The Sorcerous Prince - 13. Chapter 13: The Forgotten Princess

Konstantin woke up at 8:00 AM on Saturday morning. He had already told his parents that he and Prince Mihai would be spending the weekend together. As he ate breakfast, he wondered what Mihai's parents were hiding from him, and he wondered if the guards at Palace of Austin would indeed remain silent. He was scared, but he knew that Mihai needed peace of mind. Today would be the first time that he went to Jevartus. He hoped that part of the day would be leisurely. The beaches of Jevartus were said to be some of the best. When finalizing their plans, Mihai and Konstantin had agreed to bring swimming trunks. They would be staying the night in Hotel Jevartus under assumed names. Their privacy was paramount to the mission at hand. They would even be donning disguises. Mihai figured that they could dress like mortals, as even the mortals of Hebalon often dressed like their Earthly counterparts.

The Hall of Records would recognize their identities, but Mihai's position would assure their privacy but with one hitch. The Empress automatically received updates whenever a person or persons entered the Level 16 section, regardless of who they were. If she had nothing else better to do, she could show up. It was unlikely that she would bar Mihai from using the Hall of Records, but she might tell King Frederico despite their current fight. The Empress would not recognize them with their special disguises, but she would likely have the alternative means of identifying them.

However, there would be some things on their side. Konstantin's father was starting to see the bright side of his son dating the heir to the imperial throne could no longer take issue with Mihai's lack of magic as Mihai had ascended. Konstantin had also finished homework and knew that Mihai would have as well. While this would be the second weekend that Mihai spent little time with his family, they had realized that he needed a certain level of independence.

Mihai too had woken up around 8:00 AM. He was definitely feeling nervous. He had talked to the Baron a little more and had told him that his silence was required. The Baron assured him that despite his good relationship with the King and Queen, he would tell them nothing about what little he had told Mihai and what Mihai might do to find the information he desperately wanted. When they talked about transportation, Konstantin said that he was thinking of a broom, but Mihai had decided that a wizard pod would be the better choice. Mihai had ridden on brooms before, but he was usually scared when he did.

The wizard pods were round in shape on top with flat bottoms. They also had landing skids much like helicopters. They could take magical people to certain predestined location. They had been created by elves and were the main mode of transportation. They were powered directly by sunlight and fairy dust. The pods also went much higher into the sky than helicopters and could reach speeds of over 2,000 miles per hour, though some models were faster than others. The pods were also invisible to any mortal who was ignorant of magic.

Because of the restrictions on teleportation rings in most places, King Frederico used wizard pods exclusively when he was traveling. The pods flew through the air at amazing speeds and would be perfect. One of the predestined locations was the Palace of Austin. This was only a predestined location for someone who was of noble, royal, or imperial blood, so The Palace of Austin was a good choice for Konstantin and Mihai.

Mihai was well-aware that wizard pods had been banned on Hebalon. When the Dark Empire was formed, part of the treaty banned their usage on the entire planet. Several attempts had been made to allow them again, but the older generation still remembered the horrors of the Wizard Pod War. It was a battle for independence for the Dark Empire, and the loss of life was in the millions. It was a civil war of epic proportions, and The Council of Nobles had blocked all attempts to allow pods once again. Most vehement was the Empress herself, who had even wanted to ban the pods on Earth. Ultimately it was decided that the kingdoms on Earth could make better decisions about whether or not the pods could be used. Brooms, on the other hand were legal, but people there rarely used them, preferring to use magically enhanced mortal modes of transportation such as automobiles, planes, and ships.

They had discussed teleportation as well, but Mihai felt that he did not know Austin well enough to teleport there. He had not been to Austin very many times despite how close it was. Teleportation rings were out of the question as they were restricted within a ten mile radius of the palace. Mihai could circumvent that restriction, but he chose to respect it. He only had to respect such orders from kings and queens, because he was of imperial blood.

Konstantin rode to the Royal Palace of the South on the back of a unicorn. Unicorns were the most widely used form of transportation when traveling short distances. The creatures could also fly, which was why some chose them for somewhat longer distances as well. Unicorns were the only creatures that could fly without wings without some form of transport. Konstantin had always been fascinated by them especially the fact that their feces would magically disappear unlike a horse's. This kept the streets clean. Konstantin smiled as he thought about how people in the wild west would have loved that about unicorns. There would have been a high risk of stepping in horse shit, but if the settlers had had unicorns, that issue would not have existed.

