The Iron Butterfly (7 page)

“How many in the cells were Denai, how many human?” She got a quill and began to write.

I recounted how many I knew of including the ones that had passed away or disappeared. “What do you think the Septori were doing?” I asked.

“We need to discuss this with the other Adepts, especially Kambel Silverbane, our resident historian, who just arrived shortly before you.” She pulled on a small pull cord and a page quickly appeared. Lorna scribbled a message on a slip of ivory parchment before handing it to the page. “Come.”

Following Lorna down a series of back stairways and hallways I soon lost all sense of direction. Our destination was a large meeting room with heavy drapes covering the windows and obscuring all outside light. Candles were the only light within the room which lit up a large, framed map on the wall. Closer examination of the table showed a duplicate map of the lands of Calandry, Sinnendor, and the other surrounding provinces burned into the wood with an artistic hand. This must be the Adept’s council room. Adept Lorna nodded for me to take my seat. A lone chair sat in the middle of the room and it looked suspiciously like the same ones she kept in her office; hard and uncomfortable.

We didn’t wait long before the main door burst open to a whirlwind of yellow robes and fluttering hands. It was Adept Breah Avenlea with her shoulder-length, brown hair. She was dressed in a soft yellow dress and was talking animatedly to Kambel Silverbane, who looked every inch the part of a historian.

Adept Kambel was short and slim with wavy, unkempt gray hair that disappeared into his long gray beard. His intuitive brown eyes peeked out of small silver spectacles. Ink spots littered his somber green robe and the tips of his beard, as if he would accidentally dip his beard in the ink instead of a quill. They were quite the comedic pair, long slender Breah talking with her hands in a frenzy and short Kambel bobbing his head in agreement to what she was saying. It looked like Adept Breah was conducting a symphony and that Kambel’s head was the orchestra.

The mood abruptly changed when the door opened again and the largest man I had ever seen entered the room. He was dark as night with a bold demeanor and muscular stature, dressed all in shades of black. Three silver slashes marked the collar of his shirt. The same slashes matched his banner and identified him as Adept Pax Baton. His shaved head reflected the candlelight and the small gold earring he wore looked too delicate for the warrior’s frame. He strode into the room and took a seat at the table which looked like a child’s tea table in comparison. Surprisingly he expertly maneuvered his frame into the seat and spread his long legs out before him.

“I’m glad you got my missive,” Lorna stood and waited while Adept Breah and Kambel took their seats. “It’s unfortunate that I had to send Cirrus away this morning, but this can’t wait for him.” She quickly relayed both my story and Darren and Joss’ tale of finding me floating in the river.

“How do we know she is telling the truth?” came Pax’s deep timbre of a voice.

“Because I put Alethiem in her tea earlier and tested her mind for shadows and hints of deceitfulness.”

This took me by surprise and I stared at Lorna feeling betrayed by her dishonesty and low handed tactics. It was as if any trust she had previously built up was destroyed with a few words. I could feel the resentment start to rise to the surface and I had to bite back an angry retort that I was ready to spout out.

Adept Lorna turned to me with a solemn face that spoke honest sincerity. “I’m so sorry Thalia, please forgive me. Alethiem is an herb that when ingested makes it impossible for the speaker to lie.”

“I didn’t lie! I told you the truth,” I snapped out.

“I know, I know, she said guiltily. “But I also was in your mind reading for any half-truths and tampered memories, which could have been a possibility since you couldn’t remember your time before imprisonment. Your memories could have been planted and we had to be sure. You will be happy to know that I didn’t find any.” A small smile crept up Lorna’s face in an attempt to reassure me.

“If you would have asked I would have agreed to it without you having to do it covertly. I’m telling the truth and I’m sorry if what happened to me and the others is an inconvenience to you!” I was starting to get worked up, losing the little control I had on my emotions.

“We know. You see, this is not the first time rumors of a rogue group have surfaced. We have not located them because they seem to be constantly on the move. They have hidden their identities from us and even though we have searched, we’ve only found this.” Lorna stepped forth with a piece of cloth.

Unraveling the cloth she showed me a design sewn into the scrap. It was the familiar design, the Septori’s design; two slashes in a circle. “This was found in the mouth of a dog belonging to a shepherd, it seemed one of them tried to steal his sheep.”

“That’s them. That’s the mark of the Septori, each one of them have that permanently branded somewhere on their body. If this isn’t the first you’ve heard of them, then why haven’t they been caught?” I was astounded and angry. Maybe if this Council had done their job, I could have been saved, Cammie would never have died.

“Because we don’t know where they are!” Pax Baton interrupted. “Granted, a few stolen items, wagons missing and a lot of speculation was not proof enough to start a war on a rogue group. The Queen ordered them watched, but no one could ever find them. It’s like they disappeared into thin air.” His large hands flew as he spoke enunciating each syllable.

“Or across the border,” Breah added.

“You could have prevented this! If you had looked into the missing items, lives could have been saved!” I yelled.

“Calm down, child,” Kambel spoke up. “We will find them. But we also have another concern.”

“What could that possibly be? What could be more important than catching them?” I asked indignantly.

“What they obviously were trying to do to you?” Kambel intoned.

“You see, what was done is against the law and this is very troublesome to us because what was attempted is the stuff of legends and myth. Theories that have never been fully documented or proven, only speculated. And most of the High Council have always been against this kind of experimentation.”

“But I don’t understand. What didn’t work? What happened to me?” I felt tears of frustration start to sting the back of my eyes as I held them in.

Kambel actually seemed to get excited and sprang from his chair, walking quickly around the room speaking as if to himself. “It’s just a guess, but it sounds as if Raven, the, uh, leader of the Septori, has gotten hold of one or more of the Horden journals that we believed were lost for all eternity.”

