Faults

Chapter 6: Archie

"Squire, would you please leave me be?" I beg as I sit down at my desk, my brow furrowed with irritation as well as worry that he'll never leave. I swivel around in my chair and face the window, pondering the issues in the kingdom. And, if I'm being honest, I'm pondering what peace and quiet feels like.

"But Your Highness–"

"Squire!"

He rubs the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, Sir. It's just that more complaints have come in this week. The people are wanting you to do something about this."

I turn around to face him. "More headaches? What do they want me to do about that? Do I look like a doctor?"

"I, uh–" my squire stutters, shaking his head. He looks down at his feet, appearing either afraid or ashamed. With him, it's hard to tell sometimes. "It's not just headaches, I'm afraid."

"What is it then?" I press.

He looks back up at me and points to the back of his neck. "There have been reports of strange, pitch-black marks appearing on the back of the children's necks after they experience those headaches frequently."

This isn't making any sort of sense. "What kind of marks?"

"The medics told me that they look like three pinpoint marks in the shape of a triangle," Squire explains.

"But how? From what? What could be causing this?"

My squire tells me that neither he nor the doctors know what could be the source of the mysterious headaches or marks. A theory I've been putting together is that someone is using their ability to do this. The only question is, if someone is using their magic for evil, who is it?

The feeling of being watched points to someone being behind all of this, as well as the fact that the headaches only occur while outside. If this person can't see you–for example, behind a wall–then their ability won't work. It also seems like they feed off of the energy given off by others' abilities, since it only happens when magic is used. As for it only affecting my class, it seems as if this person is targeting us, mayhaps because of hatred for someone?

"Squire, I'm going out."

"Your Highness, I don't–"

I trudge out of my office. "Let me be, Squire!"

※ ※ ※

I'm walking along the edge of the lake, mulling over all the information we have as well as what we don't. My theory could be correct, but if it's not, what are we dealing with? The thought of something worse than just an evil person makes me shudder. A person is manageable even if the battle is difficult, even if we lose a few times.

My thoughts are cut off when a stick cracks behind me. It must be Aydin as I told him to meet me here today. Prior to knowing about the marks, I told him to meet me here to talk about what almost happened between us a week ago, but now I want to discuss more than that. I spin around on my heel and begin to say, "Hey, Ay–"

I quickly stop myself when my eyes land on someone who is most definitely not Aydin.

"Christian?" I choke out.

"Well, hello, Archie," he says, a placid smile on his face, just as I remember it.

My jaw drops. I haven't seen my former squire since my father died. "Speechless, huh?"

"I'm just surprised to see you. How did you know I'd be out here?" I ask him.

"Don't be alarmed but I saw you walking towards the lake and... I followed you. Okay, I see your eyebrows raising, but believe me, it's only because I wanted to talk to you," he explains.

"Oh?"

Christian sighs. "I've missed you, Archie."

"Yeah, I've missed our old times. Where have you been holing up?" I ask.

He laughs at my wording. "I got a small house near the edge of the kingdom. Not near this lake, but on the other side."

I nod, taking in what he's telling me. While he was annoying at times, I really have missed talking to him. Honestly, I've just missed him. We had some great times over the years despite some rocky moments. He's two years older than me and being so, he helped me master my ability after I had first gotten it. He was my best friend before I had even met Aydin.

When Aydin came into the picture, I could tell that Christian was getting jealous but he didn't let that ruin our friendship. I commend him for that. Ever since all of the former castle staff was fired as a precaution after my father's passing in case the death wasn't a natural one, I've been feeling a bit guilty about how I treated Christian leading up to right before he was fired.

"I'm sorry," I blurt out.

He cocks his head to the side. "For what?"

"For treating you so poorly before my father died. I could see that you were hurting but I didn't do anything about it. I'm sorry I put such a rift in our relationship," I explain to him.

Relationship is the only word I can use to describe what Christian and I were. We had our moments where we acted like best friends, enemies, and... More than friends. The thought of that makes my face flush, and I hope to the gods that Christian doesn't notice. I shouldn't be thinking about what happened in the past, it's over after all.

"You could make it up to me, you know," Christian says, his voice as smooth as silk.

"Oh?"

He takes a step closer to me and runs a hand along my jaw. "I have a few ideas."

I feel my face grow hot and all the memories of what happened right before my father died come rushing back in an instant. I look up at Christian and suddenly feel very small as he seems even taller than normal right now. I open my mouth to speak but no words come out. He leans in close, his lips hovering just above mine, but the sound of someone else's voice stops him.

"Archie?"

Shit. Now I've done it.