“May I leave these things with you?” Kendrick asked his father, Silvare, as they sat in the study of the older man’s manor on the outskirts of Lashia, the capital city.  It was a beautiful Spring morning, and the large leaded windows were opened to let in the fresh air. In the distance, they could see the ships sailing into Lashia’s harbor and hear the low, rhythmic sounds of buoy bells as they rocked with the waves.

The silver-haired man looked at his son. “What are they?”

Kendrick sat back heavily in his overstuffed chair, sighed, and said, “The results of several years of magical study. If what I suspect is true, things will get very unpleasant in the next few days, and I will need to keep certain items safe.”

Silvare’s baby blue eyes studied his son carefully. He finally asked, “Adira has been spending a great deal of time in the palace, has she?”

Kendrick nodded and said, “Lady Talia Pruitt has completed her year as ‘Honored Consort’ and is returning to her husband’s estate with the child.”

“And you and Adira have been married less than a year,” his father said. “Damn, I’d hoped the fact that you were such close friends and playmates growing up would have given her pause.”

“King Lannias is a very handsome and persuasive man,” Kendrick said. He paused for a moment and chose his words carefully. He did not wish to cast aspersions on the man who’d raised him as his own son. Nor did he wish to open any old wounds. “I will not stand for it, Father. First, he destroyed you and Mother, and now he wishes to do it to me. I will not sit in the Cuckold’s Box, no matter the rewards. If Adira agrees to become his Honored Consort for this year, then she and I are done.”

“That means being stripped of your title, lands, and fortune,” his father said.

“You managed,” Kendrick pointed out.

“I struck a very carefully worded deal, the first such deal in five hundred years, and he swore that it would not happen again.” His father then gave him a grim smile, got up and closed the windows to the room, crossed to the door, looked outside it, and then closed it too. He pulled his chair closer to Kendrick’s and said in a low whisper, “But, I have reason to believe that Adira will be the last of the ‘Honored Consorts’. You must choose your path carefully, Son. Your mother will be there, as will the rest of the Witches Council and, of course, the King’s Guard and whatever other magical defenses he has around the palace. He will not let you simply walk away. The whole purpose of the ‘Honored Consort’ is to humiliate and emasculate the young lords of the kingdom to keep them in line. Furthermore, you will be allowed to bring in neither magic nor weapons. The fact that you are an actual mage already has him worried. He will be on his guard.”

Kendrick nodded, “I don’t intend to fight for Adira. If she chooses to become ‘Honored Consort’, it’s over between us. I will not take her back. She can have the manor, the valley, and everything that’s in it.” He smiled wanly and added, “Or at least what will be left in it.”

Silvare sat back in his chair and grinned, “Your magical research?”

“Like you said, “I’m the first of the King’s Bastards to be an actual mage. Up until you struck your deal, and even afterward, any male mages are either gelded or drowned. I have studied some ancient magics that I came across before Adira and I married.” He cocked his head to one side and asked, “By the way, how did you manage to keep me alive and intact?”

Silvare leaned back in his chair and said, “I had some help. Lannias, and his goddess went too far several decades ago with their plans to cuckold as many males as they could. They cuckolded the wrong person, and he has significant power.”  He smiled and said, “Might I suggest you stop by the Temple of Siris and leave a substantial offering?”

“Father?” Kendrick asked. “What are you up to?”

His father chuckled and said, “I’ve been playing the long game, Son. That’s all. I can’t promise that you won’t be hurt when it happens. Most likely, you will be. But, if you can endure it, you can set all of Mythsteria free from the abomination of the Queen Goddess’s son.”

Kendrick nodded. He knew that he was walking into humiliation, emasculation, and sorrow. He also knew there was a very good chance of violence tonight, and that meant pain and danger. So be it. He would not go quietly into the ‘King’s Lords Box, commonly known as the King’s Cuckolds. He loved Adira but would not tolerate what he suspected would come. His manhood, his self-dignity, would not allow it. “So, may I leave these things with you?” he asked.

“Of course,” his father said. “You can put them in your old room.”

“Thank you, Father,” Kendrick said, rising. “One last thing.”

“Yes?” 

“Should I fall,” he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small glass globe with sigils carved into its surface, “Smash this.”

“What is it?” his father asked.

“My final retribution on the king and on Adira for betraying me,” he told him. “It will make all of Lannias’ threats meaningless. If I survive, I will recover it from you and move on.”

“You’ve planned this out?” 

“You taught me always to be prepared,” Kendrick told him. He reached out and pulled the other man into a deep hug. “And one last and most important thing, no matter what happens, no matter what anyone says, you are my father. You always have been and always will be. I love you, Father.”

“I know, Son. I’m sorry that all of this has happened,” Silvare told his tall son.

It did not take Kendrick long to take the trunks inside his father’s home and to his old rooms. To further ensure that they would not be discovered and used against his father, he opened a special door to his realm room and stored everything inside it. It was a small room, ten yards on each side and high, and in a pocket dimension, that could only be opened from his childhood rooms. If he survived, he would move the door to some other place, but for now, this was the safest place for it. 

After taking his leave from his father, he returned home via the Temple of Siris. As he climbed down from his coach, he was surprised to see a new priest at the altar. He was a tall, young, very handsome blond man with piercing blue eyes. Something about the man just seemed to project humility and trust. “How may I help you, Lord D’Arcane?” the priest asked.

Surprised that the man knew his name, he started to mention it but then realized that his coat of arms as the Comte D’Arcane was emblazoned on the door of his coach. “I have come to pray and to make an offering to Siris,” he told the man. He slipped the large ruby ring from his right finger. It had been a gift from King Lannias upon his investment. He saw no better use for it now than to aid in the temple’s mission of healing and blessings across Mythsteria. Siris was not a popular deity among his people, the worship of the Queen Goddess Zyvette having suppressed the worship of most of her children.  

Surprised, the priest looked at the ring and said, “This is a kingly gift, My Lord. I am sure Siris will appreciate it. I know the temple will.”

“You’re most welcome,” Kendrick said as he knelt at the altar and began to pray for strength, wisdom, and endurance for what he feared would come tonight.  It was nearly an hour before he was finished and left the temple. The Old High Priest, D’Germaine, stopped him at the door, thanked him for the offering, and blessed him. 

It was well past midday when he arrived home to find Adira awaiting him with a small meal of sweet meat, cheese, fruit, and bread. Adira was a tall, beautiful woman with long red hair and emerald eyes. Her skin was milk-maid fair, and she wore an afternoon dress of pale green. “Where has my husband been this morning?” she asked softly.

“I went to visit my father and then to the temple.” He saw no need to lie to her.

“Oh,” she said quietly, concern on her face. Then, she reached across the table, took his hand, and asked, “Kendrick, you know that I love you with all my heart, don’t you?”

“I certainly believe so,” he replied. 

“Believe so?” she asked, slightly hurt.

“That’s all a man can do,” he told her. “No man can know a woman’s heart for certain. We have been friends since childhood. I’ve loved you with all my heart since we were old enough to know that there is a difference between men and women. I can only tell you that I love you and trust that you love me too.”

That seemed to catch her off guard. He noted a small look of pain around her eyes. “I do,” she said softly. “No matter what, you are the only man I will ever love.”

“Thank you,” he said, patting her hand. “Now, tell me, have you decided on what to wear to the palace tonight?”

“My gold gown, I think,” she said as she rose and fetched him a cup of cider from the cooling pantry. 

“That’s a good choice,” he told her as she paused in the pantry. “I’ve always liked you in that gown.”

Smiling around the door and looking to see if any of the servants were listening, she said, “You’ve always liked me out of it more.”

He smiled and cocked an eyebrow at her. “We could always go upstairs, and I can take you out of the one you are wearing now.” 

She shook her head and said, “No, I’ve got too many things to do before tonight.” She brought him the flagon of cider and sat it on the table before him. “Here’s something to cool your blood until tonight.”

Picking up the flagon, he felt a tingle go through his hand. Glancing in the cup, he saw small swirls of something dark in the amber liquid. The image of a Mountain Ash suddenly swam before his eyes. With an abundance of caution, he raised the flagon to drink but did not let the liquid touch his lips. 

Setting it down, he smiled and lied, “That’s a particularly good batch this year.”

His wife smiled at him again and said, “So you’ve said before. Now finish it, and see your valet for what you need tonight. Now, on high alert, he nodded and cast a quick evaporation spell on the flagon before pretending to quaff the last of it. His heart broke at the thought that his wife would go so far as to poison or drug him. Rising from the table, he told her, “I’ll see Tomas, in a little while. There are things I need to do in my tower.”

“Kendrick?” she asked softly. He could see something in her eyes. Was it regret? He couldn’t tell. 

“Yes?” 

“Don’t get lost in your work. We do have a royal summons, you know.”

“I know,” he told her, keeping his face as neutral as possible as he turned to go.

“And Kendrick?”

“Yes,” he asked without turning.

“I love you.” 

“So you say,” he told her and left the room, his heart breaking from the betrayal he felt.

