Orbis

Chapter 10

"Permission to speak freely, my king?" Dunmore had been waiting for Deidrick in the solar after his walk. Deidrick nodded as he sat down on the throne, he had expected this conversation to happen. Dunmore's contempt for his father had not dissipated since the elder's banishment as he had blamed Euvaristus for the disappearance of his mother as a young child.

"Do you really think we can trust the old drunkard and his trickery to assist us in this battle?" Dunmore asked, doing his utmost to hide his anger.

Deidrick remained silent, his eyes focused on his family crest masterfully woven on one of the tapestries on the wall, one of Alyssa's favorites. He wondered if Drake had to endure these types of discussions.

"Euvaristus has been a loyal subject of this court for many decades. His counsel and ability were respected by my father and his father before him. I detected no strong liquor on him today, maybe the time away from the court of Menhelm has been good for him," Deidrick responded.

"So, we are going to risk Menhelm on the judgment of a drunkard magus?" Dunmore asked again.

"Yes, my friend, unfortunately, we shall be doing just that. We only have one magus in Menhelm, and as fate may have it, he is an old drunkard named Euvaristus. Who happens to be your father," Deidrick explained.

Euvaristus slowly opened the door to his quarters, feeling a sense of dread. Since his return to Kent Castle, he had battled to drown out the whisper of the Eye of Atropos. The glowing orb allowed the fates of ten thousand men to be seen in an instant. He could use its power to alter the future in any manner he wanted, most significantly it allowed him to see across the veil and possibly find his wife Jegis. It was his obsession with finding her through the orb that had caused him to start drinking in the first place. His son had never understood this. He had spent much time in the forest pondering whether it would not be wise to destroy the orb, but its use far outweighed the danger it posed.

After the prophecy of the shadow and the possible danger to Deidrick, its power would be needed. He stood in the doorway and considered for a moment to use the orb once more to test Deidrick's fate but decided against it and closed his eyes. His hand reached into his bottomless bag and removed a thick woolen cloak he had hexed the day Axis, his crow had told him of Seepoort. It would render the orb silent and invisible for a few days only, before the orb's power would consume the cloak. That would be enough to preserve his sanity whilst he was in the castle, Euvaristus hoped.

The voice grew stronger as Euvaristus cast the enchantment, which hovered the cloak above the orb and its rostrum. He fought the call with all his strength before covering the orb. Euvaristus exhaled and rested against the door frame, considering his quarters. They were filled with the tools of his profession, books, parchments, a cauldron, and goblets filled with incantations and potions. He carefully lifted his sword out of his weapons chest where he had left it. It was an enchanted sword given to him by his master Dexior while he was still an apprentice. He had purposely left it in the tower to avoid the risk of it being stolen while he was in the forest. It had served him well in many of the wars he had fought, but the sword had become increasingly preoccupied with finding its new master and less interested in serving Euvaristus.

"I know you're searching for our new apprentice, but I need your help once more, my trusted friend," Euvaristus whispered. "I promise to assist you in searching for him again, and I apologize for using the orb to look for him. It was a mistake, but I was concerned we wouldn't find anyone soon enough."

The sword glowed sporadically in a light blue hue before dimming in its reply. The curse of a long life had plagued him with many failures, he thought to himself as he packed his satchel with goblets and parchments, he believed would be useful in a battle situation. Then he summoned his pet, Axis, who flew through the open window and habitually perched on his arm.

The old crow had been waiting patiently for Euvaristus to compose himself before sharing what he had learned at Seepoort. Euvaristus had asked Axis to gather information and wait outside the walls of Kent Castle until summoned, knowing the bird's presence would be distracting to the council. The orc reinforcements had arrived as Deidrick had predicted, and there was now a force of about two thousand warriors. Three demonologists were among the reinforcements, and from the bones they wore, Axis believed they were not very powerful.

Euvaristus was not pleased to hear that the dark powers of the veil would be called upon, even if only by the conduits that were the demonologists. He requested Axis to return to Seepoort and council with him again when summoned in a few days' time. The bird bid him farewell as he flew out the window.

Many years ago, a young Euvaristus had aided his master and two other powerful magi in the battle against Kubutlu Akinan, the Grandmaster of the Dark Veil. Kubutlu had been a student of the Magi of Alacord and had been corrupted by the Dark Veil's immense power. His corruption led to the formation of the Order of the Dark Veil, which valued the power of darkness over light and death over life, leading to the eventual disbandment of the Magi of Alacord and the destruction of the Great Tower.

The final battle ended in the death of the elven sorcerer Arothorn Bryjyre and left Dexior's body disfigured by the green flames, while Jegis sacrificed herself to close the portal, leaving Euvaristus tormented by the thought of her torture and eventual death at the hands of Kubutlu and his followers. He had not been allowed to explain her disappearance to Dunmore, as the boy was not a magus and thus it was forbidden. Instead, he lied and told the boy that Jegis had left them due to her unhappiness with Euvaristis.

Euvaristus' eyes searched where he knew the Orb stood, now silenced and unable to draw him in. He averted his gaze to his staff, knowing that Deidrick and Jegis' fates would remain their own for now.