Taken by deep concern, Caedmon rested his hands on Alistar’s shoulders and spoke in an urging, almost desperate voice. “Alistar, you mustn’t get too caught up in such things. Words can be as good a weapon as any blade, so we should always seek out a peaceful resolution before resorting to any sort of violence.”
“Words didn’t help me earlier, Uncle. Of course I don’t want to have to fight anyone, but there’s a reason why you contracted Master to take me on as a disciple, the same reason why you hired Teacher to have me as his student.” He didn’t like showing this side of himself to Caedmon, though he felt that his uncle needed to know where he stood when it came to such matters. “I’ve only met a handful of our relatives, and I’ve already had an uncle and a cousin try to kill me. You three and Master won’t always be around. There’ll be a day when it’s just Anne and I here at the estate, and that’s if we’re even permitted to remain here. Like it or not, I need to learn how to take care of things myself, and her too. That includes being able to defend our lives with my own hands.”
“That day is still a long way off, Alistar. By then, I’ve no doubt that you’ll have matured into a capable man, but until that time it’s my duty to ensure that your safety is guaranteed. I owe it to your mother, if not anything else.”
“Uncle,” he said, speaking sternly toward his beloved caretaker for the first time ever. “What happens when Grandfather learns about me and summons me to the capital to receive the curse of compulsion? I’ll tell you now, I’ll definitely refuse. Even if I have to leave this county, this kingdom, I’ll never allow myself to be a slave again.”
A sad sort of understanding settled into Mr. Albeck’s gaze, as if he finally understood why Alistar had been so adamant about learning battle magics over the past several years. “He’s right, Caedmon. I wish he weren’t, but now that Edmun’s little ploy has failed, I’m sure he’ll begin to spread word that an unsworn Silverkin is living at your estate. Think about how your uncles and cousins will react to this. Even if your father summons Alistar to the capital, I doubt he'd make it there before one of them would try to get the jump on Glenden by forcing the curse upon him for themselves.”
Caedmon grew quiet, reluctantly thoughtful. His shoulders eventually sagged, and he dropped into the chair that he’d been sitting in before he had gotten up to grasp Alistar’s shoulders. “From the moment you began living here, Alistar, I knew that this day would come. I knew it, and I feared it. I thought that if we kept things as discreet as possible then you would have a chance at leading a decent life, one free of the outside forces that spawned your mother’s tragedy. I guess I was being too hopeful.”
“I know you just want what’s best for me Uncle, but what happened with Janine, what happened on the grounds just now—they’ve made me realize that things are only going to get more difficult from here on out.”
Alder nodded, giving his old friend a heavy, sympathetic stare. “There are a lot of politics at play in this kingdom, Caedmon. This you know more than anyone else. And in the eyes of many, Alistar’s existence will present them with the perfect pawn to complete whatever schemes they have in the works. We three won’t be enough to shield him from those outside influences for much longer, and you know this.”
“Yes,” said Mr. Albeck, his tone serious as he adjusted his thick robes. “I think it’s in his best interest that we tell him about the state of things. He’s old enough to know, and above all, he deserves to.”
Silence seized the room, Caedmon appearing more stressed than Alistar could ever remember.
“If you two think so, then I suppose it’s time.”
All three men adopted the same weighted expression, their gazes settling on him in unison.
Sensing that the topic was shifting in an unexpected direction, Alistar followed the lessons that he’d learned in the mines and kept quiet. When no one spoke, his heartrate quickened as he waited for his uncle to continue.
“My father originally had many siblings, most of which had several children of their own. Almost all have passed on by this point, with only one having died of old age. The others, well, I’m sure you can imagine what happened to them. Right now, Father is getting on in his years, something that isn’t going unnoticed by the other branches of the family. Once he dies, so too will the curses of compulsion that he forced upon everyone in House Silverkin.” Caedmon paused to examine Alistar’s reaction, nodding when he saw the glint of understanding in his eyes. “As I’m sure you’ve guessed, once this happens, even if Antoine is the eldest prince, the other branches of the family won’t remain silent.”
“You mean to say that Civus will fall into civil war?”
“As it has every time one of its kings has died,” said Alder. “You should know that your great-grandfather had over thirty sons and daughters, and within four years of his passing Glenden and a few of his brothers were the only ones remaining. Having always been on amiable terms, the surviving brothers subjected themselves to the curse of compulsion and the current status quo was created.”
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“That…the empire just allows this?”
“Outside of religious affairs, member states enjoy a large amount of autonomy. In recent years, this freedom has only increased.”
Mr. Albeck nodded along, speaking in a measured tone. “So long as its religious institutions remain undisturbed, they won’t intervene in the internal conflicts of any district outside of Providence Region, not unless things escalate to the point that any one conflict begins to take a significant toll on the empire’s situation as a whole.”
Was the state of the kingdom really so precarious? Alistar hadn’t heard anything that hinted that Civus would soon experience such widespread conflict.
