"Enshrouded in mystery, the light of the great and mighty Magestone shall grant the receiver of it with a multitude of blessings."
Forsyth barely bit back the scoff coming to the front of his mouth as he read over the words in the book he had been studying. The fascination he had felt studying the stars had remained with him ever since his troubled youth but he drew the line at mere fantasy. Yes, he believed there was good and there was evil, but actual beings who defined them caused him only confusion and heartache. Whereas his brother Damien allowed himself to believe in the so-called redeeming qualities of the Light and its Magestone, Forsyth preferred to behave logically and use common sense to overcome life's difficulties.
The fact Erica also was intrigued by constellations and unfortunately the Magestone as well did make his studies a bit more bearable if it meant he could impress her. With the impending threat of siege and warfare from the cruel magical Eleazar, time had been of all importance for the two brothers. As the king's top-notch astronomers, they were deemed worthy to relay any changes in the sky that might guarantee a victory for the kingdom of Aranthea.
But lately his brother had started moving away from the possibility of the stars actually granting any hope and had begun trusting in the Light for instruction instead. The thought of his brother actually spiraling down such a path made him sick. What they needed was real, tangible evidence to convince the king that they had a chance at winning this war against Eleazar.
With a great army mounting around the castle, most nerves had been on edge. The question of whether the livelihood as they knew it would disintegrate or not weighed heavily on Forsyth's mind. He had come to accomplish his workload with satisfaction and enjoyed the ins and outs of duty. But to think it could all be changed within a matter of days, his world so easily crumpled and overturned made him anxious and more determined than ever to find proof in the sky for their righteous victory.
His eyes lowered to the page in front of him, forcing himself to skim over the contents.
"The Great Magestone was once discovered beneath a silver gleam of moonlight, with freckles beneath its glowing face." Below the description was painted a sketch of what the twinkling stars looked like the night of the stone's falling. "They call this constellation Aurelia. Magicals and nonmagicals have searched for countless years for a direction in the skies to find this luminous fallen star."
"Still haven't found anything?" Damien's question drew him from his reading. "Or are you too busy dreaming about someone with auburn hair and rosy cheeks?"
Thump! The book hit the table with a thud as heat blossomed on Forsyth's cheeks. He swiveled in his chair to see his brother nonchalantly adjusting his telescope. "Keep your voice down! You know the eyes and ears this place has."
The knowing look his brother caught him with made him bristle, Damien's lips spreading with a satisfied smirk. Forsyth's shoulders sagged and lifted his hand to massage the back of his neck. "It's not like Erica even knows I'm alive."
"That's not true. I've seen you two talking before."
"Yeah, but that's about it. Everytime I'm around her I get so nervous I don't know what to do," he muttered.
"But you admit you do like her."
"Yes," he sighed in exasperation, refusing to look at his brother.
But what would it matter if he did? With a possible war looming over them, how was to know whether any of them were to make it out alive? Damien turned back to his work, but not without first letting out a little chuckle to himself. "Probably the reason you're studying so hard right now."
Forsyth's brow crumpled. "No. I'm working just as hard as you to discover a way to prevent this war. But I need real evidence, something to rely upon. You know I'm not into the Magestone hocus-pocus like you."
He could feel his brother's gaze trained on him, not with anger, but something closer to pity. His jaw clenched. He hated being pitied. That was exactly how he felt when Dad would come home drunk every other night and throw Mom around because of a rough day at work. The whispers and sad stares from their neighbors as he passed by only infuriated him more, knowing he was unable to help his beloved mother.
Those people never helped either. Some would talk about the Light bringing retribution, but he knew better. No thing in the sky was going to cause his father's ways to change. And it never did.
"I know you blame the Light for everything that happened," Damien began quietly, "But I still believe it to be the best thing that has ever happened to me."
Annoyance bubbled over into plain anger. "That's your problem," he snapped, pushing off from his seat, "You've never even seen this so-called Magestone. And you're expecting me to believe in it?"
"I'm not asking you to go across it blindly. What I believe in requires faith and trust."
Forsyth's fingers dug into his palms. Trust was hard to come by when the forces around them were crumbling. An exclamation from his brother drew his attention. "Forsyth, Forsyth! Come have a look at this!"
He tentatively stepped forward. "What is it?"