It was most unusual, but it was Prince Mihai who had answered the door when Konstantin arrived. Konstantin did not mind, because he was greeted with a passionate kiss. “Why hello to you too,” Konstantin flirted. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yes, of course I am!” Mihai may have been nervous, but he was also happy to be going to Jevartus. He had never been to the imperial capital, but he was sure he could concentrate on images he'd seen of the Hall of Records and teleport Konstantin and himself to the steps of the legendary building. But for now, they would be taking the stairs to the top of the palace. Mihai had a pod of his own that he was given the day after his birthday, but this would be the first time he used it. The pod was black as Mihai had requested and the dome made of magical bio-plastic and was tinted.

The seats were soft and padded with dark dragon leather. There were two captain's chairs in the front, and there were even manual controls for emergency situations. Mihai had trained from the age of 14 and had already passed the test a year before on one of his father's pods. The age for pod license was the same as that of broom license, which was 15. However, his parents would not allow him to have one of his own until he was an adult. The seat belts fastened automatically, and Mihai said, “Palace of Austin at 60 miles per hour!” The pod's quiet engine fired up, and slowly ascended thousands of feet into the air. Mihai did not like higher speeds and would only use them when traveling vast distances. Because this trip was only 45 miles, he chose the lowest speed available.

“This is the most comfortable model I've ever been in,” Konstantin said with excitement. “This must be the newest model!”

“Yes, it is called the Junovari Illustrious 2003!” Mihai replied with equal zeal. “Dad does not even have one of these yet. He says he's waiting to buy a new fleet of his own next year of the 2004 model.” The model years were similar to those in the mortal world. The Illustrious 2003 was the top of the line model from Junovari Inc. Junovari was the premiere producer of pods, and it would be comparable to Rolls Royce. Junovari also produced brooms.

“My Dad has a fleet of the 2001 Elegantas.” Konstantin replied dryly. The Eleganta model was a step down from the Illustrious, but Konstantin was more interested in the model Mihai had. Konstantin's dad was a bit of a tight wad and had only bought him a Premiera 2003 broom. Brooms cost about 1/3 of the price of pods and offered little protection from demon attacks. While it was not impossible for demons to cause damage to pods, even damage that would make them crash, brooms were much less resistant to demonic attacks. Demons had their own flying vehicles with lots of weaponry. Pods too had weapons, so demons only attacked them in groups. Luckily, wizard pods were capable of much higher speeds. However, there were several accidents reported every single year, and they were both well aware of the dangers.

“That's not a bad model at all,” Mihai said vehemently. He was speaking of the Eleganta. “My dad actually considered them, because they're actually a little faster. I don't care for faster though. I tend to get air sick when traveling over 1,000 miles per hour.”

Konstantin chuckled. “You're right they are faster. But the Illustrious has the top notch features.”

“It's a give and take with the two,” Mihai observed. Konstantin nodded in agreement and then turned his attention to the miles of terrain below.

The magic district of Austin was on the east side of the city. It was invisible to humans, who could cross from one side to the other in a single step. There were two massive invisible warp walls, one on each side of the magic district. Humans saw only what was beyond each side of the warp walls while magical people saw the magical district in between. If by chance, a mortal was involved in the magical world, he or she would also see the magical district. The warp walls were for those mortals who were ignorant of magic. These warp walls allowed magical cities within cities and even mortal satellites were fooled by the powerful illusion.

The pod landed on the roof of the Palace of Austin. Prince Mihai and Konstantin exited the pod, and they were greeted by a group of guards. “Hello, Your Highness,” one of the guards said reverently to Mihai. “Hello, Lord Konstantin. What brings the two of you here?”

“We are actually here to use the portal,” Mihai said flatly.

“But sir...” the guard had a blank look on his face. He took a moment, and once he regained his composure, he added, “There's one at the royal palace in Candavorum. Why do you need to use this one?”

“That is not your concern,” Mihai hissed. “And you'd be wise to not make an issue of it at all. I have my reasons for wanting to use this one, but it does not concern you. I do not have to explain myself to you. As far as anyone else is concerned, we were never here. Is that understood?”

