Chapter Thirteen
“How is she?”
“Better.” Dagan closed the door behind him. “I was able to heal most of the cuts, but she may have a few scars. It’s too early to tell.”
“I should never have let her go back there,” Bree said, shaking her head. The guilt she felt for putting her cousin through that ordeal was incredible.
“I’m just glad you sent us to find her when you did, Queen. Another night and she would have been executed.” Dagan fell into step beside the queen as they walked down the hall, toward the wizard’s tower.
Bree tried to avoid thinking about what would have happened if they had waited any longer.
Rowan had been convinced that Dahlia had fled when she didn’t return on the fifth day.
He’d thought they were crazy for attempting to find her, but Bree had faith in her cousin.
She had witnessed a change in her and maybe it was foolish to believe, but Bree wanted to trust Dahlia.
So she had insisted that someone sneak into Sire, just to be sure.
“Tell me, since I am curious,” Bree said. “How is it that you can heal Dahlia’s wounds with magic, but not your own?”
Dagan held up his hand and frowned at it.
“Unfortunately, wounds caused by magic are a lot more difficult to heal. Had this been a burn from a candle or torch, I could have mended it almost instantly. But since it was magic that caused it, I can’t heal it with traditional magic.
I can only use herbs and such. Potions.”
“Interesting… So an injury caused by natural means can be healed with magic, but an injury caused by magic must be healed by natural means?”
“There are exceptions, but generally, yes. Which is why, from a very young age, we are taught to control our powers. If a wizard attacks someone with magic, they can’t heal them, even if it’s accidental…”
“Like with your grandmother?”
“Yes,” Dagan sighed. “Had it been a normal fire, my grandfather may have been able to save her. But since it was wildfire and caused by magic, he couldn’t.
It may be fate’s way to balance the scales of people with and without magic.
We can only heal each other, so we have reason to need each other.
I’ve always considered it to be more ironic than anything else.
That is also why women with magical fathers make good healers. They can use both means to heal.”
“You said there are exceptions?” Bree asked, putting the pieces together in her mind, “You mean the fae. They are the exception. They can heal magic with magic.”
“They can, yes. Speaking of the fae, I’ve noticed that Rhea has been spending quite a bit of time alone in her chambers, only leaving for meals.”
“I’m sure Sid told you about what happened. I feel terrible about it now. I let jealousy overpower my good sense, but I’m not sure how to fix it. We need her as an ally. Without her, I don’t know what we will do if we get attacked by wildfire.”
“I agree, we need Rhea’s help, but I don’t have a clue how to mend things between the two of you. Men aren’t usually helpful in matters such as this.”
“No, you certainly are not.”
“Well, Queen,” Dagan said, grinning, “I’m sure you’ll think of something.”
“I hope so. And I think you have your own relationship to mend, in the meantime.”
Dagan stopped outside the tower door, dreading the person who was waiting on the other side.
Dagan wasn’t sure if he even wanted to talk to his father.
Edmund had been dead—in Dagan’s mind—for most of his life.
The man on the other side of the door was a stranger to him.
A ghost of the father he used to know. There was no relationship to mend since there wasn’t a relationship in the first place.
He opened the door and held it for Bree to enter first, then he followed. Edmund and Sidonie were sitting silently at the table. Both stood when the queen entered the room, but Bree just waved her hand, dismissing the formality, and took a seat next to Sid.
The conversation was short, mostly because no one wanted to ask the questions that they all wanted to ask.
Instead, Dagan filled Edmund in on the recent events, like Elric leaving for the Isles, the kidnapping of the Queen Mother, killing of Silas, and now the attacks on Junacave’s allies.
Edmund didn’t offer much insight, seeing that he had been imprisoned during all of it, nor did he explain why or how he came to be imprisoned.
The queen had other matters to attend to, so she left.
Sid invented an excuse to join her, much to the dismay of Dagan, leaving him alone with his father.
Or at least, the man who used to be his father.
When Dagan stood to leave, Edmund stretched up his arm and held out his amulet.
The dark red stone was swaying lightly on the long silver chain.
“I assume you would like this back?” Edmund asked.
“Why? It’s your stone. Keep it.”
“It would be of no use to me,” Edmund replied, pulling the stone up to rub the smooth surface. “The magic has run out.”
“Just recharge it,” Dagan replied, confused.
