Lost in my thoughts, you stayed,
Here in my heart, you came.
10th ☾
A Sorcerer's Letter
"Scepter, gold coins, useless scroll..." Bryce was unloading the contents of the bag.
My mind lingered on the things that had happened in the castle. All I could think about was Lancelot and what he did. No matter how much I reasoned out with myself, nothing was making any sense. Why did he help us?
"Miles!"
I was startled by Bryce's sudden call that I ended up falling down from where I was sitting. I threw him an annoyed look. "What do you want now?"
"What's wrong with you?" Bryce said back, riled with my inattentiveness.
"Alright, I'm sorry. What were you telling me to do again?"
He pointed to the goods scattered on the ground. "Bring those over to the wagon."
"Sure thing." I got up, brushing off the dust on my clothes. I put the goods in a brown sack and hauled it over my shoulders.
Sheesh. It was heavy.
It was past midnight, and the campfire was the only source of light around here. Bringing a lantern along with me, I went to the wagon that was located at the other side, near the entrance. Those who were not yet asleep teased me as I passed by—out of breath and panting for air. They all knew that I was Bryce's favorite pet and the consequences that came along with it.
"Nice going, Miles."
"Need any help?"
I threw them deadly stares, which made them stop. I didn't know if they were threatened by my ability as a fighter, or the fact that the strongest man in the group, Wilson, favored me. It was more likely the latter.
Putting the sack down on the wagon, I stretched my tired arms. Wilson and the others would bring it to the black market tomorrow. In terms of adding to our profits, Wykeham Castle didn't disappoint.
I still hadn't heard of Bryce and Anthony's assessment of Wykeham Castle, but I'd noticed that Anthony was bothered lately. Ever since we came back, something was troubling him. I definitely knew this, because his deathly stares that were directed towards me had intensified. That was how I usually measured his mood.
Feeling meddlesome and bored, I looked inside the contents of the sack. A scroll seemed to be out of place, so I picked it up. It must have been precious if they had bothered including it in the loot. But when I opened a scroll, there was nothing inside. Did Ulric and Josef unintentionally put this scroll inside the bag? It was only a plain, empty scroll, without even a golden handle to be of value.
I was about to throw it back to the sack, when I felt my right hand twitch. Or was it just my imagination?
I'd been living with this seal for years now, but it was the first time I felt that it did something other than shining out of nowhere.
And as if hearing my thoughts, the seal flickered in the dark, despite the fact that I didn't remove my working glove. Putting the scroll under my arm and pressing my hands together to prevent the light from seeping out, I checked to see if anyone was around. I was relieved that I seemed to be the only person awake at this time of the night here. What was wrong with this seal?
I took the lantern and scroll with me, running further away from the camp and past the thick woods. The seal didn't stop on flickering, and the light that came from it was even enough to light my path. When I was at a safe distance, I removed the glove on my right hand. The seal sparkled underneath the moonlight.
"What is wrong with you? You're putting me in a tight spot here. I can't live my life normally if you're shining like that. Please don't do this," I said in a whisper. I always believed that the seal was alive, like it had a mind of its own.
The scroll that I was holding started to wobble in my left hand. Startled, I opened my hand and the scroll unfolded in front of me. Taking a step back, I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
"Is anyone there?" I searched left and right, but no one was around.
The scroll was starting to creep me out. Walking backwards, I thought of running back to the camp and call for help. But the scroll moved closer to me, floating in the air. I screamed, but it didn't stop the scroll from coming closer. I placed my quivering hands over my mouth, tears tracing my eyes.
And in front of me, words started forming on the scroll. I almost fell limp to the ground, terrified. At first, I couldn't read what was being written. I was too overwhelmed.
Shaking my head, I got a grip of myself. And when my breath evened out, I started to understand the words that were being scribbled on the scroll by a white flame.
To: Cassandra Montforth
The time has come for you to know of your true identity. I am the creator of your seal, and I'm here to explain to you why you have it.
I'm relieved that you are alive and the scroll has finally made its way to you before it's too late.You are the warrior who is fated to bring down the evil tyrant, Henry. You must embark on a journey to find the other seal that the late King Oliver's son possess. And with a kiss under the light of the crescent moons, the two of you could bring to life a sword that could kill an immortal.
