Magic is about controlling the processes of creation and destruction with the target of a specific outcome. The discipline of your thoughts defines whether your attempt at a firebolt sets your robes on fire or incinerates your enemy in a firestorm. Beware your idle thoughts, for they will be your end. A mage must be iron-willed and clear-minded at all times.

  Archmage Incinera

  said unto a group of apprentices

  in the Mage Academy of Pacryle

  The announcement of the king’s visit made the change in the atmosphere palpable. The villagers in the room cheered, and many left suddenly to spread the word. For the recently returned adventurers, the news was a tad more serious. While they had not necessarily intended it, they had still technically committed a crime.

  Solomon and Kastytis were in trouble with the potential crime. Kastytis was responsible as the leader of the group for all the actions the group partook in. He had actively engaged the demon, conversed with it, and lured it into Solomon’s trap to compound the issue. For Solomon’s part, he was less worried about killing the demon and more concerned about how he had done so.

  “Kastytis, Solomon, I want to speak to you two further. As for everyone else, spread the word and start preparing festivities!” Ulric called out.

  As Ulric made his way into a lavish and comfortable room behind his throne, Solomon and Kastytis followed. Ulric had already taken a seat on a comfy couch by the time they had entered the room. Kastytis took a nearby chair. Solomon chose to stand, mostly, so he had the option to pace back and forth.

  “My lord, I….” Kastytis started.

  Ulric sighed and held up a hand to halt Kastytis’s explanation. “I do not want to hear it, Kastytis. To be direct, you have failed me and put me in a very awkward position with the king. I am not exactly one of his favourites.”

  “Yes, my lord,” Kastytis said.

  “So, let us not talk about the event. What I want to know is why you decided to pursue the raiders, despite the warning?” Ulric asked.

  “I do not have a good answer for you, my lord,” Kastytis said. “Partly disbelief – other than a few rare occurrences in the last five hundred years or so, the dragonkin have done an extensive job on cleansing the land of demonic energies. Partly if it was true, I wanted revenge for my failure. Katan and I knew each other from before.”

  “If that is the case, Katan certainly could have identified a demon easily enough,” Ulric pondered the response. “Do you feel avenged now?”

  “No, just very foolish,” Kastytis replied.

  “And what do you think of all this, Solomon?” Ulric asked, turning to the younger man. “Demon slaying is not a common feat, you know. I made a mistake in fighting against one with the empress – nearly died if not for her.”

  “Kastytis put it to the group to decide if we should check out the raiders and attempt to confirm the demon’s presence. Possibly because he felt his judgement was lacking.” Solomon said honestly.

  “Do you think that was wrong?” Inquired Ulric.

  “No,” Solomon replied firmly. “The group made the call, and the plan we had at hand was a sound one. We tracked them until we were close, then used magic to confirm the raiders’ identities and the group’s size. It was just bad luck that Zaldimere’s spell failed him, and even worse luck that the demon was so swift.”

  Ulric considered Solomons’ viewpoint. “Alright. Now, explain to me how you killed the demon.”

  “I struck him several times with my blades, leaving them embedded in its’ flesh,” Solomon started to explain.

  “No,” Ulric interrupted. “The truth, now.”

  Kastytis cleared his throat and explained a key detail Solomon was unaware of. “Mortal weapons cannot harm demons, Solomon.”

  “Oh,” Solomon said. He had not known about that. That would make it more challenging to get out of this awkward situation. Solomon paused to think. Failing to think of a good way out of explaining this, he just told the truth. “I forged each of my weapons myself. You are both aware of that, right?”

  Both Ulric and Kastytis nodded. Ulric asked, “And what does that have to do with their ability to kill demons?”

  Solomon squirmed a bit while standing. “I forged them using a combination of traditional smith skills and magic. In the process, I imbued them with various features to make them better than most weapons.”

  “Magic,” Ulric said the word as if it were a curse.

  Solomon couldn’t help but wince. “During the fight with the demon, I enhanced my speed, strength, and durability. I used a simple fire and light-based spell, holy flames, to cover my blades. Some property of the sacred fire ate away at the demon’s soul.”

  Ulric was visibly angry about this. Spinning on Kastytis, he asked, “Did you know of this?”

  “I found out while we were fighting the demon, Tichaz’ama,” Kastytis said.