Thinking of his friends, acquaintances and loved ones, Alistar asked, “So what happens to Distan when Grandfather dies?”
“We’ll be forced to choose a side,” said Caedmon, face contorting beneath the weight of previously unspoken worries. “But if one thing is certain, my brothers and I along with all of our descendants will be the immediate target of all other branches of the family. Since Antoine and Daniel rule the largest territories and thus have the strongest chances of ascending to the throne, the other branches will likely form a temporary coalition against them.”
“And you, Uncle? What will happen to you?”
“I have the third strongest claim to the throne, so naturally I’ll be targeted as well.”
Alistar did his best to keep calm as he was met with yet another monumental worry. Distan was far removed from the rest of the kingdom, especially so from the duchies that his uncles oversaw. Bordered by three counties to the north, east and south—largely separated by vast swaths of wilderness—Alistar grew anxious as he recalled that the rulers of these larger territories were all nephews of the king, particularly heads of other branches within House Silverkin that had taken over their respective family lines after their previous heads—the king’s deceased siblings—had disappeared from the picture.
“This is still several years off, but an eventual conflict is inevitable. Some former kings simply ordered the suicide of all relatives in other factions, the curse preventing them from disobeying, but Father isn’t such a person. He respects strength above all else, which is why he hasn’t designated an heir. I’m sure he’ll die happy knowing that that the kingdom will fall into the hands of the most capable Silverkin after he’s gone, and that he will soon be accompanied to the Higher Heavens by much of his family.”
“Can’t we just leave? Surely you can renounce your lordship and move to another part of the empire.”
“It won’t change anything, Alistar. Whoever the new king is, they won’t sit idly by if there are still unsworn Silverkins living in this world. Likely, we’d be met with a similar scene to what happened today, and that’s if we’re lucky enough to find a foreign lord willing to risk offending whoever winds up on Civus’s throne.”
Alistar would never have imagined that such a pervasive danger had been lurking on the horizons, an inevitability that made him question all of his ambitions. Could he really relocate elsewhere with Kaila knowing that everyone he’d come to know in his new life would suffer the horrors that came hand-in-hand with war?
“What will we do, then?”
“There is one place we can go, though it’s not easy to reach.”
“Where?”
“The kingdom that so intrigued you in your youth. The Free Kingdom of Alta.”
The room grew quiet yet again as the adults allowed Alistar some time to absorb the daunting news.
“For now,” said Caedmon, who put on a sad smile, leaning forward in his chair and giving Alistar’s shoulder a light squeeze, “let’s not talk of this matter any longer. For the immediate future, let’s continue to focus on your studies as you have been, and we’ll take things as they come.”
His uncle dismissed them a short while later, desiring some time to ponder things in privacy. Following this, Alder clapped Alistar on the back and gave him a quiet nod, leaving to check up on Madeline. Mr. Albeck hung back, fixing Alistar was a level gaze, hazel eyes unblinking as they stood in the hallway outside of Caedmon’s study.
“I know it will be hard, but try to limit how much contact you keep with your friends. The less you interact with them, the less likely they’ll get caught up in any of your family’s squabbles.”
“I’ll try.”
“Also, from now on our lessons will be twice as long. In light of what happened today, I’ll be restructuring your lesson plan in a way that I think will be more satisfying to you.”
“You mean…?”
He nodded, giving him a sincere stare. “I never thought that you would be more proficient in spellwork without your limiters. From what I saw outside today, you’re easily at a level where you can begin to learn battle magics.” Adding a bit of lighthearted reprimand to his tone, he went on, “Though you’ve clearly been doing a fair bit of self-study. Whatever grimoire you’ve secretly been relying on, I want you to bring it with you to tomorrow’s lesson.”
Alistar scratched at his cheek, putting on a guilty, half-hearted grin. “I should’ve known that I wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret after today.”
“Go on and get some rest. After all of the spells you used earlier, you must have expended a lot of your inner energies.”
Alistar hardly felt any strain in this regard, though there was no point in saying so. “Yes, Teacher. I’ll be looking forward to tomorrow.” He made to leave, but stopped when the young magus called out to him.
“Oh, and Alistar.”
“Yes, Teacher?”
“You did a great job today. I’m very, very proud of you.”
Despite all that he’d been through and all of the daunting information that he had just learned, Alistar surprised himself by donning a sincere smile. “Thank you, Teacher.”
Later that night as he read through Haussen Scuff’s grimoire within the quiet confines of his room, Alistar couldn’t help but worry over his future. This anxiety didn’t last long, for he was far from a stranger to such feelings. By the time he extinguished all of the lights in the room and had crawled into his new bed, which was slightly smaller than his previous one, he was struck by the premonition that the man he’d killed today wouldn't be the last of those destined to lose their lives at his hands.
At the very least, he thought to himself in a matter-of-fact manner, his mind strangely lacking any malice, there’ll come a day when I return the favour to Edmun, with interest.