I know that this is a short chapter, but I've got a really good part coming up soon. Besides, I'm going to wrap this story up in a couple of chapters. I've already got the basic plotline for my next fanfic.
CHAPTER 11
Shaking and shivering, Kodi lay on a cot in the infirmary. Mumbling in Scanren, she didn't notice the worried occupants of the room. Numair and Duke Baird sat on stools next to the cot, conversing in low tones. Daine sat on another stool, holding her sleeping children. Captus paced the room in long strides, growling deep in his throat. Finally, Duke Baird turned around to tell Daine what was going on.
"She's being beaten through magic. Unless we know who is doing it, Numair can't block it." At this point, the duke looked at Daine expectantly. He and Numair had decided that if Kodi would have told anyone, it would be her foster sister.
Daine bit her lip. Surely this situation excepted her from her promise to Kodi? "It's her birth father."
"I thought she said that she didn't know her real father." Numair argued.
"I suppose that she lied." Daine said, downcast.
"Well, that information might help." Numair rolled up his sleeves of his shirt. "I'll see what kind of spell I can work up." Black magic hummed in the air around him. Daine rocked her two children as her forehead was creased with lines.
All of a sudden, Kodi started to thrash wildly about, screaming. Captus started to howl and Daine's children woke up and wailed. Numair withdrew his magic hurriedly and Duke Baird tried to still Kodi. Kodi's wild screams turned to sobs of pain and she started to repeat something in Scanran over and over again. Daine set her children down and ran to the cot.
"Shush, it's alright." Daine grabbed Kodi's hand and held it tightly. "Numair, can't you do something?"
"I can't. Some kind of magic prevents it." Numair turned and picked up his squalling children, trying to do some good. Captus stopped howling and padded over to the cot, where he pressed his muzzle to Kodi's forehead. Duke Baird was about to nudge him away, when deep red magic showed between the two. Numair saw the magic out of the corner of his eye and turned suddenly.
"Does that dog have the Gift?" Numair asked incredulously.
"That dog is no dog!" A certain short, red haired figure said from the doorway. Alanna walked into the infirmary, closely followed by King Jonathon and George. Holding a crystal trinket that hung around her neck, her violet eyes stared at the before mentioned dog-that-wasn't-a-dog. "He's imprisoned by his own magic."
"I'll see if I can release him." Numair rubbed his hands together.
"Don't hurt him!" Everyone turned to look at the speaker; Kodi had sat up, and was looking much better. "He might not be a dog, but I don't care. He hasn't hurt me."
"Kodi, are you all right?" Daine asked in much like a pleading manner.
"I'm fine. You can't hurt Captus. He's my friend." Kodi folded her arms and tried to look very determined. The effect was ruined by her pale appearance and shivering body.
"I'm not going to hurt…" Numair was interrupted by King Jonathon.
"Numair, not now." After Numair looked at him questioningly, King Jonathon sighed. "We've had reports from our spies from Hamrkeng. King Maggur was executed under an hour ago."
"What!" Numair shouted. "Never mind the dog, we've got problems to work out Jon." Numair wearily followed King Jonathon out of the room, handing his children to a nursemaid who waited outside. Duke Baird also left with the men.
"Your fit had too much of a connection to be happenstance." Alanna coolly informed Kodi, who gulped. George nodded his agreement.
"Is your father Maggur?" Daine asked, eyes horror-filled.
"Of course not!" Kodi's throat tightened as it always did whenever she lied. "He was a noble. He was in Maggur's inner circle. He would have been mad. If I was at home, he would have beaten me."
"You told us that you didn't know your real parents and that you were a commoner!" Daine accused.
"I lied?" Kodi forced a too-wide and obviously fake grin. "It doesn't matter who my father is. Captus fixed me. He won't bother me now, not with the magic that Captus put on me." Still in her cot, Kodi wrapped an arm around her dog.
"I agree with Numair." Alanna broke the silence. "We have to find out who your dog really is."
"I like him how he is." Kodi suggested, but shrugged when George gave her a raised eyebrow look.
"My lass is right." George said. "Maybe he wants out of the dog form. No telling how long he's been in there."
"He's been in there about ten years." Alanna finished inspecting Captus with her magic. "That's all that I can find out." Kodi gasped and her hand flew to her mouth, tears in her eyes. When the others looked at her, she just shrugged and shook her head.
"What's the matter? You have to tell us. Do you know who this dog is?" George questioned.
"Yngve, you'd think that you'd be on my side." Kodi complained to George. After Daine and Alanna gave her strange looks, she threw up her arms. "What?"
"What does Yngve mean?" Daine asked.
"It's Scanran for master, which is what I called him when I was on the streets."
"Nice try for changing the subject." George said. "But we still want you to tell us." Kodi was staring at the wall as if the answer might be plastered on it, but Numair saved her. Charging in the room, he interrupted them.
"George, Alanna, and Daine, we need you in the meeting. We're trying to find the princess, Maggur's daughter. It's either her to rule or the duke."
"I thought that she was dead." Daine stood up and hugged a stiff Kodi goodbye.