  “Solomon, I want you to understand that I am not angry that you survived by using all the skills at your disposal. But technically speaking, this is far more dangerous than you and Kastytis engaging and killing a demon.” Ulric explained. “Melding swordplay with magic or sorcery was a particular strength of the dragonkin.”

  Ulric paused for a moment to think. “Kastytis, fetch Zaldimere and order him here now. Otherwise, consider yourself dismissed for the moment.”

  Ulric got up and started to pace. “So, here is what is going to happen to you now, Solomon. It is not necessarily bad, but I will not lie and say it is all that great.”

  “Understood,” Solomon said.

  “When Zaldimere gets here, he will test you for dragonkin affinity. You will have to hide if it is positive because they will hunt you down when the king gets here. If it is negative, things will still be not great, but you will be permitted to stay here.” Ulric explained. “How did you learn magic, and what is your skill set?”

  Solomon spoke slowly, hesitating with each word spoken. “Mostly self-taught from the books in the castle library, as well as yours and Zaldimere’s personal collections.”

  “Mostly?” Ulric prodded.

  “Mostly,” Solomon confirmed. “Zaria accidentally passed some of Zaldimere’s lessons to me. I managed to piece together enough details between my ingenuity and her tips to get started.”

  “I will need to have a word with her on that – she is not a teacher yet,” Zaldimere said from the entrance to the room. Solomon jumped at his voice.

  “You mentioned my collection – were you there more than the one time I caught you?” Ulric asked.

  Solomon just stood there silently, looking very guilty.

  Ulric sighed. “How many times?”

  “Countless. Those tomes contained real mastery of the arcane arts instead of the tidbits and crippled garbage in most of the texts in the library.” Solomon replied.

  “You have magical tomes?” Zaldimere asked of Ulric.

  “Yes,” Ulric responded. “Most of the tomes in my collection have been forbidden since the death of the empress. The books focus on the dragonkin and the specifics of how they could use magic, how to create enchanted gear, how to use magic for combat without the pizzazz of most mages.”

  “Where did they come from?” Zaldimere asked.

  “My great, great, great grandmother,” Ulric answered. “Since they are an heirloom of the house, I have held onto them and treated them with great care.”

  Zaldimere nodded. “So, you want me to test Solomon, right?”

  “Yes,” Ulric said with a tone of finality. “And his skills as well if he is not dragonkin.”

  Zaldimere pulled out a clear glass ball and held it cautiously. Seeing no reaction, he dragged his staff across the stone floors – creating a thin tendril that eventually turned into an arcane circle with a rune in the center. Zaldimere held his hand, holding the glass orb over the center of his construction. He muttered part of a detection spell under his breath – but Solomon’s keen ears still heard fragments.

  “Okay – I need a drop of blood from you to fall onto the orb.” Said Zaldimere.

  Silently Solomon drew one of his daggers and made a small pinpoint incision in the meat of his thumb. Replacing the dagger into its sheathe, he clenched his hand to bleed freely. Slowly he moved his hand over the orb, blood dripping. When the blood touched the sphere, it flooded with a rainbow of colours, predominated by sheer white light.

  Zaldimere let out a sigh of relief. “He is not one of the dragonkin, my lord.”

  “Seriously? But I have never seen anything like that light happen before.” Ulric exclaimed.

  “He’s extremely talented, with a lot of latent magical ability. Far more ability than I will ever have… or maybe capacity is a better choice of words?” Zaldimere said, becoming slightly bitter sounding towards the end of his explanation.

  Ulric was impressed, despite his casual disregard for most magic users. Solomon, for his part, was just glad that the test was indeed negative in so far as him being a member of the dragonkin.

  “Can you test him?” Ulric asked.

  Zaria burst into the room with Felix and Kastytis trailing behind her. Tears streamed down her face. “Father! You cannot send Solomon away!”

  Ulric glared at Kastytis, whose face reddened with the touch of guilt. Turning back to his daughter, Ulric spoke. “We are not going to be. But it turns out he has got some talent with magic, so we are about to test his abilities.”

  “Solomon! You can do magic?!” Zaria was delighted.

  Solomon nodded sadly. Nothing for it; his secret was completely let loose at this point.

  “Solomon, sit down across from me and do as I do.” Said Zaldimere. “While this will feel real and will test your skills, neither of us can actually harm the other. Understand? Hold nothing back.”