Arriving in his workroom, he considered what had just happened. He’d caught a hint of sandalwood and orange scents in that cider, which he knew had no place there. It was also the scent of a Black Will Potion, a draught that would render a will-worker unable to access their magic for twenty-four hours. He could not believe that his wife would be that willing of a participant in a scheme to humiliate and cuckold him publicly. He realized that likely there would be other attempts to counteract his magic at the ball tonight. He was walking into a pit of vipers, and his wife writhing among them.

Briefly, he considered fleeing and washing his hands of everything. Not only his pride but also his sense of justice would not allow that. He had to let this play out; he had to be sure that his wife, the love of his life, was going to betray him. He had no doubts about the king who was his biological father, and his ability to betray Kendrick. 

Wracking his brains, trying to come up with a plan so as to not eat or drink anything tonight or to accept anything on his person. All he could do was prepare certain contingency spells and have them at the ready. Picking up a small velvet bag from his workbench gave him an idea. He could not enchant it just yet because the witches that would be there would detect it. But he could prepare it for his needs, so he only had to cast the final spell to make it work.  

His biggest fear, however, was the Blood Majesty that his mother and King Lannias could invoke on him. The will-working child of will-workers could be forced to obey by the power of the blood that they shared with their parents. If they invoked that, it would become a battle of wills. Kendrick knew his will to be strong, but he knew the same of his mother and of the king; the latter had the divine blood of the Queen Goddess flowing through his veins, unfiltered by a human mother as he was. All he could do was say a prayer to Siris and hope that the blessings he received today would be of some help.

He did not see Adira again until they were getting into the coach for the journey to the palace. Her beautiful golden gown accentuated her features, with a neckline that was just barely within the boundaries of good taste. Her hair was worn up in an elegant configuration to show off a new set of emerald earrings.

“Where did you get those?” he asked.

She blushed deeply and reached up to touch the teardrop-shaped gems inset in gold and said, “They were a gift from King Lannias. He asked that I wear them tonight.”

“I see,” he told her, sitting back in his seat. “Then tonight, you are planning to become an Honored Consort.”

“Oh, Kendrick,” she said, reaching across the aisle and taking his hand, “You know I love you. You know that this is only for a year. If you love me, you’ll let me do this.”

“Let you do it? Do I have a choice in the matter?” he asked.

She looked down and said, “You know you don’t. The King has chosen me.”

“Only if you’re willing to accept it,” he said.

“Why wouldn’t I want to accept it?” she asked. “When the year ends, we will raise the king’s child for his position among the nobles. Your own title and lands will be increased.”

“And my manhood and self-respect smashed to pieces.” He paused and added, “And I will be diminished in your eyes as a lesser man as well.  You would condemn whatever children we might have later to losing my title and lands because they will all go to the king’s bastard. I think I would rather die.”

“Don’t say that, Kendrick,” she replied sharply. “Like you said, you don’t have a choice.”

“But you do,” he told her. “You can reject the position. It’s been done before.”

“And those women live out their lives forever banished from the palace and proper society.”

“So your position in society is more important to you than my self-respect and dignity?” 

“I didn’t say that,” she retorted. 

“If you do this, Adira, you won’t have a home to return to. I will never take you back. I will never touch you again.”

“And you’ll be stripped of your lands and title and given to me to hold in regency for the child I will bear the king.” She shook her head and said, “You will be reduced to nothing, a landless beggar wandering Mythsteria.”

Kendrick took a deep breath and said, “You’re walking very close to a line that once crossed, you will never be able to cross back, Adira. You say you love me, but you want to hurt me in the worst way a woman can ever hurt a man. I will not forgive this. I’m going to ask you one last time, and then whatever decision you make will be up to you. I’m asking you not to do this to me.”

She shook her head, nearly in tears. “I can’t change my mind, Kendrick. The cost will be too high. I do love you. I love you with all my heart and want to grow old with you.”

“No,  you don’t, Adira. If you did,  you wouldn’t do this. And, no,  you won’t grow old with me. We are done when you do this. You have broken my heart, and it cannot be mended. Even now, at the thought of you even wanting to do this, my love for you dies.”

“Your male pride will eventually get over it, Kendrick.”

“And if it doesn’t?” he asked.

“Then, you are not the man I thought I married,” she said smugly.

“Nor are you the woman I thought loved me,” he told her sharply. They rode the remaining distance to the palace in silence, Adira lost in her own thoughts, and Kendrick staring out the window, wondering how he could have chosen so poorly for a wife. 

An hour later, he was at the palace. “The Comte D’Arcane and Lady Adira,” the king’s chamberlain announced Kendrick and Adira as they entered the main ballroom.  It was a huge marbled room with vaulted ceilings that had mosaics of the Queen Goddess inlaid in semi-precious stones. Equally exquisite was the statuary around the room. A dozen soldiers were carved from granite with such fine detail that the viewer could see individual strands of hair. They all stood silent guard around three long tables set up in the room: two along each row of columns on either side and a third one perpendicular to them with the King and his chosen retinue at it. Kendrick noted that the table to his right consisted of the ‘King’s Lords,’ and the one on the left consisted of everyone else.

King Lannias was dressed all in white trimmed in gold. Rings with precious gems inset adorned his arms, and his belt was of beaten gold. He was a tall, well-muscled, handsome man with blond hair and blue eyes that seemed to glow slightly and was watching Kendrick with a knowing smirk.

Kendrick could feel every eye on him. He knew that everyone in the vast ballroom saw him as tonight’s entertainment and his marriage and love, the latest sacrifice to the Queen Goddess Zyvette’s perverted pleasure. Well, he planned on making it at least entertaining for them. He took a deep breath and walked down the steps to the main floor, where two servants awaited them. The first took Adira’s hand and led her to the King’s table. The second took him by the elbow and indicated that he should follow him. When he saw the table awaiting him was that of the King’s Lords, he stopped. “I don’t think so.”

He noted the pitying looks of the other guests. “Don’t make a scene, Comte D’Arcane,” the guard nearby said quietly so that only he could hear. “You must accept the king’s will.”

It was then that Kendrick decided that he had enough of this charade. He threw the first part of his initial plan away, deciding to strike while the iron was hot. These people wanted to be entertained by his cuckolding; then, he was going to give them something to remember.  He shook his head, stood tall, and stopped in his tracks before saying loud enough so that every ear in the room could hear him. “I DO NOT CONSENT TO THIS.”

A shock of surprise ran through the room. “You have not been granted permission to address the gathering, Comte D’Arcane,” King Lannias said as he stood. “To what do you not consent?”

“To become a King’s Lord, to my wife becoming your Honored Consort, and to being publicly humiliated.”

Lannias laughed and said, “You are skipping the best part of the festivities, D’Arcane. You will deny my guests their meal and their entertainment.”

“I will waste neither the king’s time nor mine,” Kendrick said. “Is it your plan to make my wife your Honored Consort?” he asked the question the answer to which everyone in the room already knew.

“You forget yourself, D’Arcane!” Lannais said. Then with a broad, vicious smile, he said, “But yes, I plan on making your wife my Honored Consort for a year, siring a child upon her and sending her and the child home for you to raise as befitting his or her status.”

He looked to where his wife was nearly crying, and asked, “Adira, do you consent to the King’s plan?”

With a sniffle, she said, “Kendrick, don’t…”

“Do you?” he barked. 

Finally, wiping her tears, she said, “I consent.”

“Then we are done. You are no longer my wife. I’m leaving,” he said, turned on his heel, and started toward the door. He noted that the King’s Witches started toward the entrance, where the doors suddenly slammed shut with a loud bang.

“You do not have my permission to withdraw, D’Arcane,” the King said as he began to stride forward. 

Without warning, Kendrick struck. Three quick wide-area levin blasts dropped six witches instantly. They crumpled to the floor, their bodies smoking from the power of the bolts. He heard a gasp come from the room and saw his mother’s shocked face. 

She turned toward Adira and asked, “You little fool! Didn’t you give him the potion!?”

“I did!” his wife protested. “I watched him drink it!”

That was all Kendrick needed to hear. He struck again. This time, the bolt that struck his mother rendered her paralyzed and frozen in place. He turned to face the quickly advancing King Lannais who screamed, “You are out of order D’Arcane!”

Kendrick gestured toward the floor, and the whole room shook as a marble wall two feet thick and ten feet high running from table to table rose up between him and the king. The effect shook the room, dumping food, drink, and serving places all over the floor. The nobles in the room gasped in shock and ran for the back wall to escape the coming battle. 

Kendrick heard Lannias’ voice command, “Sentries, contain him!”

To Kendrick’s horror, several of the large statues he had noted before came to life, and with a grinding noise that set his teeth on edge, they moved with remarkable speed and agility. Two of them leaped from their alcoves in the wall to land within five feet of him, cracking the marble floor underneath their mass.

Without hesitation, he pushed back against the wall behind him and forward with a force bolt. The effort nearly crushed him between them, as the statues skidded backward along the floor, leaving deep gouges and cracks. That wouldn’t do. He didn’t have the quintessence to move several tons at a time for a protracted conflict. 

Instead, he called upon a spell he used to dig out the basement of his manor to expand his cider stores. With a gesture, he blasted out with a burrowing magic. A wave of cyclonic energy projected from his hand toward the two statues. It hit them like a battering ram, shattering them into pebbles, and continued along its path for another hundred feet, cutting a neat hole through the wall next to the sealed doors. 

