Please note: I am updating this draft of The Prisoner of Arlunn. The most important change is that the main character's name has been changed from Philip to Rian.
11
The next day a young magic student of maybe 13 years of age, named Devonn, showed up at the tower in Arlunn. With him, he brought some children's books in the common tongue, which the Arlunni called Vassi.
Rian flipped through the books. Sadly, he was rusty on all the letters in the Vassi alphabet. It was the same language that his Dad had taught him when he was young. He struggled now to remember it.
"Where is Emmara?" Rian asked.
Devonn shrugged. "She said I could tutor you."
Great, his tutor was no older than Anya. But what could he do? He had to learn to read.
Rian become even more discouraged (and a little worried) when Kyran came over and they discovered he could read much better than Rian. Rian was sure this was more "leftover" knowledge from Molan and his memories.
At least Kyran seemed to enjoy reading the books Devonn had brought. It served as a distraction from the current situation.
Reading and writing. Devonn had brought along a kerress--a magic writing tablet, which worked kind of like a white board. You could write and then erase it. But he learned that a copy was sent to the school for the teachers to check. Also, it could display their version of worksheets, which Rian could write on. It reminded him of a computer tablet.
* * * * * *
That evening, after Devonn left, Emmara arrived with Ehina. "So, how is your reading coming?"
Rian shrugged. "Wretchedly, but it is coming back to me."
She nodded. "Genesse would like to see you."
He nodded. "Of course."
What now?
Emmara frowned. "You know that she is a very important person in our realm. She hasn't granted an audience to every prince of Cathal who has asked for it. She's taken a special interest in you."
"I didn't ask for an audience. You took my brother. I had no choice."
"Of course you did," said Emmara. "Come on, she's waiting for you."
He groaned slightly and stood up, glancing at Kyran.
"He can stay here," she prompted.
He didn't really feel comfortable with that, considering the last time he left Kyran there. "So you can drag him off to the dungeons again?"
"If we wanted to take him, we could easily do that," said Emmara. "Genesse gave you her word she wouldn't interfere with him."
For now ... were the words that she didn't say. Finally Rian nodded. "You promise to leave him alone?"
"Yes," she said.
He went with her back out to the castle. Kyran had always been a strange kid, but the last few days--since the attack by Molan and his death, the boy had been ... even stranger. Rian really needed help, but he didn't want to ask--especially not her. But at least he could hear what she had to say.
The Matrizar Genesse met him in one of the smaller, less formal rooms. She smiled at him when he came in the door. "Good evening," she said.
"Good evening," he said.
"How is your brother?"
"Almost recovered from your last meeting."
She considered this, but didn't comment on it. "I think it's time that you moved into the dorm with the other students. You need to prepare for the Challenge; it must start soon."
She would like that ... leaving his brother unprotected. "And what about Kyran?"
"I gave you my word that I would not conduct questioning without you present."
"I can't just leave him alone," said Rian. "He isn't used to this place. He's frightened."
"It's already past time for the Challenge to begin; we've only delayed it for you," said Genesse. "This is no small thing. I hope that you aren't taking the Challenge lightly. The winner will become the King of Cathal—and you are in serious need of training. I can only delay it so long."
Rian didn't care about becoming the King of Cathal. Two days ago he didn't even know he was a prince. He'd grown up on the isolated planet of Earth--in Nebraska, to be exact.
"And what about Kyran? Will you give him classes as well?"
"What kind of classes?" ask Genesse, with a look of perpetual disapproval on her face.
"I don't know, how about history?" asked Rian.
"And what if he turns on us--then he will use that knowledge against us."
"So ... What are you going to do then? Just leave him alone in the tower all day?"
The Matrizar stared at him. "What vocation would you have us prepare him for?"
"I don't know."
"He's a magic-spawn, Rian. He will never be normal."
"I don't care about that," said Rian hotly. "Where I come from we don't throw people away because they are different. We still treat them like people and teach them the skills they need to lead as normal a life as possible. If you just keep him in the tower for the rest of his life and don't give him any hope at all--then he is just a prisoner and you're just a jailer. Of course he'll strike out at you, eventually. Unacceptable!"
She studied Rian. "You are stubborn. I have to tell you that this has never been done. We've never kept a magic-spawn alive, much less brought him back to Arlunn. Such a dark, magical artifact has never set foot on our world before."
"He's not an artifact!" objected Rian. "He's a person. A child! And if you felt that way about him--it would have been kinder to let him die!"
"The decision was unusual. If the remnant of a soul left in him hadn't belonged to Dayle Edwin Corey--the favored Heir of the Seven Worlds of Cathal--and if he hadn't been so important to you, then I doubt we would have saved him."