Heed my words, fated damsel, for you cannot unveil these things to those who are not involved. The ones who had heard would be the only ones who should know, together with the ones whose fate had been entangled along.
When you have finished reading this, a binding ring will appear. It will signify that you have gained knowledge about the entirety and purpose of the spell and acknowledged it. The ring will carry your life span and bind you to the secrecy it has asked for. If you mistakenly tell anyone about this, the spell would be invalidated and so ends your life.
This might seem to be a task that is greater than you. Should you wish to disregard these things, it is up to your will. Leave the ring under the moonlight, and it will disappear. But you are the only hope of this ill-fated kingdom.I hope you make the right choice.
Sincerely,
Keira Lockwood
As soon as I finished reading the last word, the scroll burned into ashes, and a silver ring landed on my right hand. When all of the ashes had been carried away by the wind, the glistening of my seal finally died down. I held the ring in my fingertips, examining it closely.
I took a deep breath. Things started to get clear now. I finally knew why I had the seal. And putting on the ring on my finger, I was shocked that it fitted perfectly.
King Henry must have been aware of this as well. This was probably the reason why he badly wanted me to be dead. Everything was starting to catch light and fall into place.
A forced laugh escaped my lips. There was a way, after all—a magical sword could put an end to that vicious king's life. Who would have thought?
Noises came from behind me. I quickly put back my working gloves and tried to act composed. Holding the lantern in one hand and my dagger in the other, I stood on guard. I heard a branch snap, and I finally saw the figure that had appeared from the forest.
He was out of breath and disoriented, as if frantically searching for something. It was Anthony.
"What are you doing here?" I cautiously asked him, putting back my dagger to its sheath.
His face was unreadable as he was walking towards me. "Was there anyone with you?"
"Here?"
"Are you in contact with another sorcerer?" Anthony asked again, his voice harsh.
"What are you saying?"
"Show me your seal," Anthony said all of a sudden.
Hesitant, I said instead, "Why are you acting like this?"
"Remove your glove and show me," Anthony ordered. There was no escaping this. Taking off the glove, I showed him the seal on my hand. He went over to me, examining the seal closely. And then he added, "The other hand."
"Why?" I found myself asking.
"Just do what I say," Anthony replied. With a sigh, I let him see the ring that I had hidden underneath the glove. I didn't utter a word. I was forbidden to do so. When he saw the ring, his reaction was stunned. With an undecided voice, he hastily asked, "Who gave you this ring? Is she here? Was Keira here with you?"
I threw him a confused look. "You know her?"
Pain crossed his eyes, making it hard for me to ask more about the one he called as Keira. Anthony was perhaps the most insensitive person I knew, so seeing him like this made it impossible for me to further sustain my curiousity.
So instead, I only asked him, "Should I be worried about the ring?"
Anthony shook his head. "Yes and no."
"What does that mean?"
"I trust that you know what you have accepted," Anthony said carefully, his coal black hair glistening under the moonlight.
"Yes," I replied, uncertain. "The ring. What's it about?"
"It's..." Anthony paused. "It's often regarded as a high form of gift from a sorcerer. A binding item after being tied with a powerful spell."
"Rings," I said.
"It could be in any form. Only sorcerers could tell when they saw one. Often, it is indicative of that person's future."
With a confused voice, I asked, "But how did you know that I was..."
"I was awake, and I felt an immense magic nearby. I thought it was a dangerous enemy. Not all sorcerers possessed this amount of power. Even I could only name four, but two of them were already dead," Anthony was saying to me. "As I got closer to this place, I started to recognize the patterns that the sorcerer was using. There was no doubt it was her."
"I don't really understand a word you are saying."
His voice was distant. "This also explained why your identity couldn't be revealed through the use of magic. If it was her, she could make it happen."
"Who are you talking about?"
"Keira Lockwood," Anthony replied.
"So you do know her?"
He drifted away from the topic, saying, "I knew you couldn't tell me the reason why the seal was created. I wasn't bound to know. But what you possess was a seal that was created by a legendary sorcerer. She was a student of the Head Sorcerer of King Oliver."
