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The Orb of "Unlimited" Power Ch. 3


July 20, 1998 ~ End of the First Showers 502 C.

On the world of Coran in the kingdom of Caledonia, Fileus Hartkins weaved his way through the crowded plaza enjoying the sights and smells from the local vendors. The trade shipments from the neighboring kingdoms had arrived late last night, and so the whole city was bustling with new items of food, clothing, materials, and gossip from the other kingdoms and villages. Fileus wore a smile on his face as he made his way up to the northeast part of the city. It didn’t matter that the skies were caked in grey or as he left the plaza the smell of rain, sweat, and manure hung in the air or even that it was so cold his nose was as stiff as a board; today was a great day.

The crowds thinned out until Fileus came to the less appealing section of the city. The houses, some would say, were unpleasant to look at with their broken windows, cheap materials, and slightly slanted doorways, or maybe it was the whole building itself that slanted. The people were anything but clean with their three week old tunics and unwashed bodies. But don’t think this part of the city didn’t have something good about it. Caledonia was not only famous for its fruits, vegetables, grains, lovely surrounding estates, and workaholic citizens it held the title for the best ale in the world. And the establishment that provided the ale sat right at the heart of the northeastern corner of the city. Fileus passed the most famous tavern The Hornet’s Nest, which provided the ale, and then stopped in front of a broken down, wooden structure that at one point in its life had been a storehouse. Now, it occupied rodents, spiders, and him. Fileus opened the door that was barely hanging onto its two hinges, went inside, and softly closed the door behind him. A few small beams of light reflected the dust particles in the air. There was nothing in the room: no wooden crates, furniture, or even trash stashed away in the corner. Fileus walked across the room, and then bent down to the floor and pulled on a latch. A trapdoor creaked open, revealing a short, steep staircase leading down into the dark. He went down and closed the trapdoor behind him.

In the pitch black tunnel, he flicked his wrist and a small, white flame sparked in the palm of his hand. Fileus’s skin pricked and his breathing grew shallow. The dirt walls all around him seemed to be closing in on him and his pace quickened. At last, he entered a dark, spacious room. Fileus located a cold torch hanging on the wall to the right of the opening. He brought his flamed hand up and the torch came to life. A soft, golden light flooded the room and Fileus went around and lit the rest of the torches and few candles situated around room, revealing all the things in the world he owned: a large wooden table with all his apothecary supplies, three large wooded bookcases with all the books he saved and collected over the cycles, two hide arm chairs by the fireplace, and an alchemy station in the far corner with several wooden crates containing bottles of liquid. The last thing he lit was the dead fireplace. Once the job was completed and the room blazed with warmth and light, Fileus plopped into his favorite arm chair and let out a sigh.

His daughter, she was happy there with her friends wearing a fluffy pink dress and crown on her head. He laughed to himself, but then his smile faded away. Fileus leaned forward and clenched his fists. And yet, he had been tempted to take her back. It would’ve been easy. So simple. If her new mother and that other woman hadn’t come out and taken the children in, he could’ve done it. He fell back in his chair and placed his arm over his eyes. The important thing was that he found her. He found her. After two cycles of looking, he finally found her. His Alaine. The guilt ate away at his heart as he recalled the day he gave her up. It had been exactly two cycles ago in this very room when he made the decision.

•••

The rain had poured abundantly and the wind showed no sign of relenting. He had carried her through the city, hidden in his coat. Everyone had been locked up in their homes, waiting out the storm. He remembered how she cried; how red her face was. When they finally got to his home, her skin felt like ice. He laid her by the fireplace and took off the soaked hide blanket wrapped around her. Her small, red body shivered in the fire’s light. She was barely a day old.

Alaine cried into night, even after she had thawed out. Fileus didn’t know what to do. He searched all his books, but out of his whole collection he had not one single book on how to raise a child. He began to panic. Alaine continued to cry. Fileus went to his apothecary table, not exactly sure what he was searching for, but his hand enclosed around a clear stone, the size of his palm. A hole had been cut into it and a string rung through the hole. A few cycles ago, a good friend of Fileus’s gave him the stone, telling him it could take him anywhere he wished to go, even out of this world. All Fileus had to do was swing the stone over his head and a white light would pour out and once the light disappeared, he’d be at his destination.

