“No, my Prince, you can’t!” he said as if sensing what I was doing.
“I’m sorry, Master Tarek, I have to,” I responded, a small smile on my face. I would not let them harm the man who had been more of a father to me than the King in front of me.
“Seize them!” Aurelius ordered the guards who had paused when I began speaking.
They looked at each other with uncertainty.
“Sounds like a bloody Oracle,” one of them finally said, his gaze jumping nervously between the King and I. I realized suddenly he was afraid. Afraid ofme. The power of that was a heady thing after my days of powerlessness.
They looked at me in fear and confusion, seemingly afraid to attack me. Aurelius, however, had no such compunctions. He stepped forward, firing a pistol at Master Tarek.
I gestured and a wall of stone and metal appeared to shield my tutor and the bullet ricocheted off. With just a thought, the sloping tunnel I had been creating since we entered the room opened beneath Master Tarek and he slid down into the darkness. I had created a long, sloped tunnel that led down to the sewers beneath Alexandria. He would be bruised and bloodied by his sudden fall, I was sure, but he would be alive.
Master Tarek had taken me to see the sewers as a child so that I would understand the infrastructure that supported our society. He knew his way around them, and I was sure he’d be able to findhis way to safety from there. I dived forward to follow him, only to be struck by a searing pain in my head that sent me to my knees.
“Mageia!” Aurelius yelled as I stumbled, falling to my knees. “Suppress him!”
I couldn’t breathe. I knew what this was, though I had never felt it before. It was the Elusian Suppression ability. It could be used against Mageia to punish them and prevent them from using their elemental powers.
My vision was going dark, the feeling of suffocation overwhelming me. I felt Aurelius grab my arm and twist it around my back in an iron grip. One of the guards seemed to have found his courage and grabbed my other hand. I stared wistfully at the sloping opening I had made with my power. In my weakened state there was no way I was going to be able to break their hold and escape, but I’d do what I could to protect Master Tarek. Despite the Suppression, I sent a final burst of power to seal the tunnel I’d created. At the very least they would have to bring in another Earth Mageia or some heavy machinery to get into the tunnel now. By the time they did so, Master Tarek should be long gone.
The feeling of the Suppression intensified and made me collapse. I rolled onto my back, trying desperately to breathe. The King stepped forward. From where I lay on the floor I could see him staring down at me in disgust as I clawed at my neck in a futile attempt to pull air into my lungs.
“AnotherMageia! Elus blast it, why am I cursed with so many Mageian children?” he said, fury apparent on his face as he looked down at me.
“Queen Eurymenye has been arrested and confined to her rooms. She shall be tried for high treason at your will, your Majesty,” Aurelius purred,
No! Dammit, we had beensoclose!
***
They dragged me back to my father following Mother’s trial. Afraid of angering his Greek allies he had not executed her. He had, however, ordered her whipped through the streets. Only the fact that we still had a treaty with her homeland had saved her life.
My hands still shook as I remembered my father trying to force me to use the lash on her before she was exiled back to her homeland of Greece. It turned out that one of her ladies in waiting had been a spy for Aurelius.
I had spent what felt like weeks at the mercy of Maalik and Aurelius and every part of my body was in agony. It was the first time I had seen daylight in what felt like forever.
“Your Majesty, we can hold his execution at dawn,” Aurelius said, his voice barely registering.
I was kept Suppressed by multiple Elusians at all times. The pain was so strong that I was beginning to wonder if death might be a mercy. I had never understood the suffering of the Mageia so clearly before.
“Actually,” a new voice interjected, “He is no longer your concern, Master Aurelius.”
Captain Allard stepped forward and into my area of sight.
“What do you mean, Allard?” Aurelius demanded, the pain of the Suppression lifting slightly as he directed his attention elsewhere. “How dare you contradict the will of your King!”
“Well, heisMageia, as evidenced by his actions here,” Allard responded, gesturing to the floor that Master Tarek had disappeared through. “According to the law, now that he is no longer needed as a witness, he belongs to the Legion.”
“Preposterous!” Maalik exclaimed, stepping forward. “He defied the King! He threatened my life! Hehasto die!”
“Thelawsays all Mageia go to the Legion,” Allard responded before stepping forward and placing a hand on the King’s shoulder. “No exceptions. I know your dedication to the law, my King. Let the Legion deal with him as they see fit.”
I knew Allard and my father had served together years ago. They had been shield mates when had been in the army as young men and Father had named him Weapons Master.
The King held Allard’s gaze for a long moment before he nodded and said, “Yes. We must abide by the law. Send him to the Legion. They will teach him his place.”
***
