Catalyst(56)

The king looked hard at me for a moment. He weighed me like he must have weighed countless subjects, soldiers, and diplomats. “Are you a wizard?”

Everyone stared at me. I glanced at Krystal, and saw she tried not to look embarrassed. “Well, it’s kind of hard to explain, Sire. I’m actually a…” I thought about lying, even though I was never very good at it. Master Stradus had said not to say anything, fearful of what might happen. But when my eyes met Krystal’s clear, violet eyes, I knew I had to tell her the truth. If I lied to her father, even to protect myself, I would lose her trust. I didn’t want that. “I’m a…wizard-in-training, Sire.”

A gasp went around the table. Everyone appeared horrified, with the exception of the elves, some of the guards, and Krystal. And Premier. He simply looked curious.

“So you are a wizard,” King Furlong said, not paying attention to the “in training” part. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a wizard before. Do you know why?”

I shook my head. “No, Your Majesty,” I whispered.

“Because wizards have never been welcome in Alexandria. We built this city with our own hands, out of the ashes of what the wizards destroyed. We’ve fought Renak’s evil legacy for a thousand years, with nothing but our swords and our honor.” His blue eyes narrowed and darkened. Luckily, they didn't focus on me. They settled on Prastian. “Why would King Sharald send a wizard to accompany you?”

“He thought it prudent, Your Majesty,” Prastian said.

“Prudent?”

“Yes. As in the days of old.”

The king had no response for that. Instead, he turned his gaze on me once more.

My hands heated up with inner fire. Premier watched me, like a cat watches a mouse. I began a breathing exercise—slow, rhythmic breaths. I wanted to close my eyes, but couldn’t, lest the king think I was ignoring him. The fire in my body began to dissipate.

“You will cause no trouble here, Wizard Hellsfire,” King Furlong said. “King Sharald has long been a trusted ally, and you have done my daughter great service in the past, so I will allow you to remain. But I will tolerate no magic. If you use your infernal power within these walls, I will have you imprisoned.”

“Father, please!” the princess murmured.

“Krystal, I am the king and will do as I see fit!” He slammed his hand on the table. Trays, plates, and cups jumped. So did the nobles. They looked startled, as if they weren’t used to the king behaving like this. Princess Krystal’s eyes darkened with worry. The king rose. “I will be in my chambers. Come, Premier. This dinner is over.”

The room remained silent while the king withdrew. Then everyone started talking at once. The princess leaned across the table to me. “It would be best if you went back to your rooms. He should feel better in the morning.” She left in the same direction the king had gone, with Ardimus following on her heels.

“We should do as the princess advised,” Prastian said, keeping his voice to a whisper.

We all got up and headed out of the hall. I felt people’s eyes on me and heard the whispers in my wake.

When we were well away from the dining hall, Prastian spoke, sounding worried. “I know the king,” he said. “I’ve never seen him chastise a guest in public that way.”

Master Stradus had told me that humans were distrustful towards wizards, but I had never thought anyone would imprison me because of what I was. King Furlong wasn’t himself. He was sickly and under the stress of what was happening to his kingdom. But still, no one but the princess had seemed to object to his threats. And without magic, the odds were stacked mighty high against me helping anyone here.

“What did you do?” Demay said, peering up at me, his light green eyes blinking in confusion.

“He didn’t do anything,” Prastian said. “A lot of people still blame wizards for what happened during the War of the Wizards, especially other humans. Since Hellsfire’s a wizard, they think he has some kind of connection to the war. In their minds, they think he caused some part of it.”

“That makes no sense at all. Hellsfire’s completely innocent.”

“That’s not true,” I said. “I wish it were, but it’s not.”

“Hellsfire, you did nothing to provoke the king,” Prastian said. “I would have told him so myself, but that wasn’t the time or the place, and he is ill. I’ll get him to see reason.”

I looked at my elven friend and said, “No, Prastian you are wrong. My simple presence gives people the right to question my motives. You heard what the king said. Alexandria has been cleaning up the mess from the War of the Wizards for a thousand years.”