The King's Defense by Shawn Robert Smith

Author:Shawn Robert Smith [Smith, Shawn Robert]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-03-20T06:00:00+00:00

Day 3 Afternoon

Markus sat on the floor of his grimy cell. It stank of bodily fluids and mildew. He hated it here. He tried to form a sphere of darkness in his hand but the Ox cuffs dampened his power. Odd things, made of metal and shaped into bracelets with a hinge. Markus could break the simple hinge if the Ox magic didn’t protect it. Opposite the hinge, the two pieces connected into a glass orb filled with blue Ox magic. The reservoir of magic kept the metal on Markus’s wrist and also stopped him from forming his black spheres. At each guard shift, a member of the Order of the Ox refilled the orb with the dark blue fluid.

Why had this happen to him? He loved the kingdom and its people. He wanted to rule one day to make the world a better place. To start, he’d hunt down the remaining Decayed loose in the world and put an end to them. Now, he realized that included him. He tried to shake out his frustration on the bars, but they stood solid.

He heard footsteps, thinking Winthrop and Linette came back to try and cheer him up. Nothing could manage that today. Aurora stepped into view. Her blue robes flowed down to the floor. Underneath she wore a white blouse with lace ruffles, revealing a modest amount of cleavage. She wore clear glass earrings that contrasted with her jet black hair and pale skin. The comparison was like his belonging to the Decayed and his desire to serve the Kingdom.

“Markus. I imagine this is a difficult time for you. I wish it didn’t have to be this way, but the Decayed almost destroyed the world twenty years ago. We can’t let that happen again.”

“Then why did you deny our story when we arrived. In less than a day, Knilin defeated two Decayed and a traitor from your Order.”

“Knilin’s been telling stories for the past decade. He’s yet to offer proof that the Decayed have real power.”

“How about three eyewitnesses, confirming Knilin’s story. The Decayed body somehow turned to ash in that Trader’s wagon. I don’t know how, but the body disintegrated.”

“Two Decayed don’t prove that they plan to overthrow the Kingdom. If what you say is true, they are isolated incidents.”

“I saw the scroll instructing the Decayed to assist an assassin. I wouldn’t try to overthrow the Kingdom unless I had the power to take it when it fell. Something is going on.”

“Maybe you’re right, yet you need to think about your own future. You have two choices. You can stay imprisoned and train as a Decayed, using your gift to test others. Or, we’ll remove your middle finger on both hands and allow you to return to a life without magic. Take a few days to think about it. Once you decide, you can’t change your mind. Without your middle fingers, you’ll never wield magic again. If you choose to train as a Decayed, we’ll never let you out of here without chains.

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