Fileus stared at his reflection in the stone, and then glanced over at Alaine. If anyone found out who she was, who she belonged to. And what if something happened to her? He’d have to take her with him all the time. What if she got hurt? The only person he could trust wasn’t exactly in the safest place. And her mother . . . her mother.

“Oh, Rose,” he whispered under his breath as he rubbed his forehead. He understood why Rose didn’t want to take her. Rumors would start, her reputation would change and not for the better, and she had no idea how her husband would act with a child that wasn’t his living under his roof. And Rose already had three boys and Fileus had no children of his own. But now he had the child of the only woman he ever loved.

Alaine’s unrelenting wails brought him back to reality. Could he care for her? Could he keep her alive? He had no way of taking care of her. He wasn’t exactly wealthy; being able to eat two meals a day was hard enough. Now, he had to find food for his child. And she wasn’t safe here. She wasn’t safe on this world. Fileus’s eyes grew wide. He quickly walked back to his bookshelf and ran his fingers quickly across the spines until he found a leather bound journal; a gift from the same friend who gave him the stone. The journal contained information about other worlds. At the first glance, Fileus had laughed. Other worlds? How could there be other worlds out there? And where were they? But his friend had traveled there and wished for Fileus to do the same; to experience new cultures, to learn that there was so much more out there. He sifted through the pages of drawn spheres, each with a short description and an entry. There were just too many. And he couldn’t spend all his time going to each one to make sure it was the right place.

Fileus rubbed the back of his neck and cringed. Alaine cried on. Just pick one! The voice in his head shouted. Again he sifted through the pages and halfway through he stopped and rubbed his thumb across a drawing of a world colored with blue, green, white, and brown. He read the description and entry:

Earth, made mostly up of water. According to the natives there, it is the third planet from their sun, out of nine planets, and is situated in space which they call the Solar System. The world is heavily populated. There are several large islands they call continents. On each continent, the natives appear to speak different languages. I thought this quite odd. Wouldn’t it be simpler if everyone spoke the same language? The native’s culture appears to be advanced. They ride in these metal boxes on wheels which they call cars. The larger cities contain these buildings called Skyscrapers. They’re tall rectangles made of metal and glass. I even saw one as tall as the King’s Peak. Can you imagine! They also possess this energy they call electricity which powers their cars and gives them light without fire and supplies energy for other artifacts. I might return and learn more of this world, but I must return to Coran. ~ A

Fileus shook his head. There was no way to tell if the world was safe for a newborn. There was only one way to find out. He’d have to go visit his friend. Fileus put the stone around his neck and stuffed the journal in his trench coat pocket. He quickly walked over to where Alaine was and wrapped the hide blanket she had on before around her. The blanket was now dry and toasty. As soon as Fileus picked Alaine up, her crying subsided. Fileus raised an eyebrow. “All I had to do was pick you up?” Alaine stopped crying and opened her eyes for the first time. Fileus couldn’t help but smile. “Of course you have your mother’s eyes. Although, you probably would’ve looked good with green eyes, but silver suits you.” Alaine’s eyes drooped and she let out a yawn while stretching her shorts arms and clenched fists. Fileus took the stone from around his neck and swung it over his head. A white light trickled out and tailed the stone. The light grew brighter, and then fell over Fileus and Alaine, enveloping them. Fileus stopped swinging the stone and the light faded.

They were no longer in his underground home under the city. They had reappeared east of Caledonia in the mountains of Chora’s Chain directly in front of a cave. The rain wasn’t pouring in this area. A light, cold breeze ruffled Fileus’s hair. He ran into the cave with Alaine still sleeping in his arms. A flame erupted in the palm of his hand again as he went deeper into the cave.

“Hello!” His voice echoed off the walls, but there was no answer. He came to a dead end with a cold wood pile made up in the middle of the floor. Fileus threw a small fireball into the wood pile. After a minute, a nice fire was blazing. Fileus paced, watching the light from the flames danced off of the walls of the cave.