Hearing more grating sounds to his left and right, he turned in a circle, hurling the burrowing spell at the statues as they closed with him and coincidentally cutting huge holes in the walls of the ballroom and taking out the occasional support for the vaulted ceiling.

Then it all went to hell. The wall behind him shattered into a million shards as an enraged Lannais charged through it. As the wall fell, Kendrick could see the gathered nobles cowering in a far corner, fear and uncertainty in their eyes. He noted that one man, Lord Pruitt, the newest member of the King’s Lords, sat unmoving at his table, smiling and chuckling. From the corner of his eye, he saw Adira cowering and crying at the king’s table, terrified at what was happening.

Kendrick raised a quick shield to protect himself from the shrapnel that was hurtling toward him. The shield stopped the sharp pieces of marble but did nothing to slow down Lannais. He caught Kendrick with a powerful punch to the stomach, lifting the young man off his feet and hurling him backward toward the door, knocking the wind from him.

Kendrick struggled to regain his breath as he raised a quick and dirty shield that the king managed to shatter with a single punch, sending Kendrick back into the steps. He felt his ribs break under the blow. Then came more strikes, breaking ribs, shattering his jaw, and dislocating his shoulder. Pain lanced through his body with each divinely powered attack. Then, he simply stopped feeling the hits. 

Finally, Lannais picked him up by the throat and said, “Good plan, boy. Too bad you didn’t have the power to pull it off. Kendrick struggled to escape, but the king’s grip was too powerful. With contemptuous ease, he turned Kendrick around and held him by the back of the neck, his feet dangling six inches from the floor, and his voice boomed throughout the hall. “Behold, Adira D’Arcane,  your husband, pitiful as he is, beaten and broken.” He smiled cruelly and said, “But I am a merciful king and will not kill him. Yet.”

He nodded to two of the servants who came and took Kendrick under the shoulders. “Hold him for a moment. Then, take him to Comte D’Archambeau’s Tower. Cuff him, and then call for the healer to attend his wounds.”

When the servants had taken control of Kendrick, he strode across the room to Adira and offered his arm to her. “Let him see.”

Kendrick felt one of the servants take him by the hair and hold his head up to face the king as Adira took Lennias’ arm and was led away sobbing.  Then, the darkness took Kendrick.

~*~

Kendrick ached all over as he swam up from unconsciousness into a world of pain. Slowly opening his eyes to a bright light shining through a window, he tried to roll over, but his ribs protested with extreme zeal, so he lay his head back on the pillow. Attempting to ascertain where he was and how he got there,  he looked around at a well-apportioned room. He could hear the sounds of the palace from his window. Then, it all came rushing back to him. The fight in the ballroom, and the beating he’d received. Then, his heart broke at the memory of Adira following Lannias out of the room. 

“Kendrick?” he heard Adira’s voice. 

Kendrick clenched his teeth and tried to will the tears from his eyes. He felt her hand on his forehead and jerked his head to the side to avoid her touch. His vision swam, and his stomach lurched at the sudden movement. “Don’t touch me!” he hissed through clenched teeth.

“Kendrick,” she repeated, this time it was a statement.

“Go away,” he told her. “I never want to see or hear of you again. You’ve polluted yourself. You’re no wife of mine.”

“Kendrick, Lannias says that he will forgive you if you take me back at the end of the year and raise the child. If you don’t, he’ll kill you.”

“Then so be it. You’ve befouled yourself, and I will not submit.”

“Kendrick, he swore to make Silvare watch,” she said. “Please don’t do that to him.”

“Why should you care?” he said. “You betrayed my father as much as you betrayed me. You knew what would happen and accepted, not caring how much it would hurt me. Now go away and don’t come back. You’re unclean and not fit for any decent man. You’re Lannias’ woman now, not my wife.”

She nodded, tears flowing freely down her face. “I’m sorry. You’ve got a year here in the tower to decide.”

“I’ve already made my decision,” he told her. “You are nothing to me; my life is nothing to me.”

“Your lands,” she said. “They’ll go to the child.”

Kendrick chuckled bitterly. “What’s left of them, at least,” he told her.

“What? What have you done, Kendrick?” she asked, worry in her voice.

“Wouldn’t you like to know? Now leave. You have nothing to say that I want to hear.”

“I’m sorry,” she said as she left the room.

Kendrick turned toward the wall and wept until sleep retook him.

He had no idea how long he slept. It had to be at least through the rest of the day, as it was dark when he awoke again. This time, the pain wasn’t quite so intense, and he could stumble out of bed and use the chamber pot. When he finished, he noted that there was a plate of food and a pitcher of water on the table. As he reached for the pitcher, he saw some kind of silver cuff on his right arm that ran from his wrist to his elbow. Active magic sigils decorated its surface, and he could feel their magic pushing against his. 

Reaching for the pitcher, he sniffed the water but could not detect any odor besides the water itself. He ran his hand above the pitcher for a detect poison spell. The backlash from the spell rebounding surged through his arm like a levin bolt, hurling him back onto the bed. “What in Siris’ name?!” he cursed.

Looking at the cuff, he realized what it was. Any attempt to direct magic out of his body would rebound and stun him. Lannias was taking no chances. He’d neutralized Kendrick’s greatest strength: his magic. Shaking his head, he realized that he had no choice. If the food and water were or were not be poisoned, his only options were to eat or starve. He felt Lannias wasn’t yet done with him and would not want to poison him, so he took the first choice.

The food was bland but filling, but he felt somewhat refreshed after consuming it. When he was done, he went to the window and looked out. Much to his surprise, it looked directly into a suite of rooms. Then, he saw Adira readying herself for bed as Lannias entered the room. He understood now. This room was meant to make the prisoner witness his cuckolding.

He reached to close the window but found it locked in the open position. Refusing to watch, he returned to his bed and tried to drown out the sounds coming across the intervening space between the rooms.  It was close to dawn when Lannias finally left Adira’s room, and he was able to get to sleep.

Sleep, however, was not to be allowed, as within the hour, two guards came crashing into the room and dragged him from his bed. Roughly, he was stripped of his clothing, tied to a chair sitting by the window, and left there. The sun had climbed above the rooftops of the palace by the time a middle-aged man entered the room with two guards. “The torture is to begin now?” he asked.

The man was tall, with a hawk-like nose and gray eyes. He was dressed all in black and silver with a short cloak. He looked to the window and shook his head before turning to the guards. “If the king wants him alive, then it’s not a good idea to leave him in the draft naked. Close that window.”

“But the king wants him to watch the other chambers,” the guard protested.

“Neither the Lady Adira nor His Majesty are currently in those chambers. Close the window. You can open it again tonight for the King’s entertainment. For now, I’d prefer not to add a cold to D’Arcane’s injuries.”

The guard nodded, withdrew a strange key from his belt, applied it to the base of each window, and then closed them before withdrawing to the other side of the room. 

When he took up his post, the man gave him a withering look and said, “Outside.” The guard made to protest, but another withering look from the strange man, and he left and closed the door. He turned to Kendrick and said, “My Lord D’Arcane, I am Etienne Dabreo. I am the Royal Healer. I’m here to check over your wounds and how you are healing.”

“And I must be stripped naked and tied to a chair for this?” Kendrick asked.

“It is a precaution for my safety. Comte D’Archambeau attacked and killed his first healer when given the chance.”

“I see,” Kendrick said. “Are you allowed to answer questions?”

“I am,” Dabreo told him. “What would you like to know?”

“How long have I been in this tower?”

“Nearly a week,” the man said. “You were in quite a sorry state when I was brought here. You had a broken jaw, several broken ribs, and severe internal injuries. I had a bit of a time healing you. His Majesty was not kind to you.”

“And now?”

“You are mostly recovered. I don’t know if that is due to my healing abilities or your own remarkable recuperative powers. A lesser man would have died,” he told Kendrick. 

“I’m afraid that your healing and my recuperative abilities are all for naught,” Kendrick told him.

“Oh?”

“I have been informed that if I don’t relent by the end of Adira’s term as Honored Consort, I’m to be executed and my father forced to watch. I will not submit.”

“A year is a long time, Lord D’Arcane, and life is precious,” Dabreo told him. “You may find something for which to live over the next year. I’ve spoken with the Lady Adira. She is genuinely sorry that this has happened to you,” the healer told him. “She seems to love you very much.”

Kendrick shook his head and said, “She’s no lady, nor does she love me. She could have refused the dubious honor and spared us all. Instead, she valued her place in the palace society over me and my love. She is as dead to me as I will be when the year is up.”

Dabreo shook his head and said, “Let’s hope you choose not to undo all of my hard work at the end of the year.” He sat back and asked, “In the meantime, is there anything I can get you?”

“A key to this cuff and a sharp sword?” he asked.

Shaking his head, the healer answered, “I’m afraid those things are out of my ability to supply. I can arrange for books, certain foods, or even a game for Lances and Crowns.”

“No, thank you,” he told Debreo. 

“Very well. I will have the guards untie you and bring in for you some fresh clothing, Lady… uh… your wife had brought from your home, and a bath.”

“Thank you,” Kendrick said. “I do appreciate your efforts.”

