I found myself staring at the writing on an old book on a dusty section of the shelf that looked as though it had not been touched in ages. Surrounded by books, that had all level of weathered and dusty, this didn’t seem all that novel. What did stand out was the phrasing. Since spending a few minutes to decipher the differences in the old tongues on the page, I could understand a lot better what they tried to convey in meaning. I pulled the leather bound tome from the shelf and confirmed the front said as the spine had, “Intro to Magic” The first page I flipped through said something impossibly stupid though, making me consider throwing the book on the floor in rage, if I hadn’t cackled at the audacity of the last line on the page.
“In my tower, I have deigned it necessary to copy my knowledge of the arcane into a format that can outlive even myself and my extended lifespans. I may have lived for hundreds of years, but the written word will live forever. And I can only hope that it’s used for the same good that I wrought upon the people of this land while I lived. Though, my magic and my knowledge has become quite extensive and rather niche, I have found a way to simplify much of what I’ve learned into the basics. This is where I will start my expression of knowledge. This is where you should start, if you find yourself looking to learn my secrets. I have stripped all flourish and whimsy from my normal speech so that this journal may be useful to anyone who can read it. I hope it detailed enough to meet the needs of a pauper, while simple enough a princess not strain to understand.”
“What a JERK! I’m glad he’s dead.. Probably?” I mean, if I’m here and he’s not, then he’s either dead or the person who kidnapped me, right? And why would someone kidnap me only to gift me an understanding of magic I couldn’t use? This seemed rather unintentional, despite everything making very little sense as is. And yet, for some reason, I found myself finishing the rest of the tome by nightfall. Another day of very little, besides eating, reading and sleeping. The tome told of all types of magical powers and abilities and suggested that it wouldn’t be specific to someone born with innate magic. The silly thing said magic could be learned. I brushed off the idea, but as I was falling asleep that night, I couldn’t help but to be very interested in the idea of being able to wield my own magic. Especially over the person who stuck me here. Maybe I would just keep reading. Maybe I would learn all I could and see if there was a way out in one of the pages. As my mind began to fade into the land of dreams, I wondered if maybe I wouldn’t leave when I found my way out, if I hadn’t finished learning from the ancient knowledge I had found myself trapped within.
It was a long time with many days of monotonous routine. Breakfast, Reading, Lunch, Practicing, Dinner, Reading, Sleep. The tower was hardly big enough to get my normal walk in, but between lunch and dinner, I had found it helpful to pace the diameter of the room from east to west and back. And despite what I had thought when I read the first tome, I had found it incredibly easy to mimic the spells and enchantments that the books all taught. I began to practice regularly, making sure that any time I found a new spell I would put it to use somehow. These were NOT simple spells either.
I had seen the magic users of my father’s kingdom perform for us. They had lifted a spoon into the air without touching it, allowed it to hover there for a moment. They had even changed a brick of dirt into a yellow color that looked like gold. Though when my father went to inspect the brick, it was still dirt, just colored a golden yellow on the outside layer. It was a simple trick, nothing more. I however had learned to pick up a spoon without touching it, and throw it so hard with a flick of my finger that it embedded itself into a tree several acres away, splitting the log like a knife split butter. And I could see just how much damage I had inflicted, even while the spoon had disappeared as all my furniture and items did once they left the tower, due to an enchantment to increase my sight to a level that matched the finest telescopes my father’s money could buy.
The magic I was learning was making a mockery of anything I had ever experienced by the name before. Magic this strong, I almost understood why it needed to be locked away in a tower. But… Why was I here? The question kept me up some nights. I worried about my father. I worried about my maids and what they were thinking about my absence. I worried about my friends, the children of local nobles who had probably wielded much power by having their daughters befriend me, though I loathed to think of any of the girls having that intention when they met me. Especially poor Deena. She was my best friend and she was the first person I thought would have told my father off for not sending a search party. Something was wrong, but I prayed to the old gods and the new that nothing had happened to Alaric or Deena. They were the two people I cherished most in the world. I still couldn’t believe nobody was searching for me if they were both alive. I looked out the window, and magnified my vision, searching the walls that lined the city. The guards seemed calm and relaxed. I could even see one of the newer guards on the wall, and I could recognize a pensive look upon his face. From this distance, it felt surreal. I knew he couldn’t see me, but I imagined he was thinking about me as his gaze rested close enough to the tower to come up with stories in my head about how much he and the kingdom missed me.