“The Horden Journals?” Pax asked.

“They are the mad rantings and experiments of a half-crazed human.” Kambel looked around at the confused expression on Pax's and Breah's face. Rolling his eyes at the ceiling, he quickly filled us in as he stroked his beard in thought. “A human known as Lord Horden had lost his only son in a terrible accident and went crazy with grief. He tried to force a young Denai to bring him back to life but the Denai couldn’t. Lord Horden infuriated began conducting secret experiments in trying to bring the dead to life. He documented everything until he ranted that he had found ways to become more powerful than the strongest Denai. Of course, his lab was investigated and they found the remains of his first attempts. Lord Horden was immediately imprisoned for his heinous crimes against humanity, but his notes on his experiments and findings were never discovered. Even after many trials, and bribes, he refused to tell anyone where they were hidden and he was eventually executed.” Kambel slowed down to catch his breath before intoning slowly, “There wasn't any proof that he succeeded, but there wasn't any proof he didn't.”

Silence filled the room, no one stirred or moved. My mouth dropped open as I sat frozen in my chair afraid to move lest I bring myself to their attention. I was happy when Kambel spoke again breaking the awkward silence.

“So they forbade any further testing and experiments. They burned down his lab in hopes of destroying his hidden journals.”

My mouth went dry and I swallowed nervously, as I watched closely the reactions of the Adepts.

“It sounds like someone found the Horden Journals and is trying to duplicate Lord Horden's experiments. I’m just not sure to what end though?” he continued.

“But that’s against the law!” Pax shouted, his heavy hand pounding the table with a closed fist. “To do any kind of experiments is inhumane, especially to a child.”

There it was again, the statement that I was a child.

“The people of Calandry wouldn’t stand for it,” Pax growled.

A nervous swallow escaped Kambel. “Yes, it is against the law here, but she was found in the river which borders Sinnendor and Calandry.” His mind was spinning with excitement. “What if she was over the border of Sinnendor?”

“But the people of Sinnedor hate Denai since the war. The country is anti-Denai,” Breah spoke, the worry in her voice making her sound younger than her years.

“Exactly, so it would be the perfect place to do these kinds of tests. Sinnendor might even be in league with them,” Kambel stated.

“But that would be implicating that King Tieren knows that this was going on,” Adept Lorna said, leaning into the table. “It could cause a war. No! We have to keep that idea to ourselves. We must look at all aspects and directions before we accuse a neighboring country. Especially when we have a strenuous treaty as it is. But at least we know that it was unsuccessful? Right, Thalia?”

It took me a moment to register that I was being addressed. “Believe me; I’m still the same person,” I answered with hesitancy. When really I wasn’t sure if that was true. I looked around the room at the worried faces of the Adepts and I suddenly felt tired and old.

“But why can’t I remember anything from before?” I asked dejectedly. I was getting answers but so far none of them were encouraging. Slumping down in the chair I started to pick at the table.

“I tried to look farther back into your memories when I was testing for the truth,” Lorna answered. “I really did, but there is nothing there. You have no emotional memories before your capture. They are gone.”

“But how can that be, Lorna?” Breah pondered aloud. “You’re the strongest when it comes to reading minds.”

“I can’t read what isn’t there. There is the space where they existed but nothing more. Like an attic that once was full of dusty boxes, and then when you remove them, the boxes are gone but the outline of the boxes is still there marked in the dust. It’s as if they’ve been erased,” Lorna mused.

“Erased! How can someone just erase away my memories, and why would they need to? We obviously weren’t going to make it out of there alive?” I was clenching my fingers in anger and felt my knuckles pop.

“Obviously it was to hide the identity of your abductors, which leads us to believe it may very well be someone you knew.”

This new information froze me to the bone, I never considered the possibility that it may have been someone I knew that helped kidnap me, but the longer I pondered it the more sense it made. I looked up to catch the last half of what Lorna was saying.

“There are numerous plants and herbs that when ingested can remove memories, but unfortunately there are no known cures. Maybe over time they will return,” Lorna said solemnly. She walked over to a side wall and pulled a golden cord. This time a different servant came at the summons.

“Thalia, you must be tired and we have much to discuss. Forrest will take you to the kitchens and show you to a guest room. Tomorrow morning we will meet again to decide what we will do with you.” Lorna spoke softly and then turned her back to me.

That’s it. I was dismissed. But she was right, my stomach was growling and I suddenly felt very exhausted. I let Forrest lead me down the halls as I stared at his back. Forrest was an elderly servant with a noble demeanor. He never spoke as he led me to the kitchen and patiently waited while I grabbed a handful of stuffed pastries, fruit and bread, items that would keep and be easy to eat later. Taking a bite out of an apple, I followed Forrest to a small guest room. I didn’t feel like eating in the kitchen or dining room and have to answer any more questions. The guest room would do.

It was small cozy, with a single window that overlooked the garden in the back of the keep. The bed was very soft, too soft, and once again I found myself unable to sleep. Grabbing a blanket I curled up on the hard floor and prayed that I wouldn’t dream tonight.

Chapter 5

“It’s been decided,” Lorna spoke on behalf of all of the Adepts except for Cirrus, who was still absent. “Until we have more information about the Septori and their leader, that it would be best if you stayed here within the Citadel.”

I let out a puff of air I didn’t know I was holding. We were once again meeting in the same room as yesterday and from the looks of it, it seems that the Adepts got as much sleep as I did, which was slim to none.

Lorna studied me thoughtfully before continuing. “Since you are not Denai it would be useless to enroll you in our program. Also, it is too dangerous to send you out into the city without protection and no way to make a living, so we agreed that it is in your best interest if you become our ward. Queen Lilyana has agreed as well and is personally looking into this herself.”