Chapter 1: Maps and Characters
Summary:
Please enjoy these maps and a brief list of characters! With the maps I hope you all find it easier to picture the layouts of the story.
Credit for maps goes to: Sketchy! https://sketchymaloo.tumblr.com/ She did an amazing job! I appreciate her help so much for doing these for me!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Enjoy this beautiful art! I’ve been holding onto these for a while and I’m very excited to share them with you all!
Nick and Judy <3 Art done by FrenchPopsicle on Twitter: LINK
!!!----> Click here for Better Image~link~ <----!!!
Usha and Saphielle <3 Art done by FrenchPopsicle on Twitter: LINK
!!!----> Click here for Better Image~link~ <----!!!
The City of Animalia
!!!————> The City of Animalia ~Link~ <————!!!
World Map
!!!————> World Map~Link~ <————!!!
Close Up
!!!————> Close Up~Link~ <————!!!
The Palace Grounds
!!!————> The Palace Grounds ~Link~ <————!!!
List of Blessed Knights
Captain Judy Hopps: short sword
Lieutenant Bogo: great axe
Gazelle: female gazelle, wind mage
Belathur: male caribou, halberd
Phyrhus: female elephant, giant hammer
Iris: female tiger, bastard sword
Basha: female cloud leopard, archer
Bjorn: male grizzly bear, morning star
Cyprus: male lion, sword and shield
Ramsey Stone: male mountain ram, gauntlets
Anahita: female hippo, trident
Emery: male otter, rapier
Arik: male Afric spotted lupin, fire mage
Saffrin: female cheetah, dual daggers
Notes:
I hope you all like them!
Chapter 2: A thief in the shadows
Chapter Text
A Mage's Heart
Chapter one: A Thief in the Shadows
Thunder clashed over the city of Animalia, capital of the country of Furosie. A city built up against the Whispering Sea. The usually calm waters were angry with the storm's rage and you could see the lighting burst through the angry sky above. Hot blue light lit up wrathful waters that tossed ships in the harbor. Cold rain poured down onto the city in sheets, rushing down the walls of houses like an overflowing fountain.
This was not the ideal night to be a thief in the shadows, but a pouch full of coins can move any creature into desperate action. The flashes of lightning sent shadows moving over the stony walls of houses as though they were alive. The rain cascaded over clay roofing tiles making them harder to grip. It turned the poor dirt roads to slop underneath padded foot. Despite the deafening roars of thunder, the city below the castle was peaceful and silent, not a movement in sight. All mammals were asleep and tucked away in their warm beds, oblivious to the world outside their windows. All unaware that one of those lightning-cast shadows was alive, clawing over their very homes in search of darkness.
Nicholas Wilde, a quick witted red fox, leapt from shadowed alley to darkened door. A hood pulled tight over his head, pinning his ears back flat so as not to be given away by distinct silhouette. His paws splashed as he ran and slid his way through the muddied ground of the outer circle of Animalia. It was the outermost circle of the city, home to the lower class, location of all the best pubs and taverns; and unlike the two most inner circles, the roads were earthen, not hardened stone. It was also the largest of the circles, despite that it usually was less patrols.
So down on all fours is how he was forced to do his fleeing. Down in the mud wasn’t exactly his favorite way to run from the palace guards, but it was the quickest. Four paws though made it easier to weave his way in and out of streets and over fences; up the sides of houses and over rooftops. Lucky for him, being a fox, he had excellent night vision as well, even in unrelenting rain. The ways and paths on which he traveled were clear as day to him. There wasn’t an ounce of worry in him that he couldn’t get himself out of this mess. Mess might’ve been an understatement, but he was an optimistic creature.
Being a thief, by no choice really of his own, he had a very limited, and very specific, skill set. He was by now well experienced in the art of thieving. That experience, combined with pride in his many conquests, had set him up for arrogance, he hadn’t even hesitated. He choose to go at this one alone, ignoring the advice of others who were adamantly against it. Even now, stomach deep in thick mud and Goddess knows what else, he still felt it was all worth it.
The castle had been simple enough. it wasn’t his first time sneaking in there. Though those other times had been just for the thrill of knowing he could. Of which he always celebrated by stealing a bottle of the Queen’s most expensive wine. This job required him to venture furture into the innermost heart of the castle. To go unseen as he had to maneuver and crawl his way up to the Mage’s Tower. All for the sake of a stone of brilliant crimson with a deep depth of color that he had never before come across. He hadn’t expected, in the heat of his blusterous ego, to be caught. And so his flee began, shouts from all around the castle forced him on a heart thudding chase through the city. He had felt nearly bottled necked until he made it to the large outer circle, of which he called home, and knew it well like the back of his paw. So HA! Hahaha! This had not been planned, but now he was sure he was safe.
