The Sorcerous Prince - 3. Chapter 3: General Diphtheria's Plot Part 1

Jevartus, Jevartus Island on Planet Hebalon

Jevartus was the capital of the Empire of Magic It was the only city on Jevartus Island, and with 20 million people, it was the largest city on the planet. When Diederik discovered the planet through a portal, he realized its potential as a planet for the magical community. The planet of Hebalon was actually much younger than Earth, but it was actually more stable than Earth was 3 billion years previously. Yet, the life that had evolved was simply amazing. Dragons had long been legendary on Earth, but they had entered Earth through the portal from Hebalon along with fauns, centaurs, griffins, and many others. There were even ocean portals for mermaids.

Jevartus also had one of the largest ports on Hebalon. While the magical community was not as dependent upon ships as humans, there was still a great need for them. Magical items and creatures were often too unstable to send through teleportation. The teleportation rings themselves were highly restricted, and only permanent portals allowed transport to and from other planets, including Earth. Thus, the seaports were vital for the planet's economy, and there were dozens of ships entering Jevartus on a daily basis, including cruise ships, as Jevartus was also a popular vacation destination, especially for wizards and witches from Earth.

There were commercial airlines on Hebalon, but jets were resistant to magical enhancement because of the engines. Ships were much more comfortable, were not resistant to magical enhancement, and only took one-third more time than airlines. Also, the security for ships was much more relaxed than that of airlines, because magic prevented people for bringing forbidden items onto ships. However, there were problems. Some ships came from the continent of Helafi, the only continent controlled by dark wizards.

One such ship from Helafi called The Sea Basilisk entered the Port of Jevartus on the morning of Wednesday, October 30, 2002, which was a rainy one. The Sea Basilisk was made of wizard's steel. The hull was painted in a crimson red, and the upper decks were painted white. The ship contained wild animals, some magical and some not. Potions required venom, blood, hearts, and other organs and tissues of various animals. The demand for these creatures was quite high. The ship also contained a stow-away from The Underworld, who had entered through one of the portals to Hebalon from Earth. She had to blend in with the crew, which was not a problem as she was a master of disguise.

While forbidden dark magical items were not allowed on any ships, demons could enter the capital so long as they used special potions of their own, often containing blood of dark wizards who, while not welcomed with open arms, were allowed there. Such potions took five days to complete.

General Diphtheria exited the ship from the gangway and searched for a man who was supposed to be awaiting her arrival. She was told to search for a man in a crimson-colored hooded cloak, and when she finally spotted him, she walked toward him. As soon as she was within range, the man started walking away from the port area, heading a secluded area for them to speak. As luck would have it, he had access to a beach house less than a mile from the northern end of the port, where their walk had begun. The beach house was white, and it was Mediterranean style. Though it was smaller than the other homes in the area, it was still nice.

The man led General Diphtheria into a dining room with a light brown hardwood floor and a cherry wood rectangular table in the middle with a red gloss finish. The wood trimmed walls were faced with beige plaster with arch-shaped windows. The chairs were made of the same wood as the table and had the same finish but also had white built-in cushions in a woven flowery pattern. There were six in total, one on each end and four in between. On the table were some crackers and cheese on two plates, one on each end. There was a cup of hot tea on a saucer to the right of each plate. The man sat down in the chair at one end and General Diphtheria followed suit by sitting down at the chair on the other end moments later.

“What can I do for you, madame?” the man asked in a baritone voice. His hood cast the top half of his face in shadow, and General Diphtheria could only see the end of his nose, part of his cheeks, his mouth, and his chin.

General Diphtheria was a beautiful woman with platinum blond hair, baby blue eyes, and porcelain skin. Her beauty, however, could not hide the evil within her as her wicked grin gave that away every single time. “I need Prince Pavel,” she replied plainly.

“That is no easy task for a normal wizard,” he replied sullenly. However, his voice took on a much more cheerful tone with an air of arrogance when he added, “I am not a normal wizard. I actually know the boy, and I know how to lure him away from the Imperial Palace. I will have to begin shortly, but I will bring him back here by this afternoon. So tell me, how do you intend to get him out of the city?”

“With a teleportation ring, of course,” she said emphatically. “As you well know, they are disabled for travel into the city but not for leaving. I need to take him to my brother tomorrow. We'll be entering Candavorum during the Samhain Festival. It just so happens that I have designed a very special way to enter the city so that we can collect the other prince and take them both to The Underworld along with anyone else we can find. My brother seems to want my help, and our father grudgingly agreed that we could enter Candavorum together.”