  “Understood, sir,” Solomon said, sitting at his place on the floor. Zaldimere adjusted his magic circle slightly, changing the core rune into a collection of three intertwined runes. Wiping off the glass orb, he placed it in the center and muttered another incantation. This time Solomon missed the entirety of the spell, but the effects were evident. The orb glowed with a magical resonance and hovered slightly off the ground. Two runes that were a part of the circles’ outer edges also started to glow.

  Zaldimere placed his right hand on the rune in front of him. Solomon, belatedly remembering that he was supposed to do whatever Zaldimere did, mimicked him. The sensation that followed could only be described as skin crawling. Solomon felt himself being sucked out of his flesh, and suddenly he was on a giant field, ringed by trees on either side with a lake in the far distance. Zaldimere was there as well, about twenty paces distant. To Zaria and the others watching with Ulric, it looked like the souls of Zaldimere and Solomon had been sucked into the orb. The orb emitted the scene into the air above it for spectators to observe the testing.

  Solomon wasn’t aware of most of that. He was living in the moment. The wind seemed to tease across his skin. The scent of water mixed with the grass’s smell and the old-growth forest… creating a rejuvenating feeling. It was serene.

  Zaldimere spoke, interrupting Solomon’s enthralled trance. “We will start now. And we will continue until one of us dies, breaking this virtual world. I will start slowly and escalate as needed to best judge your skills.”

  Solomon concentrated and triggered several enchantments pre-emptively. Speed, agility, strength, endurance, and resistance were all bolstered. Zaldimere started muttering incantations, and in a short duration, several fireballs were headed towards Solomon. Without hesitation, Solomon moved – becoming a blur on the landscape. Leaping high into the air, Solomon countered with a similar spell, firebolts, and many. The firebolts crashed into Zaldimere’s spell shields, causing the barriers to flicker. Zaldimere responded by sending a lightning bolt directly at the falling Solomon. Solomon generated a large amount of earth energy into his hand and crushed the lightning bolt, causing it to fizzle. Landing, he used the remnants of the magical power and punched the ground. Zaldimere’s shields crackled and burst as the mage tutor was flung into the air as the earth below him exploded.

  Solomon paused and waited for Zaldimere to recover. Zaldimere summoned a water elemental and shimmered, becoming invisible. Solomon simply started to run, varying his speed as he circled the elemental at a distance. He then enacted another enhancement to be able to see Zaldimere’s position.

  The water elemental started to throw bolts everywhere, flooding and freezing the landscape around Solomon. Recognizing the strategy as one meant to capture him and remove his mobility, Solomon lept into the air. He cast his own illusion spell as well as a flight spell. With his enhanced vision, Solomon could see Zaldimere’s shocked reaction. The water elemental started to just flood the field. Zaldimere cast a lightning bolt to the nearest edge of the water, electrifying the area.

  Solomon grimaced from the air. Choosing to counter the water and ice-based attacks, he drew upon fire and earth’s arcane powers to weave a mighty firestorm of magma and fiery death. The sky darkened, and the heatwave from the incoming attack evaporated the water and ice. The water elemental diminished as well, eroding into steam. Then the fire started to rain down from the sky, striking down like the earlier firebolts. Unlike the earlier firebolts, these had magma at their core which melted the ground around where they struck and ignited surrounding grass.

  Very quickly, the grassy field became a roaring wildfire. The water elemental was struck by a piece of magma and was unmade. Zaldimere constantly tried alternative means to strengthen his shields to protect himself from the fiery devastation plaguing the once idyllic field. Solomon used a different tactic to avoid the promise of a painful demise – using water, wind, and inverted fire energy. He formed a ward that would gently exert opposing power against the fiery bolts, diverting the flames from his body.

  Solomon moved to finish the older mage. Solomon used his arcane gift to forge a weapon out of light and fire, bereft of his conventional weapons. As the weapon coalesced into a spear, he threw it, feeling like a vengeful god.

  As the spear left his hand, it became visible to Zaldimere briefly. The old mage had no time to react more than a widening of his eyes before the spear had pierced his shields. And then he was dust, with no way to tell if it was the spear or molten rock or even just the heat that had destroyed his body.

  Solomon took a moment to appreciate his victory over a trained foe who had looked down on him so many times as a mere swordsman. Suddenly Solomon felt himself being tugged in all directions but dragging him upwards. Fear took over briefly as he considered that Zaldimere may have gotten the last laugh. But then, as his eyes refocused, he realized he was looking down at Zaldimere’s slumped body, half covering the arcane circle and runes as the man trashed and spewed out his half-digested food.