Nick dropped from a roof that belong to a stable and swung himself through the open window and into the hayloft. The stable was used to house Runogs. They were large, heavy, thick hide creatures used for pulling wagons and working the land. Four strong hooved feet set on thick legs assured that weight wasn't an issue for them. It had a rather reptilian head, bumpy, with small slanted eyes, and was set on a thick short neck. Two large spiraled horns sprouted from it’s skull and arched high then down, nearly touching their backs. While their head had a rather strange shape, the snout was rounded with herbivore teeth set inside. A small stub, hardly anything to call a tail, wiggle squatly on it’s rear. While Nick didn’t mind the company of the rather dumb, slow, beast, he didn’t much care for the smell.
“Not that I probably smell much better.” He gave his sleeve a sniff and bulked at the oder.“I wish they'd just give up already.” Nick, crouched down low in the hay, making sure to stay hidden from sight, and took a long pause to consider his options. He had to get to the docks on the east side of Animalia; it was the meeting place that had been decided upon, but the guards had probably closed all the gates by now. Once the castle bell had been rung to alert an intruder, the guards’ presence had gone up significantly. All of them running about, shouting orders, hunting for him. There would be no mammal in or out until he was caught. If the gate had closed, which he sure it was by now, than getting out would require more planning. He wasn’t much for plans, he preferred to think on his feet, to be in the moment and trust his instincts to be his guide.
Pushing his hood back Nick shook the water from his face and ran his fingers through his red neck fur. The way water ran through his fur always made him feel itchy. He was covered in mud from the tip of his nose, over his rain soaked tunic and breeches, down to his paws. He looked a mess.
“What I won’t give for a real hot soak when this is over.” Grabbing his tail he wrung the water out of it, doing his best to brush off the mud. Once he had wrung the water out of his cloak he pulled the hood of it back over his head. Around his neck there was a small purple stone hanging from a thin silver chain, it was his only truly important possession. Nick grabbed it and tucked it back into his shirt for safekeeping before venturing back out into the city shadows. The rain had yet to give at all, pelting him with near stinging voice. The rain, combined with the rolling of thunder, muffled out all other noise. He watched as the lighting splintered over the black sky like a web. As it flashed with such sinister force Nick was able to see the outline of the storm clouds rushing about.
Pressing up against the stoney walls Nick crept slowly in the direction of the east sea gate. With his ears pressed down, along with the storms rage, Nick had only his sight to rely on to guide him through. He caught the tail end of a swinging lantern and halted in his tracks. It was hard to tell how many, but at the fire light grew and bloomed through the alley Nick was able to pick up the sound of armor and shouting. He cursed under his breath, backtracking to the next alley. Only here too he saw guards over the tops of some empty wooden crates.
“Damnit!” He felt the pin prickling in his hair as he was starting to feel cornered. “All this...over a…” Nick touched the stone on his hip in a tied pouch. A small spread of panic creeped over on him, the hair on his neck standing even straighter. He sat there, hunched in the mud, and watching the dancing of lantern light spilling into the alley from the street. There were so many...glancing over his shoulder, he could see the more light on the street behind him. They had moved so far into the outer circle that he was starting to get that bottle neck feeling again. He was so close, and yet…
‘I’m not getting caught here in the mud…’ Moving on all fours Nick ran up to the nearest drainpipe and scurred up it. Rain assaulted his eyes and nose, but he gritted through it till he was on the roof. He gripped the tiles, waiting till he had a good steady grip before moving forward. From here he was able to get the best view of the outer ring. The dim glow of the lanterns dotted throughout the streets, all in search of him. The dull roar of the waves echoed off the walls, the taste of salt on his tongue. Those things reminded him how close he was.
‘And no one ever thinks to look up.’
Narrowing his eyes he gazed down on the street below him. A party of three hulking mammal figures were entering the alley where he just was. Their swords were drawn as they kicked over the crates. They were searching for him alright, how frustrating it must be for them. In this weather they would never see him until it was too late. Turning his attention back to the roof path before him Nick began to move. Slow at first, on all fours, claws scraping against the tiles as he fought for traction.
