The Wizard's Misery The Chronicles of the Midlands Book One

Chapter Nineteen

Brandon wiped his sword off on the grass and then replaced it in his scabbard. Then both he and Celine walked over to where the fire was scattered and burning out and they began to straighten up their little camp. "Are you alright?" Brandon asked giving her an appraising look.

"I'm fine," she answered as she picked up her cloak and blanket and shook them out. She spread the cloak on the ground and then sat down tiredly with the blanket wrapped around her.

"You fought really well," Brandon complemented her, taking a piece of wood and pushing the logs from the fire back into a pile. "You can cover my back anytime," he told her smiling.

She sat there quietly for a few minutes. "Why did we let them go?" she curiously asked.

"Well, it's not exactly like I can take them to the authorities. I'm a known traitor and they'd lock me up instead," he said and smiled at her. "So, there really wasn't any other choice."

"Oh, that's right. Sorry. I keep forgetting," she said apologetically. She watched him quietly as he worked to get the fire going, thinking over the battle they had just fought. Fighting those attackers had been different than the friendly duels that she had fought in the past and she wondered if she would be able to kill another person to save her own life.

Her hair reflected the moon light and Brandon could barely see her but, none the less, he could tell from the set of her shoulders that something was wrong. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked her concerned.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I know that they were trying to kill us but I've never hurt anyone before," she explained. "I've only ever fought against my father and Robin."

"Oh," he said slowly. "Well, you did what you needed to and nothing more. You could've killed that man you knocked out, but you chose not to. So, you did the right thing." She nodded her head and sat there quietly as he finished rebuilding the fire.

"I don't know if I could ever a kill a man," she confided. "Have you ever had to kill man before?" she asked him.

He stood up and walked over to where his blanket lay strewn in the grass and picking it up, he wrapped it around himself and then sat down next to her in front of the fire. "So far I've been lucky and haven't had to. But, if I ever needed to do it to save my life or one of my friends lives, I'd do it," he explained to her. "Sometimes you're just forced into doing things that you don't want to do."

"What about Maledictor? Would you kill him if given the chance?" she asked curiously.

"I want him to be brought to justice to pay for the crimes he's committed. I'd like to see him publicly executed. So, if given the chance for that to happen, that would be my first choice," he answered. "But, if I were in a situation where he was trying to kill me or someone I cared about, I wouldn't hesitate to kill him," he told her honestly.

She nodded her head and gave him a small smile. "Some people would take matters into their own hands and just outright kill the person who had killed their father. I think that makes you an honorable man."

"Thank you. But, make no mistake. I do want to see him dead. He deserves to die before he hurts anymore people." Celine nodded her head in agreement and they sat quietly for a few minutes.

"Who is Beau Jackman? You said that you thought he was the one who had sent those assassins," she asked him curiously.

"Beau Jackman is the traitor who killed Pete Littleton, Robin's contact in Central City. He was the one that was originally supposed to be the courier, not you," Brandon explained as Celine looked at him and nodded. "He'll have to be dealt with." Then he sat there thinking for a few moments. "There's no way they could've known that we were here without using magic," he said thoughtfully. "I hate magic."