The Flames of Deception - A Horizon of Storms: Book 1 (58 page)

“
Tell me Augustus, have you disclosed the
full
extent of the
prophecy to your apprentice? Is he aware of
everything
that is to
come?”

“
I have told Matthias only what he needs to know.
He is not aware of the Return, only of the dragon. I had
hoped
that with the
princess brought to
me
and partly trained in her abilities, we could reach a new
Consensus and that this subterfuge could be ended for the greater
good. He didn’t
need
to know the rest.”

“
Then your actions are not
all
foolish, it would appear,” the man
finished and sat back down, his harsh gaze boring into Augustus’s
face.

The
room grew quiet for the first time, and the chancellor pulled from
under the plinth a clear glass ornament the size of his fist, with
spikes sticking out at all angles.

“
I think the time has come. You will cast your
votes into the star of judgement and let us drawn an
end
to this. Do we
continue with the current Consensus? Or do we follow Councillor
Pym’s suggestion to
aide
the girl?” He let go of the object, which hovered above his
head. All around him, wizards raised their hands. The star began to
glow, shifting its colour from purple to blue. Finally, it settled
on a blue hue, pulsing with a subtle hum, and the chancellor
nodded. “It is
settled
. We continue along our
current
course and we will simultaneously work to
retrieve the girl from Matthias.” Pym sat heavily back in his seat
and lowered his head.

The chancellor turned to him. “Councillor Pym, you
have gone against the will of this council in
open
defiance of our laws and practices.
You have seen the Consensus on this matter not once, but
twice
. Do you
now
accept the will of this council?”

Pym
looked up defiantly. He knew what he should say, to save his skin,
but his mouth would not form those words. “No,” he said
bluntly.

The chancellor nodded. “Then as chancellor I have
no alternative but to imprison you for your actions. You have
committed
treason
against your government.” He shook his head. “Do you
have
anything
further to say to this council?”

Pym stood again. He raised his head and broadened
his shoulders. “There seems little mote that I can say and nothing
it appears that would change the mind of this ageing and
bigoted
chamber. All
I
will
say is that I fear you have gone against the will of the
gods. They have chosen this world’s saviour and
you
have chosen to go against her.” His
jaw set hard as he looked over the room. “You have signalled the
downfall of Mahalia in your intransigence. When this city crumbles
I hope you will
remember
my words and look back at this day with regret. I
know
I
will.”

Josephine lay in Maryn’s bed, her face pale and her body
thin. Thadius sat on a stool by her bedside, a weary head in his
hands, his sword cast aside, and Matthias shifted his position
against the far wall, where he studied his shoes. Luccius sat
opposite Thadius, cured of the boils by Maryn’s lotion. His ears
pricked as he heard the sound of birds and he looked up to the
window where the sky was a black - grey blend, tinged by the pink
light of a new day.

“
I barely noticed the night pass,” he said
dreamily. “How
long
have I been sitting here?”

“
About five hours since the last time you asked,” Thadius
answered glumly.

The
ansuwan shook his head and rose from his seat. “What are you
thinking about?” he asked Matthias.

“
I’m
trying to decide what to do,” he said, running his thumbnail across
his bottom lip.

“
About what?”

“
Whether I should continue on to Crystal Ember.”

“
You
can’t
be serious?” Thadius exclaimed. “What do
you
possibly think you
could do there on your own?”

Matthias shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“
Without Josephine it’d be certain death facing Sikaris!” the
knight added.

“
Maybe. Nevertheless someone has to try, don’t
they? The prison could break any day now. Standing around here is
not accomplishing anything and if Josephine... if she
doesn’t
...” He shook his head. “Someone
has
to try.”

Maryn entered the room, wearing a woollen night - gown and
carrying a tray with three steaming porcelain cups of
tea.

“
I
thought you could do with something to wake you all up,” she said.
“My own blend of spiced tea. How is she?”

“
There doesn’t seem to be any change,” Thadius said
wearily.

“
Maryn, can you please try and knock some sense
into Matthias?” Luccius asked. “He’s talking about going on
his
own
to stop the dragon!”

Maryn set the tray to one side. “You have a plan?” she asked
him.

“
No,” said Matthias.

“
Ah. You have lost your
mind
then?” Maryn asked.

“
Possibly,” Matthias sniffed with a thin smile. “It
should have worked by now, shouldn’t it?” he asked her. “I
can
tell
by that look on your face that the answer is
‘yes’.”

“
It doesn’t look good,” Maryn replied. “However,
she
is
still alive and that much is a miracle in itself. Perhaps
in a few more days we will know for sure.”

“
It has been
three
days already. There is too much at stake to wait
any longer,” he said. “I can’t stay here when the dragon could be
freed at any moment.” He looked at Josephine. “As much as I want
to.”

“
Fine.
Go
then!” Thadius said angrily. “We don’t
need
you. This mission is over.” He
stepped forward, his black-ringed eyes glaring at Matthias. “If the
princess wakes after you have gone I’m taking her back to Rina. I
will fight off wizards or demons or
whoever
else decides they would like to try and
hurt her.”