“Please think about what I said. Life is precious, and your wife is young and foolish. I believe she loves you.”

“Believe what you wish,” Kendrick told him. “I know what I know. She didn’t love me enough and  has killed my love for her.”

“As you wish,” Debreo told him as he left the room. True to his words, the guards returned momentarily with the instruments for a bath and a new set of clothing for him. He slipped the bag he’d prepared from his old clothes and held onto it for reasons he did not understand. He couldn’t charge the spells, but it might be helpful later. As his mind began to consider ways of charging the bag's spells and possible uses, he felt a tiny spark of something ignite in his soul. It wasn’t quite yet hope, but it was something.

Fortunately, for the first month, Lannias seemed content that Kendrick being forced to listen to his nightly sessions with Adira was enough torture. That gave him some time to consider his position and his options. All he could really do was watch for patterns and look for some way out of his cell. On several occasions, he’d attempted to remove the cuff and had gotten a levin bolt directed up close and personal for his troubles. 

He received his first new visitor at the beginning of his second month of imprisonment. To his surprise, the guards opened his cell one morning to admit the young priest he’d met at the Temple of Siris. The man was tall, handsome, and somewhat youngish, with blonde hair and intense blue eyes. He was wearing a priest's mantel and carried a book, a small wooden box, and a sprig of Mountain Ash with him. He smiled at Kendrick and bowed slightly before saying, “My name is Lucien, and my master has sent me to see to your spiritual needs, Comte D’Arcane.”

Kendrick raised an eyebrow and said, “I am surprised I’m to be allowed such comfort.” He nodded toward the window and with his head.

Lucien gave him a mischievous smile and said, “My Master’s will is paramount, My Lord.”

 “Please,” Kendrick said, gesturing to a chair across the small table from the one he’d been tied to weeks ago, “Sit down. I’m afraid I cannot offer you the hospitality of my home.”

The young man nodded and said, “I’m glad your spirit has not been completely crushed, My Lord. I have come to keep you company for an hour or so.” He raised the small box. “Perhaps play a few games of Lances and Crowns, and maybe lift your spirits with tales of the gods, in which you might find some inspiration.”

Kendrick found himself genuinely glad for the man’s company. He discovered that he craved human companionship beyond just the guards who delivered his food and his weekly instruments of bathing. “Thank you.” He gestured toward the table and said, “How about a game?”

The priest smiled and set up the board for them to play, telling him, “I must warn you that I’m an excellent player.”

Kendrick smiled and told him, “Then I’m probably in for a trouncing as I’m middling at best.”

True to his word, the priest won the first game easily. As they set up for a second game, Lucien said, “If I may be so bold, My Lord, your situation reflects something similar among the gods. A tale that is not regularly told in the Kingdom of Bredaine as it is prohibited by the Goddess Queen’s control of the court.”

“Oh?” Kendrick asked, genuinely intrigued. It was no secret that Zyvette strictly controlled what the other temples could teach. “I’m  unaware of such a tale.”

“Few are, even outside of the kingdom, as it is extremely embarrassing to Lord Siris. But I think it is a story in which you can find comfort.”

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Please tell me,” Kendrick said. “If for no other reason than to pass the time.”

The young man blushed before saying, “Very well. In the days before the founding of Bredaine, the gods walked among mortals and lived in relative peace. The Lord Siris, being the youngest of  Zyvette’s children, was the last of his brothers to take a wife.”

“As you know, Zyvette only bore male children, so the seven brothers were forced to look to the gods of other lands for wives. Most went to the gods of the Western Isles, for their Mother Goddess was fertile and had many sons and daughters.  Deals were made, gifts were exchanged, alliances were forged, wives wooed, and marriages obtained.”

“Okay, that’s pretty standard for what is taught in all eight temples,” Kendrick told him as he moved his chevalier onto the board.

“Yes, but the story of Siris, the youngest brother, is not generally taught. Siris could not find a wife among the young goddesses of the Western Isles that were to his liking or he to them. So he traveled farther afield, looking for more than a wife, but a partner and a companion. He had seen how his brothers and his sisters-in-law treated each other and wanted something different, something more, something closer.”

“So, where did he go?” Kendrick asked as Lucien moved a pikeman to intercept his chevalier. 

“Far away,” Lucien told him. “Beyond the stars, to a world so far away that its light has never reached the skies of Mythsteria.”

“I’m not sure I understand, “Kendrick replied in confusion. In an attempt at a trompier, he moved his chevalier two squares to the right and smiled.

“It is so far away that we cannot see it from Mythsteria,” Lucien said. “Or so I’ve been told.” Lucien moved his chateau to block Kendrick’s chevalier in a move that caught Kendrick off guard, rendering his opening gambit a failure. It was a beginner’s mistake.

“And what did he find there?”

“The most beautiful goddess he’d ever seen. Her name was Ythia, and she was the youngest daughter of the Godking, Ryo, and his wife, Kala. The two fell almost instantly in love. They fit each other perfectly in personality, appearance, and in their dreams for the future. Siris eventually received Ryo’s blessings for a union on the condition that Siris take his daughter far from their world. This stipulation confused the young gods. But they agreed, and left Ryo’s world with many great gifts and blessings, and a few lesser gifts that were of equal importance to their future.  With Ythia’s parents’ blessings, they traveled to Mythsteria.”

“I’ve heard whispered curses about Ythia from Zyvette’s priests. She is not well-liked by the Queen Goddess’s church.”

Lucien studied the board before him momentarily, and Kendrick could almost see the wheels turning inside the young priest’s mind. Finally, he moved his chateau directly in front of Kendrick’s regis. “The events that came later made her very unpopular with Zyvette, and trust me, the feeling is mutual between them. Sometimes, I wonder if the only reason that Ythia remains at Siris’ side is because she has nowhere else to go.”

“I don’t understand,” Kendrick said, realizing that the same statement applied to Lucien’s unnecessary move and his comment about Ythia. 

“It’s part of the tragic tale,” Lucien told him as Kendrick moved his own cardinal to take Lucien’s chateau. Lucien raised an eyebrow at the surprising move. It would seem that something about the tale put the young priest off his game.

“Please continue,” Kendrick told him as Lucien studied the board and rubbed his beardless chin.

“The two young gods returned to Mythsteria and set up housekeeping in the High Realm. Siris built for his bride a high mansion in a broad valley with a river running through it. He blessed the land and placed all sorts of fantastic creatures and plants within it for her enjoyment.” Finally, Lucien moved his regis to the square his chateau had previously occupied and began plotting his game anew.

It was Kendrick’s turn to study the board, and he decided that should Lucien move one of his pikemen, his regis would threaten Kendrick’s regis. He moved a cardinal diagonal to it so that should Lucien take his regis, he could take the priest’s regis. A stalemate where they would both lose their most powerful piece. “That sounds idyllic so far.”

“It was. The couple lived in peace and love for nearly a year until Zyvette decided that it was time to exert her authority over her son and his new bride.”

“How?” 

“Much in the same way as has happened to you. The only difference was that Ythia was not given a choice.  Zyvette placed the couple in a deep sleep and bound them to their bed. She awoke them and explained that they should understand she was the undisputed master of the High Realm, and of their lives, and that they were allowed to exist as they were only by HER choice. Neither Siris nor Ythia would have disagreed with her, but she said that she must make them understand this under no uncertain terms. She transformed into a great hulking man and took Ythia in their bed while Siris was forced to watch helplessly. When Zyvette had completed her task, she changed back and left.” Lucien sighed, and Kendrick saw something in his eyes that was very nearly heartbreaking. 

“It took nearly a week before the bonds were loosened, and the two could escape. They cleaned themselves up, comforted each other, and started making plans. They would not let this stand. They charged the gates of Zyvette’s palace. The battle shook the High Realm as foolishly, Zyvette had never taken the young goddess’s measure, and it was much more than she had expected. Ythia laid waste to nearly the entirety of Zyvette’s domain, and only the intervention of the other six brothers stayed their hands.”

“That certainly has never been mentioned by the church here in Bredaine,” Kendrick told him. 

“No, I doubt it would be. Lord Siris discovered that each of his brothers had experienced the same thing and that it had soured their marriages. Ythia and Siris decided that they would not allow that to happen to them. Instead, they appealed to Ythia’s father for help, and then they discovered why Ryo wanted his daughter far from their homeworld. It had been destroyed, and their followers incinerated when their sun blew up. In their state of weakness, from the loss of the entirety of their followers, they were picked off by other pantheons and destroyed. Sending Ythia away had been her parents' play to save her from that fate.”

“What did they do?”

They returned home, only to discover that Ythia was with child by Zyvette’s assault. Siris destroyed his valley in the High Realm and moved his family to a secret location that none of the other gods could find. Ythia’s daughter was born, and Siris raised the girl as his own with great love and tenderness, never telling her how she was conceived.”

“The enmity between him and his mother never healed. Eventually, Bredaine was founded. Zyvette took the first king as a lover and bore him a son. That son’s name was Lannias. He has sat on his father’s throne for five hundred years now, doing his mother’s will.”

“I don’t understand how Zyvette could feel that way,” Kendrick told her. “She seems to love and hate men at the same time. She seems to revel in destroying marriages.”

