The Prince's Sacrifice

Chapter 3: Traitor

A shrouded figure waited in the shadows of his Lord's castle. He listened for the sound of the owl; a message sent from Mags via his apprentice Pippin. His scars itched, a warning sign that he was being watched. Seeing no one, he spoke softly in a foreign tongue. A glint in his eye gave away his use of magic. To his surprise, Magnus stepped from behind an old oak tree. "Using the ancient magic again, old friend," The old Mage said in a hushed tone. The masked Fairy merely nodded, keeping silent so as not to draw attention to himself or his visitor he was still healing from his last bout of torture and did not want to incite more wrath from the Lord he served. "I'll be quick. I simply wanted to make sure Pippin and my messages have gotten through. Whatever the leader of the Brotherhood of Fire is planning we must prevent or plan ahead. Gather all of the intel that you can from your Lord's movements and send an owl as soon as possible." A nod in the dark was all the acknowledgement Mags received. With a small flash Mags disappeared leaving the shrouded figure to sneak back inside the fortress.

Once he safely made it into his quarters, he let the stress roll off his shoulders. So far he had not been caught but Mags was playing dangerously by showing up in person. Not even the King and Queen of his land knew how deep undercover he had gone or how close to home all of their problems ran. He and his crew of two more consisting of his brother and his brother's wife, were the only ones that knew the extent of everything and the new princess was in danger. They didn't know the extent of everything that their Lord had planned, only knowing that it involved the newly born Fairy Princess.

***

Pippin had always been a bit slow but never dangerous. So how did he find himself here? He wondered as he sat across from the Lord of the fortress. The man was dangerous and Pippin knew it, however he wanted to be thought of as useful so the nervous Fairy sat vibrating from nervous energy. "Speak traitor," the man said.  "This is for to get Bethany back," Pippin thought to himself. "Mister, I-I, the new princess has been born. Should we execute your plans," Pippin stuttered. The man standing near the fireplace turned like lightning, his face fierce in the firelight. "Never mention our business plainly like that again! There may be spies in our midst," the man roared. Pippin shrank in his seat, showing his fear clearly. He had heard of the terrible tortures that Ryder and many others had to endure if caught doing anything suspicious or disobeying an order. He was met with an evil smile, "Ah, so you know what happens to those that betray me," the man said, "Good you are less likely to turn against me. Go back to your messenger now. Mention this meeting to anyone and you will feel worse torture than even my best spy Ryder, though I'm sure that your master knows more than he leads on." The mention of Ryder sent fear through Pippin, the color draining from his features. Pippin quickly exited as soon as he was given permission to leave running as fast as he could. Evil laughter echoed through the halls making Pippin run faster until at last he was outside.

Glad to be in the fresh air of the outside, Pippin snuck back to where he had tied the owl to the tree. When he reached the tree, the owl had disappeared, leaving a panicked Pippin. "Oh no Mags is going to kill me if I lost his owl," he said out loud. "Relax, Pippin," the gentle voice of Ryder's brother, Riven, stated in the darkness, "Ryder had to leave, had some urgent business come up. I found the owl, and sent it back to Mags. He's expecting you and I, so come on." Riven pulled Pippin close to him and a flash of light sent them to Mags' front door. All the while Pippin was trying to come up with an excuse as to why the owl had been left alone.

Mags let Riven and Pippin in despite the late hour. He conjured a protective spell around his cottage, no one was to hear what was said beyond this meeting.

***

Ryder watched as his twin brother took the traitor Pippin back to Mags. Mags suspected but he didn't know the full extent of Pippin's treachery. He had listened behind the closed doors of Lord Victor Adams' study and knew from the many conversations with members of the Brotherhood of Fire, that the plans with the new Princess were not good. He knew none of the specifics other than the future capture of the princess. Ryder sent the hawk and the ominous warning to the door, it pecked before flying back to Ryder's arm. He transported back to his chambers. A voice sounded near him, "Did you send it to the Seer?" "Yes, my Lord," Ryder stated, showing no emotion as he followed his magic gaze to a chair by the tiny bedside table where Lord Adams sat. Lord Adams smiled evilly, delight showing in this part of the plan. "Good. Now we wait," Lord Adams said as he left the chambers of his best spy. It was only a matter of time before the Mags received the ominous message, a warning of great magnitude.

***

A cold chill ran through the Seer as he opened the door after the peck at the door. The message was clear, death would soon be on their doorstep. Riven's face was grave and Pippin looked terrified. For the moment Magnus left the omen at the door, closing it he turned to the other two in the room. "It's as I feared war is closer to us than we thought." The crow with the arrow through its heart was warning enough but Ryder had provided a message that only those that used the magic sight could see. Mags chanted the words in a whisper, his old eyes flashed a light blue. Reading the message out loud, "Royal family in danger. Plans to commence as soon as the babe can walk or soon after. Details unknown."