6. Spell


Cenred paced back and forth across the room, stopping every so often to stare out the window. The sun was just beginning to set and he was becoming impatient. His soldiers should be arriving at any minute, but there was still no word of their return. He ran his hand across the cold stone sill of the window, muttering under his breath. That was when he saw it.

A single green banner popped over the top of the horizon, and a smile crept across Cenred's lips. "And there you have it," he whispered. He stayed leaning against the window for a few more seconds, just long enough for a few more banners and a number of horses to materialize. As soon as he was sure, he turned from the window land placed both hands on a heavy wooden table in the center of the room. "Guards!"

Two knights quickly entered the room, each giving Cenred a slight bow. "Summon Morgause," le he instructed them quickly, "Tell her it has been found."

The two knights left the room without a word, shutting the door with a thud behind them. There was no need to wait to summon her. He knew his men had the book. After all, they would not be stupid enough to return without it. They all valued their lives too highly.

Cenerd sat at the table, crossing his legs and propping them up in front of him. He pulled his hands through his tangle of dark hair, then let them rest casually at the back of his head. And now, all he had to do was wait.

He did not have to wait long. No more than fifteen minutes later, there was a thudding knock at the door and he told them to enter. His captain came in, flanked by two lesser guards. There was a large leather pack at his side. The captain gave a curt bow and shrugged the pack off his shoulder. He placed it on the table in front of Cenred and pushed it forward a little. "As requested, sire."

Cenred reached for the pack, letting his fingers trace over the soft leather for a second before flipping it open. He upended it rather carelessly, and a raggedy, dusty volume thumped to the table. The cover of the book was leather, with a few inscriptions from the Old Religion. He inspected a few pages, noting they were all made of parchment and held together by string, barely bound to the cover at all. Just as he leaned down to squint at a few of the pages, he heard a familiar voice.

"Ah, Cenred. Reading a book. I would've thought some pursuits were above you," Morgause's words left a chill in the air as she crossed to the table. "Leave us," she told the guards without bothering to look at them. They glanced at Cenred.

"Yes, it's fine, go," he agreed with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Let me see it," Morgause said as the last guard left and she took a seat across from Cenred. He closed the cover of the book slowly and slid it across the table. "I was not sure I would ever see this collection. I do not expect you to appreciate it for its historical and magical intricacies, but it is so much more than our way to bring Uther to his knees." She opened the cover with reverence, sliding her hand softly across the paces. "Though, it will help us do that, too."

Cenred watched her quietly as she flipped through the book a few times, getting a feel for what it contained. Once she was satisfied with that, she turned to one of the older pages, near the back of the binding and read through it a few times. She looked up at Cenred with a smirk. "It's here."

"The spell?" he asked her, still a little wary. "So you will be able to perform it, then?"

"Yes. But I will need a few things first. This is magic of the most powerful kind. Some of the ingredients are….rare."

"How rare? Will you be able to find them?"

Morgause traced her finger across the list of ingredients carefully and only hesitated once, at the last item they would need. "While they are not common, most of these should be fairly simple to acquire. But it is the main ingredient that gives the spell its real power. I must drain the blood of one who wields magic."

Cenred eyed her skeptically. "And where're we going to find someone like that so suddenly? Hmm?"

Morgause closed the book and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm sure you know of someone…"

He stared at her blankly, and when he didn't respond she sighed and shook her head. "No? Well, no matter. I have an easy way to solve that problem. Do you have a map of the castle and the surrounding grounds, Cenred?"

Cenred shot her a quizzical look, but he nodded. He uncrossed his legs and stood, pushing his chair back from the table. "I'll have one sent to you. Now if you don't mind…" He motioned to the door.

"I'll be fine here, thank you. I will let you know when I've found a suitable individual to be our noble sacrifice."

Cenred left, closing the door behind him. Mogause spent a while rereading the spell, making sure there wasn't anything that she had missed. There was a sudden knock on the door and a guard cam in bearing a stack of maps. He placed them on the table in front of Morgause and she waved him off quickly, not even waiting for him to leave before she started rifling through the maps.

She picked a few that looked like they would suit her best, and spread them out near the edge or the table. She placed the extras neatly in a corner so they wouldn't get in her way. She laughed under her breath, "Come out, come out, wherever you are. You can't hide your magic from me."