Lucien smiled and said, “That, My Lord D’Arcane is a tale for another day.” He looked down at the board and said, “And so is this rather vexing game.”

Kendrick nodded. Something about telling the tale had struck a nerve in the young priest. “As you wish. When can I expect to see you again?” He rose from his chair.

Lucien smiled and said, “In a week or so. If I appear too often, the guards will get suspicious, and right now, keeping Lannias in the dark is for the best.” He paused and then asked, “May I confer the blessings of Siris upon you before departing?”

Kendrick nodded and bowed his head. “I would be honored to believe that someone, anyone, had my best interests in mind.”

Lucien chuckled, touched Kendrick over the heart with the sprig of Mountain Ash , and said, “You have no idea, My Lord D’Arcane. May Lord Siris’ hand watch over and keep you.”

With those words, Kendrick felt that spark of hope he’d felt earlier begin to catch fire. Someone actually cared, and that was more than he’d felt since the night Adira had betrayed him.

The next few days went well, as he was pretty much left alone to consider Lucien's story. It could be a tale woven by a good storyteller to give him hope and comfort, but Kendrick didn’t think so. First, Lucien wasn’t that good of a storyteller; secondly, he felt something genuine in the young priest's words. 

On the day after his bath, Adira was once again escorted into his room. He turned his back to her and faced the wall next to the bed but said nothing. He heard her dress rustle around as she approached him from behind. “At least have the decency to slit my throat and not stab me in the back again,” he finally said.

“Oh, Kendrick, please don’t say that,” she put a hand on his shoulder. 

“Don’t touch me!” he hissed. 

“Please listen to me, Kendrick. Lannias has an offer for you.”

“I am uninterested,” he told her through clenched teeth.

“Don’t be that way, Kendrick,” she said. “He’s impressed with your sense of integrity.”

“I’m as uninterested in the King’s opinion of me as I am in anything you have to say.”

He heard her dress rustle again as she turned away. “He’s offered to raise you to the rank of Imperial Prince, double your lands, and make you his official successor if you will accept what has happened and make a public announcement about it.”

“I’m uninterested in aiding Lannias in any way,” he told her. I will go to the headsman block before I will do such a thing.”

“He’s not planning on sending you to the headsman block; he intends to have you drawn, hanged until nearly dead, and then quartered if you don’t comply.” 

“A public gelding and execution, huh?” he asked. “It fits Lannias.”

“I don’t want to see that happen to you,” she told him. “I love you.”

“No, you don’t. We’ve already established that. You love the life in the palace far more than any pretense of love you had for me. You have no love for me, nor do you care for me.”

“How can you say that?” she protested. “We grew up together. We were the best of friends. We knew all of each other secrets.”

“Evidently, I did not know you. I would have never dreamed you would do this to me. Had I, I would have had father send you away. Even now, I regret ever knowing you.” He paused, “And you never knew me. If you did, you would have known how much I loved you and how much this would hurt me. You would have known that I would not stand for it.”

“It’s just a small thing,” she said. 

“A small thing?” he asked. “Publicly humiliating me, emasculating me, and torturing me is a small thing?”

“What torture?” she demanded. 

“Look out that window,” he told her. “Tell me what you see?”

He turned as she went to the window and said, “All I see is the courtyard below.”

“What do you see across the way? Into what room does this window look? Why is this window locked open every night?” He watched as realization slowly dawned on her. “Fortunately, I was unconscious from the beating the king gave me for the first week. But since then, I’ve been keenly aware of that room every time he visits it. He makes sure of that.  What is a small thing to you, tears directly at my heart. I loved you, Adira. You were my best friend, and wife, and my lover. I loved you with all my heart. Now I’m learning to hate you. I’m learning to despise the very breath that keeps you alive.” 

“I’m sorry,” she said softly, her hand over her mouth.

“Do you know what I regret the most about the night I fought Lannias?” She shook her head as tears streamed down her cheeks. “That I didn’t direct my first levin bolt at you. That would have denied the king his victory and would have already seen me in the gallows. Better to die a murderer than live as the king’s cuckold.”

“Don’t say that Kendrick!” she told him. “You can’t mean that!”

“I do, Adira. You’ve destroyed me. Now, I want to destroy you and Lannias before I die.”

“But…,” she protested. “You love me.”

“There’s a fine line between love and hate, Adira, and you’ve pushed me over it. But I hope by the time I die that my hatred becomes indifference. That’s the true opposite of love: indifference. Every night, I pray to the gods that they might grant me that indifference.”

“Kendrick, please!” she protested. “Think about Lannias’ offer.”

He stopped a moment. This was an unusual offer. Lannias almost never bargains with his cuckolds. “What's going on?” he asked.

“The King’s Lords have become difficult. What you did has given them some idea of the power they truly hold. They control the kingdom’s purse strings, and they’ve been dragging their feet. You’ve ignited the anger and resentment in their hearts, and they are starting to move against him. There have already been several accidents.”

“Accidents?” he asked.

“Several of the Honored Consorts have had accidents. Lord Pruitt has confined Lady Talia and her child to his estate by the sea and has openly taken a mistress.  Lady L’Orange and her three-year-old son died when a bolt of lightning hit their carriage on the road from the palace.  A ship went down in the Western Sea with three of the Honored Consorts and their children.”

Kendrick chuckled, “It sounds like Lannias’ actions are returning to haunt him. None of those events, except Pruitt’s, sound like direct action against the king. Even his actions are perfectly within his rights as a Baron.”

“He needs you to accept your position. I need you to accept it. It would mean so much for our family. Think of the good you could do as a Prince of the Realm!”

“And the cost being such a little thing: my pride, manhood, and dignity.” Sarcasm dripped from his voice. He shook his head, “No, I will not sully my father’s name by becoming the King’s pet lapdog. Tell Lannias that my execution will be a release from the stain he’s put on my name and my pride.”

“He will break you, Kendrick!” she protested. “He doesn’t like to be defied.”

“And yet, here I am,” he told her. “Now leave me. I don’t want to see you anymore. You’re Lannias’ whore, bought and paid for with my honor, my pride, and eventually my blood. Go to him.”

“Kendrick!” she protested.

“Go.” 

She turned to leave but stopped at the door. “I missed my cycle.”

“Then Lannias’ cuckolding of me is complete,” he said sadly. “Go, Adira. Don’t come back. I don’t ever want to see you again.” She fled the room in tears. 

~*~

It was two days later when three of the guards entered Kendrick’s room, again stripped him, and tied him to the chair. But it wasn’t Dabreo who came in. This time, it was Lannias who strode into the room, scowling. With a nod, he told the guards, “Leave us.”

Without a word, the three men filed out of the room. In a pique of defiance, Kendrick said, “You’ll have to excuse me if I don’t bow, Your Majesty. I’m a bit confined.”

“I see you’re still defiant as ever, D’Arcane,” he sneered, looking Kendrick up and down. “Although I must admit you appear to have recovered from my beating rather well. D’Archambeau was confined to his bed for nearly half a year after I was forced to beat him.” He shook his head and said, “I don’t know what it is about my children that I have to resort to violence to bend your stiff necks to my will every hundred years or so.”

Kendrick shrugged and said, “Bad breeding, I guess.”

“You vex me, D’Arcane. You came closer to pulling off a coup than any other man in nearly five hundred years. Why is that?”

“It wasn’t a coup, Your Majesty. Had you let me leave, you would have never seen me again. I washed my hands of Adira and accepted being stripped of my titles, land, and fortune. You were the one who pressed the issue by sealing the room and sending the witches and the statues after me. I simply sought to leave. We are here because of your actions, not mine.”

“You disrespected me in my own court. You forced my hand,” he said.

“As you said, I’m strong-willed.”

“Now, I’m forced to break or kill you. That’s not a choice either of us desire, D’Arcane.”

“Your Majesty has never considered what I desire. Your Majesty stated what you would do, asked my wife's consent, and did not honor my legally recognized right in the matter. That being the choice of leaving and accepting disinvestiture or becoming one of the King’s Cuckolds.”

“King’s Lords,” he said. “The term is King’s Lords, D’Arcane.”

“To you, perhaps. But to the kingdom, the term is ‘King’s Cuckolds’. That is a dubious mantel I do not wish to don. By law, and by tradition, I am allowed those two choices. As I understand it, the King’s Cuckolds gain a seat at a council that wields real power in the kingdom by controlling the budget, but at the cost of having their dignity and manhood crushed by you. I clearly stated that I would rather face the world as a ‘landless beggar,’ as Adira put it than be humiliated in that way.”

“And when did you state this choice?” he demanded.

“When I said I do not consent,” Kendrick told him. “That was all that was required.”

Lannias laughed and leaned back against the bedpost. “That is a right that only those who are not my children are allowed.”

“That is not in the law,” Kendrick told him defiantly.

“Mother demands that all the men carrying her blood submit to this. All of my brothers were forced to submit in this manner. Even I would be forced to submit to it, were I to take a wife.”

Suddenly, Lannias’s attitude made sense to Kendrick. It became crystal clear. He smiled and said, “So, to protect yourself from being cuckolded, you cuckold other men.” He laughed. “That’s sad, Lannias.”