“Hello, Fileus.”

Fileus whirled around. A dark figure stood in the tunnel of the cave. “Hello, Arkhill.”

Arkhill stepped into the light. He wore a dark grey cloak and pulled back his hood revealing wrinkles, a crooked nose, light blue eyes, a scruffy beard, and a warm smile. “It’s been a long time.”

Fileus nodded. “Yeah, it has.”

“How long has it been?”

“Look, can we please skip the pleasantries? I have a problem.” He glanced down at his coat. “Well, it’s not really a problem, but,” he looked up at Arkhill, “I need help.”

Arkhill crossed his arms. “Of course. What do you need?”

Fileus open the front of his trench coat and revealed the sleeping baby in his arms. “Her name’s Alaine.”

Arkhill walked around the fire. “Yours?”

He nodded.

Arkhill stroked the side of the baby’s soft cheek. “Do I want to know who the mother is?”

Fileus swallowed. “It’s Rose.”

Arkhill let out a sigh. “Fileus, I know you two have a history, but,” he stopped caressing Alaine’s cheek, “what you’ve done is wrong.”

“You don’t think I know that?” he said sharply. “But I won’t lie. What we shared together, what we made, I don’t regret it.”

“You shared a bed with a married woman. Do you not realize the trouble her husband had to go through the keep that a secret? Do you realize the punishment you would’ve faced if you were caught?”

“Of course I do.” Fileus tightened the blanket around Alaine. “So you knew?”

“Fileus, just because you decide to have nothing to do with me doesn’t mean I stopped watching you.”

“So you’ve been spying on me?”

“In a sense. I worry about you.” Arkhill again crossed his arms. “What do you wish of me?”

“Alaine isn’t safe on this world.”

He frowned. “And why not?”

“If anyone found out who her mother was they would kill her. I can’t trust her with anyone.”

“So you wish for me to take her?”

“No. I want to send her off this world to another.” Fileus placed Alaine in Arkhill’s arms and retrieved the journal from his pocket. He flipped through the pages until he came to the entry about Earth. “How was Earth? Are the people nice? Are they in a golden age or at war? You never said if they had magical folk or not. Please tell me more.”

Arkhill gazed at the infant in his arms. “First, tell me why can’t you take care of her?”

“I don’t know how to take care of a child! You know my parents died when I was a boy. I barely remember them. I was on my own before I met Rose and worked on her family’s estate. I’ve had no mother or father figure in my life! And like I said, I don’t trust anyone!”

“But why does she need to go off world?”

“I have nothing to offer her here. My home isn’t fit for a child. And when she grows older and starts showing signs we’d have to move out of Caledonia. You know the king doesn’t appreciate the presence of mages in his kingdom, even though we’re allowed.”

Arkhill placed his hand on Fileus’s shoulder. “You’re scared.”

Fileus’s eyes glazed over. He nodded. “I don’t know what to do. And what if she dies in my care? She needs someone who can take care of her. Someone who can offer her a better and safer life then I ever could. Please you have to help me. Now, please tell me about Earth.”

Arkhill sighed. He slightly rocked the baby in his arms. “Earth is big. Far bigger than this planet. Heavily populated. Some parts are made up of deserts, green fields, forests, mountains; you name it they got it. It will be a completely different lifestyle for her. You couldn’t interfere. They don’t have magic.”

“No magic? But when she starts to show signs-”

“How are you so sure she’ll have magic?” Arkhill interrupted.

“Well, the majority of children with one or two parents with magic typically show signs by the age of four. There’s rarely a child who doesn’t inherit the trait from their parents. But you can tell, can’t you? Does she have magic within her?”

Arkhill looked hard at Alaine. His blue eyes flashed. He sighed. “It appears she takes after her mother.”

Fileus’s shoulders slightly sagged. “Oh. Well, that’s good, isn’t it? Then she can go to that world.”

“You really don’t want to keep her?”

“No . . . I don’t. She’s better off without me.”

