The Bane of the Empire

Chapter 12

He saw the faces of his friends lift, but he refused to acknowledge the second part of this thought. Another thing he learned from his many "adventures" was that there may be a way in, but the way out could be just as or more precarious than the way in.

"Tomorrow Gavin and I will be heading out into the city. Any information will be better than nothing." Hunter added.

Elias nodded and Hunter watched as Gavin gave the older man a meaningful look. Tal wanted to perfect her abilities, saying that she could be needed in battle. Hunter agreed and had left her to work alone. Gavin, on the other hand, had expressed that he did not want Tal anywhere near danger. He had told him that was not either of their call to make. Accepting that he, instead, enlisted Elias to watch her during her practice sessions. Warning him that if anything happened to the amber eyed female he would "burn him in his own hearth".

Hunter couldn't help but admit that there was some poetic justice in the threat as Tal would be practicing how to manipulate fire from his hearth.

"We should try to understand how the people see the King. If we can plant a seed of doubt in their minds, then we can use them against the city guards." Gavin offered and Hunter smirked as a plan began to form in his mind.

***

After waking up and joining the kitchen staff for breakfast, Dawn made her way back into the Royal Library. The woman was not at her desk, so Dawn pushed open the stone door and made her way to the ancient gates. Compared to the stone statues, the black onyx mandala appeared to be in better condition. Crouching down, she brushed the dirt that had accumulated over top. Around the petals, the stone was arranged into runes in a language she did not know. Standing up she pushed through the gate and into the chamber beyond.

She had taken a torch from one of the holders on the main floor and slowly walked the perimeter of the room, lighting the wicks of the torches covered in a thin film of dust. Once the room was cast in a yellow glow, she turned to the rows upon rows of logs. She could only imagine how the Library would have been with mages walking its halls! The knowledge and power that was contained in this chamber was unfathomable. Taking a deep breath, she turned to the personal logs of the mage apprentices.

She pulled out logs with different names on the spine and stacked them on one of the tables. Most spoke of injured soldiers and the methods of healing that their superiors had taught them. "Archmage" appeared in numerous texts but there was nothing that suggested what happened to the mages or where they went. Dawn assumed that the Archmage would be the highest in rank and closest to the King from the Royal Library. So, she returned to the shelves and picked logs that had any mention of the Royal Family or Archmage.

She spent hours going through the entries when one caught her eye.

Today we will be visiting the Queen. She is expecting her second child and Archmage Gabriel and his apprentice will be conducting their first evaluation. I asked if the Queen's pregnancy would be a hard one due to her age, but the Archmage had laughed and said, "the Queen may be older to us mortals, but she is a young Queen among her kind."

Among her kind?

Looking at the date of the entry she counted back to twenty-one years. She flipped through the pages of the apprentice's log but there was no other mention of Gabriel or the Queen. She could feel herself a hairbreadth away from the truth, but the logs only spoke in riddles or half sentences and any information was conveniently missing.

Letting out an irritated sigh, Dawn pushed against the table and turned back to the shelf.

The hair at her nape rose when a feeling of being watched overcame her. She could feel someone's gaze follow her movements as she returned the log in her hand back to its spot on the shelf. Feeling her heart beat quicken, she began walking toward the gate. She left the logs on the table and the low burning torches lit. Walking around the desk and to the base of the steps, her feet froze when she heard someone scoff.