  The room was silent except for Zaldimere’s traumatized noises. The Zaria threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around Solomon, shouting and laughing.

  “Congratulations on your win, Solomon,” Kastytis interjected over Zaria’s hysteria and excitement. “I do not think Zaldimere expected to experience death by burning, though.”

  Ulric laughed. “No, I do not think he did. At least it was quick, though, not like watching friends die from disembowelment.”

  Felix walked from the room without saying anything, struggling to process what had occurred. Zaria spoke up, finally in his place, though. “Can you teach me how to do that?”

  Solomon was saved from responding by Zaldimere. “No, he cannot. And even if he tried, I do not think you would be able to cast spells like he did.”

  “What do you mean?!” Zaria asked indignantly. “Are you saying I lack the talent?”

  “Not at all,” Zaldimere replied, regaining his composure. “Just, I think that he was crafting the arcane energy directly.”

  “What?” Zaria asked, confused.

  Solomon spoke up. “He means that rather than bind magical power into a spell structure, I bypassed all of that and worked directly with the arcane energies.”

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  “That sounds simple enough,” Zaria said.

  Zaldimere snorted and said, “It is infinitely more complex than how most mages work with magic. It is considered a rank seven ability, only a handful of folks in the entire kingdom could cast magic in that fashion.”

  “That’s insane! How did you learn to do that, Solomon?” Zaria inquired, impressed at her new knowledge of her crush.

  Now it was Ulric’s turn to snort, only with anger instead of amusement. “By betraying my trust and breaking numerous laws.”

  Ulric calmed down and then asked everyone but Solomon to leave. Zaria cast a concerned look at Solomon as they puttered out of the room. She was concerned for what would happen to him, excited by his power and jealous of his skill. And hurt at his deception.

  After they had all departed, Ulric spoke again. “On one hand, I am angry that you lied to me, deceived me. On the other hand, I am immensely proud of you, Solomon. You have demonstrated a rare and powerful skill. And you have attended your lessons well and have become well trained in the ways of combat.”

  “Thank you, my lord,” Solomon said. “And sorry, my lord.”

  Ulric waved his apology away. “Honestly, it is my own fault. I forced you into swordsmanship. I do not regret it, but I should have allowed you to do both. I should have… well, hindsight is perfect, and there is no reason to dwell on the past.”

  “I think that would have been a mistake, my lord,” Solomon interjected.

  “Why would you think that?” Ulric inquired.

  “The way folks reacted tonight; I think many would have felt threatened by my success. If I was taking both lessons in sorcery and steel, I feel like Felix would have felt even more pressure than he currently faces as your heir.” Solomon replied.

  “Perhaps. And perhaps having a rival would make Felix work harder.” Ulric laughed. “Anyways, my point was more to the effect that you will need politics if you are going to live now.”

  “With the king’s visit?” Solomon said.

  “Correct. I will be writing a letter to the king, couriered to him with all haste. I do not want him to arrive here surprised.” Ulric considered Solomon. “Once he arrives, I recommend remaining scarce in general, other than required interactions. He will want to test you to ensure you are not dragonkin. And there will undoubtedly be some sort of punishment for the demon-slaying, if for no other reason than to discourage others from taking your example. Generally, folks die from such encounters.”

  “Understood,” Solomon said. “And the matter of my magic?”

  “Go, enjoy your time while you have it,” Ulric said kindly. Solomon turned to leave, but Ulric shot out a parting remark. “And, do not do anything too serious with Zaria.”

  Solomon shot Ulric an incredulous look. “My lord, I do not have a death wish. Your lady wife would end me without hesitation and without waiting for permission from you.”

  Ulric grinned and waved Solomon out. Exhausted, Solomon headed t his room, where he knew Cortana would be waiting for him.

  The next day Solomon managed to sneak out of the castle and the surrounding village to relax alone. He could have wandered around the innocent, ignorant villagers. They were preparing celebrations and festivities for the upcoming presence of King Nathair and the royal family. The village’s official name was Tinyburrow, named for the small rabbit holes that riddle the landscape. The rabbit population had been slowly declining in recent years due to being overhunted by hungry farmers and predators.

