A Sorceress From the Future

Chapter Eleven

Luke examined the vessel with extreme scrutiny. It was at its usual place, glowing remarkably in the dirty, dimly lit room. The green light was blinding but not to Luke. Luke had grown immune to its brilliance, grown accustomed to this eerie glow. The glow that kept his people safe.

It was still here.

The vessel was the only object that could kill magical creatures. Mages have been after it for centuries. Luke’s great grandfather had acquired it during the Sema war. Apparently, the vessel had been provided by the gods as a means of protecting humans. It was a way to ensure they do not abuse their power. The vessel lived among creatures and for a while everything was peaceful between humans and mages. Any creature who attempted to harm humans would be robbed of their powers. Their human forms would immediately shrivel and die. The process was painful. The vessel was a mage’s worst nightmare. With time, however, a group of rebels hatched a plan to destroy the vessel. They were tired of treating humans as their equals, it was their land and they did not wish to share it. And thus, began the Sema war. Human settlements had been annihilated, lives destroyed. It had been a m******e. Luke’s great grandfather and his army fought brazenly against the group of magical rebels but they were powerless; mere mortals. One mage, the protector of the vessel, smuggled the glowing object to Luke’s great grandfather. In a fit of rage, Luke’s great-grandfather had slain the mage vowing to obliterate every magical creature alive using the vessel. He was hell bent on avenging his murdered wife. 

His obsession had killed him.

Now, Chi was the only safe haven for humans and it was because of this glowing vessel. Without it, they were helpless. The magical creatures were out for their blood and the only barrier sat in a dingy chamber within the palace walls. Why risk coming to Chi if they were not after the vessel? Why take Baric? Unless…

“My Prince, this is Topha, he was the one on duty tonight…”

Luke bobbed his head and signaled for the servant to leave them. He did not want to cause panic among the people. He would delay the news of his brother’s kidnapping until it was inevitable. Hopefully he would have found Baric by that time.

“What did you see?”

Luke swirled around to view Topha. He was currently hiding from the brilliant green light that was emanating from the vessel.

“Magnificent isn’t it? The only thing keeping Chi safe yet they came here and did not attempt to steal it…why?”

Topha tried to speak but no word escaped his mouth. He was still recovering from what he had experienced. Until now, he was not sure why they had left him alive. Perhaps they had wanted the king or the prince to know about the ordeal. A way of rattling them and the whole kingdom.

“Take a deep breath and tell me what you saw…”

Topha let out a misty sigh, the magical effect had yet to wear off. Luke caught sight of the guard’s mist draped breath. His eyes widened a fraction.

They had left him alive.

Why? To relay a message? Since when were those vile creatures merciful? Something was not right.

“There were two wizards…one could make things float while the other had the ability to…”

Topha hesitated, he was not sure how to explain what he had encountered.

“To do what guard?”

“Well, to take your breath away, literally…”

“What did they do?”

“Well I was doing my rounds…It is my first day on the job-“

“Today was your first shift?”

Topha meekly bobbed his head, a shadow of a smile appearing on his lips.

“I was thrilled. We had just finished our training when I was beckoned aside by the captain. Manning the border is the biggest guarding responsibility there is-“

“Topha as much as I would love to hear this part of the story, my brother’s life is hanging on the balance here so what did you see?”

Topha closed his eyes momentarily. His hands were still trembling, he failed to calm them. Topha’s loath for magical creatures heightened, he hated how weak he currently felt.

“At first I thought that the mist was my imagination or maybe a farce orchestrated at my expense by my friends but then…then my body began floating. I tried to scream for help but then I…I couldn’t speak. Suddenly I was choking, trying to gulp for air. My eyes stung and my chest…it was like a fire had been lit there. The pain was consuming and deliberately slow. I couldn’t breathe and then it just stopped…”

“What do you mean it just stopped?”

“I mean, I stopped breathing…”

“But you are alive?”

Topha opened and closed his mouth successively. He also did not know how or more importantly why that was.

“What happened next?”

“My mind is still groggy but I recall feeling cold, very cold…I was trembling and I could not feel my limbs. At first I thought I had died and joined the spirit world but I was very much alive…”

“Where, where did you wake up?”

“The same place I lost consciousness…”

Luke let out a breathy sigh as he ran a hand frustratingly through his tangled hair. The interrogation was of no use, he had just affirmed what he already knew. The Ninth Order had infiltrated Chi and taken his brother.

And the girl.

But what if the girl had been a part of it? Perhaps Baric was the target all along. Luke knew his father would give up the vessel in a heartbeat if it meant he could salvage his son’s life. Still, why take Baric when they would have taken the vessel instead? Granted, it was well hidden. They would have never found it on their own. Luke scratched his scalp; something was not right about this whole ordeal.

“So, the Captain assigned you to guard the border during a feast? Is that…normal?”

Topha considered the question for a while before shaking his head. He would admit to feeling offended by the inquiry. He had, after all, performed better in the training than the rest of the recruits. Still, the prince had a point. He should not have been manning the border during a feast. People usually got drunk and reckless throwing vigilance to the wind. A more experienced guard should have been stationed at the border not him. 

“That will be all, thank you…guard. Not a word of this you hear?”

Topha left the room swiftly after muttering a quiet ‘yes’. He was careful not to look at the vessel directly. He couldn’t help but admire the prince’s blatant tolerance to pain. He wished he had been more like that. Topha had heard rumors of the younger prince being missing. He was sure the sorcerers had taken him but he would not dare share his thoughts. Not until an official announcement was made.

The question was, what did they plan to do with Prince Baric? Topha swallowed, he had heard about the Sema war. He shuddered at the possibility of its reawakening.