When it came time to jump to the next roof he picked up speed, bunching his paws up under him he leapt flawlessly to the next set of houses. The distance between him and the east gate was growing shorter. His felt his lungs burn as he kept up the steady pace, his breaths coming out in small huffs. With narrowed green eyes he kept his eyes straight ahead of him, catching the flashes of lightning just under the rim of his hood.
Digging his claws into the roof just as the east gate came into view. Guards were posted there, just a few, the fire from the latners catching their wet armor and making it glow. Direct physical confrontation wasn’t his usual way of doing things...but he had no choice. Up over the wall he could see the ships being pushed around in the dark angry waves. He’s goal was a ship called “The Dread Wolf”. The client would meet him on that ship and then that would be it. The request would be fulfilled and he would have a big fat payment to spend.
Nick’s paw twitched towards a dagger at his side. He didn’t have as much confidence in his fighting ability as his thievery, but he had just enough to be sure he could handle them long enough to escape through the gate. He gritted his teeth as a grin spread over his face.
“They’ll never see me coming.” He intensely focused on the sky for lightning strikes, a big enough clash for the thunder to shake the very bones in his body. Thunder roared in his ears from distant smaller strikes. It made his muscles strain to be still in anticipation as the rain poured down on top of him. He stood, grinning, this had been too easy. Lighting filled the sky so brightly it looked white and….
“HALT! In the name of the Queen!”
Nick went rigid with shock. He narrowly looked over his shoulder, slowly, only to watch the lighting’s flash outline the figure standing behind him in a sheet of white. Despite the noises of the world around him Nick heard only silence as he stared at the owner of the voice that held such commandment. It was a female, it shouldn’t have surprised him as much as it did, but that knowledge that it was a female had him curious.
“Turn and face me thief! I will not ask twice!” Again, the demanding tone she used made him shiver with a flush of heat. He turned to face her fully, raising his head so he could see under the rim of his hood. She was on the rooftops with him, just a house behind the one he was standing one.
By her armor he was able to tell she was a palace guard, no, not a guard...a knight. He could tell by the Queen’s cat crest carved into her breast plate. It was also by the way her brilliant, perfect, silver armor shined and nearly glowed in the lightning flashes. She was small, but the heavy silver armor suited her, pauldrons laid ominous on her shoulders. A laugh came out of him though when he took note of her species.
“A bunny knight, how adorable.” He popped his hip slightly as he laid a paw on it, becoming all too relaxed in the presence of such a small rabbit. “Give up carrots, I’m too quick and nimble for you to catch.” He smiled at her, a smile which all to quickly began to fade. In the light that chased away the darkness he could see the way her expression stayed calm. Her dazzling purple eyes glinted with focus as she faced off against him.
She didn’t say anything, but instead positioned her sword to strike. She took up a stance he had never seen before and suddenly her body began to glow and be bathed in a silvery blue. Nick’s eyes widened in the knowledge that this bunny was no ordinary knight. She was something he had only heard of by word of mouth and bedtime stories.
“A Blessed Knight.” Every nerve in his body lit up like firecrackers buzzing and exploding through him. He frantically turned to run, but it was already too late. A bright blast of blue light came toward him and struck him across the back. The strike sent him flying across the roof. He landed on his stomach and then rolled, falling hard into the mudded street below. The air in his lungs was forced out of him, leaving him momentarily breathless and stunned. His vision went black, caused by the onslaught of the searing pain he felt all over his body. Water and mud filled his nose as he gagged for air. He hacked and coughed, rolling over onto his back and blinking, trying to see past the dirt and rain.
“‘I’m surprised you're still conscious.” It was the bunny knight, standing over him, as calm as she was before. Nick stared up at her, her glaring purple eyes stared right back at him, and in that moment he saw a small glimmer of her rage. Still, despite it all, they reminded him of the purple stone hanging on his neck.
“I’m...surprised they let a bunny be blessed.” He coughed out the words with a very small smirk.
“Take him to the dungeon.” With that said Nick looked over to see a buffalo guard, followed by the hilt of an axe.
~~~
When Nick finally came to, it was by the splashing of icy water to his face.
“Ahhh!” It was freezing and a large black bear stood before him holding a bucket. “Warm it up next time.”
“Filthy fox.” The bear spat at him before stomping away.