“Your plan sounds delightful, madame,” he said with an eerie tone. “If only I could go with you I would, but I fear I must return to Nubaki by tomorrow evening. The Dark Emperor is having a festival of his own. I trust you have paid the price of two human children to him for what he has told me to do for you.”

“Indeed I have,” she replied. “There's a boy and a girl. They'll work quite well for sacrifice.” Both of them cackled with glee at the idea of human sacrifice, a laugh that would cause chills in the spines of most witches and wizards. “He says you're one of his best operatives, so I suspect that I will be able to leave Jevartus with the second in line to the imperial throne this afternoon.”

“Of course you will,” he said in unadulterated confidence. “He will come with me most willingly. I have my way with people, and no one will even know I'm there.”

“That's exactly what I was hoping. Still, I need to see results. Shall I remain here at this beach house?”

“Yes, you will see results, and yes, you should remain here,” he said assuringly. “Just so you know, the prince will be arriving with a woman.”

“That's fine by me as long as he is in my custody today,” she mused. “It's going to be a great celebration for sure.”

So began a long wait at the Mediterranean-style beach house in Jevartus for General Diphtheria. She had no idea who she was dealing with, only that Emperor Abbadon, the Dark Emperor of Helafi, had recommended that she meet this man at the Port of Jevartus. It had taken over a week to get to this point, and she knew that her father would not be happy until he knew that she was back in The Underworld with Prince Pavel. However, she had received a message from her brother, General Typhus, requesting that she bring Pavel to the area outside the barrier that led to Candavorum. She knew her brother would owe her big time for this and that she would get credit for the capture of both princes, so she agreed. Her father, the Demon King, also agreed. It was now only a matter of time until the mysterious dark wizard brought back the boy she sought.

Candavorum, Texas

Prince Mihai had once again arrived at school on a purple day. He had not forgotten the events of the last purple day, nor did he forget what Carissa's father had told him about Keegan. The events of the previous Friday afternoon had also not escaped his psyche. He was in a constant state of thought, and it was driving him crazy. He had only slept for four hours the night before, because he was worried that he would be captured, and he'd been wondering how to reach Keegan and his brother. However, both Keegan and his friend, Ted, had been suspended for two days for their actions on Monday.

Tuesday had been a good day despite all the whispers about what had happened. It had spread fast enough for Carissa to hear about it right after her Speech class. That was why she had called her father to have him check on Mihai. Despite all the gossip, Mihai was glad that he had gotten the results for two tests he had taken on the previous Friday. He scored 90% on his Physics test, which was actually the second highest in the class behind Carissa. He scored a 98% on his Western Civilization, beating out Carissa for the top score. He had only missed one question while she had missed two. He also liked both of the teachers, Mrs. Hunter, his Physics teacher, and Mr. Matthews, his Western Civilization teacher.

Mihai happened to be about a half hour earlier to school than he normally was. He was glad to have two out of three of the week's school days out of the way, and he was looking forward to the four-day weekend that was the result of the two-day Samhain Festival. It was one of his favorite holidays. It signified the final harvest and the end of summer. It was also a day of power for witches and wizards. The animal sacrifice to the gods represented giving the gods the best of what they had and thanking them for their bounty and good fortune. It was also a way of asking the gods to make them more powerful.

They also paid tribute to the dead and called upon the spirits of their ancestors to continue protecting them. For Mihai and his family, this meant paying special tribute to the former emperors and empresses of The Magical Empire and the magical kings and queens of France, the latter being from his mother's side of the family. In fact, the current Magical King of France was his uncle, King Matthieu.

Putting aside his thoughts about the Samhain festival, he decided to go talk to his English teacher, Mr. Perkis. “Good morning, Mr. Rousseau!”

“Good morning Mr. Perkis,” Mihai replied. “I just wanted to thank you for allowing me to leave the other day. I was so embarrassed.”

“Any time, Mr. Rousseau,” Mr. Perkis confided dulcetly. “You're very special to me. I just could not stand back and let them hurt you like that.”

“I really appreciate it,” Mihai replied with a wry grin on his face. “I am wondering about something though.”

“And what's that?” Mr. Perkis inquired.

“How did you know what Keegan had done?” Mihai asked incredulously.

“Well, I said that someone else told me,” Mr. Perkis replied cautiously. “However, that is not the case. You see, I have a very special power. Whenever someone uses a power or a magical spell, especially if it's on someone else, I can replay the event in my mind with one-hundred percent accuracy, even if I was not present when it happened. My power is exceedingly rare and is called spell Retrocognition. I can also share the 'scenes' with others with psychic abilities. Principal Clark happens to be a telepath.”

