Honour or Reason - Book 1# in the Burning Prince Chronicles

Chapter Seven

Brilyn felt sick. Each time he closed his eyes he saw Con's body floating in the waves. When he had spied the prince drowning... he had been frozen. Bri had seen his friend submitting to the darkness and known he could not save him. Not truly. Even before he pulled Con miraculously from the sea and heard his tale, the young scholar had known great evil resided in those swirling waters. Nothing had turned his hope into despair as fast as when he was told of the deal Conlaed said he'd made with the Fey. It was not that Brilyn despised Fey as some did, but that he knew they could not be trusted. It was known that the Fey mourned for the loss of their empire to the meek humans and loathed the very thought of sharing the realms with what they believed were the 'lower creatures'. Every scroll or manuscript discovered that told of a meeting with Fey spoke of their malice, bitterness and above all else, unearned deception. Story after story that told of Fey and human interaction ended in bloodshed or misery. Peytoe Massabar, an explorer known for his fascination with natural magic and determination to preserve what remained of the magical world, was enchanted by a Fey princess to drown himself. Kellette Jede, a famous Mage of the Age of Stars, was burned alive by two Fey and fed to their wolves. Yes, some attacks were provoked, but others had children, squires collecting water, maidens and their young husbands as victims of the Feys' cruelty. Bri had no doubt his dear Conlaed was wandering straight into a trap.

He did not regret telling Aglaesha of what truly happened upon the ramparts and on the beach. She had a right to know - she was his betrothed. Besides, she had better chance of discovering the true motives of the Wraith. And sharing the secret, Brilyn didn't feel so burdened, so alone anymore. Of course, he dreaded the treatment Conlaed would give him when he discovered his friend had betrayed him, (for Aglaesha was not one to keep something from her loved ones). Still, Brilyn was certain telling the beautiful Mage had been the best choice. Now both of them could watch out for poor Con and stop any trouble from reaching the Crown Prince.

Bri prayed Aglaesha's presence had comforted Con. Perhaps their meeting tonight will let them go back to normal again. Perhaps some good came of meeting her in the forest...I hope so. For so long before the tragedy of the King's death, Aglaesha and Conlaed had been deep in love. They had been the vision of fairy-tale lovers. Con would have set himself alight for her and Aglaesha would have slain a Fire drake for her prince. They had planned their wedding for a year. It was to be a spectacle; the Mages were to have performed magic that made golden and silver sparks shower from the sky, nobility from all across the realms were invited as guests, a Ruby city merchant claimed to bring a dragon with rubies for scales as a gift to the prince and his bride and ninety different dishes were to be prepared for the enormous wedding feast. The wedding had been merely a month away when the King fell dead, or as Con claimed, was kidnapped by a Fey under Hanrick's orders.

The library was black as pitch and silent as the dead. Brilyn crept inside, heart racing. He prayed that the gods would offer him their protection. He knew nothing pleasant would come of being seen by the Guardian. The memory of the shadow cords tightened his chest. He gnawed on his lip as he closed the heavy wooden doors behind him and was swallowed by the blackness. Bri released a sharp breath. Ever since he was a child, he had feared the library at night. When he was very young, the complete darkness had frightened him. He had imagined great beasts of darkness and witchcraft prowling the long gloomy bookcases. When the Fox ordered him to fetch a specific book in the dead of night, Brilyn used to take a candle with him. He got away with it three times before Jarete realized. When he returned to his master's chamber the third time, the Guardian had pulled him over one knee and beat him with the iron knuckles he kept upon the mantelpiece. Following the beating, the Fox had seized the little boy by the scruff of the neck and dragged him into the library. Down into the darkness they went, until Jarete took Bri to a large iron door and opened it. Brilyn had started bawling when the Fox threw him into the dark room and slammed the door shut. Brilyn was left in the dark. It took him a day within to realize it was bigger than expected. Larger than the library, in fact. When his eyes adjusted to the gloom, the child had finally understood where he was. A crypt.