Damien adjusted the knob on his telescope, peering into the expanse of heavens through the concave window above them. "A sign, I think," he inhaled shakily. I've never seen anything like it before."
Forsyth squinted his eyes and peeked through the scope, witnessing a myriad of glimmering stars dazzling in the dark sky. Twinkling lights, one he had come to know and depend upon as friends stared back at him but as to this incredible sign his brother supposedly saw, nothing new or noteworthy caught his eye. "I don't see anything."
"Don't see anything?" he guffawed with incredulity. "You must be blind! It was there as plain as I'm seeing you now. The proof of the Light and Magestone's existence.
Bitterness hardened Forsyth's heart and he turned away. "If that was all it was, you shouldn't have bothered to show me. No 'proof' of yours will ever be enough to convince me that thing is real."
He tensed as a hand settled on his shoulder. "I'm only trying to get you to understand and believe."
"What? Use my heart instead of my brain? Because that's all you seem to do anymore," he muttered.
"I'm not asking you to give up your rationale and believe in nothing. What I saw... it was real. And I was hoping for a change, you might believe in it too."
"Not likely," Forsyth huffed, shoving his hand away.
"This is because Dad and Mom, isn't it? That's why you don't want to believe. Because we were hurt as kids and now you don't want to think there could have been something useful to come from that."
Forsyth's jaw tightened, anger building inside at his brother's audacity. "You still hold it against the Light."
"Of course I do!" Forsyth spun around, nostrils flaring. "You claim to believe in something so good without thinking of the consequences. Damien, I've put up with a lot from you before but this 'Light' business is too much. It's like I don't know you anymore!"
Hurt flashed across his brother's eyes and Forsyth bit his tongue, turning away. He drew a hand through his wild curls, blowing out a noisy breath. It was a shame he had inherited his father's anger along with the rest of his stupid features.
An apology pressed against his lips but he tightened his mouth. Releasing a sigh, Damien answered quietly, "I just want you to know what I know, that's all."
"Yeah, well..." He decided not to finish his thought. Too many hurt words had already been said.
But he could not seem to get rid of the restless feeling in his chest, the anger that he so naturally acclimated to. No matter how hard he had tried to seek peace, there had been none. He drifted towards his desk when heavy footsteps pounded up the stairs. A rap hit the door with his urgency. Both heads turned but Damien was the first to move, opening the door.
A soldier, dressed in his crisp light blue uniform stood there, breathing raggedly. Blood soaked the front of his shirt and he clutched his belly yet no wound was visible. When he opened his mouth, darkness spread like a bad odor, filling the air about them.
"The king... is dead..." the lad grunted, his knees bowing beneath his weight. "Eleazar... Hurry if you wish to spare your own lives."
Fear gripped Forsyth, clammy and cold. The floor beneath him swayed and he snatched hold of the chair to keep himself from fumbling. "What?" Damien demanded, "How could this have happened? What about Prince Alec?"
"Safe. For now." With a groan, the soldier collapsed, the blood that had been spilling out taking on a distinct black color.
Forsyth gawked in horror. The king dead? Impossible. Their fortress and the armies... How had Eleazar broken through so suddenly? He forced his breaths to calm.
"We need to move," Damien muttered, turning to snatch his parcel and stuff whatever goods he could inside of the brown bag.
Thoughts blurry, Forsyth stood frozen. "Don't just stand there," his brother's voice snapped him out of the fog, "Grab whatever you can and let's go."
He swallowed and turned, grabbing a few books from the shelves and dumping them into another sack. Throwing the sack over his shoulder, he reached for his dagger and stuck it in his belt. "Damien, listen, about earlier–"
He shook his head and held the door open. "There's no time. I'm right behind you."
His throat bobbed and he ducked into the passageway. Heart pumping hard against his breast, he suddenly shuddered to a halt. Erica.
"Erica's still trapped in this castle—what if they've taken her?" he spun around. "I'm going to search for her."
"And get killed in the process? Not a chance."
Damien grabbed his shoulder with more force than necessary and pushed him forward. As he turned the corner, black dust sprouted from every angle, blocking their view. "What the.." Forsyth muttered, coming up short.
"The back way," Damien urged, squeezing his brother's shoulder. "Come on."
The two dragged themselves from the mysterious aura blocking their exit to a spiraling cascade of stairs leading down to the first floor.