  As Solomon stood outside the ancient stone wall around the village, he could not help but admire the imparted peaceful feeling. The castle’s spires rose tall above the surrounding landscape, eclipsing even the low-flung mountains that framed the valley. A river flowed through the structure, forming a hidden moat behind the castle’s walls. The river exited a far side of the castle, right against the built-up walls of the village. The village walls followed the riverbank a distance before curving back – a barrier was mainly meant to deter large animals such as wolves and bears. The village was primarily shabby-looking buildings and rundown shacks. Along the main streets were well-maintained homes and shops.

  The main road entered the village from the north, with the main street going straight to the castle gate. There were two other gated entrances on the northeastern and northwestern sides of the village that curved and eventually joined the main street. Solomon stood on a hill overlooking the northeast gate.

  Turning his back on the village, he made his way mostly north but a little east. While exploring when he was younger, he discovered that this route would bring him to a beautiful meadow with a waterfall backdrop higher up in the mountains. The waterfall fed into the river that flowed through Tinyburrow and Lord Ulric’s castle. It was in that meadow that Solomon had met and protected Cortana many years previously. Since then, Solomon had worked to make the trail a bit easier to traverse and built up a stone hedge around the meadow using magic, eventually building out a small sanctuary.

  Using magic to shape the terrain around you to suit one’s desires was rough gruelling work. Solomon took nearly a year to master the earth and fire magic to the extent that he could finish that wall. Wind and water magic were also crucial to the construction, to cool the stone into the proper shape.

  After creating the wall, Solomon revamped his shelter of sticks and a blanket into a mini castle of his very own. A small tower set on a large stone house eventually provided an overlook of the meadow and river. The high treetops hide the building from the view of travellers. Beneath his keep, he formed tunnels that led towards the waterfall.

  Last season, Solomon had raised several trees near the river, forming a bridge across with their roots. The roots were intertwined, similar to when Zaria wore her hair up in braids. He created a grove of fruit trees; apple, peach, and pear trees. There was also a cave in the cliff near the waterfall. Solomon renovated the den into a storage area after killing the bear living there. Solomon had smoked the bears’ flesh to preserve it as jerky. The surrounding woods were rich with deer to hunt when needed, although Solomon could happily feast on fruit from the grove or the garden growing on his roof. Ground ivy had been encouraged, magically, of course, to develop along the sides of the tower – more camouflage against prying eyes.

  As his home came into view, his spirit soared. The secret meadow was evidence of his skill and mastery of the raw arcane elements. It was a place of meticulous beauty. Solomon’s stomach growled, almost as if it knew that food was near. The sun had reached its zenith, and it was time for a snack. Walking through the arched doorway, Solomon wasn’t unsurprised to see Cortana there. Cortana wordlessly handed him a plateful of food. Nodding his thanks, he left Cortana to do as she liked. Here, in the wilderness, they acted as equals, unbound by the duties thrust upon them in the castle.

  With King Nathair on his way into the valley to see lord Ulric, Solomon had the time and opportunity to finish his tunnel to the hidden cave under the waterfall. Cortana had discovered the cave originally and hidden the discovery until caught entering and leaving it. Solomon took his food towards the tower stair – and once there, he pulled on a torch holder that doubled as a lever. As the lever moved, so did the stairs. Rather than lead upwards, they lead downwards into the dark. Solomon made a small gesture with little effort, and several multicoloured lights appeared to escape from his hand. A soft glow then lit the underground cavern and tunnel.

  Solomon glanced at his most prized creation in the cavern – a warp or teleportation point. A raised dais was in the center of the room with a large diamond set in the ground and another in the ceiling. An arcane rune for each of the core elements circled the room on the wall. Each rune was made of various precious stones. Solomon hurried past the rune for fire, made of blood garnets and ruby. The teleportation pad was an anchor in case he had to leave suddenly. Still, he had not yet anchored it to another location.

  The tunnel was short, as it was not a long distance. Reaching the jagged end of the line, Solomon knelt on the ground. Closing his eyes, Solomon meditated to find clarity in the moment. To dig the tunnel, he had several viable ways to excavate. However, the issue was efficiency and disposal of the excess dirt. Solomon had experimented with creating earth golems and sending them into the river, but that was exhausting and slow. He’d also tried transmuting the stone into other elements such as air. Transmutation was costly to a mage’s energy, however. Changing just a handful of dirt into the air was tiring. Easier used was earth magic to create stone blocks from the wall and telekinesis to carry the stone to the river. Setting the spell up as a process was most of the work, but he had read up on creating such spell structures after his last attempt. The article he researched focused on providing candles or touch light through magic on a schedule, when motion is detected, or even when darkness falls.