“Nice to meet you too.” Nick shook his head, doing his best to clear the water from his eyes and flicking the droplets off his ears. The water ran through his face fur, giving him that itchy feeling again. Blinking he looked around to assess where he was. Captured, he had definitely been captured, and was tied to a chair with arms and legs bound tight. He could tell by the cells that he was in a small jail cell, though it seemed he was the only prisoner. The next thing he noticed was that it was still storming outside, which meant he hadn’t been out long. He also took notice that besides his breeches he was stripped of all his clothes, even his necklace, and of course the stone he had stolen was gone.
The next thing he noticed was that his body ached all over. There was also a horribly irritating ringing in his ears, and no amount of ear flicking made it go away. He let out a loud exaggerated sigh and craned his head to look around more. Two guards stood by the entrance, there was a large stone fireplace on one side, cells along the opposite side. To his right was a large table with some chairs around it.
“Well, this is kinky.” He wiggling his paws around but the rope was bound bruisingly tight. The blazing fireplace made the room warm, sweat started to pool on his forehead and wrists as he strained the ropes in an effort to free himself.
The creaking of an iron door was heard, then came footsteps, which were accompanied by the unforgettable sound of heavy armor. He paused his efforts and stared straight ahead of him, deep into the blazing fireplace. The fire leaped and jump in his emerald eyes, the brightness was almost painful, but he was stealing himself for his capture. He let out a heavy shaky breath remembering the reasons for his failure. The pain that throbbed over his back with every twist of his wrist wouldn’t let him forget her. Clearly recalling her piercing purple eyes made him swallow nervously.
“Captain.” He heard the bear address someone as they entered the room, ears rotating in that direction to listen.
“How is he?” Her voice was sharp and calm, even though he only heard it briefly, Nick couldn’t forget it.
“Just woke him up.”
“Good.” The heavy footfalls came closer, they echoed off the thick stone walls, the sound thudded in his ears until she came into view. He slowly turned his head to her when he heard her footsteps stopped a few feet from him. In the light he could see her face fur was grey and she stood at about chest height with him sitting. Her armor, though impressive, now looked to be too large for her. Still, despite her height, those eyes could make any enemy shiver. Beside her stood a hooded silver fox, dressed in colorful robes wrapped around her body, and a very sly look in her shadowed golden eyes, which stood out on the black fur of her face.
“So we meet again bunny knight.” Nick, going against his animal instinct to be cautious of her, gave her a cheeky smile. It was a bit of puffery to hide his anxiousness. He had been caught and released by the city guards for petty crimes, but a crime against the Queen had never, to his knowledge, gone without severe punishment.
“Don’t count yourself so lucky fox. You’re alive because I need information. The item you stole may very well lead to your death sentence.” The words were direct, her eyes never left his, and she sounded less than concerned about the part mentioning his death. He could sense no lies here.
“Well, that’s a little harsh for a rock.” He chuckled, but felt a lump form in his throat, he forced himself to swallow.
“Do you know exactly what it was that you stole?” She didn’t look at all amused, standing still at the stone walls around them as she judged his words.
“Listen bunny knight, I don’t ask questions, I’m just paid to steal stuff. I’m a thief, throw me in jail, put me in the stocks. I don’t know anything about that rock. Ok?” She said nothing, causing an awkward bit of silence to set in. “And by the way, do you mind giving me my necklace back? It’s important.” He gave her a pleading smile that she ignored with a roll of her eyes. The silver fox behind her snickered beneath her hood and Nick did not like it’s sound.
“I don’t trust you, fox...and a thief has no right to complain about missing property.” She looked to her left at the silver fox. “Arisa, make it so he can't lie. I have some questions that I want straight answers to.” She took a few paces back as Arisa came forward.
“Hu? I’m not going to lie to you bunny!” The way that Arisa smiled made the fur stand up on his neck. Panic overtook him and he began to twist at the ropes again to no avail.
“Certainly.” The mysterious silver fox slinked over to Nick, roughly grabbing him by the jaw and pried his mouth open. Nick thrashed his head, but her grip was strong. Taking a handful of blue dust from a pouch on her belt she blew it into his mouth . “Now,” she said, her voice a raspy, but sultry tone, “...now you cannot tell lies.”
The blue dust caused Nick to cough, gagging as he tried to breath through its stinging perfume. It dried out his mouth, along with the back of his throat, and he felt himself gasping to fill his lungs. His tongue felt tingly and his head began to feel dizzy. His vision blurred and for a moment he forgot where he was. It was like being in a fog of sleep, but yet he couldn't close his eyes.