Arkhill slightly nodded. He gave Alaine back to Fileus and grabbed Fileus’s wrist. “Ready?”

Fileus wrapped the edge of his coat over Alaine, and then put out the fire. “Yes.”

A golden light erupted all around them, consuming the men and child. Then all three disappeared in silence.

They reappeared in the middle of a road. Arkhill shuffled Fileus to the side. It was nighttime. A few stars poked out, but from the look of the eastern horizon, dawn was almost upon them.

Fileus surveyed the area. “Smooth, rock roads?”

“Concrete, actually. It’s easy for the cars to drive on.”

“What about carriages?”

“It’s rare to see one.” Arkhill took off his cloak and bundled it up and stuck the bundle under his arm. He then dug into a satchel he had around his shoulder and pulled out a small metal box. Arkhill pushed a small button on the top of the box and a white light appeared.

Fileus looked over his shoulder. “What in Chora’s name is that?” The white light disappeared revealing large numbers and a message at the bottom that read “slide to unlock.”

“You know I hate it when you take my mother’s name in vain.”

“Sorry.”

“This is called a phone. Though, I’m not exactly sure it’ll work. I picked one up the last time I was here in the year 2008. Though I’m not sure what year it is now.” Arkhill slid his finger across the surface and the picture on the phone changed revealing little boxes each a different color. Arkhill tapped on one of the boxes.

“But what does it do?”

“You can call other people, even when they’re miles away. You can play games, search up information. This little device can even hold a library of books.”

Fileus raised his eyebrows. “You’re making that up. How do they even fit the books into that little thing? Do they shrink them?”

Arkhill sighed in annoyance. “It would take me too long to explain. Now, please be quiet.” He tapped the box several times. “Ah, well that’s inconvenient. Apparently we are in the year 1995. And based off of the temperature, I would say it was mid-summer. Or if you want me to be precise,” he squinted at the phone, “it is July 20, 1995. I don’t even know how it can tell that.”

“What’s July?”

“It’s the name of a month. These natives keep track of their cycles by using twelve months. Again, it would take me too long to explain. Now, let me see if I can find where we are.” He tapped again on the screen. “Somewhere on the west side of America.”

“What’s a Merica?”

“Fileus!”

“I’m sorry, but you’re talking nonsense!”

Arkhill sighed. “Okay, now I just need a map of the town we’re in.”

“This is a village? How big is it?”

Arkhill bit his tongue. “Ah, I forget what WA stands for. This continent America is divided up into separate countries or what they call states.” He glanced up at the stars. “Or maybe America was the country. Ah, I’ll figure it out later.” He tapped the screen again and then slid two fingers across the phone. “Huh, we’re in luck. There’s an adoption service center not far from here.” Arkhill turned around and began walking, looking up every now and then from the phone. Fileus followed, but taking his time. He was fascinated by the buildings they passed, the tall poles with the fire lights, and then something on the rode with two lanterns at the front passed by them.

Fileus’s gasped. “Was that a-”

“Yes, that was a car. One of the smaller ones. Now, come on.”

“Is it dangerous?”

Arkhill quickened his pace. “Fileus I have no time to explain.”

They kept walking in the same direction for a few blocks. Fileus’s head swiveled around as he stared at all the different colored lights. He wanted to ask more questions, but knew Arkhill would just get upset.

Arkhill stopped in front of a red brick building. “Here we are. And good thing too. The phone is just about to die.”

“Why must it die? Did you do something to it?”

“Fileus . . .”

“Sorry, but when we return to Coran you must explain this world to me.”

Arkhill sighed as he walked up the steps to the front door. “Someone’s inside.”

“How can you tell?”

Arkhill pointed to a window on the side. Fileus peered through the window and saw a woman behind a tall, grey desk. A lamp sat beside her. She was looking very intently at a large black rectangle. “Now, do you want to explain to the woman who you are or just leave Alaine here?”

Fileus thought for a minute. “The woman will know to come out if we leave her?”

“I’ll knock on the door.”

Fileus took Alaine out from his coat and stared at her for a moment.

