Fairyfly - 16. Rescue Mission

Queen Loreena sprawled on the comfortable bed in her chambers, her head and upper body resting on round, fluffy pillows covered with white silk. Trying to relax, she observed her two daughters – two most precious beings in her life. Amelia, the middle princess, sat on a cushion on the floor, playing on a large, golden harp. Meanwhile, the youngest one, Ariana, sat on the bed behind her, gently combing her sister’s long hair.

“That melody is beautiful,” Ariana said, stopping what she was doing and taking the light, wooden brush out of her sister’s hair. “It reminds me of the ball we had last autumn. It was the last song they played.”

“Thank you, Ari,” Amelia gushed, moving her long fingers over the strings to produce a few more notes. “I remember that melody, but I still can’t play it that well.”

“You are doing a wonderful job, I’m sure you’ll master it soon,” Ariana nodded and continued her slow movements with the brush across her sister’s scalp, soothing her.

The whole scene seemed calm and serene, but Loreena knew they could not get careless. Two guards stood at the door, just in case. Ever since the tragedy that cost Arabella her life, King Norius assigned guards to always be nearby and have their eyes on his wife and two daughters.

Even though she knew it was for the best, the queen couldn’t help but feel irritated at the constant presence of guards, and bitter at the everlasting absence of her husband. She felt he was slipping further and further away from her and their daughters ever since Bella died.

To make matters worse, the Shade girl somehow escaped and took Loreena’s crown with her. However, the situation escalated in the last few days, when the soldiers returned from the Lykos settlement with some highly upsetting news. The queen frowned as she recalled the event, wrinkles appearing on her forehead and around her large, green eyes.

She and Norius sat in the throne room, their two daughters perched on a sofa by the window, reading books and not paying attention to their parents’ discussion.

“Did you really have to send an envoy to Thorodan?” Queen Loreena asked her husband.

“Yes, of course,” King Norius looked at her sternly. “Do you not find it odd that the Shade escaped with your crown at the same time when Prince Terryn was here?”

“No. How can you even suggest he had something to do with it? He probably didn’t even realize she was there.”

“You may believe whatever you choose, but I for one do not believe in such coincidences,” Norius was firm.

“And you’re willing to potentially jeopardize our good relations with King Theodore over it?” she asked, refusing to back down. Why compromise good neighborly relations with a powerful kingdom over a stupid crown?

“If Terryn is indeed innocent, then-“ the king started to respond, but was interrupted when three royal soldiers entered, looking as if they had seen a ghost. It was clear the men were shaken by something, as none of them could find courage to speak first.

“Well, what is the matter?” Norius spoke in a calm, but commanding tone.

“Your Majesty,” the bravest of them took a few steps forward and spoke. “We bear grave news. We are coming from the Lykos village and… I’m afraid that Esthor the sorcerer is alive.”

“What is this nonsense?!” the king abruptly stood from his throne as Loreena gasped in shock. Her gaze was fixed on her husband, for she was afraid of what he would do. His desire for revenge was only growing stronger.

“What do you mean, ALIVE?” Norius spat. “He was put in magic chains and walled up! There is no escape from there!”

“Your Majesty, we saw a Lykos entering the house that belongs to the… the one who attacked the princess,” the second soldier uttered, his voice trailing off near the end. “When we went in after him to seize him, he was there. The sorcerer. He appeared out of thin air and did some magic on us, knocking us all out. When we woke up, they were long gone.”

“I do not believe this! So he had conspired with the Lykos against us!” the king shouted, gripping his gold scepter as if trying to break it in half. “How did he escape from the dungeon?!”

“Why would he conspire against us? What does he have against any of us?” Loreena asked gently, looking at Norius with concern.

She couldn’t understand what reason someone like Esthor would have to hurt Arabella. He was Khalgos’ best student, and had even helped train the royal sorcerers, teaching them spells and training them in magic combat. Why would he wish my daughter dead, the queen wondered as a tear trickled down her cheek. None of it made sense to her.

“Who knows? The black magic probably corrupted him and drove him insane,” the king said impatiently as he sat back down, breathing heavily, the veins on his forehead pulsating. Then he turned to the soldiers. “Break down that wall in his cell, I want to see it with my own eyes that he’s not there! And summon Zane at once!”

