Chronicles of the Fugitive Prince

Chapter 15: Family Reunion in Geland

When James, Daniel and Castilius returned to Calablin, Daniel had a cast put on his shoulder. Grand Master Yolrond summoned them to his office with their mother Mary.

"James, Daniel, it's so reassuring to see that you are alright after the disasters that happened in Pittis and Artin in the Pale-Reach. We lost many fine men there, such as Master Icarus and Lancel. How did you escape?" asked Yolrond.

"We were captured by the Griffiths and put in the dungeon of Horsehill Palace. However, I used a mind trick spell on one of the guards, and he freed me and my brother. We then went to free Castilius. After that, we escaped the dungeon by using smoke spells to distract the guards. We left the city and stole two horses to escape. The Griffiths hunted us, and we were chased by Victor and a couple of knights, but we escaped them by burning down a bridge at the border between the Pale-Reach and the Elvenlands, preventing them from following us" replied James.

"Thank you for the story. Castilius told me that the Palmorii Inquisitor Vaccitus attempted to probe your mind for information, and that you resisted his advances. He also told me that you found something: a glass ebony orb inside a black tower. You found a Raltin" said Yolrond.

"Yes, Master. What exactly is a Raltin, and what could the Palmorii be using it for?" asked James.

"A Raltin is a magical orb which acts as a mirror for powerful objects which cast strong auras. They can be used as links between two different magicians so that they can contact each other. But they can be dangerous. If one uses them too much without being trained, they can become insane due to the intense energy that arrays from it. Why the Palmorii would be using it, that is interesting. It is also interesting why they know how to find the Jehovian Seals while we have difficulty doing so. Perhaps the Raltin has something to do with it" explained Yolrond.

"What do you mean?" asked James.

"The Raltin may be leading the Palmorii towards the Jehovian Seals. It makes sense, since the Seals emit strong magical auras, they can be picked up by the Raltin. Grand Master Thantus Zhar and his apprentice may be trained to use the orbs" said Yolrond.

"We could really use one" added Daniel.

"Yes, but they are extremely difficult to find. Maybe even more than the Jehovian Seals, and they are not our main concern right now. No, there are more important things to do at the moment. The fateful battles at Pittis and Artin exposed the true weaknesses of the Handlirian Order. We have not fought a war in centuries. We have only acted as a kind of peacekeeping force, and we have been largely isolated from Cletus. On the other hand, the Griffiths' armies are fully trained, and they are allied with the Kingdom of Austaly. If we stand alone, we will not be able to beat the Griffiths. But if we ally with the Griffith's other enemies, the remaining unconquered Pale-Reach states and the Kingdom of Geland, then we will be able to take a stand against the Griffiths. I need both of you for a very important assignment for both of you. As the true Princes of Libernia, you have prominent political influences. You must go with your mother south to Pardrid, the capital of Geland which is situated on the Napitan Sea, and convince King Alfonse II to ally with us. You must take the route shown on this map" said Yolrond.

Yolrond pushed a map of Cletus forward. The map had a designated route drawn on a red line which showed the designated route to Pardrid.

"This line is the safest way to your destination. Be careful not to head through the areas controlled by the Griffiths. They now control about half of Geland. Also, do not wear your royal clothes. You must wear regular noble clothes to avoid arousing suspicion, especially if you run into Griffith soldiers. I have these prepared for you" added Yolrond.