Mercury Mind (The Downfall Saga Book 1) (24 page)

He picked up the spyglass and peered at the battle. The defenders were barely holding their fortifications. He saw that there was a direct route following a broad street which ran from the castle to the square. He assumed that the cavalry would follow this route to the battle. Looking out the opposite window, he could see the king’s men standing in formation beside their horses in the castle’s courtyard.

Two metal spikes had been pounded into the outside of the building, below the window to hang the flags from. Donovan picked up the book and read until he found the combination of flags which would signal a charge.

He sat by the window watching the battle unfold. When he was sure that the Sibt were about to break through the defenders lines, he hung two flags out the window, a blue and white checker pattern and a flag split diagonally into yellow and red triangles. Together, the two flags signaled a charge.

Hurrying outside, he ran to the spot where he estimated that the two armies would meet. Hopping up onto a short wall running around a small estate, he pulled out the bundle that was hidden in the small of his back. Opening the bundle, he removed three throwing knives and set them on the wall beside him.

The cavalry came charging down the street. They would reach his position shortly before the Sibt. The king rode at the forefront, golden cape floating behind him. Golden curls covered his helmetless head.

Donovan picked up a knife. He grasped the tip of the knife with his thumb on one side of the blade and the tip of his fingers, except for the pinky, on the other side. As the king approached, he flicked the knife towards him. It spun end over end once before bouncing off the armor on the king’s shoulder. The king turned his head to see what had bounced off him when Donovan’s second knife embedded itself in his throat. The king plummeted from his horse and the charge faltered.

Donovan dropped down onto the back side of the wall, removed his coat, and listened as the Sibt crashed into the cavalry.

D
onovan opened his eyes and saw four exhausted people sitting around him. Brows covered in sweat, with heavy eyes, and Professor Cleary had to brace himself on the table to hold himself up.

Donovan removed the gems from his body before sitting up. “It looks like you’ve been fighting a battle all day,” said Donovan.

“Not all day,” said Osmont. “The glamour was easy to maintain for everyone but you.”

“It was like we were battling against the defenses of a master, not a young kid,” said Marrok. “I can only imagine your power when you are fully trained.”

“Your pardon, Headmaster,” said Moncha, “but Donovan has displayed some of the weakest abilities of any wizard which I’ve trained.”

“Did that feel like a weak wizard?” asked Marrok.

“No, it did not,” said a frowning Moncha.

Donovan turned his head and saw Osmont staring at him, a perplexed look on his face. “Did I pass?” asked Donovan.

“In a manner of speaking,” said Osmont. “You kept a level head and displayed solid observational skills. You were one of the few students who took the time to try and figure out why you were there before taking action. All admirable traits that will serve you well.”

“Thanks,” said Donovan.

“Come on,” said Marrok, “it’s been a long enough day already. Let’s give everybody the results.”

The five of them climbed up to Professor Moncha’s classroom on the main floor. They could hear the other students talking and joking around, but they fell silent when they entered. Donovan saw that Kort had saved him a seat, and headed over to join him. He wanted to talk to Kort about what had happened, but Headmaster Marrok started talking, forcing Donovan to quietly sit down.

“Thank you all for indulging us today,” said Marrok, stepping to the front of the room. “We found this beneficial, as always. I wish that I could say that you all did well, but the purpose of the test was to identify your flaws and in that regard it was effective.”

Osmont began to prowl around the room while he spoke, staring at students with his amber wolf eyes. Few held his gaze for long. “You all acted as kids,” he begun, “but that was to be expected. I would not choose to go into battle with most of you by my side, but we rarely get to choose our companions.” He stopped in front of Clyde and slowly shook his head, while Clyde stared down at the table. “I hope that you all spent time thinking about what happened to you and how your own actions crafted your fate.”

“Ease up, Osmont,” said Cleary, slouching at the front of the room. “We were all kids once, and had to experience our own mistakes before we could learn from them. Sure they’re headstrong and act before thinking. They all believe that they are invincible right up until the point where they let themselves down, and those who were depending upon them. They will learn from this, like we did when we underwent similar experiences. Students, if you take one thing from today, let it be that no matter how absurdly powerful you may think you are, you still need to formulate a proper plan first, if you hope to achieve your goals.”