  A helpful idea for creating light around his little paradise, but it would wait for another time. This process would be a bit more draining than mere lights, but Solomon placed his confidence in Cortana. She would ensure that his body was looked after during his experiment.

  Reaching out, Solomon felt for tendrils of weakness within the stone and dirt, tweaking the earth into blocks of rock. He travelled deeper and deeper into the darkness of the crevasses in the rock and stone. Suddenly he found the other side of the tunnel, a portion of the cavern that existed behind the waterfall. Using telekinesis as the central casting, Solomon wove a spell weave that would grab blocks, lift them and dump them below the waterfall – there to be crushed by the crashing water. Solomon felt his body slump to the ground, exhausted, as he fed his power into the spell. Drifting back to his body, he let his eyes close and slept.

  That evening Cortana wandered down to check on Solomon’s progress. The stone blocks had stopped wandering by her earlier in the day, so it was easy for her to imagine Solomon camping out down in that tunnel adding decorative swirls and patterns to the shaft. When she saw Solomon’s prone form, she hurried to his side, only to breathe a sigh of relief when it became apparent that he was just sleeping. She left him where he lay and returned to making a few more blankets for around the place.

  Waking up to the chilly sensation of the rocky floor against his cheek, Solomon started. With a groan, he propped himself up to see how the spell had worked out. The lights had spread out to cover the hallway, and Solomon could hear the waterfall down the way.

  Standing, Solomon returned to his kitchen to see Cortana slumped over his sorry excuse for a table. The table was made by a much younger Solomon and wobbled slightly as Cortana breathed deeply in her sleep. Solomon nabbed some dried peach slices from the stone alcoves along the wall and sat down.

  Speaking, Solomon jolted her awake. “Good morning Cortana!”

  Cortana sprung awake. Upon only seeing Solomon, she visibly relaxed. “Good morning. Floor treat you well?”

  Solomon grinned wryly. “I guess so. How long was I out?”

  “Two nights,” Cortana answered. “I was getting worried.”

  “Two nights?!” Solomon exclaimed. “Damn.”

  “Time is running out for us here. I checked back at the castle. No one has missed you yet. Even Zaria is too busy studying to try and hunt you down. I am wanted to help with the preparations.” Cortana said.

  “Okay. I will probably stay out here till the last possible moment.” Solomon said. “I would rather not return at all, honestly.”

  “I will head back later today then – I have made a couple of blankets out of odds and ends here for you. If you feel like a bed would be better next time, that is.” Cortana said. Getting up, she headed outside to check on the garden.

  Solomon cast a bemused glance at her back as she left. Shaking his head, he quickly polished off the food he had nabbed. Taking her example, Solomon headed towards the grove of fruit trees across the bridge to seize a fresh apple. So, refreshed, he approached the waterfall. A thin ledge ran along the cliff face. Stepping carefully, Solomon navigated the edge and entered the hidden cavern behind the waterfall. The cavern had a natural downward slope that curved slightly before widening. It was here that Solomon spotted the newest entry point of the cave system, a tunnel.

  The cavern was large – more enormous than his house, if not as tall. And it had a tunnel that appeared to split further in. A grin split Solomon’s face as an idea came to him. Drawing upon his innate magical ability, he carved a warning into the cavern’s floor.

  “All shall burn in the darkness of the light.”

  Solomon grinned at his wordplay, wondering if this place was ever discovered and if it would stump the adventures. Or the pursuers thought Solomon sourly.

  Clear such thoughts from his mind, Solomon thought of how he could continue clearing rock and stone from these tunnels to form a labyrinth. He could create lifeless constructs that would be activated upon certain conditions to come to life to defend the halls. The magic would need to be self-sustaining or otherwise integrated into the creation. It would be quite the undertaking, and who could tell where his labyrinth would take him?

  Shaking his head clear of his daydreams, Solomon refocused on the task at hand. He had fulfilled his goal of forging a tunnel to this cavern but had yet to verify the depths it led to. While the tunnel may work as a nifty escape route, it was also currently a liability—a cave system with unexplored twists and unidentified monsters lurking in the darkness around every corner.