"No, that was the prince." Alanna said. Still arguing, they left the room. Kodi could finally breathe again. Wanting to get out of the too quiet infirmary, she asked Captus to take her to the infirmary.
"Could you be my brother?" Kodi asked as they walked through hallways. "No, that's impossible. You're dead. I held your hand with you dead. I held your hand as you lay there! You were so cold!" She screamed.
Hanna poked her head around a corner. "Um, Kodi?" She spoke uncertainly.
"I'm fine." Kodi said brightly. "Forget that. What are you doing?"
"We're trying to get through the hallways without meeting any teachers because it's after lights out. We think Beron's Dogs are trying to jump us."
"Captus and I will help you out, right boy?" Kodi turned to look at her faithful companion to find out that he was not so faithful. He had disappeared again. "I will help you, in any case." Turning the corner, her friends waited for her.
"Are you alright?" Fianola asked worriedly.
"You just conked out!" Ryne informed her.
"Like the good lover I am, I caught her in her faint." Jerom flourished and nearly lost his balance. Everyone in the group ignored his antics.
"I'm fine now. It won't happen again." Kodi reassured them.
"Hush, listen." Burch pointed to around the corner. When they were all silent, they could barely hear the quiet footsteps.
"Let's surprise them." Their leader, Fianola, told them. Holding up fingers, she counted down from three. Then, Fianola's friends all jumped out at Beron's Dogs, fists at the ready.
Unfortunately, Fianola, Kodi and the pages did quite a bit of damage to the two hapless squires and themselves before they righted out the mistake. Hastily apologizing, they were mortified that they had just attacked Prince Liam and his friend, Squire Alan. No one could be more embarrassed than Kodi however; she had to admit, she really liked Liam. She had just physically attacked him.
"Well, we are charmers," drawled Squire Alan, "But this exceeds exceeding. Just think, Liam, three beautiful girlies…and five handsome pages, throwing themselves at us… literally."
"Shut it, Alan. Can't you see it was a mistake?" Prince Liam growled, trying to avoid looking at Kodi, who was doing the same to him. "Although I'd like to know who you thought we were."
"It was just a game, Liam." Jasson gave up trying to hide and came forward. "Ah, your dear brother. Tell me, Jasson, you don't mind that this lug of whip cracking flesh is your brother?" Alan smiled charmingly, waiting for an answer that he never got.
"A game?" Liam spotted Kodi in the shadows. "Kodi's here too? Last Father told me, you were in the infirmary."
"I recover fast, your Majesty." Kodi said with a bow.
"Isn't this just nice?" Beron stepped out from the hallway. "There are some of my least favorite people in one spot; the prince, his lapdog, and the Protector's Mutts." His four cronies stood behind him menacingly.
"Beron." Liam's face was purple with rage. "So it's been you who's been beating up my brother and his friends?"
"I'm glad to take the blame." Beron bowed mockingly. Liam lunged at him and Alan wasn't far behind. All of the pages and squires threw themselves into the fight, which was starting to lean in on the Protector's Mutts' favor.
"Kodi?" The voice broke through the fight, pinning each one of them to the spot. "Are you fighting?"
"No, Kel. I'm just in the process of falling down." Kodi grinned as Beron's Dogs slinked away like the whelps they were, followed by Liam and Alan, who made sure that they kept going.
"Daine is still in the meeting and she sent me to get you. She was worried about you and she had a right to be. You shouldn't be fighting." Kel lectured.
"Right. Listen, I have some friends that I want you to meet. These are the Protector's Mutts." Kodi hadn't been sure what to call them, but the insult that Beron had given had turned into a perfect name.
"I've met you before." Kel said to Fianola and Hanna. "I remember, in my tent after the jousting tournament. I'm glad to see that you made it. We need more lady knights." The two girls turned beet red with pride and smiled hugely.
"These are their friends; Burch, Hartok, Jerom, Ryne, and Jasson. These are the ones that I practice with, and study with, and…"
"You fall down with them too." Kel said wryly. "Anyway, there are teachers looking for you. Come with me, and I'll say that I detained you."
They made it to the page's quarters and the teachers believed Kel's story. Protector's Mutts got a chance to meet their hero and were heartened by the night's events. After Kel and Kodi bid them goodnight, they walked in silence.
"Listen," Kel began. "I have to do something that most would say is stupid. You see, they can't find the princess. They can't scry for her and the spies know nothing. It's just, once when I needed information, I found it in the Chamber. I think that it will talk to me again."
"It's dangerous. You might get hurt. What about your baby?" Kodi protested.
"I love this baby, but I have to think of my country." Kel spoke firmly. "I'm strong. I have to learn to adjust."
"Alright. Do me a favor, and wait till morning. I promise that I won't try to stop you, but you'll need your rest." Kodi gave a half-grin.
"Thanks." Kel hugged Kodi about the shoulders. "I knew that you'd understand."
Did Kel think that Kodi was crazy? She wasn't going to let Kel lose the baby in the Chamber! Kodi had made Daine lose the baby, but she could prevent this one.
That is why when dawn stole across the sky, the Chamber door opened upon Kodi's stiff body.