“Speaking of absurd,” said Moncha with a rare smile on her face, “I find it hard to fathom what all of you believe that a wizard can do. Clearly you have heard too many bedtime stories and have no understanding of what a wizard actually does. I lost count of the number of impossible powers which many of you used. Even those of you who were more realistic,” she paused and nodded at Kort, who beamed back at her in response, “would have had your strength sapped much quicker and would not have been able to continue fighting. I don’t blame you for your delusions, as they are common for many who come here, but those of you who return here next year will begin to truly understand a wizard’s limitations.”

“Very nice,” said Osmont dismissively. “Despite your inflated advantages, all but two of you managed to get yourself killed, but take solace in the fact that they were mostly quick deaths.” He glared at Cleary when he said the last part. “Your abilities should never replace your brains. If you are not thinking, then you should expect to die. Many young wizards have died by overestimating their own abilities, but I have yet to hear about one dying from underestimating themselves.” He returned to the front of the room and slowly made eye contact with each individual student. Only Caddaric didn’t look ashamed when their eyes met.

“As I was saying,” continued Osmont, “only two students managed to not get themselves killed, but only one of them took the time to figure out why they were there and took appropriate action to achieve their goal.”

“Thank you, thank you,” said Caddaric, standing up and bowing to the rest of the class. “As I have shown all year, and will continue to do so, I am the greatest wizard in this class, and this proves it beyond a shadow of a doubt.” Thurl and Brutus began clapping, and soon many others had joined in. Caddaric raised his hand, and the clapping died down. “There is no need for applause. I can’t help myself if I’m the best. If any of you want any pointers, I’d be more than happy to help you out.”

“Why don’t you come up here,” said Osmont, motioning Caddaric to the front of the room. “You too, Donovan.” He waited until they were standing side by side at the front of the room before continuing. “These are the two individuals who survived. One took the necessary action to complete his mission in an efficient manner while the other betrayed his people.” Donovan’s face turned red while Caddaric continued to smirk. “Caddaric took control of the city’s defenders and pulled them back to a more defensible position, which they held until the cavalry arrived. He showed himself to be a leader and approached the situation tactically. Unfortunately, most of his people died and the few who lived had to surrender to their enemies.”

The smirk left Caddaric’s face. “You must be mistaken,” he said politely. “I managed to prevent the Sibt from overrunning the city.”

“What you say is true,” said Osmont with a predatory smile. “You betrayed your people, leading to their demise. I can assure you that the defenders would have eventually realized that you weren’t one of them, and had you executed for being a traitor after the battle.”

Caddaric opened and closed his mouth in shock, but no words came forth. The class stared in silence, trying to figure out the implication of what Osmont had just said.

“Only Donovan,” said Osmont, placing his hand on Donovan’s shoulder, “took the time to investigate what was going on and, just as importantly, why he found himself where he was. Determining that he was a spy sent to infiltrate the city, he managed to signal a charge to get the king to leave the safety of the castle walls, where Donovan promptly eliminated him as the Sibt finished off the remainder of his army.”

Students looked around the room with shocked expressions on their faces, checking to see if anyone else had figured this out beforehand. Seeing that everybody looked as shocked as they were, they turned their attention to Donovan at the front of the room. Rather than receiving the admiration that Caddaric had a few moments ago, Donovan saw contempt in their eyes. He felt the same contempt for himself, but deep down he knew that he would do the exact same thing again if the circumstances presented themselves.

“We’ll be arranging meetings with students who could use our assistance,” said Moncha. “Any student who would like to discuss what you experienced should talk to myself in order to setup a meeting.