Arkhill came back down the stairs and put his hand on Fileus’s shoulder. “You can change your mind.”

“I know. This is the best thing for her, isn’t it? You know my lifestyle. I can’t take care of a child.”

“Then why did you take her?”

“Rose insisted. She was too scared of her husband.”

“Lennon isn’t a cruel man.”

Fileus grinned. “You haven’t seen him when he has a bad temper.” He pulled back the edge of the blanket, revealing Alaine’s whole face still asleep. “She is sweet, isn’t she?” He sighed. “She’ll never know me or her mother. She’ll never know where she came from.” A war began inside of him. His heart wished for him to keep her, go home, and raise her on his own, but his mind told him to let her go. For most of his life he had always went with his heart, but those decisions usually ended up getting him or someone else into trouble or, in this case, they ended up giving him a child. Just this once, he’d agree with his mind. Fileus slowly walked up the stairs, never taking his eyes off of Alaine, and then he placed her at the base of the door. He then bent down and very carefully with the tip of his finger, burned her name into the blanket. He gently leaned over and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. Fileus stood up and quickly walked down the steps with his back turned.

“See that alleyway next to the building?” Arkhill pointed to a spot to the right of the brick building. “Go hide there. I’ll be there shortly.”

Fileus nodded and sauntered to the alley way. There was a large, green, square metal tub that secreted a horrible smell. He stood beside it and covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve. He then heard Arkhill knock on the door. Arkhill quickly went down the stairs and came around the corner and stood next to Fileus.

“Hello? Is someone there?!” they heard the woman shout. “Oh my god! Hello, anyone there?!” After a few seconds they heard the door close. Fileus ran back to the front of the building and up the stairs. He put his ear to the door and tried to hear the woman inside.

The woman seemed to be speaking to someone, but no one answered her. “Harriet, I’m so sorry to wake you, but you won’t believe this. Someone just left a baby outside the office! . . . Yes I know! Come down here quick. . . . No, I didn’t see anyone. Whoever left the baby is probably long gone. . . . All right, see you in a bit.” There was a long pause, but then the woman started to speak to Alaine. “What’s this on your blanket? Alaine? Is that your name? I must say, it’s very pretty. And I say this to every child I see, but with you I’m being completely honest; you are so beautiful. Huh! Hi! Oh, look at your eyes! They’re gorgeous! Yes, hi! And that’s a very nice smile.” A ringing noise came from within the room. “Hello? . . . Hi, Barbara! Harriet told you then? . . . I was finishing up some work I mistakenly neglected this afternoon. I remember just before I went to bed and realized I couldn’t get it done tomorrow so I came down here. . . . Yes, I guess it was a good thing. Or someone might’ve seen me in here. Either way, I’m happy this little girl didn’t stay out there all night. . . . You’re coming too? . . . All right, see you soon, bye!” After a minute of silence, Fileus left and joined Arkhill by the metal tub.

“Are you all right?” Arkhill asked.

Fileus shook his head. “I will be. This is for the best. Can we go home, please?”

“Do you still have the stone?”

Fileus pulled the stone out from inside his shirt.

“Why not try using it. Just swing it over your head and think of home.”

He nodded. Arkhill grabbed his wrist again and Fileus swung the stone around over their heads. The white light appeared and engulfed them. The two men disappeared from Earth and returned to Coran.

•••

Fileus took a deep breath and removed his arm from his face. He stared at the fire as it danced before him. The first week of giving her up had been all right, if not a little lonely. He spent most of his days inside his home, mixing new potions and reading the journal Arkhill had given him. But then tragedy struck. Rose, her husband Lennon, and their three boys were murdered by their own guards while on the road to Zelyndra. The news spread to each kingdom like an infection. And then the cycle began again. Ever since the beginning of the world the mages and humans had never been in perfect peace. At the start, the mages ruled over the humans for a time, making them their slaves and using them to building their world. But as cycles passed and more and more humans populated the world, the humans decided to strike back at their masters and put themselves over them. Magic became forbidden in several areas. The mages who escaped the growing villages hid in the dense forests and grew in strength. Then when their numbers were equal to the humans, they attacked the capital and took down the leader. This phase went on for almost 400 cycles. But then Rose and Lennon stopped it. They bought both of the high leaders together and for the first time in history, the mages and humans agreed to a truce. Rose and Lennon were made the first high king and queen to rule over all the other kingdoms and isles – to keep the peace. But Fileus knew the true story as to why the mages and humans stopped fighting. It wasn’t a piece of paper that was keeping the peace. Only one mage had to be banished from the lands for there to be peace. But now is seemed he found a way back and started the civil war once again.