Edmund shook his head. “I can’t.”
“Why can’t you?” Dagan waited for his father to explain, but he didn’t.
“I just can’t. Here, take it,” he said, tossing it onto the table.
Dagan was becoming frustrated by his father avoidance.
On one hand, he felt sorry for his father.
The man in front of him was pitiful. His entire face was covered by his peppered gray beard and hair, which were overgrown and frazzled.
Having spent over a year in confinement, he was pale and malnourished.
Even with the clean clothes that the queen had given him, he still looked like a beggar.
Regardless of Edmund’s current state, Dagan couldn’t help but feel anger and resentment when he looked at him.
“I don’t have time for riddles,” Dagan said, turning to go, but his father spoke up just before he reached the stairs to the casting room.
“I don’t have magic.” Edmund looked down at the amulet sitting on the table. “Anymore, at least…”
“You lost your magic? How?”
“The only way a wizard can lose their magic… The Elder Mage.”
“I don’t understand. Do you mean to tell me that my grandfather, your father, abolished your magic?”
“No, not abolished. Though, he very well could have. He sealed it, instead. Either way, I have no magic.”
“If it’s sealed, does that mean it can be unsealed?”
“Yes, theoretically. But seeing as he has gone…”
“Why did he seal it?” Dagan asked. It was rare for an Elder Mage to administer such a heavy punishment. Edmund stared at the table and didn’t answer but Dagan repeated, “Why did he seal it?”
“It doesn’t matter. All that does matter is that I have no use for the amulet anymore.” Abruptly, he stood. “Put it in a safe place. You never know when you may need it.”
“I don’t plan to make a habit of disguising myself.”
Edmund snickered. “The stone is capable of more than that, son.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Very well.”
~*~
Dagan stomped up the stairs to the casting room.
He probably should feel guilty for what he’d said to his father, but he didn’t.
In fact, he didn’t feel sympathy for his father having lost access to his magic either.
Whatever happened between Elric and Edmund, it must have been bad enough to warrant Edmund getting his magic sealed.
Sealing the magic, instead of eliminating it, was probably the only reason that Edmund was still alive. After all, this year he would be turning one hundred and one years of age. And without magic in his body, he never would have lived this long.
But how Edmund was able to live, without another wizard to help heal his body as it aged, was another question.
And where had he been this entire time? Questions upon questions plagued Dagan and he didn’t expect getting answers to them would be easy.
Edmund hadn’t been very forthcoming thus far and Dagan had more pressing concerns at the moment.
Less than three weeks. That’s all the time they had. If what Dahlia heard was true, Junacave would be attacked and they had no plan. It wasn’t as if Junacave was defenseless. Far from it. But soldiers and defensive spells were no match for what was coming.
Feeling defeated, Dagan put his hands on the table and hung his head. Perhaps, taking this position was a mistake. How could he protect the kingdom he swore to serve? Simply put, he couldn’t. His grandfather would be so ashamed…
A light shone into Dagan’s eyes. He opened them to see the scrying mirror, sitting on the table.
It was glowing. He watched the light begin to swirl and soon an image started to form.
It looked like an island, but he didn’t recognize it.
Not that he could have. He’d never been to sea.
It had always seemed like a terrible way to travel.
Cramped inside a ship with no way to escape.
The island disappeared, suddenly, and was replaced by an image of Sidonie, standing in the hall. Sid and an island? He didn’t understand what the mirror was trying to tell him. So he decided to try asking the mirror, instead.
“Can you be more specific?”
The mirror zoomed in on Sidonie’s face.
“Alright, Sid. I get that. Is there something on the island that she needs?”
The mirror didn’t change. Dagan thought about it for a moment.
“Or someone? Is there someone on the island that Sidonie needs?” Her father.
The island reappeared.
“What is the name of the island?”
Nothing happened. The mirror was certainly making things difficult for him.
“I can’t take her there unless I know where we are going…”
Again, nothing changed. Dagan heard footsteps behind him, and he already knew who it was. His father had been standing in the doorway. Edmund may not be able to use his magic, but Dagan could still sense his presence, seeing that the magic was still there in Edmund’s blood.
“Mind if I take a look?” Edmund asked, and without waiting for Dagan to respond, he leaned over and glanced at the mirror.
“Sure, go ahead.” Not that it mattered, since he was already looking at it.