“Your Majesty,” Lannias barked. “You will address me as Your Majesty or as Father.”

Kendrick twisted the knife. “You are neither majestic nor are you my father. You have no idea how to be either one. You’re simply a scared little man who is lashing out to keep from being a victim.”

The backhand nearly broke Kendrick’s neck. As it was, it hurled him across the room into the wall beneath the window. As Lannias picked him up by the throat for a second beating, Kendrick saw across the space between towers, Adira watching what was transpiring. He smiled to himself as blows rained down on him until he blacked out from the beating.

Kendrick had no idea how long it was before he awoke again, but Lannias didn’t bother sending his healer this time. At some point in the beating, the chair must have broken, as when he awoke, Kendrick was forced to extricate himself from what was left of it and crawl his way to the bed, pieces of the chair still bound to his arms and legs. 

Collapsing onto the mattress, he slept again. This time, his dreams took him somewhere far away. He dreamt of a world where men flew through the air in great winged canisters, where they communicated across the globe with small devices that held the wisdom of the ages in their hands. He dreamt of a beautiful blonde woman with blue eyes and a kind smile. 

“And this too shall pass, Kendrick. You must be strong. It is coming to an end,” she spoke softly to him. Then, she leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips and whispered, “I’m sorry for your pain.”

The image and the kiss were so real that he felt them. Opening his eyes, he saw Adira’s face swim into focus.  “I’m sorry, Kendrick,” she whispered.

Gasping at the sight, he recoiled backward and half-yelled, “Get away from me!”

“Kendrick, please,” she pleaded. “I’m not here to hurt you. Lannias sent me to check on you.”

He rolled off the bed, every muscle in his body aching in protest, he said, “I’m alive,” he told her. “Even that is more information than you deserve. Return to your master like a good little bitch and tell him that I’m alive.”

“You’re hurt,” she countered, indicating the bruising on his face.

“Of course, I’m hurt, you stupid git. Lannias beat me again. This time he had me tied up before he beat me.” He laughed bitterly. “I guess he really is worried about my power.”

“If you keep provoking him, he’ll kill you,” she protested.

“I don’t care,” he told her.

“I care!” She was nearly in tears.

“The hell you do! The only thing you care about is your position in the palace court. All this is happening because you couldn’t be content with my love. You had to have more. Well, I’m paying for your access to the palace. Now get out of here, you reek of Lannias! You reek of betrayal, and the sight of you disgusts me. Stop coming here. I don’t want to see you. I don’t ever want to hear your name again!” She turned and left. This time, she didn’t cry. 

He sat down on the bed and took a deep breath. The argument had taken a lot out of him, and he was still in pain. He needed something to take his mind off both. He looked down at the cuff on his arm, and for the thousandth time, he studied the sigils. 

Maybe it was having his brains rattled around in his skull; maybe it was his anger; maybe it was even a death wish, but an idea came to him. Whenever he tried to cast a spell on something, the quintessence would gather inside the cuff and rebound inward on him as a levin bolt directed into his arm. He wondered what would happen should the spell be directed inwardly instead of outside of his body.

Closing his eyes, he gathered his quintessence, built the spell he wanted, and touched his chest.  

ZRRRT! The quintessence rebounded again and tore through his arm with numbing pain. “Well, that didn’t work,” he said quietly to himself. 

Again, he studied the sigils. It was clear that they gathered quintessence that was directed outward from his body. It shouldn’t have rebounded on him. Why had it rebounded on him? 

He walked himself through the spell again. He had gathered the quintessence, he’d focused it into the spell he wanted, he’d touched his chest and released it.

He’d touched his chest, and then released it! He hadn’t directed it inward, he’d directed it into his hand, then outward and back into himself. This was going to require a completely new approach to spellcasting. He was going to have to determine a way to infuse his body with his own internal quintessence without it exiting his flesh.  

Taking a deep breath, he again closed his eyes and took stock of himself. He became acutely aware of the pain in his body. For the first time since being brought to this room, he put his pain and his pride aside and looked inwardly.  He infused his body with his own consciousness and was in awe at how everything was working together to heal him. He could see the injuries Lannias’ beating had done to him. He could see the fractured bones that the vaunted recuperative powers Dabreo had mentioned were beginning to knit together. He could see where damaged tissue was receiving extra blood to repair itself.  

Then, he looked deeper inside himself. He looked at his spirit and his quintessence and was shocked at what he saw. Kendrick had always known that his quintessence was greater than most people around him, but he never really had something to compare it to, as he could not see into other people’s souls to view theirs. 

In the past, when he’d visualized his quintessence, he’d seen a shaft of light that emanated from somewhere in his core and stretched out into the universe itself. It had always been a single beam of blue luminance about the diameter of an apple welling up from inside him.

Now, it was a column of intense white light the size of a tree trunk, but instead of stretching out to the universe and beyond, it was hitting a barrier—he presumed it was the cuff—creating a back pressure that was widening its entrance into his spirit. The cuff wasn’t letting him focus his energy outward, so the back pressure was filling his being with more and more quintessence!

Perhaps it’s time I put some of that quintessence to use, he thought. Carefully, he began directing the now brilliant white light through his body. First, he infused himself with the energy to heal his body. He created natural paths for the quintessence to infuse his bones, muscles, brain, heart, and lungs. He let it fill him up with power but was very careful to keep it all confined within his body. He let it empower his physical self in ways he’d never considered before. It was a whole new approach to using his power. 

Something caught his eye as he mentally studied what was happening with his spirit. A vaguely egg-shaped structure was at the aperture through which his soul was funneling quintessence. It was glowing brightly as it infused his very being. He’d never seen it before and had no idea what it was supposed to represent. 

Finally, he withdrew from his internal trance and opened his eyes. To his surprise, Lucien sat across from him in the room’s remaining good chair. He was smiling mischievously. “How long have you been there?” Kendrick asked.

“Perhaps half an hour,” the young priest told him. “Do you feel better now?”

Kendrick checked his body and much to his surprise, found that he was now completely healed. He smiled and said, “I do.”

“Good,” the priest said as he picked up a small vial from the table and said, “Then you won’t be needing this.”

“What is it?”

“A healing draught,” he told Kendrick. “It’s a vile-tasting concoction, but it works well.” He slipped it into his pocket and then looked at the table where the game they’d been playing was now scattered across the floor. 

Recognizing the look, Kendrick said, “I’m sorry, but Lannias wasn’t too interested in preserving our game on his last visit.”

Lucien nodded and said, “So, I’ve heard. But the game wasn’t that important.” He adjusted his tunic. “I’ve come to finish our tale. I think that soon, you will find a way out of this prison.”

“Really?” Kendrick asked.

“I think so,” Lucien told him. “You’ve got a quick mind now that you aren’t thinking with your pride.”

Kendrick let that pass, and nodded toward the game, “Would you like to continue with that?”

Lucien grinned. “Not really. The game was irritating and distracting us from what was important.”

“Which was?”

“The tale,” Lucien replied.

“Or maybe the tale was distracting us from the game?” Kendrick teased.

“You are perceptive, Lord D’Arcane. But then, I think you come by that naturally.”

“There’s something you’re not telling me, Lucien,” Kendrick said.

“A great deal, actually, but some of that will come in time. There are some things you need to discover and develop on your own, and without outside interference.”

“You’re no ordinary priest, are you?” Kendrick asked.

“We both know the answer to that.”

“Who are you?”

Lucien gave him a wry smile and a slight nod. “A friend. Perhaps a patron, and maybe with time, more than that.” Again, he adjusted his tunic and then said, “You asked why Zyvette seems to despise marriages and good relationships.”

Kendrick nodded. “I did.”

“Now, this is just a personal theory, but it goes back to the origins of the gods.”

“I’m intrigued.”

“Many scholars have noted that there is a cycle with the birth of gods. The first to appear are the giants. The peoples of the Western Isles call them Formorians, those of the north call them Jotuns, and the inhabitants of the Southern Isles call them Titans. I like the latter term. Either way, before the gods, there were the giants or Titans. They gave form to the land and the sky, and represent the very embodiment of those ideas. You cannot destroy the Titan of the sun because in doing so, you would destroy the sun itself.”

“I think I understand,” Kendrick told the priest.

“Well, the second generation of Titans are the godheads of the pantheons. They are Titans who intermarry, usually brother to sister, and produce the gods. The gods are powerful elemental forces, but they are not the embodiment of those forces. They have absolute control over them, but they are not necessary for those forces to exist.”

“Okay. That makes sense, I guess.”

Lucien nodded. “The gods born from the godheads are usually major gods representing primal forces. Their offspring are minor gods representing smaller aspects of nature, and so forth.” 

“Go on,” Kendrick told him.

“Now, Lannias is a demigod. He is the offspring of a god, albeit a major god, and a human. He is more powerful than most demigods, and Zyvette has poured more power into him that is quite healthy, but he’ll never be a minor god, much less a major one. This eats at his craw and vexes Zyvette as well because he’s the most like her of all her children.”

“So Zyvette is a godhead?” Kendrick asked.

“Yes.”

“What happened to her husband or brother?”