“Let’s get started.” The bunny knight came back to stand before Nick, her arms folded behind her back. “You will tell me who you are, what you know, and where you're from. No more lies Nicholas Wilde.”
“Hu? H-how do you know my name?” The bunny reached forward and gripped the arms of Nick's chair, staring into his eyes, biting back the urge to scream.
“First, I want you to tell me exactly why you were here tonight.”
“W-where?” His head still felt hazy from the dust. Closing his eyes he tried to shake off the feeling of being trapped in a fog.
“In the Mage’s Tower!” She screamed, finally releasing the anger that had been building inside her all night. Violently she kicked his chair over, knocking Nick backwards. His head slammed against the cold cobble floor with so much force he saw stars. His stomach lurched and he felt like he was going to be sick. “Tell me!”
“T-to steal…” He whispered through gritted teeth.
“To steal what!?”
“I don’t know...” He felt his mouth jerk, like it was moving on it's own, the tingling in his tongue started to sting. “The rock.”
“Why?” She reached down and grabbed a fist full of Nick’s fur, lifting his face to meet hers. Nick squinted at her, seeing the fury in her eyes. “Tell me why!”
“Paid. Someone paid me to steal it.”
“Who!?”
“I don't know!” Nick felt the stinging of the dust on his tongue, but then all too quickly came the pain of steel hitting bone as the bunny knight punched him across the face with her gauntlet fist.
“Tell me!”
“I-I don’t know...I never saw him. Just his envoy...a badger…”
“What is their name?”
“I don’t know.”
“A thief like you knows everyone in this city.” Another punch across the face, but this time he tasted not the sting of a lie, but the iron flavor of blood.
“They weren't from the capital! I’ve never seen them before. Honest, I can’t lie with this dust stuff, right?! I’m telling you the truth.” It was all he could do to get the jumbled words out. She stared at him for a moment, her fist balled and ready to strike him again. There was a pause as her fist clenched and unclenched, her voice lowered to a deadly serious tone.
“You were headed to the east gate, why?”
“It was our meeting spot.”
“Where exactly.”
“A ship...The Dread Wolf.” Nick moved his jaw back and forth, it was painful to try to fight the spell, but what he feared most was her angry fist. She let Nick’s fur go and looked over her shoulder at the guard by the door.
“Have someone go and check the shipyard, hurry.”
“Right away Captain.” The bear stood to attention, placed his hand over his heart with a thump of his fist, and left. This left just the three of them and a horse guard by the hall. The bunny knight looked down at him and stared for a long moment. He watched the way the fire glinted over the metal of her armor. She looked so menacing, something he never imagined describing a bunny as.
“Get him up.” She motioned her head to the guard who quickly came over and lifted Nick’s chair back onto all fours.
“Have you ever broken into the palace before tonight?” The way she glared at him, the pure unbridled force of her anger, it caused him to truly fear for the outcome of all of this. He took a shaky breath before he answered.
“Yes.” It was an answer barely above a whisper. “But just to the kitchens.”
“What for?”
“Food, wine, the thrill of it.” The list spelled from his mouth with very little resistance, he found giving into the spell easier than trying to bite back the words.
“I don’t believe that that could be all.” She took a step forward, but a warning from Arisa stopped her.
“He cannot lie.” Arisa reminded her, her words seeming to come out of concern, but the smile on her face said otherwise. “He seems to just be a mangy thief.” The three of them looked between each other, the bunny knight still seeming unconvinced.
“Are you from this country?” Nick felt the lump in his throat grow, accompanied by the forming of a knot in his gut. The bunny’s question was slow, almost sounding like a trick to trap him in some lie that she already believed to be true in her head.
“...Yes.” Here he watched the two females exchange looks with each other. It was as he suspected, they knew something he didn’t. Which meant every question they asked him was dangerous.
“You truly are just a thieving fox.” The bunny raised an eyebrow up at him, her features softened just slightly, but the edge was still there. He truly could not judge her by her species, her eyes were cold and bright like the blade of a sword.
“I am.” He felt like he wanted to say more, but kept his mouth shut.
“Just a dumb fox with no idea what it is he has gotten himself into.” They heard the door opening as the bear guard returned.
“Captain.” He seemed to be out of breath. “You should come see this.” The Captain nodded and looked up at Nick once more.
“This isn’t over.”
“Oh I look forward to it.” He winked at her, pushing his luck in spite of his nervousness. Without warning his joke had earned him another punch that caused him to black out again.
