Story 23. Failure.
Nobody saw a strange bearded man near the castle… Nobody noticed him to enter the castle… The guards distracted by a Marauder appearing suddenly, left the gates unattended. Gryvon had been ordered by Marna to go and find Ashka, he didn't suspect anything bad… Of course, the Regent was in a bad mood, but Gryvon considered this fact was caused by a potential message from Clayhill. True, Aaron, who watched the Bron's house had been burnt, could tell about it.
And only later, in the dungeon, when the Spellbinder, going to the hall of the Council, ordered him to find out where the camera was, he felt as if something pushed him. Looking at Maran and Bron for the last time, he waved goodbye to the order and followed the Spellbinder. In contrast to her, Gryvon had never had to strong intuition or something like that. But now he just felt he had to go fast, with no idea what made him do it…
Upstairs it was already over. Ashka, running from the hall of the Council, didn't waste any time to ask what Gryvon was doing there. There was no time for that, no time for anything. It had happened. The Regents had the camera…
He grabbed her powersuit, feeling he will hardly have time to give it to her. In the courtyard the Spellbinder turned to him, sitting on Dusk horseback. Just a little more… but he didn't reach her, falling. And then one of the guars caught him. Marna ordered to close the opened gates… Raising his head, the young man saw that Ashka, giving the horse a twister, passed by the guars on the way to the spur bridge. Black-and-red silhouette, blurring into a tiny spot, vanished… for the umpteenth time his heart performed a strange desperate somersault during these last days. From now on the castle where Ashka had lived for so many years, was closed for her. From this day she was a criminal…
"Correon, in the name of all the Regents put together, how were you able to survive in the Wastelands?" – Marna exclaimed, having now almost no her usual self-restraint.
The old Spellbinder laughed, looking at her and Lukan. Refreshed now, he was not in a dirty peasant clothes, but in his full satin uniform the members of the Council had usually been wearing.
"We will talk about it later. Just three of us, with no witnesses. And for now, - he turned to Gryvon in the center of the room with two gloomy guards behind his back, - we have to solve a problem".
"There's nothing to solve, - Lukan interrupted him, - the boy is guilty, as well as his dear teacher. They both should be banished".
Marna hesitated, looking at him thoughtfully.
"I agree with you, Lukan. But Gryvon is still just an Apprentice…"
"So what? – The man was surprised. - И что? – удивился мужчина. - Come to your senses, Marna, this is treason! And his rank doesn't release him from responsibility".
"However, he's not as guilty as Ashka, - Correon said, - we will always be able to banish".
Lukan sighed.
"Correon, I appreciate your loyalty, I really do. But just think of it – twelve years ago your foregoers and I had been sitting in this room, at this very table! We had been deciding the fate of that very boy, and this, - he pointed out to Gryvon with his palm, - this is where it led us!"
Pause.
"I don't want you to think I am biased, - the Regent continued, - but sometimes I think Gareth made a big mistake. However if you have a different opinion…"
"I understand you, Lukan, - Marna said carefully, sitting between two men, - but I suppose, it will be fairly, if Correon decides what to do with Gryvon. Punishment can be different".
"You are absolutely right, - Correon agreed, - indeed, punishment can be different. In some way it is also my fault, - he said quietly, just for Regents to be heard, - anyway, it can not be changed now…"
Nodding to his own thoughts, the man stood up.
"I suppose, Gryvon will be a servant for some time, here, in the castle. Then he'll go back to the village and help Bron to rebuild a new house. He will live as any other peasant and remember what a life with no privileges is. If everything goes right, it well may be, he will have his rank back…"