“I know that this was a traumatic experience for most of you,” said Osmont in a gentle tone. “War is horrific even for those who have seen it before. Death is a shock that you cannot prepare yourself for. If any of you ever want to talk, to get things off your chest, we will gladly make ourselves available.” Osmont looked at Headmaster Marrok who gave him a slight nod before continuing, “That’s everything for now. You are all free to go, but do not hesitate to seek assistance from those around you.”

The class emptied the room, waiting until they were in the hallway before breaking out into a flurry of conversations. Kort waited by the door for Donovan, but he motioned for him to go ahead. Professor Moncha left with the students and soon Donovan was alone with Professor Cleary, Osmont and Headmaster Marrok.

“Can we help you, son?” asked Marrok.

“I have questions about what happened.”

“You should setup an appointment,” said Cleary heading for the door.

“How could you do this?” Donovan asked Osmont. “Was this designed to test me? How dare you!” Cleary stopped to listen.

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” said Osmont.

“A spy sent to infiltrate a city and eliminate a powerful enemy. Don’t you see any similarities to my situation?”

“Are you saying that you’re here to kill someone?” asked Osmont.

“How should I know?” said an exasperated Donovan. “What I don’t appreciate is you going to elaborate lengths just to see how I would react.”

“Calm down,” said Marrok. “There have been no changes made to the glamour in at least a dozen years.”

“So you deny it?”

“I don’t know what you want me to say,” said Marrok.

Donovan looked back and forth between them, blood boiling in his veins, before he stormed out of the room without saying another word.

***

“H
ow could they do that to us,” said Caddaric. “What kind of a person would assassinate a king? They’ll regret this when I talk to my father.”

Caddaric, Kort, Ravyn and Delaney all sat around the table in their room, discussing what had happened to all of them.

“I don’t even know him anymore,” said Kort. “How could he do that?”

“It was pretty easy,” said Donovan, walking into the room. “I took a throwing knife and embedded it into his throat. If he wasn’t so arrogant, and wore a coif and helmet, it would have been much more difficult.”

“Who do you think you are?” said Caddaric, pushing himself to his feet. “Killing a king. Some things should never happen.”

“Apparently I’m the only person who pays attention and doesn’t let his emotions distract him from doing what needs to be done.” Donovan brushed past him and headed towards his bed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Kort, pushing himself up from the table and moving to block Donovan’s way.

“I got the job done,” said Donovan, standing face to face with Kort. “What did you do?”

“I helped many innocent people.”

“And?”

“Sacrificed myself in the process,” said Kort, slowly. “My parents would be proud of me. What would yours say about what you did?”

“You know that I don’t know them,” said Donovan icily. His voice at odds with his red face and twitching vein on his forehead.

“This might explain why they abandoned you.”

Donovan shoved Kort onto his bed.

Ravyn was suddenly there between the two of them as Kort stood back up. “He didn’t mean it,” she said. “Kort, take it back.”

“I meant every word,” said Kort. “I don’t want to share a room with such scum.” He turned his head and spat on the floor.

“I’m going nowhere,” said Donovan, slowly, carefully enunciating each word. “You’ll have to throw me out. Sadly, you’re too much of a coward to do anything.”

“Coward!”

Something snapped inside of Kort. He grabbed Donovan, before twisting around and slamming him onto the bed. The bed let out a loud crack as Donovan hit it. Kort dove on top of him and began raining down punches at Donovan’s head.

“Stop it!” yelled Ravyn, running over to intervene.

Caddaric caught her around the waist and held her back. “Let them sort it out,” he said.

Donovan and Kort wrestled on the bed, the sheet becoming tangled around them. Kort got his hands around Donovan’s neck and started to squeeze.

“I’m going to kill you!” yelled Kort.

Donovan reached up and gouged one of Kort’s eyes. He let out a cry like a wounded animal and redoubled his efforts to choke the life out of Donovan. The tangled sheets began to smoke before flaring up into an inferno of flames.

Fight forgotten, they struggled to free themselves from the bedding. The flames continued to rise higher as they both howled in agony, but couldn’t free themselves. Their skin sizzled like bacon dropped into a hot pan, and a charcoal like smell with a hint of sulfur filled the room.