The boy’s eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he blacked out. The Prince caught him in his arms. The momentum of the fall made him falter, but he stood strong.
“Landon!” The sound of a woman’s voice broke through the silence. “Landon! Confound it child, where are you?”
“Relana, here!” Nodran called to her.
She rushed over, “oh, Goddess, what is wrong with her?!”
“He needs ether berries, now!” The Prince’s voice strained with worry.
“I will get some,” Relana darted off and returned a few minutes later. “Have Landon eat these.”
The Prince laid the boy on the ground and took the berries from Relana. He knelt next to him and crushed the berries in his hand. He allowed the juice to drip into the passed-out boy’s mouth.
Relana clenched her jaw, “is my boy going to be alright? That thunder sounded like a result of a spell, what caused it?”
“That was an Azazel,” Nodran looked frightened.
She gasped, “Azazels are a myth, no one has ever actually seen one. The only people who could even summon one is Haldor and Xanther.”
“I know,” Nodran added, “Landon used Arcane Draconic Magic.”
She stared the Prince in the eye. “Your father cannot know, Sire. It will cost Landon his life.”
“Hmm,” He turned his attention to the boy in front of him. Nodran stood and picked up Relana’s son. “I will bring him home.”
Relana nodded. “He is going to need rest. If that was the spell, I think it was.”
He paused for a moment, “yes, it was the Kiss of Death.”
She looked at him with worry in her eyes. “Please, for his safety, do not tell anyone who cast it.”
Nodran just nodded and clutched him tighter to his chest. They headed back to the farmhouse.
The Solhain keeper asked him a few more questions, “my Prince, what do you know of Kysain?”
Nodran thought for a moment as he walked through the woods.
“Kysain and Nitharis are brothers. They are why our world is broken. I believe they each have two children. But right now, they both have succumbed to the sleeping sickness, and no one knows where they or their children are.” Nodran smiled softly, “I would love to find them. Renaldo says that to save the world, they must be found.”
She nodded, “do you know what the school of Magic is?”
They arrived at the farmhouse. She led him inside as he thought about her question. “I do not believe I do.”
She took him upstairs and he laid Landon on his bed. “Why do you ask these things?” The Prince covered him up and turned his attention to Relana.
“Because I want you to think about something for a moment. Do you agree with your Mother’s need to sleep?” Relana let a wicked smirk cross her lips.
The Prince’s eyes flared with anger. “I do not. I love my Mother and I miss her dearly. She was my everything. I do not understand why she allowed him to make her sleep.”
She smiled softly, “would you like to find out why he did it?”
He eyed the old woman, “Yes, I would love to know why he made her sleep, but more so why he made me help him. I was only nine years old; I did not even contribute to the spell.”
Relana’s smile turned into a frown, “he believed she had ties to the Order of the Dark Claw. He made the Council believe she was planning to overthrow him.”
“How would she do that?” Nodran inquired.
“That, my young child, I do not have information about. But I do know that he made her sleep to silence her. Would you like to wake her up? I do believe she knows how to wake the brothers.”
“Relana, may I take a bucket of berries with me?” Nodran requested.
“Um, sure,” she eyed him.
“Trust me, it’s to piss him off,” Nodran chuckled.
Nodran headed through the forest. He was almost at the castle when fifteen armed guards with weapons drawn circled him. Their weapons facing away from the Prince.
They created a protective barrier around him. A six-foot-tall man with golden eyes stepped between the soldiers. His long hair fell to his shoulders. It was brown and wavy. He was wearing draconian guard attire.
“What is the meaning of this?!” Nodran demanded to know. “Who are you and what is going on?”
“Prince Nodran, my Grace. The King is frantically looking for you. He was worried that the kiss of death was used to send you to the underworld. You have been ordered back to the castle,” Erikson bowed.
Nodran looked at the man, “who are you?”
“I have been assigned to your guard duty. Your father gave me a letter to give to you,” Erikson handed Nodran a note. It bore his father’s seal.
He opened the letter and read it. The expression on Nodran’s face fell. “Let’s go see my father.”
The guards all fell in line behind the two. They entered the castle keep only to see Duval fighting with Galendor.
“Father! I swear I do not know where my brother is!” The young Prince said with defiance.
“Duval! Stop lying to me! I heard you tell him to go to the Solhain farm.” Galendor was getting angry.
“Father, he told me to go pick berries. He said they would be at the base of the tree.” Nodran smiled. “I gathered a whole bucket,” he handed them to Duval.
“How… uhm,” Duval looked at his brother in shock.
Galendor eyed Duval but turned to his other son. “Are you alright, Nodran?”
“Father, someone sent an Azazel for me,” Nodran smirked. “I used the Kiss of Death.”
“Bullshit!” Duval scowled. “There is no way anyone like you can use that spell.”
“Prove it Duval, prove that I am wrong,” he walked closer to his brother. “I dare you to push your luck.”
“Nodran did you see what cast it?” Galendor asked.
“I did, Father. I am the one who cast it,” Nodran insisted.
Galendor growled, “prove it, son. Or have consequences for lying to the Crown.”
Nodran said a silent prayer to whatever god would listen. Help me to convince them I cast the spell. Nodran did not expect a response.
“Of course, Young King. Close your eyes and remember what Landon did.”
Nodran mimicked what the boy in the woods did exactly. He heard gasps of shock. The Air grew bitter and cold, shadows gathered around his hands.
He focused the energy on a random chicken in the square. With a clap of thunder, the energy discharged, and the chicken was sent to the underworld. Storm clouds instantly appeared above their head. Rain poured from the sky.
Erikson’s necklace pulsed with energy at the same time the magic discharged.
Galendor and Duval stared at Nodran in awe and shock.
The Prince stared at his hands before looking at his brother, “ha! I told you. I sent the monster away.”
Duval growled and Nodran laughed.
“Erikson, come with me.” Nodran’s smile faded. And he turned to walk toward the kitchen. They went to the cook and Nodran got his portion of food. He turned to his new guard.
“Nodran how the hell did you pull that off?” Erikson asked him.
Nodran laughed, “I have no clue but that was amazing.”
His guard eyed him with caution. He was not sure if he should believe his young Prince or not.
Renaldo adjusted his black spectacles as he walked up to Galendor. His short black hair swayed softly in the breeze.
His mustache and anchor goatee had a shiny black hue that matched his hair.
An ethereal light shimmered in his crystal blue eyes.
Renaldo wore royal blue alchemist robes. Gold sashes and ribbons indicated his position as royal adviser.
He took out a piece of parchment and wrote upon it. “Sire, what was that? You know as well as I do that it was not the Kiss of Death.”
“I know, but it was strong magic, nonetheless,” Galendor sighed, “if I did not know better, I would have thought it was Narmacil.”
Renaldo nodded. He then wrote upon the paper, “but what interests would Narmacil have in your boy?”
“That is what I intend to find out.”
Renaldo simply smirks and puts his paper and quill away.