“That's a truly amazing power!” Mihai lilted incredulously. “It's also downright scary. Is it just spells?”

“Afraid so,” Mr. Perkis mused. “However, I've seen magic of demons as well, and it can be quite nasty. I've seen people die extremely painful deaths. I've even felt their pain. It's both a blessing and a curse. I also have to be in the presence of at least one of the people who cast or witnessed a spell. Some spells reveal things that people don't want others to know. I know, for example, that your friend, Carissa's power is one she wishes to keep secret, but it's not a secret from me at all. Sometimes my power activates by accident. Other times, I can control it.”

“That does sound like both a blessing and a curse,” Mihai mused. “I hope it's not my power.”

“I know for a fact that it isn't,” Mr. Perkis replied without hesitation. “Yes, I can see future instances of people using powers as well. I'm also a telekinetic. That's a lot more common. I don't think I should tell you what your powers will be, but you will have a lot more than the average of two or three.”

“So I'm going to ascend after all?” Mihai asked. “I've often wondered if I would.”

“Oh, you will ascend very soon,” Mr. Perkis sighed. “I shouldn't be telling you this, but I foresee it being within the next week. I just don't know exactly when. I will not tell you where either. That would possibly affect the future, and I will not be a part of that. All I can say is be cautious.”

“I'll keep that in mind, Mr. Perkis,” Mihai replied. By this point, there were some students arriving about ten minutes before class began. “I should get to Calculus. Thanks again!”

Mihai met Carissa on the way to Calculus. “Hey Mihai! I was wondering. There's going to be some people hanging out at the park tomorrow before the festival. Do you think you can be there?”

“I don't know Carissa. I feel as though people don't like me. I feel like an outsider. You know that I do. Why would you want me to go with you to the park when you know that they'll all just treat me weird?” Mihai lacked confidence in himself, and Carissa was one of the few people from school who really knew him.

“You should at least try to make a few friends before graduation,” she insisted. “It won't be that bad. I also hear that Konstantin will be there. I see how you look at him.”

“Well, he's probably straight anyway,” Mihai rebutted.

“I'm not too sure about that,” Carissa whispered. “I asked him out last year, and he turned me down flat, and I don't think it was just because of his status in the nobility either.”

“You're a future baroness, Carissa,” Mihai said, not knowing what her point was. “Maybe he just wasn't into you.”

“Surely you've noticed how beautiful I am,” Carissa snapped. “There's only one way a guy wouldn't be after me.”

“That's not a fair assumption to make,” Mihai said in defense of Konstantin. “Maybe you're just not his type.”

“That's exactly what I'm saying, Your Highness.” Carissa had added extra emphasis to Mihai's title. “I'm not his type, because I have a vag.”

“Jesus, Carissa!” Mihai almost shouted.

“What? I'm just trying to get you laid,” Carissa snapped. “I'm pretty sure you...”

“Okay I get it Carissa,” Mihai blurted out. “It's not that simple. There are... um...”

“What?” she prodded.

“I like three guys,” Mihai finally said.

“This is news to me,” Carissa said quietly even though she wanted to shout. “Who is the third? I can figure out that you like Konstantin and Fabian.”

“Well, I can't say, Carissa, or at least I'd rather not,” Mihai whispered.

“Oh come on, Mihai!” she grumbled.

“No Carissa,” he replied firmly.

Mihai did not want anyone to know about this secret crush, because he did not see it as at all appropriate for him to even like the guy. This was an older man, and even though Mihai was almost 16, he knew that he could not act on his feelings, at least not for a while. He suspected that the older man was into him as well, but only time would tell. Mihai had grown up in a family where polyfidelity was a way of life, and monogamy was definitely not his preference.

He had lost count of how many men would come to the palace to “visit” his mother, and his father was hardly ever in Candavorum, and even when he was, he was rarely home. He also knew that the condom wizard visited the palace quite often, especially when one of Queen Viviana's visitors was around, and she also had a supply of emergency birth control potion in case one of her beaus' magical condoms was out of stock. He also knew that the biggest supply of magical condoms was his father's. They made no effort to conceal such information either. He also suspected that they would probably not be so open if such materials were not readily available.