“Ye... ye... yes sir,” the guard stammered.

“Good,” Mihai replied stiffly. “Come Konstantin.” The two walked through a door that led to a staircase. The stairs led down through every floor of the palace, and Mihai knew that portals were always in the lowest level of a palace. Sure enough, they reached the very bottom, and they were in a guarded room. Whenever Mihai used the portal at home, the guards paid little attention and allowed him to pass. These guards, however, seemed quite stubborn. The guards on the roof had not contacted this group, and the two guards seemed to only recognize Konstantin.

“Good morning, Lord Konstantin,” the older guard said cordially. “What brings you here?”

“We want to use the portal,” Konstantin replied.

“You know the rules, sir,” the guard grumbled. “His Grace will not allow you to use the portal.”

“Ahem,” Mihai piped in. “His Grace can make such rulings as he pleases, but he cannot prevent me from using the portal, nor can he prevent me from taking someone with me even if it is his son.”

“And who do you think you are kid?” the guard snapped.

“Who do you think I am?” Mihai snapped back.

“I'm unsure, but the identification panel will know,” the guard growled. He pointed at a black stand with a small round top and a place for a hand on top. Mihai walked over to the identification panel and placed his right hand on top of it. There was a green glow around his fingers.

A squeaky voice said, “His Imperial Highness, Prince Mihai Anton Rousseau, likely heir to the Imperial throne, Permission Level 16.”

“I... I'm so sorry, Your Highness,” the guard stammered. “I... I had no idea.”

“What is your name, soldier?” Mihai snapped.

“I am Captain Allister Morgan,” the man trembled.

“Well, Captain Morgan,” Mihai fumed, taking a dagger out of his pocket and removing it from its leather sheath. “Give me one good reason that I shouldn't remove your petulant tongue from your mouth!”

“I'm so sorry, sir,” the captain cried. “It will never happen again.”

“Very well,” Mihai said acidly. “It better not. Now if you'll excuse us, we need to go to the portal room.

The guard allowed the passage, and the metal door slid open. Once it had closed behind them, Konstantin spoke, “Why were you so harsh with the guards? You reminded me of how your cousin acts sometimes. It's downright scary.”

“That is what we do,” Mihai said prosaically. “When a guard dares question a member of the royal family, he or she is to be put in place. There's no room for questioning our authority. It was out of sheer ignorance. There has been plenty of time since the spell was broken for the guard to know who I was. As for the first guard, he also questioned my authority. He knew who I was and dared to question me. Father told me never to allow a guard to question me like that and get away with it. Sometimes you have to be an asshole. They respond to rank and authority. They're used to it.”

“But the dagger thing,” Konstantin trembled. “It was a bit much.”

“My dear Konstantin,” Mihai sighed. “You have much to learn.” Mihai gave him a kiss on the cheek. Mihai then set his suitcase upon the floor. He took off his long robe, folded it up, and placed it in the suitcase. He had worn a black t-shirt and a pair of cargo shorts under his clothes. Konstantin had taken the cue and shed his own robe, revealing a blue t-shirt and a pair of stonewashed jean shorts. They also removed their boots and put on identical pairs of Nike shoes.

Konstantin handed Mihai a large silver ring, though it was not a teleportation ring. Mihai placed the large ring over his head, and he instantly transformed. His hair was now much darker along with his hair and eyes. The ring on his head had become invisible. Konstantin had also transformed into someone who looked identical to the new Mihai. They looked like a pair of Latino twins. Mihai placed his hand on the orb that was to the right of the portal, which immediately turned on. Mihai and Konstantin walked through the portal side by side.

On the other side of the portal, Mihai and Konstantin were in a large cylindrical room with a dome. There were pillars and carvings on the wall. There were even carvings in the dome. The carvings there showed a wizard slaying a snake demon, and there were other demons surrounding him. Mihai knew immediately that it was a depiction of Emperor Diederik the day that he slaughtered ten Rattlesnake Demons all by himself. There were dozens of people in the room browsing and buying an assortment of items. The building was a marketplace and was the first place the general magical public saw upon entering Jevartus. The building was known as Jevartus Station. At its center was the most widely used portal in the entire magical empire.