“From what understanding I have of the situation, he rejected her. Over time, he saw her for what she truly was and left her to fend for himself. Nobody knows where he might have wandered off to. This rejection further twisted Zyvette into the monster she has become. She hates marriage, friendship, and most relationships because she was denied the one she wanted the most.”

“That explains a great deal,” Kendrick said. “But why are you telling me all of this? This isn’t meant to be some kind of succor for my injured pride, as you first suggested.”

“There is more,” Lucien said. “It has to do with a gift given to Lord Siris and Lady Ythia by Ryo and Kala. And to do with your conception and current situation.”

That caught Kendrick off guard. How did all this come around to him and his situation? “I’m listening.”

Lucien took a deep breath and said, “Amongst the gifts given to the young couple by her parents was a Genesis Ova.”

“I don’t recognize the term,” Kendrick said.

“Lady Kala had the gift of prophecy, but she could not tell anyone what she saw, or it would not come true. Over the eons, she had learned how to circumvent the problem of not being able to reveal what she had seen through personal gifts and advice. Her husband learned to trust her advice and insight and knew when to give in to her suggestions without asking too many questions. Among those suggestions was that they should send Ythia away when she married and along with her, particular gifts. Among those was the last remaining Genesis Ova.”

“Which are?” Kendrick asked.

“They are ancient artifacts from Ryo’s world that predated their own Titans. Some say that they were remnants of the formation of the universe itself. They contained the quintessence for birthing Titans. Lady Kala explained this to Lord Siris and explained that if the quintessence contained inside it were to be applied to any being with divine blood, that it would rewrite them into primal Titans. It would strip away who they were, what the quintessence of their parents dictated they would be, and reforge them into a new generation of Titans that would need to find their own way.”

“If that’s true, then it was a gift beyond measure,” Kendrick said.

“Lord Siris has used that gift twice now.”

“Oh?” Kendrick asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Yes,” Lucien told him. “The first time was on his wife’s child when they discovered she was pregnant from her assault. He changed the girl from a child of Zyvette to a child of the universe.”

“And the second time?” Kendrick asked, fearing the answer.

“When you were conceived,” Lucien said.

“Why?” 

“Several reasons, actually,” Lucien told him. “The first being is that your father is a good and faithful servant of Lord Siris. The second is that he is disgusted with his mother’s and brother’s actions.” He took another deep breath and said, “He has other reasons as well, but wants to leave those to your discretion. He hopes you will choose wisely.”

“So, you are telling me that I am a Titan, a creature of immense power, capable of birthing gods?” He looked around the room and said, “I find that difficult to believe, considering my current condition.”

“That’s because you are still growing, Lord D’Arcane. You have yet to live a single mortal lifetime. It takes a while to grow into your power.” He smiled and then said, “But Lannias has helped you. By putting that accursed cuff on you, he’s forced the connection between you and your quintessence to widen and become more powerful. After your meditation today, I think a physical confrontation between the two of you would now be much more evenly matched. Furthermore, your mastery of magic far exceeds his.”

“Yet, my magic is still suppressed by the cuff,” he pointed out.

Lucien shook his head and said, “Only because you allow it to be. The changes you are making to your body will allow you to cast through the cuff in a few days. Not without the shock and pain they generate, but you will be able to do it. Moreover, if you think about it, I’m sure there are many ways you can focus your spells inwardly, to make changes to your body that will allow you to slip out of it.”

Kendrick slapped himself in the head. “Damn! Why didn’t I think of that?!”

Lucien smiled and said, “Because part of the cuff’s curse is to make you wallow in your pain and misery as well as to suppress your magic. Also, because you just took a beating that would have killed a mortal. You just needed a small push in the right direction.”

“What now?” Kendrick asked. “Do I just walk out of here, and start blasting things?”

“That will lead to a fight that will get a lot of people killed. You’re much smarter than Lannias. I’m sure you can come up with a plan to exact revenge on him. Lord Siris simply asks that you not kill him. Lannias is, after all, his brother.”

Kendrick nodded.  He would take his time and think things through about when would be the best time to strike, and how. “The problem is that there are some things I need from my father’s home, but to leave here would be to give away too much.”

Lucien smiled and reached into the ever-present wooden box he carried. “I believe your father anticipated this.” He pulled from the box several of Kendrick’s glass orbs as well as a long glass-bladed knife Kendrick had enchanted to be as hard and flexible as steel. It was also far too large to fit into that box.

Kendrick took the items and slid them under his pillow. “Thank you.”

Lucien rose and said, “Perhaps I should leave now. Return to your father's home when you have done what you intend to do. He has directions for a place to seek respite to heal. There is someone there that Lord Siris wants you to meet.”

Kendrick nodded and said, “Thank you. You’ve been my friend, and we’ve only met twice.”

Lucien smiled and said, “Then I have served my master’s purpose.”

After bidding each other farewell, Lucien knocked on the door for the guards to let him out and left.  Kendrick sat down on the bed and began to build his plan. 

He would wait until tonight, well after Lannia's usual performance with Adira, and then remove the cuff and slip out. Whispering, he said to the immortal king, “I’m coming for you, Lannias. We will settle this score.”

He found waiting to be much harder than he expected, and for some reason, Adira’s cries of passion were particularly upsetting tonight. But he powered through it, trying to lose himself in the intricacies of several spells he planned on using.

It was deep into the darkest hours before dawn when the sounds of passion died and were replaced by those of sleep from across the way.  He had his spells ready, he knew what he was going to do, and he knew how to do it. It was time.

He looked down at the cuff and turned his mind inward on himself. It was a simple spell that was core to the glass globes he used for the magic he had been studying before this all started. But instead of casting it outwardly, he infused the magic into his body from the inside. As it took effect, he saw the world growing larger around him, leaving his clothing and cuff at their normal size. When it was loose enough, he quickly yanked his arm backward and out of the damnable device.

It bounced twice on the mattress as Kendrick reversed the spell and expanded his body again to its normal size. Freed from the cuff’s restraints, he gathered what Lucien had brought him and climbed to the window’s ledge. He could feel the changes his earlier manipulations of his body had done in his legs, but it was still a long way down, and he was nervous. 

Swallowing hard, he committed himself and leapt the forty feet across the intervening space between his prison and Adira’s balcony. From there, it was easy to slip into her bedchambers where she lay sated next to Lannias. 

The first thing he did was to silently raise a stone wall in front of the door to the chamber and then fuse it to the walls, essentially sealing the room. Then, a quick zone of silence between the bed and the doors would suffice for what he had planned.

Silently, he strode to her, lay his wedding ring on her bare breasts, and cast the spell he wanted. It was so subtle that he knew it would not awaken Adira until he was ready. Lannias, however, was a different story. Kendrick was neither subtle nor was he gentle. With a quick gesture, he moved the king from Adira’s bed and over the floor. Then, he brought the stone up from the floor, sealing the man’s splayed arms from shoulder to wrist in ten inches of granite. He did the same thing with his legs from mid-thigh to calf. He wrapped his mouth in a band of steel-hard glass and then kicked him hard in the testicles.

Lannias’ tried to roar in pain, but the band across his mouth silenced him. Kendrick watched as the man who’d tortured, beaten, and cuckolded him arched his back, struggling against the mystically reinforced stone restraints. A movement to his right caught his attention, and he saw Adira’s eyes open in confusion.

“Good, you’re both awake. Now, we can begin.”

“Kendrick?” Adira asked, her eyes wide. 

“No screaming Adira, or I’ll have to silence you the same way I did, this piece of snake dung.” For emphasis, he kicked Lannias in the balls again.

Her eyes grew wide with fear, and she nodded. “How did you escape?”

He shook his head and said, “That’s not important, Adira. I did escape, and now you both are going to pay for what you’ve done to me. I’m going to enjoy the next little bit immensely.” With that, he withdrew the knife. 

“First, Lannias, I’m going to make sure what I’m doing tonight cannot be undone.” With that, he traced the edge of the knife from the hollow of the king’s collarbone down his sternum, across his well-muscled stomach to the edge of the forest of blond pubes. He felt the flesh part, and a thin line of blood appeared where the knife had been. 

It wasn’t a deep cut, but it did what he needed to do, which was to make him bleed. Grabbing a silver chalice from next to the bed, he poured the remaining contents onto the man’s face and smiled. “Thank you for supplying the perfect vessel for this.

He waited until the rivulets of blood from the cut ran to the edges of Lannias’ body and collected a stream that was flowing over the sides of his abdomen along his hip bone.  When he was sure he’d collected enough blood, he set the chalice to the side and watched as the king’s divine healing factor began to close the wound. It would be the last wound that would close on its own tonight.

“Do I have your attention, Lannias?”

The king’s visage was one of pure rage and hatred. Lannias was not accustomed to being the victim, and it was clear he didn’t yet realize how much danger he was in. He made no indication that he was going to acknowledge the question. 

Kendrick shrugged and said, “That’s okay. I’ll have it in a moment.” He lay the blade on Lannias’ chest and began chanting a short incantation as he poured the blood from the chalice onto it. He watched as the blade slowly absorbed the blood and began to glow an evil red. When he had coated both sides of the glassy surface, he held it aloft. 