  Choosing to summon elementals to search the tunnels, Solomon gathered his energy to create earth elementals. Setting it loose to explore, it quickly wandered into the darkness. Pondering, Solomon wondered how many he could control and summon at once. To judge the fatigue and the limits of his control, he called a second. Then a third, fourth, and finally a fifth elemental. With five of the elementals spawned, Solomon would not risk a sixth. The energy drain was enormous. And unlike when he had summoned Morgana, these elementals were totally subservient. They all went into the darkness of the tunnels. As the route twisted and turned, it had the occasional branch-off. The elementals mapped the available routes until one eventually found another cavern.

  Solomon felt the elemental’s excitement and engaged it with a mind-meld. Looking around at the summoned creations’ surroundings, the cavern was massive… and filled with magma. The glow of the lava lit up the area. The light cast a sparkly red fleck of light around the room. With a jerk, Solomon lost control of his elementals, and they disintegrated into dust. The ruby-red sparkles weren’t coming from the lava. Instead, it was reflected light shining off scales. Ruby red scales. On a colossal red dragon.

  Solomon stood at the entry to the labyrinth he had been about to design, reeling in shock. Dragons were rare and dangerous creatures, physical traits aside. They are talented in magic and are mainly known for their fiery abilities – such as their breath.

  Having a sleeping dragon nearby would not have been Solomon’s first choice for a neighbour. This would require future consideration and coordination. Worst case, Solomon would need to seal the exit into his underground complex. At best, the dragon turns out to be friendly.

  Suddenly Solomon laughed and turned to leave. His clever wordplay on the floor seemed even more appropriate now. Anyone who found the end of the corridor’s darkness would for sure be burnt by the dragon’s flame. Unlike regular fire, dragon fire was all-consuming. Solomon shook his head; he needed to meditate and think about this neighbour of his.

  Solomon woke to the sun already nearing its peak. With a surge of panic, the young mageknight leapt from the makeshift bed, hurried down the stairs, and ran out of the spire. He was late, and King Nathair and his family were scheduled to arrive this afternoon. With his status so unknown to all, he needed to be there to determine the King’s judgement on his fate.

  His feet darted over the landscape as Solomon ran to the forest. He slowed slightly as he entered the shaded woods. He surged forward, adjusting to the dim light, catapulting over streams and charging through bushes.

  About an hour later, Solomon burst out of the edge of the forest and again could see the idyllic village below and the castle as well. The festivities were in full swing, cheering echoing even to the hilltop where Solomon stood in dismay. The royal family progressed towards the castle gates with King Nathair and his guards at the head. Desperation reared its ugly head, and Solomon took off at a run towards the nearby northeastern gate. The King’s party had entered through the northwestern gate, which meant the crowds were thin on the village’s other side.

  The gate was unguarded in the excitement, so no one even attempted to challenge Solomon’s entry. Choosing to remain outside the cramped streets that lined the village interior, he ran alongside the village wall – skirting squalor and filth as he made his way the long way around the village to the heavily guarded castle gate.

  The guards recognized Solomon as he approached and made a small gap to let him slip into the castle grounds. The grounds were arrayed with a full guard detail, fully suited for the occasion. Each guard stood at attention in armour with a spear and sword. Each soldier had a shield strapped across their back. Emblazoned on their gear were marks of the wolf – wolf’s head on the shields and wolf’s paw prints on their pauldrons. The pathway from the gateway and drawbridge had groups of soldiers looking proud to represent the house.

  Solomon did not take long to appreciate the view. He hurried along the pathway, anxious to get into the waiting area where the rest of Lord Ulric’s family awaited. Entering the keep, Solomon made his way to the audience chamber with its tiny throne. As he rounded the corner, he saw Lady Caroline waiting, and she rounded on him in her fury.

  “You are late!” Caroline shouted. Her face was flushed in anger – or exertion; it was hard to differentiate. She had clearly been pacing back and forth. She waited for Ulric to ceremoniously greet the King in public view and escort him to these more private rooms.

  “I was delayed and lost track of time. I am sorry.” Solomon said truthfully.

  Caroline was having none of it. “First, you lie to us and betray the trust Ulric has placed in you, then you hide for a week. Now you scamper back because you know that you will be hunted down like an animal and put down if you are not here. You are worthless.”

  Despite his rocky relationship with Ulric’s wife, her reaction hurt him deeply. For most of his life, she had fulfilled the role of mother to him, perhaps a little cold and uncaring at times but a mother, nonetheless. “I am sorry for the concern, my lady. I wished to enjoy the comforts of the village and of the forest. I may be sentenced to die by the king today.”