Jevartus Station offered a variety of magical items, potions, and souvenirs for visitors and returning citizens to choose from. Mihai always had money on hand, but he was not interested in anything there. He and Konstantin made their way out of the building. It so happened that the Hall of Records was just a block away, as was the Hotel Jevartus. In fact, they were across the street from one another. Mihai and Konstantin went to the hotel first, figuring it was best to relieve themselves of their luggage, which was one of the few things that could not be sent to another dimension through a wand. This was the only downside to dark dragon leather, which could withstand a great deal of punishment. Neither fire nor electricity would damage it. Of course, this meant that the dark dragons were very hard to kill and that the leather from their hides was a very expensive commodity. Only a well aimed stabbing of the heart or slicing off one's head with a wizard's sword could kill one.

Mihai and Konstantin had no trouble at the hotel. Their assumed identities as Mario and Matteo Rodriquez did not hinder them at all. Low key was not at all in their vocabulary as they had chosen the penthouse for their stay. Best of all, the building had magical elevators unlike their places of residence, so it was a very short trip to the top. The twins were based on real wizards. Konstantin had actually paid them to basically “fall off the face of the Earth” for a couple days. Their memories would need altering, but it was worth being able to go to Jevartus without worrying about people recognizing them. The twins were wealthy businessmen and were actually bachelors who lived together. There was speculation that the two of them had an incestuous relationship, but there was no information to back the wild claims.

The suite was magnificent with marble floors and pillars and the finest dragon leather furniture. The bed looked very comfortable, and if Mihai had not been focused on the mission, he would have been taking Konstantin right then and there. The only reason they were there was just to see the room. The bellboy paged them through the elevator, and Mihai pressed the button to allow him access to the suite. He dropped off their luggage and received a good tip for his trouble. Mihai and Konstantin entered the elevator with him with the Hall of Records on their minds. Within moments, they were back on the first floor and on their way out the door. The street now seemed busier with traffic, so Mihai latched onto Konstantin's hand and teleported them across the street.

The building was one of the tallest Mihai had ever seen. Its style was very similar to what is now called Willis Tower in Chicago and had once been called Sears Tower. The building was not quite as dark in appearance but had sections of different heights, including one that towered over the rest. The Hall of Records contained both records of the magical world and of the mortal world. There were copies of every significant document for every single person on both Earth and Hebalon as well as every government, magical and mortal alike. How the elves collected all the human intelligence was a secret even from the Empress, but much of the information had been corroborated through other means. The reason for the plethora of information was so that mortals could be monitored, including the secrets of their government. It also let the Empire know what information various mortal governments of Earth had on them.

Upon entering the door, Mihai and Konstantin looked for the nearest restroom. This was one place in which they did not want to be disguised. Because some areas had restrictions, looking like someone else was not in Mihai's best interest. The disguise would be much more likely to alarm his aunt than going into the restricted areas as himself. There was a check-in desk and not one, but two, identification panels. The elf at the desk was handsome indeed. He had lavender hair and eyes in a darker shade of purple and pale skin. He was shorter than a human by about a foot, and his lips were full and presented a pleasant smile. Mihai was practically drooling, and so was Konstantin. “I need each of you to place your right hand on an identification panel,” the elf stated. The machines did not have audio output. Instead, the elf could see their information on a screen that looked similar to a computer monitor. “Alright Your Highness, what section do you wish to access?”

“Level 16,” Mihai retorted. “Konstantin will be acting as my assistant.”

“Very well, sir,” the elf replied with a sweet tone. “Come with me.” There were elevators, each with a designated number. “Please place your hand on the panel,” the elf added, pointed to the panel designated for Elevator 16. Mihai did as he was told, and the door opened. “Have a good day, sirs. Ring us if you need anything.”

“Thank you,” Mihai said gently before stepping into the elevator along with Konstantin. The elevator shot up very quickly, and Mihai let out a yelp at the sudden jolt. “That was unpleasant.” The two exited the elevator and saw what looked like mountains of bookshelves full of books. It was simply amazing. What caught Mihai's eye next was a magical computer on a desk. Mihai sat down in a chair. The computer seemed to sense what he wanted. The computer had a voice that said, 'retrieving' and before long, a book was headed toward Mihai. He grabbed the book. He looked at the table and saw a section labeled The Imperial Family Tree 1600 to Present. It was on page 355. Mihai figured this book was magical and said aloud, “Page 355.”

