Wizard's Price

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Two trips into Luceria Ostia on the same day was unheard of for Rune. Lerion had apparently been slightly more sociable, but Rune was not. So when Boreas and Jenifry were informed that the Great Wizard had returned so soon after his visit, they were immediately concerned that something was wrong. Having just heard that the river was almost made poisonous, they were worried that maybe something had gone wrong and people would start getting hurt.

Rune was shown back into their study, but neither of them were in it. They had just finished eating and had to come here from the other side of the palace. Which meant he had some time.

While he waited – and Sen started eating from a tray of cheeses set down for her and Rune to enjoy – he asked one of the servants to fetch the treaty.

The young man hadn't heard of the Preta Accord. Rune explained that he needed someone with access to the royal archives to go down and find the oldest document stored there. It would be a parchment that hadn't weathered nearly so badly as the others around it. He explained that he needed it rather quickly.

The boy bowed and ran off to fetch the keeper of the archives.

That left Rune and Sen alone in the work room. He was tired. He wanted to go to sleep. He had worked through worse before. So he yawned and picked up one of the cheese cubes set down for them. At least they were offering him food. He hadn't had the chance to eat yet. It was easier to work through fatigue than hunger, in his opinion.

"What do you suppose the king and queen will say?" Sen asked curiously.

"They'll be reasonable," Rune said confidently. "I just have to explain what's happening and why. They know I wouldn't do anything bad to her. Ah, that reminds me. I'll have to have a room made up for her in the tower. I suppose she can have my old room."

Sen hummed thoughtfully as she nibbled on her cheese. Rune did nearly the same thing as he nibbled on his while he tried to mentally determine what she would need. What sort of things did females require, anyway? He'd have to ask Chaz when he got back.

A bed. Certainly a bed. Everyone needed a bed. A dresser. Those were obvious. A looking glass, maybe? Rune had one that he kept in one of the halls of the tower, but females liked to set their hair and faces. Right? He had no real idea. He probably should have spent more time socializing as a child.

Ugh. Why must things be so difficult?

The king and queen found him before the servant boy returned with the Accord. Rune looked over as the concerned Boreas walked inside. He frowned at his wizard, concerned.

"Rune? What is it? What's wrong?"

"Is something happening to the river?" Jenifry asked from just a step behind him. Her hands were wringing in worry. She was right to be concerned. The river was the life of Luceria Ostia. Without it, the people would quickly die.

However-

"The river is just fine," he assured her. "The spell I cast has finished dissipating and all the toxins have been removed. Everything is going well. I'm not here because of that."

Jenifry let out a breath of relief as she walked around to sit on the couch. She saw Sen eating cheese and her immediate reaction to cry out was quickly stifled. She knew that the jerboa was Rune's familiar, but it was still odd to see a rodent eating on her low table.

Boreas, unlike his wife, didn't look relieved. He instead looked more concerned. If it wasn't the river that brought Rune back so quickly, then that meant that something else was going wrong. What could be so terrible that Rune needed to speak to the king before he acted?