“I made a promise to your brother that I wouldn’t kill you. But that doesn’t mean I won’t hurt you. I’m going to hurt you like you’ve hurt me. I’m going to hurt you like you hurt my father, and like you hurt all your cuckolds down through the centuries. And I’m going to make sure that you will never be able to do that again.”

With that, he walked around Lannia’s leg until he stood between the man’s thighs and held up the blade. “With the blood and quintessence I infused into this blade, it means the wounds you receive tonight will never heal, and not even your mother will be able to undo it. What one god does to another can only be undone by the one who did it. And since this is the realm upon which you were born, this is the realm where you can die the final death. Keep that in mind, Lannias.”

It was at this point that Kendrick realized that he might be just a little insane. Oh well, if that allowed him to do what he needed to do, then so much the better. With his free hand, he reached down and grabbed the king's scrotum and pulled it and his testicles away from Lannias’ body. Then, with a quick slice of the blade, he removed the sack and its contents from the man’s body. Lannias tried to scream through his gag, but only the slightest sounds were able to escape his throat and nose.

Kendrick smiled and said, “No more royal bastards.” He grinned evilly and added, “But I’m not done yet.” He placed the organs he’d just removed onto a platter that had been sitting next to the chalice and shook his head. “Can’t have you bleeding all over the floor now, can we?”

He grabbed the loose skin that was left over from the amputation with each hand and pulled it out, twisted it, and fused it together with a quick healing spell so as to close the wound. When he was sure that what was left was now one smooth but painful piece of skin, he repeated the process with Lannias’ manhood. He then, with a glare, set the mass of tissue sitting on the silver platter afire. The smell of burning flesh permeated the room.

Looking over, he saw that Adira was weeping openly. “Are those tears for Lannias?” he asked her bitterly.

She shook her head and said, “No. They’re for you, Kendrick. They’re for what you’ve become.”

“You mean, what you and he have made me? This would never have happened if you had simply loved me more than you loved your social standing. You chose this, not me.”

“Kendrick, I never knew you would do this,” she said bitterly.

“You should have, Adira. You should have realized that your actions would have consequences.” He turned back to Lannias, who was futilely screaming into his glass gag. 

He smiled at the king and said, “I’m not even close to being finished, Your Majesty. That was what you insisted I call you, wasn’t it? Your Majesty. But don’t worry, you aren’t going to die tonight. But rest assured that no woman will ever look upon your face favorably again.”

With that, he placed the blade against Lannias’ face, sending a surge of white-hot heat through it. He began to burn large sections of the man’s face, scarring him permanently. At one point, he dug out the king’s right eye, cauterizing the socket. “Not much more, Your Majesty. Then I can turn my attention to my lovely wife.” To Kendrick’s surprise, Adira said nothing but simply swallowed as tears streamed down her face. 

Kendrick then turned to the king’s right hand and drew his blade across the back of it, severing the tendons down to the bone. Again, he pulled the skin together, cauterized it, and smiled. He repeated the process on his left hand. “Just one more thing.” 

With a wave of his hand, he caused the bindings to flip Lannias over so his back was facing upward. He felt down the man’s spine until he found the vertebrae that he wanted. He slipped the knife into Lannias’ back and sawed his way through connecting tissue, and the spinal chord beneath it. Below his waist, Lannias suddenly went limp. Kendrick smiled and said, “There. I hope that was particularly excruciating. But look on the bright side; you’ll never feel anything below the waist again.” He put his knife away and said, “Now, to my unfaithful wife.”

He walked around the bed until he was beside the woman who was once the love of his life.  He smiled at her and brushed her tears away. “Don’t worry, Adira. I’m not going to torture you. At least not physically.”

“What… what are you going to do?” she asked. He noted that it wasn’t fear he was hearing in her voice, but regret.

He reached down and touched her stomach. “I’m going to give you another chance, in a manner of speaking. You will get a chance to raise your daughter, yourself, to be a better woman than you.”

“I don’t…”

“Hush,” he told her as he rubbed her belly and began the incantation. He picked up the knife and then pricked her thumb with it. 

“I thought you weren’t going to torture me,” she said bitterly.

“I’m not. That’s the only blood I will draw from you this evening. The blade needs to know who you are so that it won’t harm that part of your child.”

“I don’t understand,” she said trembling.

He smiled and lay the blade flat across her stomach, and said the words for the spell. When the knife’s glow shifted to a soft yellow, he grasped its handle and slowly pulled it straight up. A long tendril of red energy was drawn from her body and into the blade.

“What did you do?” she asked, still unable to move anything but her head.

“It’s a spell that is used by a very special group of life mages who are followers of Siris. They use it to help women who’ve been assaulted and are with child as a result. Siris’ followers do not believe in punishing a child for its father’s sins.  It’s not well-known, as Zyvette’s church and the crown forbid its use.”

“What did it do?” she demanded.

He smiled and said, “There is now no trace of Lannias left in your child. It will be your daughter and yours only. None of his blood is in your child. Raise her well, as when you give birth to her, you will be barren for the rest of your life. She will have no brothers or sisters.”

“Where did you learn such a spell?” she demanded.

He chuckled and said, “Believe it or not, my ability to use it is a direct result of that cuff that Lannias shackled me with. Otherwise, I would not have had the quintessence to cast it. Lannias has only the bastards that have already been born. There will be no more.”

“He will have you killed for this!” she hissed.

“He may try,” Kendrick told her. “But I’m washing my hands of Lannias, Bredaine, and Mythsteria as a whole. I am leaving you my chateau and the valley for you and your daughter.”  He sighed and then added, “I truly loved you, Adira. You had all of my heart and would have been my forever love. But you killed that. The least I can do for you is to see that you are taken care of and that any traces of that snake turd are purged from your life.” 

He stood, kissed her again, and said, “Goodbye, Adira. You won’t see me again.” And with that, he stepped out onto the balcony and dropped to the courtyard below.  Looking around, he gained his bearings before casting a spell to render him invisible. On silent feet, he crept through the palace until he found the rooms he wanted. 

The king’s strongroom was guarded by two heavily armed and armored soldiers without the door. It took little to render them paralyzed before he took their keys and slipped through the door. 

Lighting the lamp, he looked around at the neat rows of gold, silver, and copper ingots and coins. He also noted several neat boxes of precious stones, gold objects d’arte, and even a few weapons.  He pulled from his belt, the bag he’d brought into the palace so long ago, and charged the spells that still lay dormant on them. 

It immediately expanded into a large sack with an opening about three feet in diameter.  He then went about stuffing coins, ingots, the objects d’arte, and precious gems into it. Looking around, he saw several small racks with wands, bracers, and necklaces in them. He could feel the magic emanating from the racks and added them to his hoard. He closed the bag, and with a word, the bag shrank down to its original size. Stuffing it into his belt before blowing out the lamp, he exited the room. The guards were still paralyzed, so he returned the keys to their belt and left the castle to return to his father’s house.

There, he found his father awaiting him. “Kendrick!” the older man shouted and pulled him into a rough bear hug as he pounded Kendrick’s back. “D’Germaine told me that you would return tonight!”

Kendrick nodded and said, “I can’t stay long. By the time they break through to Adira’s chambers, and find her and Lannias, the whole kingdom  will be looking for me.”

“What did you do, Son?” he demanded.

“I took revenge for every man who’s ever been cuckolded by him. I left him in a much sorrier state than I was when I went to the tower. I also did a few things to Adira. Nothing that really harmed her, but the child she carries will not be Lannias’. It will be hers and hers alone.”

Silvare nodded his head and said, “I’ve heard of Siris’ Cleansing Spell. I did not know that you knew it and could cast it.”

Kendrick nodded and told him. “I do, and can. Lannias has been rendered impotent in a way that not even his mother can repair. However, I will not be able to stay in Bredaine or even Mythsteria.”

“So D’Germaine told me. He also suggested that perhaps I should take a trip, maybe to the Southern Isles. Zyvette is not well-liked there by their Queen Goddess. I am already packed and a ship awaits me at the morning tide.”

Kendrick nodded, and said, “In that case.” he reached to his belt and removed the bag that hung from it. Opening it, he pulled from it two large gold ingots and put them on the floor. Then taking one of his globes from his pocket, he set it between the ingots and charged two sigils. For a moment, the gold wavered in and out of existence before the sigils began to pulse. He put the ingots back into the bag and closed it. “When you get to the Southern Isles, charge the two sigils that are glowing. I know you have enough magic for that. The gold will appear. It will be far more than you need to set you up to live out the rest of your life in peace, harmony, and even luxury.”

“What magic is this?” he demanded taking the globe from Kendrick.

“I told you before this whole situation started that I had been delving into ancient lore. This is the result.”

Silvare said, “I knew I was right about you, Son.”

Kendrick shook his head and said, “Not completely, Father. I’ve done some dark deeds tonight. I’ve seen justice done, but it has darkened my soul. I’m going to need to do a lot of thinking and healing to recover my balance.”

“About that,” his father said. “D’Germaine told me to give you this. He said that when you have gathered the things you need, snap it, and it will take you to a safe place. There is someone named Karaleigh who will take care of getting you settled to where you can do what you need to do.” He handed Kendrick a small glass eagle.

“Did he say where it is?”

Silvare nodded and said, “Some place called Earth.”