Calculus was uneventful as usual. He did not stare at Konstantin quite as much even though he was wondering if Carissa was right about him being gay. He knew Konstantin's father, The Duke of Austin, was straight as an arrow. His exploits as a “pussy hound” were known all over the magical society of Texas. Still, he had read recently that more than one-third of people within the magical society were either gay or bisexual, so it would not surprise him too much. The biggest problem was shyness, and as Mrs. Umphenour driveled on and on, he found himself lost in thought over all those guys he liked. He was not worried about the lecture, because he already knew the information she was giving.

Advanced English was rather relaxed except at the beginning when Mr. Perkis admonished students who had not turned in their essays. Since there were ten students who had not, he told them he would take 5% from their grade for every day they were late with their essays and that if it were after the following Friday, they might as well not bother, because they would have 0%.

Mihai could not help but notice the absence of Keegan and Ted. He was determined to improve relations with them, but he still had no idea how. He felt compassion for Keegan, and he suspected that Ted did too. He also suspected that Ted only used that spell on him to make sure that Keegan was pacified. Ted had always been Keegan's tagalong, but he had tried to make sure that Keegan never went too far with his bullying. He had also talked to Ted alone a time or two, and he was actually civil. However, that changed whenever Keegan was around. Mihai also suspected that he would never get along with Melody. He could not stand her. She had always been vile. He recalled hearing about her break-up with Veronica Martinez before she started dating Keegan and how she had talked about how her ex-girlfriend was nothing compared to the new love in her life and would even call her a skank in the hallways of the school.

Mihai left school after Advanced English and was greeted by his father in the entrance hall to the palace. There was no hesitation as Mihai ran over to his father and gave him a hug. King Frederico had been gone for two weeks because of the conflict in South America. “I've missed you so much, Dad.”

“I've missed you too, son,” the king replied sweetly. “I have so much to tell you, and I understand that you've been through quite an ordeal.”

“Yeah, I had a run-in with a demon, most likely one of the generals,” Mihai groaned. “The Shield of the Gods saved me though.”

“I heard about that too,” Frederico said in amazement. “Wasn't it Queen Orla who was also protected by it?”

“That's the only other case I've heard,” Mihai said simply. His father knew his own side's history well but stumbled over his wife's. “You really do listen to your mother. She's always telling me I should learn from you.” They both laughed. Truth be told, history was Mihai's favorite subject, and he always loved how passionate his mother was when she retold their family history. “So how did it go in South America?”

“Well, King Eduardo is a bit of a hothead,” King Frederico sighed. “He is mad at Queen Alicia, because her son can’t seem to keep his hands off of King Eduardo's son. He says, 'No son of mine is going to be queer.' Then I had to remind him that one third or more of our kind is gay or bisexual. He didn't like my observation too well. They finally agreed to just let their sons be together, and there won't be a war after all.”

“They were going to war over that?” Mihai yelled incredulously. “They should be more accepting.”

“Well, we are much more accepting than mortals,” King Frederic reminded him. “That does not mean that everyone agrees. Still, we've had gay marriage for over one thousand years, and the mortals still do not. Speaking of which, I get to go see Governor Perry, and he's a homophobic son of a bitch. I don't know what the mortals were thinking when they elected him.”

“I've had the same thoughts about George Dumbya Bush,” Mihai replied snidely.

“Oh, they're not that bad!” Queen Viviana said, interrupting. “I happen to think Rick Perry is quite charming. And Bush, well, he was quite handsome in his younger days. I don't always agree with them politically, but then, I don't agree with anyone completely. I certainly don't agree with their position on gays though.”

“You do seem to have a soft spot for them,” King Frederico replied, half joking.

“I do not!” she replied in feigned indignation. “I'm just saying they could be worse. Anyway, let's not talk about mortal politics. It's so divisive.”

“Indeed it is my dear,” King Frederico considered out loud. “Indeed it is.”

“Dad, I need to talk to you some more,” Mihai said suddenly.

“Well, you can talk to us about anything,” his mother said, trying to insist that Mihai tell them both.

“Dear, there are some things a guy his age does not want to talk to his mother about,” the king reminded his wife. “I think this is one of these times.” He looked at his son and received a simple nod.

“Very well then,” she said with her charming smile.

After Queen Viviana exited the room, King Frederico asked, “What is it son?”

“Well Dad, I've been thinking about...” he could say no more, and his father noticed that he was blushing.

“About sex?” the king blurted out causing his son's cheeks to turn an even deeper shade of red. “I'll take that as a yes. What would you like to know?”