The book left his hand and hovered into the air and stopped in a large open area behind him. Mihai watched in amazement as the book grew to his height. It was also quote wide. Mihai skimmed the tree until he saw the name, Guadalupe Antonia Rousseau. Her husband’s name appeared and said deceased. He looked down and saw three names below theirs. Obviously, it was not one of her children who had died. He looked over to Frederico Alonzo Rousseau and Viviana Damiana Bertrand-Rousseau. Below were two names, including his. The other was an unfamiliar name, Anica Florenta Rousseau. She had died on May 20, 1976 outside Giza Egypt. He looked for up higher for Diederik Flavius Rousseau III, who had died on the same day and in the same place. The death of his grandfather and great grandfather was not news to him.

“I can't believe this,” Mihai growled. “I had a sister who was born fifteen years before I was and four years before Karan. How could my parents hide this from me! She was the one who died with my father and grandfather in the attack outside Giza!”

“They had a reason,” a feminine voice said. Mihai looked toward the elevator, and there stood Empress Guadalupe, who was walking quickly toward them. Once she was closer to Mihai she stopped, and added. “I came as soon as I heard you were here. While I have no problem with you being here, I would prefer to be informed. You were not supposed to find out this way.”

“Are you going to explain or not?” Mihai asked flatly.

“It is not my place to tell you why,” she replied with equal stiffness. “All I can say is that they don't like to talk about it much. I will go with you tomorrow. Oh, and I know about the assumed identities. I've taken the liberty of telling the hotel your real identities. You're both welcome to stay the night there, but they will be addressing the issue when you get back there. I understand why you did it, but using identities of others to avoid the public is unacceptable.” Mihai had chosen disguises because he figured his recent exploits and his position in society would draw attention to himself. “However, I suspect you're both going to hear from your parents soon, and I doubt they'll want either of you to stay.”

“But surely you didn't just find out we were here,” Mihai grumbled. “How...”

“There's very little that either of you do that I don't know about,” she replied coolly. “Every portal is monitored, and I saw footage of both of you changing into the Rodriguez twins. Did you honestly think that such suspicious circumstances wouldn't be reported to me and your fathers? Oh yes, I'm sure all of your parents are going to be here soon. Mihai, I am not going to restrict information from you, but you should show more respect to your parents. They were going to tell you very soon. Instead, you had to dig around instead of asking them. I'm not sure how you found out. I assume that you didn't have all the information, and that's what brought you here, but your parents would have told you if you'd asked them. I know they would have. What you've done is basically slap them in the face.”

She sighed, and turned her attention toward Konstantin. “I realize that there's something going on between the two of you, but from what I know of your family, I expect better from you, Konstantin. You should have known that this course of action was not the best, but you didn't tell him that. Instead, you colluded with Mihai. I'm very disappointed in both of you. You're adults now! You should act like it.” With that, The Empress stormed off and said nothing more. It was at this moment that Mihai realized how much his actions would hurt his parents. They should not have hidden the information from him, but they were probably just protecting him from the horrors of their world. And now, instead of discussing the issue as a family, it would be that much more intense. Mihai was going to have to face his parents, and they were going to not only have to retell one of the worst nightmares of their lives, they were going to be disappointed that he turned to other sources of information.

Mihai and Konstantin returned to the hotel as themselves and had a lengthy and spirited discussion with the manager, who told them there were better ways to assure their privacy than to transforming into other people. He specifically stated that the next time he would ban them from the hotel for life. They were allowed to return to their hotel suite where they would be waiting for both sets of their pissed off parents to arrive.

A few minutes later, the elevator opened. The looks on the face of King Frederico and Queen Viviana were not ones of anger but ones of sorrow and disappointment. King Frederico was the one to speak. “Konstantin, your parents are waiting for you in the lobby. Please leave now and take your suitcase with you.” Konstantin did not argue. He gave Mihai a gentle kiss, got off the bed, picked up his suitcase, and headed for the elevator. Once the door closed, the king said more. “Now it's time for us to have a most unpleasant chat.” The sorrowful scowl had not left the King's face, and Mihai knew that this discussion was indeed going to be just as unpleasant as his father suggested.