The Prophecy of Moonlight

Chapter 6

Over the week, Lucius's skills had improved greatly. He was able to make a potion correctly and had started lessons in healing. His skill was apparent in sword fighting and performing magic, but Al and Mr. Reynolds continued to help him build endurance and control. At one point, Al decided that Lucius was ready to use a real sword. Lucius came into the practice fighting arena as always. He glanced over at a big crate that Al had placed on the floor. A creature inside grunted and moved about in the crate.

Greeting Al, Lucius pointed at the crate and asked, "What's in there?"

"A bull," answered Al. He handed Lucius a real sword. "Thought we should try some actual fighting."

Lucius looked down at the shiny blade of the sword and then at the moving crate. "What do you mean? I have to kill it?" he asked, horrified.

"Yeah. Don't worry. It's going to go to the kitchen anyways," said Al.

Lucius shook his head, but Al didn't notice. He walked over to the crate and saying, "Get ready!" he opened the crate and the bull charged out. Al safely got out of the way and the bull ran towards Lucius. Alarmed, he leaped out of the way just in time to avoid the beast's hooves. But, the bull just turned around and came at him again.

"Use the sword and cut him down," shouted Al.

But Lucius couldn't. He couldn't kill. As the bull charged at him, Lucius stood his ground. He concentrated on the bull, staring at it in its wild eyes. Then, the eyes closed and the bull slumped down.

"What did you do?" asked Al, shocked.

"Put it to sleep," answered Lucius.

Al scoffed. "You can't expect to win a sword fight if you can't kill your opponent. Either you kill them or they kill you."

But Lucius wouldn't listen. It isn't right. He looked away when Al grabbed the sword from him and finished the bull off.

"I'm sorry," said Lucius, his eyes cast down, "I just can't do it."

He got up and left. Walking alone, he felt sick. There was no way he was going to kill. It just wasn't in him. There were other ways to defeat your opponent; death wasn't the only option. Lucius shook the thoughts out of his head. He stopped walking, not sure where he was going. Maybe I'll go visit Aaqil. After traversing the maze for a week, Lucius was able to find his way around. It really wasn't as hard as it had seemed on the first day. Soon, he was standing in front of the door of Aaqil's office. He raised his hand to knock, but the muffled sound of voices stopped him. He began to walk away, unwilling to intrude on the company of others, but when he heard his name, he turned back and put his ear to the door to listen.

"....Lucius is doing very well. His mentors say he is especially potent at the sword and magic," came Aaqil's voice.

"Yes, yes, that's all very well and everything, but the other boy, Cole, seems to be showing much promise, too. He's excelling in the dark arts," came a voice that Lucius was unfamiliar with.

"I see. But, what was it that you said you must talk urgently to me about, Devon?" asked Aaqil.

"Well," relied the man named Devon, "the night before last, I had gone travelling because I'd been called away by an ailing friend of mine. That was the same night you brought this boy, Lucius, here. The thing is that, the night that I was away, Sephiran made his next move. He murdered King Wilhelm. The king's dead, Aaqil."

Lucius felt the atmosphere in the room grow heavy with silence. Sephiran killed the king?

"But....How do the people not know? There would be total chaos," replied the appalled Aaqil.

"Sephiran has kept it quiet. The entire castle is infiltrated with his men. Except me, but he doesn't know that."

"The king....dead. This is grave news indeed."

"But, there's more. The king has no heir. And Sephiran is very powerful in the Royal Castle right now. Every man in there serves him."

"Then, he'll surely claim the throne himself. This is much worse than I thought," said Aaqil, gravely.

"Most certainly. Though I don't know why he hasn't done so already."

"No, I think I know why. This Cole, if he really has the power that you say, Sephiran will put him on the throne. Only, he'll be the one actually controlling him. I thank you for this news, as grave as it may be. Will you stay for some tea? You have a long journey ahead of you."

"Oh, no, no. I'm not much for tea. I should start heading on my way. Goodbye, Aaqil."

"Goodbye. Safe travels," replied Aaqil.

As he heard footsteps approaching the door, Lucius realized that he was about to be revealed. But there was nowhere to hide or go. Just as the door opened, Lucius dropped a scrap of paper that had been in his pocket and bent over as though he were just innocently picking it up. Devon stood in the doorway. He wore dark clothing and had a stern, snarky face.

"Oh, what have we here? You must be Lucius. What do you think you're doing, eavesdropping?" he said in a malicious voice.

"No, sir. I just came to see Aaqil," replied Lucius, trying not to look guilty and concealing his own disgust at the man's attitude.

"I just came to see Aaqil," he said mockingly in a squeaky voice not at all like Lucius's. "Refrain from dropping things in front of people's doors next time, boy." With this, he added a menacing look and left.

Lucius walked into the office, mad at himself for not having found a better excuse and at the man for his mocking. He found Aaqil staring at him, a twinkle in his eyes. Lucius took a seat.

"So, you came to see me?" asked Aaqil.

"Yes, sir," answered Lucius.

"How much did you hear?" asked Aaqil in an amused tone.

"From when you talked about me and Cole to the king's murder," said Lucius, shamefacedly.

With a faint smile, Aaqil said, "You know, when I was your age, I had a thing for eavesdropping. When you hear your name, you have to know what's being said. But, I will warn you that some conversations are not meant to be for such a young boy's ears."

"I understand," said Lucius, grateful that he wouldn't be scolded.

"It actually helps our conversation. I meant to talk to you about it because it changes our plans. The man you just met is Devon, the informant in the castle pretending to be a member of the Council of Midnight. His information is most valuable as it gives us an inside eye into Sephiran's moves."

Lucius thought of the man. He certainly seemed like he could fit in with a dark magic association.

Interpreting Lucius's look, Aaqil chuckled, "No, Devon is trustworthy. His personality may not be so....friendly, but he's a good man."

He got down to business. "Due to the murder of King Wilhelm, things have drastically sped up. We need to acquire the Sword of Moonlight as soon as we can. Tomorrow, you and a group of certain skilled wizards will head off to the Wrololk Caverns to retrieve the sword. It is said to be located there. But, the thing is that it's protected by a creature. We know not what creature this is or what else guards the sword's resting place. Do you think you are ready for a quest?"

Lucius didn't say anything for a while. A quest? The proposition scared him but also thrilled him. "Yes, sir. I think so."

"I believe so, too. You have shown tremendous power and if anything should go wrong, you will be with trained wizards to help you. I am sorry to have you rush into this, but time is of the essence. We must fulfill the prophecy, and you are the one to do this. I advise that you get some sleep now. You will be woken up early tomorrow and head off on your journey."

"Yes, sir." Lucius pushed his chair back and left the office, going to his room. He lay in bed for a while, thinking about what was to come. But then, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.