~~~
When he came to this time, he was lying in a cell. No bed, no food, just some straw. He was cold, wet, and in more pain than before. There was something warm though on the back of his head. Reaching back, he touched the warm spot finding it to be wet. Pulling his paw back to his face revealed blood.
“Perfect.”
“Isn’t it? It’s only what you deserve, thief.” He recognized the voice and looked towards the door to his cell. There, seated in a chair, was the silver fox from before. She had the look of a gypsy, clothed in colorful garb and many adornments of jewelry. Something about her made Nick uneasy.
“What do you want?”
“We have more questions. Our captain lost her temper. Do forgive her, it’s been a long night.” Arisa smiled again, baring teeth.
“I know the feeling.” He showed her his teeth as well, knowing full well he couldn’t refuse her.
“The truth dust is still on your tongue.”
“Gross.”
“So we still need to know more about you. Where are you from?”
“I already told you.”
“I need you to be specific.” Nick scowled at her.
“Not so fast.” Nick pulled himself up into a more comfortable sitting position and stretched his arms and neck feeling them crack. “Let’s play a game, I have a few questions of my own.” He saw her face appear to look far less amused than before.
“And why should I answer any of your questions?”
“Humor me, we’ll take turns, you go first.” Nick crossed his legs, resting his chin in his palm, motioned for her to ask.
“Alright,” She grinned another toothy smile. “Where are you from? And please, be specific.”
“I was born in a small village called Ember.” The memory of his time there brought a pang of sadness to his heart. He had kept his gaze on Arisa and saw the expression of awe she now bore there. She knew the story associated with that village, surprising, since it was a village that had been lost to the memory of every mammal except those that had lived there. Or so had thought
“Most believe that there had been no survivors.”
“Only one.” Nick had to look away from her, before the guilt he felt showed through.
“Interesting…”
“My turn. What are you?” Nick shook his head and he adjusted himself. He wanted to know why she made him feel so uneasy.
“I am a Seer.” Nick was unfamiliar with what this meant. He had expected her to say she was a mage. He didn’t let it show on his face, just nodded.
“How old were you when you were brought to the capitol?”
“Seven, I was brought here by a Blessed Knight who found me. She brought me here to an orphanage.” It felt strange speaking about it, but it seemed like Arisa wasn’t going to let it go. He hated talking about it, but the sting on his tongue refused to let him ignore her questions.
“What do you remember of that day?.”
“Ah ah ah, my turn.” Shaking off the unhappy memory he pushed past it in favor for what he was really curious about. Arisa made a face at being cut off, but allowed him to take his turn.
“That bunny knight, tell me about her, what is her name?” At this question Arisa looked genuinely surprised, but a smile curled over her muzzle all the same.
“What interest do you have in her?” Nick bit his tongue, but felt the stinging sensation of the truth dust. His mouth moved without his permission.
“Her eyes, I can’t seem to forget them.” Nick, who had tried to avert his gaze, looked up to Arisa. She seemed heavily amused as she leaned forward in her chair, arms folded, gazing at him with genuine amusement. As though she had just found something fun to play with.
“Hopps. Her name is Blessed Captain Judy Hopps. And she is the strongest mammal you will ever meet.”
~~~
The door to the jail closed with a harsh thud as Arisa let it fall shut behind her. She kept her head low as a smirk passed over her face.
“You heard it all, correct?” Tilting her head down slightly she eyed Captain Hopps who had been there, leaning against the wall. A harshly focused look on her face, arms crossed over her chest, with her paws in a bruising grip.
“Yes.” She kept her gaze down, barring it into the floor.
“A sole survivor of Ember, how curious.” Arisa rolled the words, her tone far too amused for Judy’s taste. Nothing about what happened there should be spoken aloud so lightly.
"He...he more than anyone would have reason to hate the crown.” Judy’s grip on her arms tightened, the nails biting into her own skin. “What happened there, what this country’s royalty let happen, it’s unforgivable….”
“But he is just a simple thieving fox. Right?” Arisa rotated her wrists as she spoke, popping the joints. “It’s just a coincidence, no grudges to be had.”
“Is it though!?” Judy finally looked at Arisa. Her eyes were shaking with anger, frustration, there were too many more questions that needed answers. “Tell me, is this all just happenstance?”
“Ha, ha, oh dear, you know I can’t tell you that.” Arisa covered her muzzle with her paw as she giggled. Choosing now to move past Judy and head out.