"Where is she?" I asked him.
Crossing his arms over his chest, he replied, "She's not here anymore. Your seal was perhaps her final spell."
"Her final spell?" I repeated, confounded.
"A spell you're willing to trade your life for," Anthony explained to me, "When a spell is created, it takes away a part of the caster's life energy. Mediocre spells don't claim a lot. A sorcerer could live his life until old age while performing them. But powerful spells could harm its caster. The final spell she had created drained all of her life energy. That's why it's called final spell."
Carefully nodding, his words enlightened me. But I was still confused. "Where did you meet her before? How did you know her?"
Anthony left my questions unanswered, saying, "Let's get back to camp."
"Do you know about—" I was about to ask him, but I felt the ring blazing on my finger. Even Anthony had heard the crisp sound and saw the burn mark on my glove.
"Don't push it if you don't want to die," Anthony said.
"So I actually can't really say a thing," I speculated.
Anthony didn't reply, but continued walking in front of me. As I stared at the burn mark that the ring had created, my mind wandered off to the prince of the previous kingdom. Forget about knowing more about the creator of my seal, there would be time for that. Anthony could answer the rest of my inquiries.
For now, I needed to find the late kingdom's prince, before the two crescent moons appeared. It was the only way I could get my hands on that sword.
"Where did you two go?" Bryce was waiting for us when we got back to camp.
"Is anyone else up?" asked Anthony.
Bryce shook his head. "What's up with the two of you? Should I be worried that you were not driving each other insane by standing side by side like that? And Miles, where did you get the burn mark on your gloves?"
It didn't escape his eyes.
"Don't ask questions. It's forbidden. It has something to do with her seal," Anthony answered for me.
"Her seal?"
"She was alone in the woods, and I found her after she got the ring," Anthony replied.
"How? What happened?" Bryce asked again. "What's it for?"
"Ouch!" I winced. "Stop talking about it. Stop making me think about asking you things."
"Or else she would die," Anthony pointed out.
Bryce stared at me. "What?"
"She would. So let's refrain from talking about it, unless we wanted her dead," Anthony bluntly told him.
"I don't understand a thing that's going on," Bryce replied, throwing his hands in the air.
"This was why I was against taking her in," Anthony added. "She's dangerous."
"Don't rub it too much. I didn't exactly have a say about all this," I said between gritted teeth.
"Let's put you into good use, since you're already here and have nowhere to go. So is there anything that you can share with us, without endangering your own life? But if you were feeling generous, you could tell us everything and end your life. I won't say no to that if it's what you want," said Anthony.
"Cruel," Bryce said, putting an arm around me and dragging me away from Anthony.
"I'm kind of aware of that already," I said, putting an end to Bryce's dramatic act. Looking at my ring, I tried saying, "There is one thing that I have found out."
The ring didn't respond.
"What is it?" Bryce asked.
"King Oliver's son is still alive, but I didn't get to know his name. We have to find him," I continued, staring at the ring. No reaction.
"That can't be," Bryce disagreed. "A paper circulated years ago. It said that Prince Alec Forthwind was killed together with his parents. Henry himself said so during his speech as the new king."
"How reliable was that information? How old were you back then?" I asked him.
Bryce counted. "Eight or nine?"
"And you remember that much?"
"I told you, my brain is better than everyone else I've known," Bryce pompously replied.
"Henry did say that during his speech," Anthony confirmed. "How did you know for sure that Prince Alec was still alive?"
"I don't know, but that was the information I've got," I replied with a shrug.
"I also heard that he was still alive, but I never got the chance to confirm it. Every record about the late kingdom was sealed in the king's personal library. I'm afraid we'll have a hard time establishing his location," said Anthony.
Now might be the best time to tell them that I was acquainted with Lancelot. I looked at them both and assessed the situation. Then deciding that three minds were better than one, I admitted, "I sort of know someone inside the castle."
They both looked at me.
"I met him by accident. Remember when we got shipwrecked? I got drifted to his private island. That was where I'd met him. He also helped me get here. I wasn't able to tell you sooner. We had been busy planning our strategy for sneaking in to Wykeham Castle," I said.
