Nethermost Realm: Prisoner of Arlunn

Chapter 55

Please note: I am updating this draft of The Prisoner of Arlunn. The most important change is that the main character's name has been changed from Philip to Rian.

55

Waiting for word about Rian, Shaz stayed on Arlunn and attended classes. He noticed that most of the others stayed on Arlunn as well, though he did not see either Arryk or Barris at the college and he heard that they were at the castle hoping that Rian would recover somehow.

Of course, the notion was absurd. Rian had taken Kyran has his magic-spawn. From what Shaz knew of such dark magic, that wasn't something that could be undone—not without killing the magic-spawn. The Arlunni would happily do that, he was sure, if they thought it would help. In the end, perhaps they'd kill both Rian and Kyran—doing Shaz's work for him.

All in all, the whole situation cheered him considerably. Once again, he would be the Favored Heir. The only drawback would be that his mother, Gwindle, would get her position as Regent of Cathal back until the end of the Challenge.

Already he had defied her by not giving Anya the potion that would kill her baby. His mother considered her low lineage beneath them for producing an heir. But as soon as she loses the baby, Shaz would have to send her back to her mother, so he had resisted.

Soon he'd have to go see Gwindle and she would be angry. But this information about Rian might mollify her. Having Rian out of the running was good news. Maybe she'd overlook Shaz's own lack of action.

Then finally, Shaz heard word about Rian's condition: he had not recovered. The Arlunni had decided to banish both him and Kyran to the Nethermost Realm. Encouraged by this good news, Shaz decided it was time to pay his mother a visit.

But first he stopped at the apartment. Poor Anya. She wouldn't be glad to learn of this. He went home and found her sitting in the upstairs sitting room attempting to read. Her Vassi still wasn't very good, unless she wore that silly enchanted hat, so she had to read the simplest of books or just look at the pictures.

"Anya," he said. She looked up at him, frowning slightly. He missed how bright she used to get when he came into the room. He missed her smiles. "I'm afraid I have bad news—it's about Rian."

She sat up to listen, setting the book aside. "How is he?"

Shaz shook his head. "Worse, I guess. Genesse announced that she is banishing both him and Kyran to the Nethermost Realm."

"No!" said Anya, distraught. She stood. He stood too, not sure where she planned to go.

"There's nothing else to be done," said Shaz. "Too much of the necromancer Molan was left hidden in Kyran's mind. He's now possessed by the mind of Molan, to some degree."

"We have to help him!"

"We can't! It's irreversible. If the Arlunni couldn't help him, then he's beyond all help! I'm sorry. I know you were close to him."

"You just wanted to kill him," said Anya, angrily. "You wanted him dead!"

"It doesn't matter what I wanted. I had nothing to do with this. Rian made a choice, and it turned out badly. Don't blame this on me!"

Tears began to roll down her eyes. Didn't this child ever stop crying?

"Stay here," he said in his most authoritative voice. "I have to see someone but I'll be back in an hour or two."