Canaan Alcroft
It's been three months since the queen died, and things were moving along, but the loss weighed heavily on everyone. A testament to the queen's character and how she affected the lives of the people she connected with, even casually. The funeral was especially brutal, with Rein getting up to speak and tearfully begging the queen to visit her in her dreams. There wasn't a dry eye in the audience.
I've spent most of my time training since then, also trying to look into the mystery that is magic in this world after my talk with Cal. Speaking of, Marin gave me permission to go into town with him to do said research. Only problem was, there wasn't much information available.
The books I could get my hands on did say it was impossible to manipulate the mana in your body. Which only made me more suspicious. They also talked briefly about wands, which, up until now, I assumed were nothing more than ornaments. But they're apparently very beneficial to mages.
Regardless, there was something dark, festering just below the surface of Telenor. I could feel it. They were trying to hide something, I'm just not sure what it is yet, or if it connects to the Celtrea's betrayal.
I was also able to leaf through the journal I found in that hidden lab. It mostly felt like starting a movie from the middle and trying to guess what happens at the beginning and the end. But from what I could piece together—aside from not mentioning the orb or "prison" at all—it looked like they were looking into nuclear fusion, universal law, and theoretical physics. Wish I paid more attention in physics. The way he talked about his work, though, it was like he was doing humanity a favor. If I had to guess, and he really was from Earth too, then I'd say he's trying to speed up this world's development. What I still don't get is his fixation on physics and earth science when this world is filled with magic. I could see using it to try and understand magic better, but that's not it.
"Canaan, time to come inside," Marin called to me from the door.
"Ok," I said, scooping my practice sword up from the ground.
I gave the sword a whirl and rubbed at my shoulders that still ached from the training. Then headed for the house. The breeze rustled my pearlescent hair and carried the scent of rhododendrons. Our plain thatched roof home was slowly becoming a monument to what we lost. It seemed like just yesterday Dean was putting me through hellish training day and night.
I pushed the door open, staring down the hall that led to our kitchen. The hardwood floors creaked under the weight of my footsteps. I quickly glanced at the living room, it still felt…empty.
"Hello?" I probed.
"In here. You need to eat before you head off into the city again." Marin responded. Her voice was coming from further in the house, in the dining room, I assume. I followed the sound of her voice and saw her sitting next to Emry at the table.
"Hey…Emry," I said, awkwardly waving my hand. She stared up at me, her little emerald green eyes devoid of any emotion. She's barely spoken a word since she found out about Dean. No matter what attempts I made to cheer her up or get a reaction of any kind, they all ended the same way. I was met with her stoic apathy.
Marin gestured at the bowl of soup in front of an empty chair. "Are you sure its ok for you to be doing all this work?" My gaze fell to her stomach. "The King did offer to help in any way." She ran a hand over her belly, gingerly. Then she looked to Emry, her brows knit together with concern.
"I just don't want to introduce too much change into her life right now," She paused, taking a breath. "When we are still recovering from…" She shot me a look, clearly not wanting to rehash the issue with Emry there, then gently shook her head. "Look at me talking to you like you're a full grown adult. Let me take care of us, for now. By the time you know it, you'll be old enough to pick up some slack. Just focus on being a good older brother. That's what will be best for both of them…and me." She said, smiling softly at her belly. I sat at the table and picked up the spoon next to the bowl.
"I think I can do that," I responded.
I found out Marin was pregnant a few days after the council meeting. Another surprise from Dean. She's kept up well, considering. Taking care of Emry, the house, and me. I'd already recognized her strength, but it was in times like these, in the quiet moments, when I realized just how strong she actually is. Able to bear the physical and emotional toll of rearing a family and losing her husband, with seemingly no help, with such grace. Her ability to push forward despite the cards life dealt her is inspiring.
After a while, my life as Morgan began to feel like I had become a side character in my own story. I spent so much time trying to be the "good guy" but it led to more loss than gain. I was a stepping stool for people, friend and family alike. Chasing after an ideal like that—being good for goodness' sake—it leads you to getting addicted to the idea that something good is coming for you, that the karmic forces have to balance at some point.
Once that never came, I started to let the reins go on my life. Life from that point on was happening to me, relationships fell off, along with many other things. All I had was my job. And the drive left by my aunt's passing. I processed and experienced everything through my more analytical mind, closing myself off to my emotions and masking everything with humor. And here I am now, another chance, a new life, and that same catatonic passivity was threatening to take over again. I need to figure out how to make things happen on my terms.
This could be frustration from looking at the current state of my family, or maybe the druid's words about defying fate got to me. But I won't let this second chance, this life, slip through my fingers like the last. With whatever power I can gather, I'll make sure to turn our fate around. My knuckles began to whiten as I gripped down hard on my spoon. A fiery determination welling within me. Marin, Emry, and my yet to be born sibling—
"Canaan?" Marin placed her hand on my forearm with an eyebrow raised. "Are you still with us?"
Snapping back into reality, I gave Marin an awkward smile, straightening in my seat. "Still here," I responded.