Losing Rose broke Fileus, and he fell into his grief. Arkhill was the only one who could bring him back to the living. And then Fileus changed his mind about Alaine and wanted her back. Arkhill was called away to help some fellow mages escape from prison and so Fileus went to Earth alone. He ended up somewhere completely different and got lost. It took him a year of Earth’s time to locate the building. But by then it was already too late. Alaine was half-way through the adoption process. She was to be taken to live with a new family. Fileus returned to Coran, completely crushed.

The attacks on Caledonia began again. King Salamon had been secretly kidnapping mages in his kingdom and keeping them in his prison. Fileus tried not to get involved, but it was difficult. He and Salamon had an agreement. Fileus watched as riots began in the streets, as mages were dragged off to the gallows or the head-block. Some nights, there were fights at the castle gate. Homes were burned down, people lay dying in the streets, and children were left crying in the alleyways. The sight was horrible. Salamon wanted every single mage out of his kingdom. The kingdom of Alder to the southwest of Caledonia lost over a hundred citizens when, according to witnesses, a mage blew up one of the guard towers in the middle of the city. King Aiman was furious and had his entire army patrolling the streets and weeding out anyone who had magic.

King Barnabas of Frostlight – located far north in the Snowpack Mountains - sent out a clear message that no mage was welcomed in his cities. Along the main trade road to Frostlight’s main city, Barnabas had several spikes stuck in the ground with an unfortunate mage impaled in them. It wasn’t just men and women, there were children also.

Only three kingdoms kept the peace within their borders: Zelyndra in the east, Dolvar in the west, and Kineallen at the center. But how long would it last? Fileus thought. The humans had obvious prepared for when this would happen again. The mages didn’t see it coming.

A blaze of golden light appeared in the center of Fileus’s home. He jolted out of his trance and watched wide-eyed as the light faded away. Arkhill appeared.

“You could knock, you know,” Fileus said as he stood up.

“No time. Did you find her?”

Fileus smiled. “Yes. I did. She’s safe and happy.”

“Good. Now, we need to discussion something important.” He walked over to the fireplace and sat in the opposite chair.

Fileus went to the mantel above the fireplace and picked up his pipe. “What is it?” he asked as he went back to his chair.

Arkhill folded his hands and rested his arms on his knees. “You know you’ve always been very special to me. You’ve been the son I never had. Although I might not have been the father you always wanted.”

Fileus lit the pipe with his finger tip. “Has something happen? Why are you acting like this?”

Arkhill fidgeted in his seat. “You know he’s returned.”

Fileus nodded.

“And because you are close to me . . .”

“He’ll come after me to get to you,” Fileus finished. “Well, of course he would. I would if I were him.”

“But it’s not just trying to get to me. I know he’ll try to fine the orb.” Fileus sucked on his pipe and blew a stream of smoke out of his nose. “Well, don’t tell me where it’s hidden or he might kidnap me and interrogate me. It would be better if I didn’t know where it was and have nothing to tell to him.”

“Yes. I also think it was a good idea for you to send Alaine away. I won’t lie, I thought you were being foolish, but now I see she really is better off away from here in case he found out about her and used her to get information out of you.” Arkhill took in a deep breath. “But I had a thought. The orb can’t stay hidden forever. He will find it eventually. I was thinking, what if I gave the orb to Alaine?”

The pipe fell out of Fileus’s mouth and bounced to the floor. He scrambled to pick it up and wiped off the mouth piece. “Are you serious? You want to give a child a powerful orb to keep?”

