The Festival of the Azure Moon

Chapter 2 - What Cell Could Hold Them?

A violent splash of cold water slapped Don straight in the face. He awakened in a brief panic. He tried to rub his eyes, only to find his hands had been firmly shackled together behind the chair he was sitting in. His head felt like it had been trampled by horses. Without the full use of his arms, he could not cast spells. Shaking the dripping water from his brow, he tried to get a good look at the men who were holding him captive.

"Who's there? What's going on?"

The sound of giant footsteps hitting the ground in front of Don prompted him to look up. Standing before him was a tall, broad-shouldered man with light brown hair that was professionally styled into a ponytail. His skin was tanned by hours of direct sunlight. He was dressed in exquisite plate armor, holding his helmet by the visor.

"You have been detained on behalf of the Sentinel Order by the Holy Knights. My name is Sir Talix Aldous. I am the man who gave you that throbbing headache you must be feeling by now."

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Sir. My name is Don of the Traveler Clan. I would bow, but it appears I have been shackled to a chair."

Talix tilted his head. "I don't recognize your accent, but it is clear you aren't local. Judging by your misunderstanding of knightly titles, I would also assume you don't fully speak Traven."

"I was born in Pallumia, but I was raised . . ." Don paused, as he was unsure how much of the truth he should divulge. "Elsewhere . . ."

"Mr. Traveler, do you understand why you were arrested?"

Don raised an eyebrow and cocked his head. "Last I checked, I was the one being robbed. If this is about the horses and cart, I will gladly do what I can to make reparations."

Talix shook his head. "That is a separate matter that I'm sure the pickpocket in the dungeon will pay dearly for soon. The Holy Knights are more concerned with the spells you were spotted casting. I saw you open a portal large enough for a horse-drawn cart to fit through. There aren't many magicians around who can manage such a feat, much less under extreme duress."

With a smile, Don replied, "Wasn't that impressive? That was certainly a close one. Had I missed the center of the portal by even another inch or miscalculated our speed toward it, we wouldn't be having this conversation now!"

"Impressive though it was, portals can only be conjured by those who possess the magical gift of evocation, which is highly regulated within the empire. I could not find any magician registration documents anywhere among your belongings. If you cannot produce any such documents, then I will be forced to assume that you are an outlaw magician."

Don had no idea what that meant, but it admittedly did not seem pleasant. He quickly came up with a lie. "Were they not in my knapsack? I swear on my life I stashed them away there nice and proper before setting off on my journey! They must still be in Pallumia . . ."

The Holy Knight paced from side to side and frowned. "Well, luckily for you, the Church of the Holy Trinity keeps a ledger of all local registered magicians. Now that I have your name, I can check within the ledger to verify your innocence. If you can state where you were first registered, we can send for a messenger from that area and have your registration verified."

"Fantastic!" Don said with a smile. "How long will that take? I am hoping to finish my journey to Galatea quickly so that I may make it in time for the Festival of the Azure Moon."

"Sending a messenger by horseback all the way to Pallumia could take several weeks or longer if the roads are not kind. Until then, you are to remain here under my close watch until the Sentinels return from Oxgate."