The Light & The Dark

Chapter 6 - Laws and Chains - P2

"I don't understand most of this," She flipped through the pages. "I was only taught the basics, enough to read the flower orders."

Hycein rubbed their face, holding back tears. "That is exactly what this law relies on." They sighed and took back the pages. "This law is for those who are stained but not able to go to the Mage Academy."

"Is it for them to be taught to be better with their blessings and teaching them to read?" Callicarpa had pain in her voice. Her optimism was already broken.

Hycein shook their head, "Those not able to go to the Mage Academy to be trained will be collared by the Academy."

"Only criminals are collared though!" Callicarpa whispered through her hands.

Like most of the Vieltan citizens, she must have seen the stained criminals that are paraded by the Crown before they are tossed into the castle dungeons. The thick collar they all wore was to stop their blessings from being used.

"Basically anyone who is stained and untrained will be collared to prevent the free use of their blessings." Hycein copied another line onto the fresh paper. "Any employer who wishes for their staff to be able to use their blessing will have their staff made to be a catalyst to them, or to a dedicated manager of their staff."

"So, basically everyone will be controlled." Callicarpa was grasping fistfuls of grass.

"Only those who are stained," Hycein corrected, "You are fine, your life shouldn't change."

"They will track everyone who is stained," she continued, ignoring them. "They will hunt down each and every stained person."

Quickly Hycein flipped through the crumpled pages, surely that wasn't true. Ultimately they had to nod in agreement with her statement. "He wrote this to answer the call from the Mage Academy saying their graduates couldn't find jobs with all the people who didn't get training being able to do the same tasks and for cheaper."

Callicarpa was shaking, the few peonies she had already collected had fallen out of her basket as she started ripping grass out of the earth. "This can't be happening." She kept repeating, over and over.

Hycein moved to hush her as she got louder and louder with her panicking. She turned from them, continuing to pluck grass and mutter to herself near nonsense. They wouldn't dare touch her to try and shake her from this repetitive loop but she wasn't responding to her name either.

The overturned basket of peonies laid there. One was particularly trashed. A heavy sigh. One glove came off, and carefully they picked up the broken and battered flower. It was never going to be good for a bouquet in that state anyway so let it have a use now.

Hycein cherished the coolness of the stem as they lifted it from the grass. It felt soft and springy between their two fingers. They never could explain why it was an instant touch of death to a person but in these little moments, the flowers and plants wilted and withered over seconds. The peony was brown and crispy when the flower was put under Callicarpa's nose. Withered to nothing and decay starting to set in.

She instantly silenced her rambles to snatch the flower from their hands; dead petals scattering in the rough motion. "How dare you kill a flower."

Hycein backed off, hands raised in peace offering. "I couldn't settle you," they justified their actions. "It was a broken one and you were getting overly loud."

Callicarpa just held the flower and breathed heavily. Tears were welling up in her eyes and she fought them from falling. "This can't be happening."

"The law is only for the stained," Hycein reminded gently, "You don't have to worry and even your household shouldn't change too much." They returned the other peonies to her basket with their gloved hands. "Your mistress is nobility, any workers she employs who are stained will just be bound to her."

"I can't be found." her voice was soft, nearly a whisper.

"Yes, I know your mistress wouldn't approve of any connotations of secret meetings." Hycein returned the restacked basket to her.

She was muttering again but she willingly followed Hycein over the hedge and into the garden proper.

"I will sit near you while you collect the rest of your peonies for today," Hycein led the way to the big bulbous flowers, Callicarpa followed behind them, basket in arm and pink peony in hand.

Looking back to the grassy indent under the oak tree, there was no dead peony, just a few brown and withered petals. The missing flower puzzled them as they continued to copy the law and kept a close eye on Callicarpa.

She collected peonies for nearly an hour, taking several breaks to mutter to herself before Hycein redirected her again. Each time, they watched her white fingers graze lightly over the flowers, somehow they always focused on those stark white fingers that were the exact opposite of their own.

With her collection of flowers complete, Hycein once again led her to the florist wing. They would not cross that threshold but they promised to walk them from the grounds today. Quietly they took up residence across from the wing's entrance. On the floor, they continued to copy the new law.

This was bad, and clearly, those who could read and understand it would panic just as Callicarpa did. Panic when going to be restrained normally led to outbursts. Outbursts normally resulted in guards appearing and handling them. Atrophin loved overseeing their work for those outbursts; they knew it was partially due to how the person who was fighting so hard would just go limp once they laid eyes upon them at the right hand of the Prince. A life of service normally was seen as better than death for most, but for those that continued to fight, Atrophin loved to send them right to see the Great Silent Goddess in that moment.

This was going to be a mass panic moment. They swallowed hard. There was no way that they would not be used as the person to control all the masses from rioting. There would still be riots though, there had to be. People wouldn't just lie down and be controlled.

Slowly they continued to write now. They inspected each word and line, there had to be a way around this. However, line by line, the law was ironclad. Atrophin wasn't lying when he said he had corrected it to fit with the current laws. The new catalysts and collared stained servants would still need to be paid a wage and provided with shelter and accommodations as they would with non-catalyst and unstained servants. The contracts had to be provided to the workers and they had to sign them in accordance with the Catalyst Laws.

There was nothing they could do to change this.

'You are not alone,' the light voice reminded them. 'Calling for help is not a sign of weakness.'

When did the gods ever help Listaviel? The Golden God Hileo was praised countless times a day and yet he never helped his people.

'I didn't mean that greedy donkey.' The voice scoffed at them, 'There are others that you all can ask for aid from if you are less prideful about it.'

It made them ponder softly but asking a conscience seemed unreasonable to Hycein. Your conscience was only yourself after all; they reasoned, and you could never know more than yourself.

Hycein was starting on the second copy of the law when Callicarpa came out with an overflowing peony bouquet. She had outdone herself this time.

"I must deliver this and then I will be leaving for the day." She was distant and cold. Her eyes were glazed over slightly.

"I will be in the wings then," Hycein rose from their spot on the floor. "If anything happens, I will be nearby until you are off castle grounds."

Callicarpa softly nodded behind the large bouquet they held and walked off toward the throne room. Giving ample distance, they followed. As she presented the flowers and politely took praise and orders from the King's personal attendant in the throne room, Hycein stood along the wall. When she turned to leave, they again followed. A fair amount of space between them but she walked without fault or looking about out of the castle and off the grounds. The whole way she did not stop, did not talk, and never once looked back.

'How odd to see how you look during a blackout, just in someone else.' The light voice laughed in their head. 'My sister is doing a fine job with her ward it seems.'

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Any one starting to figure out what Hycein hasn't yet??