Secrets of Magic (Soul of Magic Book 3)

EIGHT

In all his long years of knowing her, Karl had never thought that anything about Kyra could shock him; and it was understandable in fact. He’d watched her grow up as a child, being there as a friend when she started to understand the world; he’d even been a sort of surrogate father figure when she started to grow apart from her foster parents and began to consult him on matters as regarded her future. In summary, the commander believed he knew that everything that was to be known about the young lady in front of him.

But wasn’t so and the fact that it wasn’t so by such a tremendous development was what rendered Karl utterly dumbfounded. "What!" he gasped, his feet suddenly feeling too tired to handle his weight and he had to sit down. “Are you serious, my lady?” he asked again. "I mean, how is it even possible that you're the Soul of magic?"

"My magic wasn't strong enough to be detected when I was a child so it was easy for me to hide it then," Kyra explained to him. "But it got pretty unpredictable as I grew older, which was the reason why I had to leave my uncle and aunt and in the manner I did too, living here was just too risky for me. I met Lucian on the road and he took me to a man who helped me understand who I was and what I was meant to do. Well, I guess you already know the rest of the story about the Soul of magic."

And know the rest of the story about the Soul of magic, Karl did; everyone in the realm did actually. The Soul of magic was as popular as anyone got in the realm: a force to be reckoned with, an unstoppable witch whose power rivaled that nature itself.

But that popularity was exactly the problem the commander was having with wrapping the revelation round his head. Thing is, no matter how he tried, Karl just couldn’t reconcile the powerful fearful witch he'd heard of in the stories of the Soul of magic with the beautiful woman, the Duchess-to-be, in front of him. The Kyra he saw was the still same one he'd known since she had come to live and grow up in Everon. A kind-hearted girl, smart, maybe a little secretive but never malicious. And that just didn’t fit with those qualities he thought when the so-called Soul of magic was brought up within his hearing.

"Well, if you're really the Soul of magic, then why are you here?" he finally decided to ask. "I mean, last I heard, the Soul of magic was now the Head witch of the realm. Couldn’t the magical community you rule over help you stop these men after your life?"

"They can," she replied, a gloomy expression suddenly on her face as she recalled the past events. "But I can’t be the Soul of magic or the Head witch of the realm right now. I lost my power, taken from me when a High witch whom I wrongly trusted attacked and almost killed me. I’m defenseless, and that's why I need your help."

"I truly am sorry for your predicament, Kyra. But as you know, I have no magical capacity or experience," he said to her. "How can I help you?"

"Karl, all I need from you is to fight in defense of me, just like you would have done before you knew who I really was," she replied him. "You see, I have a plan to stop the witch who betrayed me from carrying out any of her evil plans. But to put that plan fully in motion, I had to send in a friend to infiltrate the Blessed Isle, which included giving her a crucial information about myself, about where I would be."

Karl stopped up slowly, his mind in shock once again as realisation dawned upon him. "You led those men here on purpose!" he said.

“Yes.” Kyra sighed when she saw the displeased look on the commander’s face; he wasn’t happy at the revelation at all. "Karl, I’m sorry,” she quickly said before he gave in to the anger already developing in his eyes. “I'll admit it wasn't the best of plans, but it was the only plan I had at the time and I was desperate. This is the only place that I know will protect me and my pursuers wouldn't see as a trap."

Karl sighed and began to pace up and down the room. The reality of the situation weighed him down and he began to feel every one of his fifty-two years of age. He was at a crossroad. On one hand were his people whom he had to protect from the Soul of magic and her problems. But on the other was the young Duchess-to-be whom he loved and had sworn an oath to his late lord to help ascend her rightful place.

“There’s only one thing to do here.” The commander turned towards the soldier still stamding at the door. "Jurgen, gather the men and tell them to get ready for battle.”

"And what about me?" Kyra asked him, her eyes telling him that she understood whatever decision he'd arrived at.

"Well, my lady, I made a promise to my late lord, to help and protect you however I can as long as I live," he replied. "So, if those men want to get to you, they'll have to go through me first."

***

The sun was about to begin its final journey towards setting when Kyra, Lucian, Karl and Jurgen rode out to meet the intruders with about three hundred men behind them; that was all the commander could spare without leaving the town almost defenseless. Plus their enemies weren't all that many and taking more men than necessary was just sheer foolishness, they all agreed.

Initially, Karl had planned for Kyra to stay behind in Everon with Jurgen as her protector while he and Lucian rode out to face the intruders. But Soul of magic had refused so vehemently that the commander had to have a rethink. "I may be a lot of things, Karl, but I'm no coward," she said to him. "Besides, my plan didn't include you doing all the fighting and I just letting you do it."

"But I agree with the Commander, Kyra," Lucian countered. "You don't have your power anymore. This battle will be different from any other you’ve been in. You can get injured, or even worse, end up dead."

"Nevertheless, I'm going," she insisted. "It's either you let me go with you or none of us go at all. Your choice."

Crazy as it was, even though Kyra was the Soul of magic, she also happened to be the Duchess-to-be of Everon by virtue of her late foster father's decree, which meant that her word held as much power as Karl's; perhaps even more. If she said that no one was going to go out and fight the incoming intruders unless she went with them, then no one would go out.

And that was why the three of them were riding out altogether.

"Stay here and wait for my signal," Karl commanded the men as they got into the thick of the forest. "The lady, her protector and I will ride ahead."

Just as Karl, Lucian and Kyra rode out of the forest, they saw hundred men marching forward on horsebacks; just as Jurgen had reported.

“No!" Lucian groaned all of a sudden when he saw them.

"What is it?" Kyra and Karl asked almost simultaneously.

"The men," he replied, pointing ahead. "I assumed they'll be the Protectors, but they're not."

And in truth, they weren't. Everything about the incoming men differed greatly from that of the Protectors; from their armours and weapons which were made of iron instead of steel unlike the Protectors, to their looks which held none of the discipline and respect Lucian had instilled in Null soldiers. Those men were definitely nothing like the Protectors and that didn't sit well with Lucian, not even one bit.

"Is this going to be a problem?" Karl asked as he tried to read what the blonde-haired warrior was thinking, not that the latter made it an easy task for him.

"I don't think so," he replied. "I just thought that if it were the Protectors, it might be easier for us to let them see Saffron for the evil backstabbing witch that she is."

"Well, we'll have to make do with hand we've been dealt," Karl said as he moved forward. "They're almost upon us."

A man from the incoming riders, presumably their leader, rode up to meet Karl just as he reached the centre of the field they were.

"Good day, my good man," greeted the commander when the man reached him. "My name is Karl, Commander Regent of the independent land of Everon, may I know what brought you here today?"

"I and my men have been given a task by a certain Lady Saffron," he replied. "We're here to collect the two of your guests over there." He pointed at Kyra and Lucian behind Karl.

"Unfortunately, that won’t be happening,” Karl returned, his look almost genuinely apologetic. “You see, my guests, as you called them, are under my protection and I can’t release them without knowing who you are or what you need them for."

And then the man began to laugh. Apparently, he found what Karl had said amusing. "I like you, Commander," he said to him, a little smile still on his face. "But I suggest that you step aside now."

"Not happening,” Karl replied and pulled out his sword, the result of which was the resounding of metals as his three hundred men pulled out theirs too. "So, if it's a battle that you've brought, it's a battle that you'll get."