He knew it! When it came down to it, they wanted to destroy Kyran! "So, you want to set him up for failure; you'll sabotage him by cooping him up alone in the tower and then when he strikes back at you--that will be the excuse you need to destroy him." He glared at her.
"We aren't so scheming as that," she said, irritated. "If I wanted to destroy him, I would. And if I think that he is a true danger, it will be my duty to do so."
"So basically, you're humoring me," said Rian. When she didn't reply, he assumed he was right. "Okay, so humor me a little more. You want me to start going to classes? Fine. I'll go. But he gets classes too. I'm not saying that you should teach him anything top secret or strategic. You must have some history you can teach him; help him understand your world better. Make him feel a part of it. How about art? He loves to draw. And maybe music."
She pondered this a moment. "Very well. I agree that this will improve his general disposition. I can arrange some teachers for him. We will attempt to accommodate him."
"Thank you," Rian said a little stiffly, but he meant it. "I know it's inconvenient--believe me--ever since the day mother brought him home, it's been inconvenient. Nothing about dealing with Kyran has been easy."
"I am amazed that your mother attempted it, and that she got this far with him. I wouldn't have believed that he could be even this ... human." She paused. "But, it would be good for us to know how much he knows. I would like him to be tested--as you will be," she said as Rian began to object. "We must know where you both stand in your education before we can select your curriculum."
Rian stared at her, trying to quell the angry outburst that came to mind. That was just what she wanted. He'd brought this on himself. "Fine," he said, less civilly.
"You're welcome to be there," she said, "but you will not interfere, or stop the test."
She would use this against Kyran somehow, he was sure of it. But it had been his idea. He cursed himself.
"We'll begin the tests tomorrow," said Genesse.
The interview concluded. Rian walked back to the tower, in a gloomy mood. He spent the rest of his evening reading but without Devonn there, he struggled to get through even these simple books. He feared it would take months before he was ready to read the textbooks that Emmara had first brought him--the beginner's magic books.
How could he master all the things he needed to be the King of Cathal? There was also history of the Seven Worlds of Cathal, geography, and what they called alchemy. Then again, he would not win the Challenge, and so he'd never be called on to rule Cathal. This thought cheered him up.
He returned to the tower. Later that day, the tailor finally came to him and took measurements for both Kyran and Rian for new clothes. Meanwhile, they were given some simple tunics to wear.
* * * * * *
That night, they settled into bed. Rian's bed was end-to-end with Kyran, with a little space in between. Two large lanterns (which Rian had decided must be magical since no one ever came to relight them) from the lower floor cast a little light up on the balcony. Another lamp sat on a table on this level but Rian saw no way to light it and he didn't know how to operate a magical lamp.
He fell into a dreamless sleep.
Sometime in the middle of the night, Rian woke to a blood curdling scream. He struggled awake. It sounded like Kyran. He nearly fell out of bed, scrambling to grab the sword he kept there. He didn't even take time to draw it but faced Kyran's bed.
Kyran thrashed around violently, so much so that Rian thought perhaps something had attacked him there. "Kyran!" shouted Rian. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw that Kyran was alone. A nightmare then? But Kyran never had nightmares--he never even had dreams, not that Rian had ever heard about.
Rian relaxed a little and dropped the sword on the ground. He ran over to Kyran to calm him down. "Hey, it's okay, Kye." He touched Kyran lightly on the shoulder. Immediately, Kyran grabbed his hand and pulled him off balance, forcing him to tumble to the bed. "Kye let go!" he objected. Kyran had an iron grip, one that Rian couldn't escape. Quiet little Kyran, with whom he'd seldom rough-housed. Kyran fought wildly now against Rian who tried to quell a sense of panic--he believed that Kyran meant to murder him.
They fell off the bed to the floor. "Kyran--it's me, Rian. Calm down!" He yelled. Rian managed to get ahold of Kyran's other wrist, but Kyran bent down and bit his arm. Rian cried out and struggled to break Kyran's hold on him. He rolled over and finally Kyran let go with his teeth. Rian's arm was bleeding.
With one hand now free Rian made a fist and hit Kyran across the face, then pulled his other arm free of Kyran's incredibly strong grasp. Kyran also scrambled away from him.
Rian sat up and caught his breath for just a second. A sound alerted him. He turned to see Kyran framed against the light holding Rian's own sword, ready to strike him.
"No, Kyran!" he screamed. But it was too late to move. Kyran swung the blade right at his head. Rian tried to dodge but was sitting on the ground. The blade connected with a crack against the side of Rian's head. Terrible pain shot through him and he thought that it was the end. Then he blacked out.
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