Shadow of the Unicorn

Chapter 9

"It is time Lady," said the servant as he stood boldly before his mistress, "the lad has fully recovered physically and emotionally, and he begins to grow restless in this continuing limbo. He must be allowed to make his decision."

She intently studied the man before her, little knowing how to answer him, for she knew almost nothing of that which he asked. A collection of old stories, a few hints hidden in the writings of her predecessors, and the little he had told her upon her assumption of this position were all she knew of what he asked. She hated to lose the most promising Student to come to Astoria in the last century, but there was no doubt this lad's life was tangled up in far greater things; she had no choice. She nodded solemnly and said, "do as you must, for I know little enough of the matter. My servants are yours to command and the Keep is at your disposal." He bowed deeply and excused himself from her presence; she smiled wryly at his retreating back, for it seemed there were things to which even the Lady of Astoria was not privy.

Jace was just shutting the door of the room he now shared with Adan, Jay having been assigned a new roommate in his absence, when a Warrior suddenly loomed over him. The boy blanched in surprise but hastily offered the requisite courtesies before trying to dart past the man, lest he be late for class, but the man put a steadying hand on his shoulder and said, "easy lad, you will be coming with me." The boy paled again, had he done something wrong? The man smiled, "you are not in trouble, at least that I am aware of, though my orders are certainly strange, but obey them we must. Put your things away and accompany me to the dungeons."

Jace frowned in consternation, the dungeon?! But he immediately obeyed, following in the Warrior's wake, resigned to his fate like one condemned to the gallows, his mind reeling with terror and excitement. They came silently to the door leading down to the dungeons to find the strange servant awaiting them. He said to the Warrior, "make sure no one is lurking about down there and then return to me to ward the door. No one is to go in or out for three days." Jace did not like the sound of this at all. His mind raced, trying to determine what he had done to deserve three days in the dungeons.

Once the man had vanished down the stairs and the door was firmly shut behind him, the servant turned to Jace and said, "fear not lad, you are not in trouble, rather you have an important decision to make and must do so undisturbed. You will find a water jug, candles, a copy of the Truth, and a chair in one of the cells below. Lock yourself in for a time of prayer, fasting, and meditation. I cannot tell you what this is about, not yet, but that you will soon discover for yourself."

The guard returned saying there was no one below. The servant nodded, ordered the man to stand guard, and motioned for the boy to do as he had been bidden. Jace exchanged a puzzled look with the guard but immediately descended and secured himself in the prepared cell, glancing about ruefully at his strange predicament, wondering what on earth was going on. With a shrug, he knelt in the straw and began to pray. An old barrel sat off to one side, Brie raised the lid slightly, glanced about, smiled eagerly, and then resumed her hiding place, determined to discover what it was the Lady and that odd servant intended for her confused brother.

There was no way to measure time in that place, and for Briane, the wait was interminable, and as the hours passed in excruciating slowness, she sorely wished that she had chosen a less cramped hiding place. Jace had no idea what to expect, but soon lost himself in his prayers, becoming unaware of anything else around him. The tales in those mysterious books echoed in the back of his mind while he tried to focus on the matter at hand. Brie was convinced she had already been secreted in that barrel for three days, though it was closer to twelve hours, when she decided to have another peek and see if there was any sense in her brother allowing himself to be hidden away in this miserable basement for so long. She lifted the lid to glance about, saw a brilliant flash of light, and then the entire barrel, girl and all, toppled over and there was nothing but darkness.