AEONS: THE GODS ARE DAMNED

Chapter 20

After the unexpected early morning duel, Chase trudged to his room; he wasn’t surprised that Ralnor was able to enter the room even after the layers of protection was meant to keep anyone out; he didn’t expect to lose a fight after he boosted himself with magic. He picked the books he had studied and returned it to the library.
“You read all this in one night?” the librarian asked in surprise.
“Aeons learn fast”
“Still…it is impossible to learn everything, did you even read it?”
“I just skimmed through, it stuck pretty quickly”
The librarian looked at him like he grew new heads, “If Lord Haemir…”
Chase interrupted, “Haemir won’t find out, just give a new set of books”
The librarian stood, she returned the books to their respective spaces and came back with 5 new books. “I hope you spend the entire week reading this set”
Chase smiled, “Expect me tomorrow” he took the books and walked out of the library.
As he turned out of the library to the hall, he collided with someone; a collective ‘Ow’ was said by both and they both bent to pick up the books that scattered across the floor.
“Am so so sorry”, Chase quickly said
“ ‘Tis ok”, the female voice said as she picked helped him pick the books
Chase paused, “No it’s not, am clumsy, like I was the other day”, he said when he found out that it was Hycis.
“I ran into you” she said and Chase smiled
“Using my tactics against me, Milady?”
They stood and she returns his books, “No, am just being a Lady” She said and walked into the library; Chase watched as she left with a smile on his face, he shook his head and entered the library with her.
He joined her among the shelves, “No need to play the lady, Lady Hycis”
“Just Hycis, I kind of hate the lady thing”, Chase laughed softly; she picked a book and her eye caught the cover of the book Chase was holding, “Apparition for seniors”, and faced him.
“I have been practicing”
“Apparition is quite dangerous on the castle grounds”
“I will be careful”
“But there is somewhere I could show you…that is if”
“Where?” He quickly asked in anticipation, She smiled and returned the book she held as she took a new one.
“You are through with that?” Chase asked surprised
“Yes”
“I thought that was an advanced book for transmutation” Chase marveled as they walked out of the library.
“I am talented, things tend to stuck easily for me”
“Trust me I understand”, he verified with a nod.’ 
She took him to a wing in the castle he has never gotten to before and they descended down flights of stairs. At the end of the staircase was a hall that leads to a hidden cellar. The hall was illuminated with torches.
“How did you find this place?” Chase said in surprise as they walked into the cellar; Hycis closed the cellar’s door.
“I loved hide and seek, and since Haemir and his brothers has very keen sense of smell, this was the only place they couldn’t find me” She explained.
“Wow” Chase said as he looked around the cellar; it had about 5 dummies, all of which are target practice; a rack of bows stood at a corner; at the west side of the cellar, two huge boxes were placed; it looked like numerous arrows were shot at the boxes’ top, but the side of the boxes showed lights leaking from within them.
“What are those?” He pointed to them
“My experiments, the reason I have been reading on transmutation and subjective enchantments” She replied as she walked up to it; she plucked one of the arrows out of the first box; the arrow’s tip glowed with a blue aura and it had an icy look and chill. Cold steam rose from its tip.
She took a self-bow from the rack and nocks the arrow; she took aim at one of the dummies and fired. The arrow flew across the cellar and hit the dummy; the instant the arrow touched the dummy’s body, ice spread across its body like wild fire. The dummy froze into an ice statue within seconds.
“Wow” He was mind blown, “That…was incredible”
“Thank you” She said with a smile as she faced him
“What about the second box?” He pointed, “You don’t mind, right?”
“Not at all” She picked an arrow out of the second box; the arrow’s tip glowed with a red aura and it had a very hot look. Hot smoke rose from its tip.
“I think I know…” Before he could finish the words she shot the frozen dummy and it exploded in a frenzy of fire and steam. Chase stood shocked.
She looked at him and giggled at the look on his face, “You look like you just saw something impossible”
“You are brilliant” He said even though he hasn’t closed his gaping mouth. She looked down at her bow shyly and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.
“That’s it…” Chase suddenly shouted, she looked at him confused, “You are brilliant, Hycis, you are perfect” He said before he ran out of the cellar, Hycis ran to the door confused as she watched him run up the flights of stairs like he was trying to escape from a wild forest fire.
*******
Chase ran through the corridors, servants moved out of his way and guards didn’t stop him. He headed for Haemir’s room or more like Haemir’s quarters; it seemed like Haemir owned an entire part of the castle to himself and several guards and servants that attend to his needs.
Chase slides to a stop at the door to Haemir’s lounge; two guards stood at the door.
“Do you have an appointment with…” one of the guards asked but Chase interrupted him.
“I don’t need one, except you wish to explain to him the very reason am to be locked out, I suggest you both stand down”
“We have strict orders…”
“I don’t care; his orders are yours to follow so stand down or am going to give you a practical of what I taste in the woods every morning”
The guards sighed and gave him passage.
He stepped into Haemir’s lounge and froze; the place was about twice the size of most apartments; the sitting room was quite large and had a gold and red theme. Shelves of books lined the walls; a dragon symbol was carved into a part of the wall.
He called out Haemir’s name but got no response; he walked round the lounge, the sitting room, bedroom, as he was back at the sitting room, he saw Haemir come out of a hidden passage in the wall.
“I have been looking everywhere”
“I heard, I could literally hear your loud footsteps as you ran through the castle” Haemir said
“Sorry”
“You came to see me… what’s it about?”
“Oh yes that, I think I will need a paper and pen…or quill”
Haemir clenched his jaw and motioned for Chase to come closer; he stood in front of the wall; “This might not worth my time, so we will talk in my hidden cellar”, his claws protracted and he stuck it into the dragon carving on the wall; with several turns the wall split open.
“I would have never thought”
“I like my privacy” He said and led Chase down flights of stairs and the wall closed by itself.
The staircase led to a hidden room, it was illuminated with torches and candles. Equipments were strewed across the tables in the room; it looked like a medieval workshop.
“You work here?” Chase asked amazed; he walked around checking the objects and inventions.
“I spend most of my time here; I have been doing a lot of things but am stuck on a certain one…” He explained as Chase walked up to a table that held large papers holding construction plans for a weapon, “…what was so important that you had to disturb me, Chase?” Haemir asked as Chase stared at the plans.
Chase picked one up and turned to Haemir showing it to him, “This…I came to explain how this could be created”
Haemir chuckled and walked up to him; he collected the paper and folded it as he returned it to the pile of paper, “This is just a fantasy I couldn’t make possible”
“That is a gun” Chase said and Haemir froze;
“What did you just say?”
"A gun”
“How did you know its name?” Haemir asked in surprise
“I should be asking you how you even knew stuff like that existed”
Haemir dropped the plan on the table and it unrolls itself, he sat at the edge of the table, “Your father, he tried to explain this…powerful weapon that could bring down target with incredible speed and unexplainable accuracy, but no matter how I try…”
“That is because you are trying to create a weapon from a modern age in a medieval era…that is a huge jump in technology” Chase said as he walked to the table; he smoothes the paper, “All you need is…a pair of eyes from the future”
“What do you mean?” Haemir said as he turned to face Chase.
"A gun is useless without gunpowder”
“Gunpowder”
“Yeah, ever heard of it?” Chase asked
“No”
Chase sighed, “We have a long way to go”