"If it's just a guard or someone who works inside, then I'll gladly break it to you that we know quite a handful ourselves," Bryce said.
Not exactly anyone like that.
"Bryce, she mentioned that she got drifted to a private island," Anthony pointed out.
"What? A private island? You got drifted to a private island?" Bryce echoed back, astonished. "Who exactly are we talking about?"
With a sigh, I told them, "Um, Prince Lancelot?"
"Henry's son?" Bryce couldn't seem to believe what he was hearing. He must be thinking that I had gone nuts.
"He was the one who had saved me," I added.
"Are you sure?" Bryce was nothing but doubtful.
"Do you think I'll be telling you this if I'm not sure about it?" I asked him back.
"Really?"
I nodded.
"Okay. Does he know that..." said Bryce, stalling with the words. "I mean... how exactly did you two meet again?"
"The waves carried me to his island while I was unconscious. He dragged me to shore, unarmed me and tied me. Then I woke up and—"
"Hold up," Bryce cut me off.
"What?" I asked.
"If he had dragged you to shore and unarmed you..."
With a nod, I said, "Yeah?"
"Did he..." Bryce stalled.
I didn't get what he meant.
"If he had saved you during that time, did he find out that you were a girl?" Anthony finished.
Oh, so that was what Bryce was trying to say. With a sigh, I replied, "Yes, he did."
"How exactly did this happen?" Bryce said with a shrill.
"Beats me. When I woke up, he knew."
"Oh, you're in trouble now, kitty," said Bryce, walking back and forth. "You should have been more careful."
"He seemed to be trustworthy," I tried saying.
"Trustworthy?" Bryce repeated with disgust. "The son of the king is now trustworthy?"
"Okay, here's another thing. He actually helped us when we robbed Wykeham Castle. He lied to the guards," I said, hoping that they would see the point. "I mean, why would he do that? He had already saved me once, before he knew that I was a bandit. And then he actually helped again, even after knowing that we were there to rob the palace? Their palace, in fact."
"How about your seal? Did he see it?" Anthony asked.
"I'm not sure," I honestly replied.
"Did he ask about it?" Bryce asked this time.
I shook my head.
"Then let's just hope that he hadn't seen it," Bryce concluded, thinking. "Let's consider for a moment that is the case. He doesn't know that you possess that seal. Then the only reason I could think about is... I mean, what else could be the reason, Anthony?"
Anthony seemed to understand what Bryce was saying.
I didn't.
"Think about it, Anthony. If no magic could be used to peer into her real identity, the prince didn't see the seal, then what else could be the reason? If he knew about the seal, she would have been dead by now. But she's clearly standing before us and further endangering her most sought after life. We only have one conclusion left," Bryce was telling Anthony.
"Okay. Care to let me join in the conversation?" I raised my hand to get their attention.
Snapping his fingers in the air, Bryce turned to me and said, "He likes you."
"He does?" I was skeptic.
"If we'll go along with Bryce's conclusion, we can use him for our plans," Anthony said.
"How?" I asked again. "And why? Couldn't we consider for a moment that it was not the case?"
"If he did that much for you, it was either he wanted to use you, have ulterior plans, or likes you," Bryce said.
"Use me? For?"
Bryce shrugged his shoulders.
"Like me? Which means?" I continued asking.
"He prefers you. He desires you," Bryce elaborated.
"No, you didn't say that." I felt like throwing up.
"I'm afraid those were the only reason I could think of," Bryce said. "Do you have other suggestions?"
"Maybe he's only friendly," I told him.
"That could also be the reason. We don't know him that well, after all," Bryce considered lightly.
"Either way, if you're on his good side, we could use that," Anthony said.
"Why do I have the feeling that you are already immovable with your conclusion that it's because the prince likes me?" I asked Bryce, uneasy with the way he had offhandedly dismissed my suggestion that the prince was only acting friendly.
"I'm very sorry, kitty. We haven't educated you well with regards to human attractions," Bryce said, indeed, looking apologetic.
"Caspar's best in that field if you wanted a mentor," Anthony said.
"That doesn't make sense. Why would that even happen?" I told them, refusing to accept their conclusions. "He might have helped me a couple of times now, but that didn't necessarily mean he saw me that way."