“Right away, Your Majesty,” the three soldiers said almost simultaneously. After bowing before their king and queen, they left the throne room.

Barely a minute later, guard commander Zane entered the room. As the king informed him of the latest events, the frown on Zane’s rough face only increased even more.

“Find him and bring him to me, dead or alive! I don’t care anymore,” King Norius ordered. “Take some soldiers, sorcerers, whoever, and search Esthor’s house. Level it if you must! Burn it to the ground! If he’s not there, search the rest of the capital!”

By this point, the king was yelling so loud, his booming voice echoed in the large throne chamber.

“As Your Majesty wishes.” Somehow remaining calm, Zane merely nodded and bowed before he left.

As calmly as she could, Queen Loreena stood up from her seat next to her husband’s throne and went across the room to her daughters. The two girls stared at their father, wide-eyed and shocked at his outburst of rage. They do not need to watch this, Loreena thought. It wasn’t until she spoke that King Norius remembered they were in the room with him.

“Come on, girls, let’s go up to your room,” the queen gently spoke, taking her daughters’ hands and leaving, but not before shooting a venomous look at her husband.

Now, two days later, the two had barely spoken a word to each other. The king was busy issuing orders to his guards and attempting to hunt down Esthor, while the queen resigned herself to her fate of sleeping alone as if she had no husband. Still, she managed to find solace in her daughters, with whom she spent as much time as she could. She would not be able to see Arabella grow up, but she still had that opportunity with her two younger daughters and she would not miss it.

~~

With his face seemingly fixed in a perpetual frown, Zane rode his strong, black horse, accompanied by a royal guard and a sorcerer who rode their own horses beside him. They were heading toward Esthor’s house, following the king’s orders, looking to find him – or at least any clues that might reveal where he went.

Zane was never a fan of Esthor, or sorcerers in general, but he believed the king’s pursuit of the man was a complete waste of time. If I had any say in it, we’d be using all of our forces trying to track down the bloody Lykos who caused the entire tragedy in the first place, Zane thought. Of course, he dared not express his concerns to the king. Considering Norius’ current mental state, he’d probably brand me a traitor and have me executed.

Thus, the guard commander headed out to search Esthor’s house, even though he suspected he would find nothing of interest. Once again, the king is wasting his and my time, he thought. Esthor is smart. We may have caught him once, but he won’t make that mistake again. Besides, the more guards are out there looking for him, the fewer of them can defend the castle. If that cursed Lykos returns… He will not escape me again.

As the three riders arrived at the foot of the hill, they dismounted and climbed to the top, reaching the impeccable stone house that could only have been created by a sorcerer, not built by an ordinary mason.

“Do you think we’ll find him here?” the sorcerer asked, admiring the smooth stony building in front of him.

“I highly doubt that,” Zane grunted, seeing the awe in the sorcerer’s eyes. “He’d be a fool to stay here, especially blind and alone.”

“You don’t sound thrilled,” the guard accompanying them noticed.

“That’s because I’m not. Esthor is not my main priority right now. My time would be better spent hunting down that Lykos,” Zane retorted.

Even though he would never admit it to anyone, there was another reason Zane was not in a hurry to find Esthor: he was avoiding the sorcerer on purpose. It was him who took out Esthor’s eyes, so he knew the sorcerer would no doubt be out for revenge.

It’s not that Zane was afraid – that was never a word that could be used to describe him. Rather, he was being wise. To be a good commander, you have to pick your battles. In close-quarters combat, Zane was a fearless warrior and an extremely competent leader. However, he despised magic. He believed it was cheating, a coward’s way to fight. He did not realize that learning and mastering sorcery required enormous amounts of time, skill and strength of mind.

Still, Zane knew very well he stood a much better chance against Fendrel than against a proficient mage such as Esthor.

Approaching the large front door, the commander knocked on it and waited, but there was no reply.

“Of course,” he muttered under his breath and reached for the door knob. Once again, he was not surprised to find the door was locked.

“Shall we try to break in?” the guard asked, drawing out his sword, prepared to strike at the wooden door.