“Just listen. If the orb was out of this world it would be out of his reach. He wouldn’t regain his gifts. And I agree with you, I shouldn’t give it to her as an infant. That would be very unwise.”

“Not that I’m completely agreeing to this, but why not wait until she’s of age?”

Arkhill shook his head. “No, that would be too long. Who knows what state the world will be in by then? He has this way of controlling people’s decisions, even without his magic.” He stood up and rested his arm on the mantel. “You’ll have to check up on her every now and then, just to make sure she’s all right. We could probably wait until she was fourteen or fifteen, according to Earth’s time. It’s still young, but she might be alright.”

“Alright? You’re talking about giving a young girl an orb of infinite power! She wouldn’t be able to handle it. Not even a normal mage could handle that much power. It’s too much! And you said there was no magic on her world, so what would happen if other people saw her using it.”

“She’d have to keep it secret.”

“Well, of course she would! But then what? How long would she have to keep this orb? Forever? Are you even planning on dealing with him?”

“You know I can’t.” Fileus shook his head.

“You and your promises. Arkhill, your mother is gone. She wouldn’t know if you didn’t keep your promise about protecting your younger brother.”

“It’s still a promise.”

“Then what’s our plan?”

“You’ll hate it.”

“Try me.”

“Have Alaine come here and I will teach her how to use the orb and control it. Then once she’s ready, have her meet my brother in the field of battle and end him forever.”

Fileus burst out laughing. “Okay, please tell you have another plan!”

Arkhill stayed silent.

“Arkhill, you can’t be serious! You want her to do all your dirty work so you won’t have to break your mother’s promise?”

He leaned back in his chair. “I told you, you would hate it.”

“Of course I hate it! What makes you think you can use my daughter like that?!”

“Do you think I would trust anyone else with this? Like you said, no mage would be able to handle the power; I can only give it to someone who doesn’t have magic inside of them. And she’ll be fine. I’ll give her the orb and make sure it gets inside of her. And then I’ll find the time to tell her everything.”

Fileus shook his head. “No, no, I can’t let you do this.” He stood up and set his pipe back on the mantle. “I can’t let you use her like that. What if she gets hurt? Or even killed? What if she turns out to be this really sweet and nice person and when we do give her the orb it changes her? And if it doesn’t work?”

“You’re only seeing the horrible situations that could come out of this,” Arkhill walked over to Fileus. “But think of the good that could come out of it. There won’t be a civil war ever again. This world could finally build. The population could finally rise.” He placed his hand on Fileus’s shoulder. “Alaine would know where she came from. You two would spend time together. And maybe when she becomes of age she might choose to live here. But overall, you’d get your daughter back.”

Fileus watched the flames. The light reflected in his eyes as he imaged being reunited with this only child; his only connection to Rose. “What if she doesn’t want to do it?”

“We’d have to keep this from her until she was ready.”

“We’d be lying to her. Manipulating her. What if she found out and hates me for it?”

Arkhill sighed. “What if she doesn’t? Maybe she’ll understand. Maybe Alaine will want to help. But the important thing here is that she gets to meet you and find out where she came from.”

Fileus shook his head. “Can you promise me she won’t get hurt?”

“As much as I want to, I can’t. It won’t be an easy road. But just know I’ll be watching over her. And don’t forget, I’ll be the one teaching how to control the magic. She’ll be fine as long as she does everything I say.” Arkhill paused. “I know we’d be using her, but there’s no one else. She’d be saving this entire world from tearing itself apart.”

Fileus shifted from one foot to the over. He still hated the idea, but knew that Arkhill was right. “Okay.”

Arkhill sighed in relief. “Thank you. Now, I don’t know when he’ll come, but it will probably be soon. Try holding off finding the orb as long as you can. Only when you’re desperate, tell me, and I’ll give the orb to her.” He turned to leave, but Fileus stopped him. “Wait. Let me give it to her. Please.”

“Alright.” Arkhill walked to the center of the room and nodded at Fileus, and then he disappeared into a cloud of golden light. And so Fileus waited.


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