“Well, I really like some guys,” Mihai said hesitantly. “One of them is a potential, and I'm afraid of taking that step. Won't it make him a slave?”

“Mihai, familiars want what we have to offer them,” the king said sagely. “They are not our slaves. They are our protectors, our confidants, and our guides. And I know which one you want, and I can't blame you one bit. We brought Fabian Johnson here with you in mind. I'm somewhat disappointed that you haven't yet established that connection with him. I love both of my familiars. Allen is wonderful. He's strong, and I can talk to him about anything. Janet is a truly wonderful woman, not quite as wonderful as your mother, but she keeps me centered when I'm on the road.”

“The relationship you can have with a familiar is not of a slave and master,” King Frederico continued. “It is a relationship with someone who understands you in ways no one else will. They live to serve us. By not establishing that connection with Fabian, you are denying him some of his air. It is a gift for you to give him, son. Don't run away from it. Embrace it. You don't have to do this tonight, but you should soon. He is yours, and you will be his. Of course, you should later have a significant other, preferably another wizard, but do not deny yourself of a familiar. A familiar will guide you and protect you from danger. He will even give up his life to save you if need be. Fabian is the best choice.”

“I never thought of it that way,” Mihai confessed.

That evening Mihai had a wonderful dinner. His father had always loved steak and lobster, which was a meal fit for a king and his family. Mihai was certainly not protesting, because lobster was one of his personal favorites. Dinner conversation revolved around the king's trip to South America and how lovely Queen Alicia had been. He talked about King Eduardo's temper but also his sense of humor and fast wit when his mood was better. It had also been quite warm in Brazil from his description as it was now spring in South America.

At around ten o'clock in the evening, Mihai went to bed. He did not have school the next day, but he was tired nonetheless. It did not take long before Mihai drifted into peaceful slumber. All in all, it had been a good day. He was looking forward to the festival, and he wanted to be well-rested. He also knew that he would be staying up much later the following night as the festivities lasted until well after midnight, which was ironic.

A few minutes after midnight, Mihai began to dream. The dream was fuzzy at first, but he felt as if he were tied up. A woman with blond hair was standing within his sight, speaking a language Mihai could not understand. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his entire body. It was as if thousands of tiny daggers were poking every single inch of his body. Surely, death would have been better than this. “What are you doing, sis?” It was a booming baritone voice that sounded familiar.

“I'm preparing him for father,” General Diphtheria screamed at her younger brother, General Typhus.

“Father has much more subtle ways to prepare a sorcerer for his service!” General Typhus stammered. “You're supposed to save this job for him. The ritual we need to do with him is painful enough. Leave the rest to father. He does not wish for you to harm Prince Pavel!”

“I know what I'm doing, Typhus!” she snapped back brusquely. “You know how much I love to torture. What do you think I do for fun on my time off, play Tiddlywinks? Just let me have some fun, little brother. We have actual work to do tomorrow.”

“You're a sick c**t even for a demon,” observed General Typhus.

“You're goddamn right, I am!” she replied and then cackled. Soon she was chanting again. The daggers were poking again, and there was a burning sensation accompanying them. Mihai had never felt pain so excruciating. He could imagine that giving birth to a child was not nearly as bad as this. The daggers were more than skin deep. He could feel Prince Pavel's pain everywhere in his body from his head, to the organs in the center of his body to the end of his toes.

Suddenly he lost contact and woke up in a cold sweat from head to toe. He did not quite understand what he had just witnessed or why. The only good thing was that he knew his ascension had finally begun. He also knew that Prince Pavel was in grave danger, and all he could do was talk to his parents and hope that they would know what to do. Mihai also realized that he had inadvertently used his first gift, telepathy, and he tried once again to tap into it. He closed his eyes and searched for his mother's mind, and soon he had found it. 'Mom, you and Dad need to come to my room as quickly as you can. Wake up now!' It did not take long before he could sense her slightly awakened state. 'I wasn't kidding mom. Someone's in danger. I'm now a telepath. I know what others think. I know what others see. I even know what they feel, physically and emotionally. Come to me now and bring Dad with you.'

It was not long before Prince Mihai's parents’ teleported into his room. Of course, this was his mother's power. Mihai noticed that his parents were wearing silk robes that they had thrown on before coming to him. He began to tell them what he had just experienced and that Pavel had been kidnapped and was being held captive by not one, but two, of the Demon King's generals, Diphtheria and Typhus. The look on his mother's face was one of sheer terror. Once he finished telling the story, his father warned, “The prophecy is coming true... and there are dark days ahead.”