“Wait,” Zane ordered, backing down. Picking up a large rock from the ground, he flung it at the house. With a white blast, the rock simply bounced off the wall and fell down into the grass, not leaving a scratch on the house.

“Some kind of a protective shield,” the sorcerer said.

“Can you dispel it?”

“I can try.”

The royal sorcerer pointed his thin, black wand to the house and focused, mumbling some incantations the other two did not understand. The wand seemed to emit a faint glow for a few seconds, but it quickly fizzled out and the sorcerer sighed.

“It is no use, my magic is not as strong. I alone cannot remove the shield.”

“Shall we return with the other sorcerers? Maybe together they can-” the guard asked.

“No,” Zane shot back. “There is no use. Esthor is not here and we are wasting our time. We’ll go back to the castle and regroup. Then we’re going to hunt that wolf down.”

The other two looked at their commander and nodded, following him down to their horses.

“And not a word of this to the king,” Zane ordered. “Understood?”

“Yes,” his companions said in unison as they mounted their horses and headed back to the castle.

~~

A large, black tablecloth with purple edges fluttered through the air as Khalgos placed it on a massive table in his living room. Esthor sat at the head of the table, waiting for his master to make all the preparations, while Prince Terryn and Huck, recently joined by the healer Pepin, sat at a couch so as not to disturb the ritual. Everyone was silent as they curiously observed the two sorcerers, eagerly anticipating what was about to happen.

While Esthor sat peacefully, Khalgos left the room and returned shortly, carrying several items in his hands. One by one, he placed them at the table in front of his student: a branch from a maple tree, an icy blue crystal from the Luminous Cave, as well as two dark purple candles.

“Are you ready?” Khalgos asked.

“Yes, of course,” Esthor nodded.

As the master light both candles, the entire room was suddenly bathed in purple light. Even thought just moments ago sunlight was illuminating the room, it was now somehow fully blocked by the unearthly light coming from the candles.

“Wow,” Terryn gasped, making Huck chuckle. As much as he was an adult, the prince never lost his childlike nature. He was easily fascinated by magic, likely due to spending most of his life not leaving his father’s castle, let alone the borders of Thorodan.

Finally, Khalgos took out a small shiv and stood next to Esthor.

“Alright. Let me see your hands,” the old sorcerer said and his student obeyed, placing his hands on the table, palms up. “You know the procedure, it’ll hurt a bit.”

Esthor just nodded as Khalgos used the blade to cut both of his palms. After what he’d been through, this was nothing. Just a minor inconvenience he had to get through in order to create a new magic scepter for himself and fully restore his powers.

As blood started flowing from the fresh cuts, Esthor gently took the two components – the branch and the crystal – and pressed them against one another. As soon as he started the ancient incantation that all sorcerers before him had used, in one form or another, the flames of the two candles started rising and joining until they formed a flaming arch in front of him.

His words, although louder and louder, were completely unintelligible for the three visitors sitting on a nearby couch. Illuminated by the purple flame in front of him, Esthor’s blind face looked eerie. Just as Huck opened his mouth, wanting to suggest that they leave the room, Esthor finished his incantation.

The flame immediately died out and the room was once again filled with warm sunlight as if nothing had happened. Recovering from the shock, Prince Terryn looked at Esthor and saw that the sorcerer was now holding a brand new magic scepter in his hands. Also, his palms were healed, with no signs of blood or any cuts.

“Wow,” the prince repeated, standing up and approaching the table. “That was so creepy.”

“How do you like it?” Khalgos asked.

“I don’t know. I guess I have to try it out,” Esthor mused, running his fingers over the new scepter as if he just received a new toy.

With a fresh dose of confidence, he stood up from the table and waved the scepter in front of him. In a blink of an eye, the entire room and everything inside it, except for its occupants, turned to ice.

“I did not say you could freeze my house,” Khalgos grumbled.

“This is…” Huck opened his mouth as he looked around him, at a loss for words. Taking a step forward, he slipped on the icy floor and would’ve fallen if Terryn didn’t catch him.

“How else am I supposed to try it out?” Esthor replied playfully. “Alright, here you go,” he conceded.

With another swing, the room was back to normal as the ice vanished in a matter of seconds.