“You know something.” Judy glared daggers at her as she walked away. Arisa had always been a friend, but never fully trusted to tell the truth. Right now Judy felt like she desperately needed that bit of truth. “Ember...I can’t believe it.” The thought began to form a knot in the pit of her stomach.
“Someday soon, you will.”
Notes:
This work is entirely experimental. I've never written a adventure story and wanted to try my hand at it. I really love Zootopia and thought that Judy and Nick would work really well in a fantasy environment. Enjoy!
Chapter 3: A Queen's Words
Notes:
Thank you to everyone who commented and left me kudos! I'm glad you enjoyed chapter one!
Updated on: 03/10/2021
Chapter Text
A Mage’s Heart
Chapter two: A Queen’s Words
Time seems to move by slowly when you’re confined to a cell. Days and nights start to blend together as the mind turns over the past and present events in a mammal’s life. Nick was no exception to this. He found the conversation with Arisa had brought with it old memories he had long since locked away. It had planted a pain to regrow in his heart that hurt too deeply to ignore. Confinement was going to be the death of him if something interesting didn’t happen soon. His skin had started to itch more and more with every moment he was locked away down here beneath the castle. He was far too sharp-witted to be kept in a place so aggravatingly dull. With just four walls and a fireplace there wasn’t much to keep his mind occupied.
As the weeks came and went, he had managed to win over the guards. His constant chattering didn’t give them much of a choice. He personally found their conversations lacking in imagination, so he kept them engrossed with tall tales that stretched the boundaries between truths and lies. Their presence was a small relief to his great need for always having something new in his life. It actually shocked him quite a bit that he did not feel more concerned about what was happening to him. It was definitely his overconfidence for getting out of worse than this. He had yet to be given an exact punishment for his crime, but he was sure that was coming. The constant nagging questions were annoying, but...
The days he actually looked forward to were the ones where Captain Hopps came to visit him. Though, it was always more of an interrogation rather than a visit. There was always a lot of yelling, plus the more-than-deserved punch for any sarcastic remarks he was always sure to make. Throughout it all she amused him more than any of the others. He didn't even mind her punches now really, as he found he liked the look in her eyes when she was angry. She always seemed to leave him unsatisfied though; and her moods seemed to change like the winds themselves. Every time she questioned him it was a session of rephrased questions that she had already asked him before. Everytime he gave the same answers, it was never enough.
‘I’m just a thief, there’s nothing else to me.’ And yet, every time they asked about Ember he felt his face flush and the feelings inside him would become confused. He was a survivor of something tragic, yet he never sought out the answers to his questions that had lingered inside him since he was a kit. He didn’t need to know, it was all in the past...
“Have you ever thought about revenge?” Hopps asked him once. Too quickly he said “No”. That seemed to confuse her and she left early that day.
He found himself thinking about her more and more, every time he saw a new expression. Sometimes she was fierce like fire blazing in her desperation; and sometimes she was distant and sullen like she was lost. All the while he sought her eyes, to see the color that reminded him of his necklace, so close was the hue.
She was a mammal of interest, despite his situation, her devotion to her Queen and country fascinated him. Not to mention a bunny becoming a Blessed Knight; a knight alone was shocking enough, but to be blessed? A knight bestowed with the power of magic to defeat the evils of this word. It was a tale fit for songs of which there were already quite a few. He had always seen Blessed Knights as mammals larger than life. Never had he heard of one manifesting in such a small species. He could believe it though after seeing her these past weeks. She wasn’t one to take things lightly, and Goddess help the poor mammal that questioned her on it. A Blessed Knight was extremely loyal to the crown, laying down their very lives if the Queen asked them too. It was their signature defining move. Nick knew deep down that she would die for her Queen and take every sorry soul that threatened the Queen down with her.
“Hey,” There was a hard knock on the bars of his cell. Nick rolled his tired eyes up to meet the bear guard. “Stand up, Blessed Captain is here to see you.”
Nick slowly stood from his meager bed of straw on the cold stone floor. He lazily stretched with a wide toothy yawn. Bending himself here and there he cracked his back and scratched the nap of his neck. His fur was starting to get a bit matted in places. What he wouldn’t give for a proper bath. Figuring this visit was like any other he wasn’t feeling overly concerned. That changed when guards started to file in, more than he had ever seen down here before.