Alaric Silvercrest
The night seemed to stretch endlessly, while my patience ran thin. The princess had changed this last month. She was hardheaded, rude, she forgot her manors and her duties, she caused scenes frequently in the court and when I came to talk with her about the outbursts to see if something was wrong, she simply ignored my pleading for answers, putting up her hand with fingers out flat above her thumb, pinching her fingers to her thumb and opening it, to look as if it was a mouth gibbering on. Had it not been my daughter doing it, I would have had the perpetrator hung for treason. The lack of respect was astounding.
“This is not how I raised you, Calistra. You should know better than to mock your king, even if you are the princess.” I struggled to get out as her hand mimicked my speech in silence, her head facing away from me as she used her other hand to dig into her meal. I had sent her to her room to avoid a scene when she began causing issues in the dining hall, but I couldn’t just NOT feed my own daughter. I still cared for her, despite this newfound behavior. She was being abysmally reprehensible, but she was still my child, wasn’t she?
“Cal, can you please tell me what’s gotten into you? Can you please tell me what’s wrong?” I pleaded, worried the maids in the other room might hear my pain through the walls. “You know I only want what’s best for you.”
“I don’t care what you want. I’m perfectly fine. Like you said, I’m a princess! Princesses can do what they want.” She only half turned to face me, just enough that I could see that malevolent smirk on her face.
As I blinked, my vision blurred, and I realized I was about to cry. This was not my daughter. This was a monster. A monster that I may have had a part in creating. I couldn’t even bring myself to look in the mirror against the wall as I turned to leave.
I opened the door and standing there was her maid with the worried look she’d been giving me for the last month. She noticed what was happening before anyone. Before Deena. Before me. Calistra’s personal maid had always been very in tune with her demeanor, and it was clear and obvious to her when that changed.
She matched my step as I headed back to my own chambers. “She didn’t say anything new then?” she asked, worry evident in her voice.
“Nothing at all, really. She mocked me as I asked her to talk to me. She’s changed, and it’s certainly not a good change.” I sighed, my head lowering to try to suck the tears back in, but they were already streaming down my face. “I don’t know what happened.”
“All I know is, one night she went for her usual nightly walk, and she hasn’t been outside the castle walls since. And she’s not behaved the same since either. I worry a demon possessed her soul, your Majesty. She…” Her voice caught as I looked at her with a flare of anger.
The anger subsided faster than it came over me, as I realized she may be right. “I’ll call the high priest to ask for help. I’m sorry. You’ve known her better than anyone. I should have requested your thoughts on the matter instead of glaring when they came up. I would have had you in the dungeons for saying that 2 months ago, hell maybe even a few weeks ago… At this point, I’m starting to believe that’s the only possibility.” her whole body had tensed when I suggested she deserved the dungeons, but she kept her stride matched with mine, and nodded softly when I finished talking.
“I know you love her, Your Majesty. The whole kingdom does. but something is clearly wrong. Thank you for listening to me now, even if I knew better than to speak such blasphemy before.” Her voice was gentle as her eyes focused on the tears running down my face. “Here.” she said, quickly pulling a handkerchief from her pocket. “It’s not cloth fit for a king, but those tears are hardly fitting for your position either. We will figure this out. Together, if you’d let me join you of course, Your Majesty..” her voice trailed off a bit at the end, but her sentiment radiated kindness from her. This was why I chose her as my daughter’s maid. She had a kindness and heart that most could only dream of.
“Together it will be.” I said, wiping my tears and going to hand back the slightly damp cloth.
She waved her hand. “Please, keep it. And don’t forget to use my knowledge of the princess to help steady her soul. I’m here for you and your family, Your Majesty.” she said firmly, then with a deep bow, she was gone.
I knew where I could find her. She was always near my dear Calistra’s room. She never strayed far. She had become a mother figure to the girl. It hurt to know she did so well a job at replacing the mother Calistra would never meet. Though it felt much better to know that she had someone to turn to for matters a King was unfit to handle. Lately, I felt unfit for a lot of things. My Calistra would never be so cruel. She must be possessed.
Leave a Reply