  Her keen eyes did not miss that flash of pain so hastily hidden. Caroline could tell that her statement had hurt him, and she just simply did not care, not in the face of the danger Solomon had brought unto her children. “Go and join Felix and Zaria. Your friend Kastytis is there too, by Ulric’s order.”

  Solomon understood her meaning – from her perspective, Kastytis had also failed her. Undoubtedly Zaldimere was also in attendance, but he managed to escape her ire. With a respectful nod and a quiet “by your leave, my lady,” Solomon walked into the chamber. Kastytis and Zaria smiled as he walked to stand next to Kastytis and Zaldimere. Zaldimere gave him a nod but otherwise stayed silent. Felix met Solomon’s eyes briefly but remained silent. Of the group, only Felix seemed to be still upset and wary towards Solomon.

  Solomon had only just managed to get into position – directly across from Felix – when the sounds of a large group of people could be heard in the hallway. Solomon glanced down at Kastytis and Zaldimere below him and realized everyone else in the room was dressed up. Looking at his dust and grime-covered clothes, Solomon had to shrug. There had been no time to clean up or change, not if he wanted to make it to the welcome discussions with King Nathair.

  Lord Ulric entered the room. Caroline’s eyes flashed angrily at Solomon as Ulric entered, but Ulric was visibly relieved to see him. Next to enter was a heavily armoured and equipped guard and a gaudily dressed mage who carried a heavy-looking sceptre. These were undoubtedly members of the king’s guard and critical advisors. The king himself followed in his silvery bejewelled crown. The crown was reportedly not the same one that had been worn by the empress before him. The crown of dragons was supposedly buried with Ausrine or could not be retrieved from the dragonkin’s vault. Before the empress’s death, the vault had been known as the vault of the ages. King Nathair had an imposing presence – despite being on the shorter side. He was bald, which emphasized the crown upon his head. He was broad-shouldered and wide, which, combined with his armour, created an aura of strength and confidence. He still had his beard, which was handsomely salt and peppered. Immediately behind him were his wife and daughter – both gorgeous and full of life. Following them was the high cardinal, Irving. He had run the church for the last five decades, but despite his age, he moved quickly. Following him was a small collection of retainers and guards.

  The guards spared Lord Ulric’s family little more than a courtesy glance before taking positions throughout the room. The retainers knew their place and stood next to the wall – ready if needed but otherwise out of the way. The king, queen, and princess sat in the chairs prepared for them. Once the royal family had sat down, Ulric gestured for Solomon and the rest to seat themselves on the stairs on which they stood. The lady Caroline sat in her chair next to Ulric’s throne. For lord Ulric’s part, he had placed a chair down below so that he and king Nathair would be on the same level.

  As lord Ulric settled into his seat, the king wasted no time getting started. “Thank you for your warm welcome Lord Ulric, Lady Caroline.”

  From her higher seat, the lady Caroline spoke. “Thank you for your kind words, my king. You do us much honour in your visit here.”

  Lord Ulric quickly echoed her sentiment. “Indeed, my King. It has been too long since my last visit to the capital, too long since we last had an opportunity to talk about my holdings. Not since your appointment to the throne, I believe?”

  “Yes, if memory serves.” Nathair said. “Truly too long, although my visit is intended to be mostly focused on pleasure, to be honest. When I received your letter on the route, I was surprised and astounded by the timing. I almost turned around.”

  The queen laughed, her voice like a waterfall of twinkling gems. “As if Emily would have let you. You would probably have been murdered that evening!”

  “Mother!” Princess Emily exclaimed, a touch of anger entering her voice. Her delicate blonde hair, a gift from her mother, swirled around her as she shook her head indignantly.

  King Nathair smiled indulgently and made a hushing motion. “To continue, I almost turned around. My daughter was quite determined not to allow us to easily turn back – this is her first time outside the capital. Between her determination and the need to quickly and quietly resolve the matter of the demon, I decided it would be best to continue as planned.”

  “Understandable, my king.” Lord Ulric said. He looked around the room, thinking. “Perhaps you and I could retire to discuss the case separately, and our families can mingle? My home is yours for the duration of your stay.”

  “My thanks, Lord Ulric, that sounds expedient.” King Nathair said as he got to his feet. “Lead the way.”

  As lord Ulric and King Nathair disappeared into the room behind the throne, Solomon’s heart sank into his toes. It did not help matters when the princess spoke up again.

  “So, who is the peasant standing on the stairs?” Emily asked of the room, looking directly at Solomon.