Forgotten Magic

Chapter 23

It was a while before we left that room. In fact, it was a while before anyone moved at all. To be honest, we just stood there in complete shock for a long time.

Finally, Varian got up and walked out. His eyes were cast to the ground and I doubt he even realized I had been standing there.

For a moment, I wanted to walk up to the amber. To make sure it was actually solid. Instead, I turned around and followed the alchemist into the kitchen.

To be completely honest, not much happened that evening. Varian sat there for a long moment and then locked himself in his room. Both Ruddiger and I failed to get him to eat. And I went to bed uneasily that night.

This went in for a couple days. Varian spent all day in his lab. He wouldn't talk or eat, and I doubted he slept either. He didn't want to talk to me, or, for a while, even see me. But I could hear him yelling from his lab at night.

After some time, he showed me how he translated this graphtic scroll. When I asked him where he'd found it, he told me he'd taken it from his father's chest in his room. I didn't get an answer for why he showed me.

I felt like he was planning something sinister. Even how he acted was different. He was darker and more...I don't know. Bitter. Spiteful, I supposed. I wouldn't put it past people like that to plan something absolutely sinister.

But then again...this is Varian.

And that wasn't even the worst of it.

. . .

One night, as I was about to enter Varian's lab, I heard a loud crash from the front door. 

Three...five sets if footsteps. I ran for the basement. Looking over my shoulder, I saw a figure tear after me, breaking away from their group. I turned for the back door. If they weren't going to find Varian, best not to lead them to him. But then, of course, I tripped.

I didn't really hear anything after that. Someone grabbed me by the arm and dragged me to my feet. I was pulled out of my home and out onto the cold, wrecked streets of Old Corona.

And then I looked up at his face.

"It's you."

Nickolas glanced at me, then scowled. "Yeah."

"What are you doing here?" I asked. "Why are-"

"Do you or do you not know about a graphtic that-"

"Graphtic? No. Why would I know about anything like that?" I fibbed.

His eyes searched my face. "Don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying. Anyways, I'd like to know what gives you the right to-"

"Orders," he shrugged. "Now come on, we don't have time to stand around."

"What kind of orders?" I demanded, trying to pull myself free.

"I don't have to share that with you," he hissed.

"Well you could at least have been a little bit gentler," I argued. "No one simply breaks into someone's house and basically kidnaps them, never mind a child."

"Like you would know, street rat." The insult had been halfheartedly thrown. "And like I've said, we have to get going now."

A cry rang out from home. It sounded like Varian. I desperately tried to break free. "Varian!"

"Oh, he'll be fine. They won't kill him," the guard said carelessly, pinning my wrists behind my back. I heard a click and felt cold, smooth metal against my skin. Long enough and they would chafe. "Anyways, that could have been completely unnecessary. I guess I'll be taking you back to the castle."

"And?" I asked.

"'And'?" he imitated mockingly. "And what?"

"Then what?" I repeated.

"I dunno," he shrugged. "We're never told much of this stuff."

"So royal guards are basically just the kingdom's-?" I stopped.

"Shut it," he growled, yanking me in the direction of the castle.

I decided to follow along. "So I'm right?"

"No. No, no. We were told some. And of course we can always assume. But that doesn't mean I'm going to tell you."

"Yeah, whatever," I sighed. "Glad to know you want me to think you're useless. Then again-"

"Shut up."

"Like I said, this is what happened when-"

"Oh, fu-"

And everything went black.

. . .

I woke up in a small room on something soft. Looking out a window told me it had become nighttime. The room I was in seemed like a basic bedroom. There was a bedside table next to me and a chair across the room. I realized just then that I was sitting on a bed.

What had happened? I'd remembered the most important parts. Being taken from my home. And then getting knocked out. And Nickolas Chance. What were the odds I'd seen him so many times since he left Old Corona? Frankly, I hoped he would just stay out of my life instead o-

The door swung open and something hit me on the head. A bright red apple dropped into my open hand and I looked up just in time to see a lock of walnut brown hair leave the doorway. Speak of the devil.

"What was that for?" I called. "You've already knocked me out twice already. S'pose you thought you might as well do it again?"

"Do you or do you not want something to eat?" he asked rhetorically from the other side of the door. "I stole that from the kitchen, y'know."

"Well glad to know you're thoughtful," I decided.

"Yeah yeah...whatever..."

"Hey, where am I?" I sat straight up again, my eyes fixed on the doorway.

"I'm not supposed to talk to you," he answered.

"Well you're doing a pretty good job of that right now."

Silence.

"Okay then. " I shook my head and bit into the apple. "Whatever..."

. . .

After that event, everything seemed to return to...well, not normal. But a structure. If I could even call it that. I wasn't allowed to leave the room in what I soon found out was the castle. Nickolas-or sometimes another guard-left some food three times a day. And I couldn't talk to anyone.

Pretty soon, I realized I could climb out the window and drop down into a tree in the courtyard. It was in the back of the castle, and quite a beautiful place at that. I spent my evenings-after I was supposed to be asleep-in that area. I sometimes got back before anyone realized I was gone. The other times, I was caught, warned, and locked back in the room.

I wanted desperately to know the reason for all this. Why was I stuck here? I hadn't been arrested. I would be in the dungeons then. And I wasn't a guest. I was trapped in a room.

Nickolas was...an interesting individual, to say the least. And half my time was spent wondering about what he did and why he did those things. He'd stolen an apple for me. He'd also dragged me to the castle and knocked me out. I assumed he'd punched me in the face or something similar, but I didn't feel any aching. I assumed he'd treated it for me or something.

I doubted he felt bad. He didn't act like it, anyways. But he was thoughtful enough, I supposed. Well, that was until he disappeared.

And finally, what happened to Varian? I couldn't go find him-unless I wanted to get caught by someone other than Nickolas Chance and probably get arrested for real. Or worse, get Varian in trouble. He was alone and, as far as I knew, hurt. How hurt, I had no idea. Nickolas had said he wasn't dead. But what did that mean? And...what of Quirin?

Least to say, my time in the room wasn't as drab as it seemed.