“That was amazing,” the prince grinned. “So, uh, now that you have your scepter, can you help Liv? You know, teleport to her or something?”

“I’m afraid that’s easier said than done,” Khalgos interjected. “Teleporting is among the highest levels of magic, along with mind control and black magic. It requires absolute focus and can easily go wrong. If you are not fully concentrated, you may teleport only partially and lose a body part in the process.”

“Have you ever attempted it?” the prince asked curiously.

“No, but my master did once,” Khalgos said. “He lost his hair in the process and it never grew back. Not even with the help of magic. Of course, he was lucky. It could have been an arm or a leg.”

“Besides, I need to regain my eyesight first. I need to obtain that dagger somehow,” Esthor added.

At that point, Pepin stepped up.

“I could shift and go to the castle tonight and steal it. I already did it once.”

“Pepin, we can’t ask you to risk your life for us again. Taking a book from the laboratory was one thing, but stealing a dagger right under the king’s nose is another,” Khalgos shook his head adamantly. “And make no mistake, after Olivia stole the crown, the security at the castle is bound to be even tighter.”

“That is true. The only reason Liv succeeded was because she can turn invisible,” Terryn added, when it suddenly hit him. “That’s it! She could help you with this! She could easily sneak in and steal the dagger for you without being noticed!”

“You may be on to something there…” Esthor said, deep in thought. “Alright, we’ll go and help her.”

Almost simultaneously, Terryn and Huck gave a sigh of relief and smiled.

“And where is your friend now?”

“She’s headed for the town of Eelry, but that was two nights ago. She’s probably halfway there already,” Huck added. “I don’t know how we can get there in time if you can’t teleport.”

“We can fly,” Esthor suggested. “Pepin and I can shift tonight and fly over there. An eagle should have no problem reaching Eelry in one night.”

“Of course,” Pepin agreed. “I’ve flown there dozens of times for potion supplies. We can probably get there before her and wait for her.”

That afternoon, while Huck was sitting at a table and drawing a map to help Pepin and Esthor find Lucius’ house, Prince Terryn was giving Pepin a detailed description of Olivia.

Meanwhile, Khalgos led his student upstairs to one of the bedrooms, looking to have a one-on-one conversation while the others were busy. He knew something was bothering Esthor when he appeared with Rulf that morning. The young man did not have a chance to tell him what, but now he might.

“So, care to tell me what happened with you and your Lykos friend?” Khalgos asked, helping Esthor sit on the bed. The old sorcerer never used to meddle in personal affairs of any of his students, but this time he could sense that Esthor was suffering. Whatever he was going through, he did not have to do it alone, Khalgos decided.

Taking a deep breath, the young sorcerer placed his hands in his lap and tried to calm down. All of the feelings started flooding back and he couldn’t stop them. He sighed, wishing Rulf was there with him right then and there.

“Rulf and I are…”

“You love him?” Khalgos asked calmly.

“Yes, I do. I’ve never felt this way about anyone.”

“And he loves you, too.”

“I don’t know… I wish,” Esthor sighed.

“I’m not asking, I’m telling you. He loves you. You may not see it, but I do. I see the way he looks at you, the way he acts when you’re around. It’s impossible not to notice.”

A sad smile appeared on the young sorcerer’s face, before it faded away. Even if he did love me, he must hate me now.

“We fought,” Esthor said, dropping his head. “Before me, he was secretly seeing Princess Arabella.”

“Ohh,” was all that the old master uttered. He needed no further explanations. “And I assume he knows what happened to her?”

“Yes, he learned the truth.”

As painful as it was, Esthor relived those difficult moments once again as he told his master what had happened between him, Esthor and Fendrel that night, and the fallout that ensued afterwards. It pained him to think that only the previous day they had consummated their love for the first time, only for it to be snatched away from them because of all the secrets and lies.

“You two will get through this and reconcile. I know it,” Khalgos said, sitting down next to his student and comfortingly placing a hand on his shoulder. After everything the young man went through, he did not need to get his heart broken on top of it.

“If only… I hurt him so much, I ruined everything.”

“Esthor, you did what you did with good intentions. If anyone is to blame for what happened, it’s Fendrel. Rulf will realize that and come around because he loves you. Just give him some time.”