“
If
she does wake up you have to follow me and get her to Olindia,”
Matthias advised.

“
To do what? Get killed? Without any more training,
what will she be able to do?” He stood. “This is all
your
fault! You and
your
scheming
people! Why couldn’t you just
leave
her
alone?
”

“
You
know what my people would have done if they had got to her first!
Or worse, if those creatures had reached her first, she would be
dead!” exclaimed Matthias.

“
Well, you’ve certainly done a
great
job of avoiding that out here,
haven’t
you? She’s coming
back with me, to her father. The dragon be
damned!”

“
You’re a
coward!
” Matthias spat. “Josephine would stay and fight!
If she were awake she’d carry on if it meant she could save
lives!”

“
Oh, I
dare
you to call me a coward again wizard!” Thadius
bared his fists. “If you cared an
inch
about the princess you wouldn’t
ask
me to take her
further into danger!”

“
I
care about her more than I can say!” Matthias growled.

“
You barely
know
her!” Thadius barked.

“
Men
,” Maryn muttered. “This house wasn’t built for such
rigorous
cockfights.”

“
Both of you just stop it! For the gods’ sakes! You
aren’t helping anything!” Luccius yelled. He took a deep breath and
ran his hands anxiously through his locks. “Matthias, if you need
to go, then you
should
go.” He took a breath. I will stay here. If Josephine
awakes…
when
she awakes, I will tell her where you’ve gone. Then it will
be
her
decision as to what she does and where she goes!” He eyed
Thadius with a piercing stare. “Whatever she decides, I will come
and find you when I can. I’m not going to leave you on your
own.”

Matthias stepped back and nodded. “Alright,” he said after a
pause. He brushed past the knight who stood defiantly rigid,
nostrils flaring. He could have been made from wood his back was so
straight. Matthias knelt by Josephine’s side, and his face grew
soft. Fumbling by her side, he picked up her hand and stroked it
softly with his thumb.

“
I’m sorry I didn’t keep you safe,” he whispered.
“I’m sorry I lied to you.
Both
times. I should have told you the full truth from
the start. I was trying to protect you. I hope whatever else you
think of me, that you will believe that.” He took a breath. “I may
not have known you very long,” he continued, “but I am all the
better for being in your company.” His words caught in his throat
and he had to steady himself. Then he laughed under his breath.
“All these years and then you come along.” He shook his head. “Why
now, so late on, must I have found you?” He stopped and turned to
look at Maryn. She smiled at him. Matthias turned back and then,
leaning forward, kissed the princess on the forehead.
“
Goodbye
Josephine.” He placed her hand down by her side, stood, and
turned away, making his way to the door. At its entrance he paused,
a hand on the frame and then after a beat turned to the others. “I
was never very good at leaving in the middle of an argument. You
aren’t a coward Thadius. We couldn’t have made it this far without
you.”

The knight nodded begrudgingly. “That is
big
of you to admit,”
he said gruffly.

“
The truth is, I care about you
all
. You have joined me on this journey
to protect the princess and I...” he stopped. “Never mind. You
should all just get as far from here as you can, in case the worst
happens.” Then turned again and disappeared downstairs. Maryn
followed him down to the shop floor. As he grabbed his bag and
threw on his coat, she stood in the doorway, watching
him.

“
What?” he asked her.

“
Why does it have to be you? This is the council’s
doing! They are the ones who can’t decide which side of the fence
they should be on! It’s not you who should be going to face the
dragon but them! They should have sent as many wizards as they
could to escort Josephine, not argue about whether or not she
should be imprisoned! And now
you
have to pick up the pieces!
Why
would you still blindly follow them
after all their mistakes?”

“
Maryn, I love you dearly, but you never
did
understand,”
Matthias said.

She shook her head. “No, and I never will.” She
folded her arms. “You’re an
idiot
,” she said.

Matthias smiled. “I’ll miss you too.” He buttoned
his coat. “Thank you for trying to help,” he said, taking his sword
from where he had propped them behind the counter. “Perhaps this
will come in handy after all.” He tied it back to his belt, stuck
his staff around the straps on his back, and hefted his bag,
opening the door. “I’ll be alright, you know. You
wish
you could get rid
of me so easily.” He turned and walked down the path, and didn’t
look back. Maryn watched him disappear around the corner, and then
made her way back upstairs.

“
He’s gone,” she said to the others. Luccius let the back of
his head bang against the wall, and his ears drooped.

“
Our
journey together is over then,” he whispered.

“
I
still have his pendant,” Thadius said suddenly, feeling around his
neck at the metal arrowhead. “I’m surprised he didn’t ask for it
back.”

“
Oh
no,” Luccius grimaced.

“
What’s wrong?” the knight asked.

“
The
only time a wizard would ever relinquish the pendant is when they
are going to die,” Maryn advised.