"So, are you planning on going to Aleara Academy now? With all that studying you've been doing on the magic arts," She smiled down at her soup while stirring it. "Your father would probably have thrown a fit if he heard me ask you this."
"He would be all like," I fixed my expression into something reminiscent of Dean's serious face. "No! My son will be attending the military academy!" I said, deepening my voice. Marin chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand. I never did understand why he was so set on that, but the least I can do is honor his wishes while I work on getting him back. A few seconds passed as we enjoyed the much needed laugh.
"I still want to go to the military academy, if for nothing else, for Dean. I've just been looking into magic arts because Cal is super into it," I said, taking down another spoonful of soup. I can't necessarily tell her about the mission to rescue Dean and discover what's really happening with the magic here.
"Very sweet of you, child." She responded, smirking. "You know, I know a thing or two about magic. My father was an Aberrant, actually, my whole family is known for its powerful mages. Maybe I'll tell you about it one of these days." The spoon fell from my hand, and my jaw went slack. She decides to say this now? I realized I didn't know much about Marin's life before Dean married her. We were interrupted by a knock on the door.
My head turned reactively towards the sound, then I quickly looked back at Marin. She winked. "Go on. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere," She said, pointing towards the hall with her chin. I excused myself and headed for the front entrance. Doesn't she know you're not supposed to say things like that?
I opened the door, and it was Cal. "You're early…" I said.
"I once heard of a bird, he was a strategist. Known as the wisest of all poultry because he simply started early." I stared expressionless at the young guard.
The guards' uniforms changed last month. Now they were a mix of light and heavy armor. Bracers made out of a silver material that I wasn't familiar with, with intricate floral designs like the ones on the door from the King's study. One sided pauldrons and boots made from a similar material. It gave off a sort of hum that I could sense like I would mana rather than hear. All worn over a burgundy gambeson and dark brown, almost black trousers.
"Good for the bird, I guess," I responded, opening the door and inviting him in. "I need to change, and then I'll be ready." I rushed upstairs to my room and threw on a plain long-sleeved shirt and trousers. When I returned to the first floor, Marin was talking to Cal by the front door. He looked a bit nervous.
"You better make sure there's NOT. A. HAIR. Out of place when you bring him back," She said, with her arms crossed.
"Marin…" I groaned, slightly embarrassed. Her expression softened.
"Well, I guess you've been doing an alright job so far," Her eyes narrowed as she cast a cautionary glare. "No more crime scenes."
You'd think this was my first time leaving with Cal. "I can't make any promises," Her glare intensified. "Ok, Ok. No crime scenes."
"You can trust me, my lady!" Cal butt in, puffing out his chest.
"Ok, well, off with the two of you. You're losing daylight."
We shuffled out the door. I reached into my pocket, feeling for the orb. I found myself unable to part with it. I had this strange urge to guard it. And I felt a pull from it, as if it was drawing on something from me. It's a risk, but better I have it on me just in case it explodes or something out of the ordinary happens.
"We've got a carriage today?" I asked, pleasantly surprised.
"Yeah, I'm moving up in the world, Cane." He adjusted the pendant hanging over his chest. I couldn't quite make out the design on its front.
"What is that?" I asked, boarding the carriage. His expression darkened, and he turned away from me.
"Oh, this old thing?" He said, trying to play off whatever emotion just overtook him. "It's nothing. Something I got from someone very dear to me." He tucked the pendant into his gambeson and got in.
I wonder if it was his friend he used to study magic with. Probably best not to pry, I've never seen Cal with an expression like that.
***
The carriage stopped in front of the Lycan research facility/Library that was in the southwest side of Telenor City. A large sandstone portico stretched outward fifteen feet to the middle of a courtyard outlined by a colonnade of the same material.
"So, do you think we'll find anything good today?" I asked as we headed for the entrance.
"That depends," He started. "If the librarians from Aleara already came, then we're out of luck." He looked to the sky. "Reminds me of back in the day, almost." He said to himself. I didn't bother asking about it.
Cal opened the door to the main entrance. A small square room with a circulation desk placed at the back wall, with a door behind it that I haven't seen used. There were two tables on the left and right walls. There was an archway that opened into the rest of the library next to the circulation desk.
"You're back." Sara, the head librarian, said from behind the desk, adjusting her rounded glasses. She had long cinnamon colored hair that was woven into one long braid that hung over her shoulder with a brown dress over a white chemise. She appeared to be in her early twenties
"I'm here too," Cal said, waving his hand, trying to get her attention.
"You're in luck, Cane! We just got some more books." Her eyes ignited with passion as she continued to ignore Cal. She…is really passionate about books. She slammed her fist excitedly into the desk before shuffling around and retrieving a pair of keys from the desk.
The door behind her creaked open, and a well-dressed man with a monocle wobbled out. I bounced on the tip of my toes to get a better view of what was behind the door, more curious about that than the man. When my focus was drawn back to him.
"Raftle, that was quick. I didn't expect you back so soon." She said, her voice laced with a not so subtle annoyance. He had a bundle of scrolls tucked under his arms, and another figure appeared from the shadows behind him.