“I hope you’re right, master.”

“I am, you know it,” Khalgos said, making Esthor chuckle. “Now, you need to focus on helping Olivia and getting that dagger. You need to think of yourself for a change.”

“You’re right,” Esthor nodded and slowly got up, followed by his master.

He was impatient to get his hands on the king’s dagger and restore his eyesight, even if it meant having to go through Zane and King Norius himself to obtain it. No one would stop him this time. However, first he would have to find Terryn’s friend and try to help her. Esthor was glad to have this mission to keep him busy, else he would likely go insane thinking about Rulf and over-analyzing everything that was said between the two of them.

As tempting as it was to lock himself up in this room and not get out until Rulf returned, Esthor knew he couldn’t do that. Not when other people depended on him. Besides, that was so unlike him.

When did I get so emotional, he wondered, thinking how he had never fallen for someone so badly. Jonah would laugh so hard if he knew… He always teased that I was even worse than him, only seeking brief, passionate encounters that never lasted more than one night. That’s why we got along so well. But look at me now…

“Actually, you go ahead and join the others,” Esthor told Khalgos. “I need to check up on Jonah, let him know I’m alright. I’ll come down shortly.”

“Alright,” the master nodded and went down the stairs, rejoining his three guests in the living room.

Having performed his usual summoning ritual, Esthor stood in front of the window, waiting for his blacksmith friend to respond to his call. He had communicated with Jonah this way a few times already, so the man should know what to do.

Indeed, merely a minute later, the man’s face appeared in the window, looking at his good friend with a mixture of shock, sadness and anger.

“Esthor! Is that really you?” Jonah asked, running rough fingers through his long, black hair. He was in disbelief at seeing the young sorcerer’s blinded face. “Where are you?”

“Jonah, hi! I’m with master Khalgos.”

“Gods, so it is true… They told me, but I didn’t want to believe it,” the blacksmith shook his head sadly. It pained him to see his friend in such a state.

“Yes, it’s true,” Esthor nodded, managing an awkward smile. “But I’m working on getting my eyes back.”

“You can do that?! I am pleased to hear it, Esthor. If there’s anything I can do to help…”

“You’ve already helped more than you know,” the sorcerer gushed, wishing he could see Jonah’s face. “Thank you for helping Prince Terryn and Huck!”

“So they found you? They’re a strange duo, the two of them.”

“Yes, but they mean well,” Esthor chuckled. “I’m sorry I didn’t get in touch sooner. I should’ve known you’d be concerned about me.”

“Hey, we’re good. I’m just glad to hear you’re safe now. What happened, friend? How did you end up like this?”

“Oh, where do I begin…?”

~~

When the night finally came, Khalgos opened the hatch that led to the roof of his house. The small group climbed the stairs and found themselves underneath the night sky, gazing at the moon and countless stars above them.

“Are you ready?” the old master asked.

“Yes, let’s go,” Esthor said, gripping his scepter.

Focusing on his animal form, he immediately shifted into a fairyfly, much to his own surprise. He usually needed some time before he could shift, but this time it was almost instantaneous. Perhaps the scepter is helping me channel my power faster, he realized as he fluttered around in his tiny form, barely visible in the moonlight.

“Oh, my Gods, look at him,” Terryn squeaked, pointing at the tiny insect.

“Alright, come in here,” Khalgos instructed Esthor, opening a tiny leather pouch for the fairyfly to fly in.

Pepin was next, elegantly shifting into a majestic bald eagle, to the utmost delight of Terryn and Huck.

“Beautiful,” Huck whispered in awe as he observed the bird circling above them, its large wings spread wide, before it finally returned to the roof.

“Good luck, you two,” Khalgos said as he offered the pouch where the fairyfly was contained to the eagle. Holding it firmly in its hooked beak, the mighty bird spread its wings, ready to take off.

“Be careful!” Prince Terryn shouted as the bird launched itself high into the sky, flying off.

The three men stood at the roof, observing the eagle until it disappeared in the distance.

This was a stacked chapter, I hope not too long!
Thank you to everyone who is reading this story, and thank you @AusGlitterati for helping me make it better!