"If you say so," Bryce only said.
"Why are you acting like this?" I asked him. "I told you, it might not be what you were thinking."
"I don't know. Maybe. You were the one who had an idea what he was like. All we know is that he's a limp, ailing prince—"
"He's strong," I cut him off. "He almost killed me a couple of times now."
"He's better than you?" Bryce echoed back in denial.
"Yeah," I said. "And tried to kill me. I can't believe you only heard that part. It's hard to admit, but he really is strong. Our intelligence of him not being involved in physical combat was because he was a sickly prince, that one was entirely false. See this mark?" I showed him the bruise on my neck. "He did that to me. It was before he knew it was me that had intruded the room."
"Are you sure it's truly the same person?" Bryce asked.
I nodded. "The guards themselves recognized him."
"I'm a failure!" Bryce over-dramatically cried.
"You're very embarrassing right now," I said.
"You're my best pupil. And he did that to you? Did you participate in making it happen? Were you in love with him? Was this the reason why you couldn't fight back?" Bryce helplessly asked.
"No! Of course not! Why would I like the enemy's son?" I retorted.
"Okay, that don't make sense. But he's dangerous otherwise," Bryce concluded. "Even if we start using him for our plans, don't let your guard down. There's still a chance that he knows about the presence of your seal and is only waiting for the right chance."
"This is dangerous. But if he's acting friendly with Miles, that's to our advantage. It's an opportunity that is hard to come by," Anthony pointed out.
"I disagree with using him. He's been nothing but good to me," I told them.
"The words that comes out of your mouth are horrendous. He's the son of our enemy. Try to keep that in mind. But if you're so kind and understanding, okay, let's change the word. Let's get you two acquainted more. It's like knowing each other better," Bryce said to me.
"Why don't I like the sound of that?"
"Do you want to find Prince Alec or not?" he asked me instead.
"I do," I replied firmly.
"The only place where we could find out his location is the king's library. Do you have another way of getting inside the library with lesser risks? They have doubled the number of guards after we've intruded the castle. It would go on for a while." Bryce waited for my reply.
Anthony said, "You can personally ask the prince about it if you want."
"How?"
"We will go along with this plan. He likes you. Let's use the broad definition of the word attraction. It might be in a friendly manner or something more, but he likes you to some extent," Anthony explained.
They would really insist on this?
Anthony seemed to register my reaction. He cleared his throat, continuing, "Let's make use of that and make him talk."
"Words come easy when you're attracted to someone," Bryce added.
"I think this could massively backfire if he doesn't think of me that way, you know?" I said.
"As long as he's going to spare your life, we can still try," Bryce said. "What do you think? If he has other reasons why he's doing this, do you think your life will be in danger?"
"No."
"Then we're safe. We'll go ahead with this plan," said Bryce.
"Great idea. But how are we actually going to do that?" I asked.
"Kitty, it's simple. We'll dress you up and make you look like the girl of his dreams," Bryce answered.
I was abhorred by his idea.
"There's a ball tomorrow that will be held for the prince." Anthony caught our attention. He was also going along with this ridiculous plan? "Attend the ball and get him to show you the records."
I laughed nervously. "You two... are making it sound so easy. What if I get caught by the king? I know you're all aware that I'm very eager to kill him, but his immortality is in the way right now."
"Whoa. You are finally realizing it?" Bryce interrupted me.
I sighed. "You learn things eventually."
"No magic could peer into your identity. Even if you dressed up as a girl, remember that it had been four years since you were last seen by the royal guards. You just have to act inconspicuous. We'll attack from the inside. It's risky. But given the circumstances, it's the best option we have right now," Anthony replied.
"We'll stand on guard just to make sure that you're safe," said Bryce, giving me a hard pat on the back.
"I'm not sure this would work," I said, feeling the nervousness settling in. And as I caught my breath, it left me wondering why, at the same time, I also felt anticipation. It was a different sensation, almost unknown to me. The voice in your head, perhaps saying that you were looking forward to seeing the other person once more. Beyond your knowing and dictated by the beating of what kept you alive—your own treacherous heart.