Chapter 20
Kara watched the sun with nervous excitement. Dinner was at sundown, and she was getting an assignment. And from Legault himself. She wondered what it could possibly be. Flustered, she looked out at the sky again. She guessed it to be about two hours until sunset. Frenches had told her later that receiving an assignment from her commander was a very rare occurrence. Then, someone knocked on her door, wrenching her from thought. She opened the door and she saw a young girl with striking hair. Strikingly green hair. Very green.
"Hi!" said the young girl cheerfully. "My name's Nino! What's yours?"
"I'm Kara," she responded, somewhat confused by this sudden and unexpected appearance of a well-dressed young girl. As Kara glanced over her robes, she noticed that Nino looked very much like a mage. Kara, as inquisitive as ever, asked her if she was.
"Yeah, but I'm nowhere near as good as Mother is. She's amazing. So, you're new around here, right?" she said, changing topics without skipping a beat. "Do you want me to show you around?"
Now even more perplexed by this Nino, Kara was very curious to learn more about her. She agreed, and Nino immediately grabbed her hand and whisked her away with incredible speed.
About two hours later, Kara felt much more comfortable with Nino. She was Kara's age, and, as she learned, was almost as good of a spellcaster as Aemun. She could cast without books too, and everything she learned, she had memorized. Nino had done most of the talking, but it really didn't bother Kara. She appreciated the young girl's enthusiasm. It made her day lighter, and helped her with the stress of the assignment that she was now on her way to receive. When she entered the dining hall, she looked around for a moment and saw Legault sitting at a table across the room. He raised his eyes, saw her, and beckoned for her to come over. She did, and when she got nearer to the table, he beckoned her to sit.
"Kara, I have an assignment for you. Normally, you would have many tests of loyalty to undergo before I would ever give you a personal assignment. I tell you this because I am certain that you already know. However, I sense that you may be of great value to the Fang. Far to the south, the Fang has a contract to fulfill. Tomorrow, you will be sent to eliminate a man who bears our Family ill. His name is Milace. He seeks vengeance for his brother, upon whom the Fang also brought judgment. Remove him from his position of power and influence, and show those who dare abuse their power the will of the Fang!"
The righteous anger in Legault's voice faded, and he sighed as he sat down. Kara, puzzled for the umpteenth time that day, gave Legault a questioning glance, but received no response. She found Frenches, and she told him about her assignment.
"I just don't know if I can," she said. "I don't know if I could kill anyone."
Frenches nodded in agreement. "It's the most difficult part about being in the Fang. You have to really believe that what you are doing is in the best interest of the people of Bern. So far, I have never doubted. The day I don't believe that the Fang works for the good of Bern is the day that I leave, regardless of the consequences. When do you leave?"
"Tomorrow," said Kara helplessly. "How can I be ready by then?"
Impressed by Frenches's and sense of honor, but still totally unnerved by her assignment, she sought some form of solace.
"I'll go look for Nino," Kara decided. "Maybe I'll feel better if I talk to her for a while."
Kara never found Nino, and instead fell into a deeply troubled sleep when she laid down on her bed.
Chapter 21
Chapter 21
Sillac left Araphen and continued his pursuit of the elusive Lyn. As he sat down to remove some food from his pack, he noticed that instead of just the plain bread he expected, there was a generous helping of fruit and other small treats. Suddenly, he realized why the girl had winked at him. He thought that he had felt something touch his bag. Now, he realized, it had been something being put into his bag, not something being removed. He wondered why the woman had not just given him the food. As was his habit, he ignored the strange catalyst of the gift and decided to focus on the goodwill of the gift itself. He had some of the new food, and then made his way further down the road, following what he had learned in town. Soon afterward, he came to an inn. Many people had gathered around the inn, and Sillac went up to see what was the matter. If he were to guess, the culprit behind this little disturbance was probably…
"….someone called Lyn," he heard one man say.
"I knew it," thought Sillac. "This girl causes problems everywhere she goes. I'm surprised that she's still alive."
Sillac followed the road through a narrow mountain pass, and followed the trail further until he reached a bridge. There was a small village near the bridge, but Sillac opted to continue his search for Lyn instead of stopping. A short while later, he came upon a house with several guards outside, keeping watch over a pair of horses. One of them was slender and well built, whereas the other was large horse that looked capable of carrying a fully armored knight. Sillac kept his distance. Sillac then began to contemplate that there were too many distractions in the world, and it wasn't until about an hour later that he realized that he didn't even know if he was following Lyn anymore. It was about three miles to the next village, so Sillac just decided to continue in this direction, and then ask about Lyn when he reached the town.
He didn't even need to go that far. He was following a path through the forest, when he came to little road outpost, including an armorer and a small shop. The glaring thing was the gigantic arrow stuck inside a completely splintered tree off to the side of the road. He didn't even have to guess. He already knew that somehow, Lyn was involved. He paused as he tried to recall what the name of the weapon that fired large arrows was.
"Battles-eye….no……Bastila…..no…..Battilsa……no…..Balls-ta ……no……."
Shaking his head, he continued onward. If he couldn't remember it, it wasn't important. Crossing a river to the south, he reached a series of small garrisons. There! He saw signs of the previous battle. Fresh signs, including tracks leading away from the area. Sillac followed the tracks as quickly as he could, his adrenaline pumping. He was so close.
Chapter 22
Aemun still hadn't mastered the light magic. He had no idea why he couldn't grasp it, and his confusion fueled his footsteps until he arrived at the very same house that Sillac had passed by almost an hour before. To his surprise, he saw yet another monk who carried with him a light magic tome. Although his ego sought to persuade his feet away, he approached the man and asked him for help.
"…..Excuse me…..Umm…...How do you use light magic?"
Somewhat taken aback by Aemun's sudden question, he stuttered, and recomposed himself to answer.
"Why do you want to know? And why ask me? And while we're at it, who the heck are you?"
"In the order you asked them, I want to know because I have mastered many types of anima magic and I am capable of wielding the elder magics, although I rarely choose to do so. I want to learn this final branch of magic, but I can't seem to grasp it. I asked you because you seem like a capable spellweaver. And my name is Aemun."
"Well now, Aemun, what makes me think that I can trust you in so close proximity to my Lord? What if you were an assassin?"
Aemun's only response was a simple, unelegant, "Huh?"
"Well, you didn't even know about it, so I guess I can trust you enough to show you some things. My name is Patrick, by the way. And from what you told me, you are a more capable spellcaster than most could ever hope to be. Why does this branch of magic give you so much trouble?"
"Well, I saw a very powerful monk just the other day, and he was practicing his magic in an alley in the backstreets of Araphen. I felt how the energy was summoned, and I learned the words and hand motions, but whenever I try to release the magic, it fails, and the energy dissipates. I do not know what to do from this point. Perhaps you could help guide me?
"But of course," replied Patrick. "I will ask my Lord Hector if you may accompany us back to Ostia. Although I am sure Oswin will be making the final decision, Hector will have to approve first, but I believe the response will be positive."
"Thank you," replied Aemun.
"For now, let me see if I can help you with your problem releasing the energy."