprisonment in The Pit, and it has to be with you. Why did this happen to me? Have I not been a good enough servant? Why hath thou forsaken me, Mother?”

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic, Halyes, we’ll be fine,” said Zavel as he inspected the thick magic-nullifying cuffs on his wrists. It was a dull metal, or it would have reflected his boyish features and short dark hair. “It’s been a while since we were last caged up like this, so calm down and enjoy the experience.”

“We had help then, Zavel. None of our allies are coming now,” Halyes replied, his voice steeped in resignation. “Even as powerful as you are, we’re not getting out of these.”

“Ah, but remember! I’m a magician as well— ”

“Quiet down back there, prisoners!” shouted one of the two guards sat up on the coachman’s seat. He reached back and slammed a palm against the bars, rattling the cage loudly.

“Leave them be, Brutus. Don’t you know who they are?” the other guard warned almost nervously. “It’s the Eternal Flame and his personal assistant! If they do get free, I’d rather not have offended them in some way.”

Zavel coughed, drawing their attention. Pointing a finger to Halyes, he said, “I think you might have already offended one of us, good soldier.”

“P-personal a-assistant?” the priest murmured, one of his eyes twitching. He stood, though he had to hunch considerably to avoid hitting his head on the cage’s roof, before grabbing the cage bars closest to the guards. “You think me some sort of servant to this man? Yes, I carried his things while we were mere travellers. Cooked his food. Cleaned up after him when he made a mess. You want to know why? Because this man is the most inept there is! He’s useless outside of his magic! I do everything, and all I get is recognition as a mere servant?! Not even a proper title?!”

The poor men shrunk back as Halyes’ voice continued to rise, his knuckles almost white from gripping the bars. Zavel watched the scene for a bit, satisfied that everyone’s attentions were occupied. He stuck out his tongue, revealing a small glint of silver on its tip. Using his teeth, he flicked it down into his hands.

Picking locks with nothing but a shred of metal had been tricky when he first discovered the art. Far harder to learn compared to magic, in his opinion. Powerful magic came intuitively to him, while ‘magic’ didn’t. It required practice, and a deftness of the fingers he never really had, but that was why he liked it. He had to work hard for it.

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Pushing the makeshift lockpick into the cuff’s keyhole, he jiggled it around, allowing himself a hint of a smirk when the nullantium restraints finally loosened around his wrists. His eyes glazed over for a split-second as his well of endless, boring power restored itself. Really, what good was it when it couldn’t get him out of simple handcuffs?

Leaning back against the cage, Zavel cleared his throat, hoping to interrupt Halyes’ rant. It didn’t work, so he raised the now unfastened cuffs and dropped them to the cage floor with a resounding clang. That stopped his friend’s tirade, and all three turned to look at him in disbelief.

“Gentlemen, the ride’s been a pleasure, but I’m afraid this is our destination,” he said, massaging his wrists with a wide grin. “Would you mind returning our things and letting us off this carriage?”

xxxxx

“You could have at least had them drop us off closer to a town, and not at the edge of some forest,” Halyes grumbled, though his tone was much more subdued than before. “Where even are we?”

“It’s the thought that counts,” said Zavel as he donned his travelling overcoat, much to Halyes’ chagrin. “I was thinking you could just invoke the power of your goddess and divine us a way to the nearest bed, for one.”

“And then what? The King will undoubtedly send men after us. You’re too dangerous to be left alone, since he’s decided that you’re an enemy of the Kingdom.”

“Tch, what a bother. I’ll leave any would-be attackers to you too, then.”

Halyes held his staff with both hands and leant his weight on it. “Or I could just turn you in and plead for my own freedom. I’m a priest, my Order carries clout.”

“With the people perhaps, not amongst the nobles who run this country. You’re not fooling me, Halyes,” Zavel said with a smirk, and the priest scowled.

Unable to find any retort, Halyes clamped his lips together in prayer. A moment passed as he conferred with the Holy Mother, before he finally spoke aloud with mild surprise, “We’re near… Amnesnard. It’s a day’s walk east from here. It’ll actually not be a bad place to be, all things considered.”

“Well, let’s go then! We’ve got our lives to live, and a spurned king shall not stand in our way!” With that said, Zavel spun around and began walking towards the trees.

“That’s the wrong way, Zavel,” said Halyes, shaking his head. “Besides, I’m not going with you. If I make it back to my Order, they’ll hide me and I’ll be safe. Like you, said, I’ve got my own life to live.”

Zavel paused at Halyes’ words, but didn’t turn back to face him. “O-oh. I just thought we could travel together again, l-like old times…”

Stumbling forward, he caught himself on the trunk of a tree. He slunk down against the bark with darkened eyes, muttering under his breath.

“I’m sorry—” Halyes started, but immediately froze. His face contorted with confusion, then realisation. “W-what did you do? What did you do, Zavel?!”

“Oh, nothing,” Zavel said with a smile, raising his head to reveal the twinkle in his eyes. “I simply asked your goddess, very nicely I might add, if She could loan one of Her faithful servants to join me on my journeys for an indeterminate amount of time. Did She give a reply?”

“…She said yes,” said Halyes through gritted teeth.

“And did the Holy Mother give a name?” Zavel asked, fluttering his eyebrows innocently.

Halyes’ answer came in the form of an inarticulate, yet strangely familiar scream.