When the sound of paw falls stopped Nick looked up and was very surprised at what greeted him. Palace guards lined every inch of wall space, massive, with thick armor that made Nick reconsider what his outcome would be here today. The guards began to light the torches just as Blessed Captain Hopps strode in. Today she was in full blessed gear and it shined as the firelight caught it’s sharp edges. The cat crest on her chest seemed to be alive as the light moved over it. He was already plenty intimidated by her, but today she had a presence that could bring mountains to their knees.
The seer, Arisa, fell just a few paces to the back of her on the left; and a large water buffalo was to her right. He too was in full blessed gear, he was every bit as striking at Judy. It added to his already large size which made the sight of him even more alarming. Nick recognized him as the one who had knocked him out the night he was caught. Both him and Judy emanated a dominating aura, like a pressure on his throat, as their armor almost seemed to glow silver by the fire. Nick was never one to be intimidated by a showy force of power, but he knew well enough when a bluff was simply a bluff...this was not.
Blessed Captain Hopps came to stand in front of Nick’s cell. Her paw firmly gripped the hilt of her sword.
“Well, good morning bunny knight, and to what do I owe this, might I say, very grand greeting?” He gave her a little sly smile, the one he gave her every time she came to see him, it was never appreciated.
“Today I advise you to only, and I mean ONLY, speak when asked a direct question. Do I make myself clear?” Her face was as unchanging as always, except for the bit of a twitch her nose made. Her eyes though, her eyes sliced him up like razors on his skin.
“Crystal, though I have been known to forget.”
“It is in your best interest that you do not. If I so much as suspect any mischievousness I will not hesitate to strike you down where you stand. This,” she gestured her hand to the water buffalo. “is Blessed Lieutenant Bogo, he will also not hesitate to strike you down should you give him cause.” Nick raised a brow up at Lieutenant Bogo, who let out a heavy huff of air through his nostrils. Nick took note of the massive axe strapped to his back.
“Impressive, really, I’m genuinely scared. Now, would you explain why that is?” He gestured to all the guards in the room, a bit of a frown on his face. “It’s all a bit overkill don’t you think?”
“I do not.” Nick’s frowned deepened at her words as he raised a brow at her. “Today you will show the most grand respect. You will be watched and evaluated by all here today. If I see any misbehavior there will be a swift punishment.” Nick noticed that as she spoke the grip on her sword tightened. Her nose twitched every so often, something Nick had come to associate with her nerves.
“I promise bunny, I’ll be on my best behavior, honest.” He made a cross gesture over his heart and held his hand up, as thought he was making a vow.
“See that you are.” Nick caught the small bit of shake in her eyes. That shake had started to appear over these last few days. He could tell she was gasping for bits of straw. Something to hold him beyond his obvious crime. Serious as it may be, there was something else she hopped to find and it was beginning to frighten her that she could not see it. Guilt was forming, maybe? All this time he had been subjected to truth dust so she had nothing more to present as evidence for her make believe crime. She was tough, but her resolve was seeming to wane and he took extra time in noting that.
‘She’s not as cold hearted as she appears. Just a scared rabbit, typical.’ Nick locked his eyes on her, meeting her burning gaze with his cool green emeralds. Her eyes widened at his brazen act, then narrowed to where the light from the fireplace made the purple in them sparkle like dust coming out of the flames. The smallest shiver ran down his spine, causing the fur on his arms to prickle.
“Got it…” It came out as a hiss followed by a gulp of nerves to try and settle his own butterflies.
There was the sound of the dungeon door opening. That one sound caused all the guards in the room to straighten to full attention. What Nick saw next made his eyes widen in shock. Never, not even in his wildest dreams, had he ever expected to see her so close.
The graceful snow leopard that came through the doorway was garbed in the most royal of attire. A full purple dress flowing over her shoulders and ruffling around her feet; a slit in the back was made for her beautifully long and fluffy tail to protrude through. A metal armor like belt wrapped around her waist and etched into it was the cat crest of her house. A simple circlet settled between her large rounded ears and was embellished with a large aqua jewel to symbolize the sea that lined half of her country. This was the Queen, and her presence filled the room in a warm, but powerful aura.
“Queen Natia…” Nick murmured her name, he’s eyes still shaking with awe at her. She moved in a slow, elegant manner, every paw and head movement perfectly in place for perfection.
Arisa pulled out a chair for her, bowing deeply as she gestured to it. Queen Natia chose not to sit, instead she came to stand directly before Nick’s cell. Judy moved out of the way to give them room to stare at one another. Queen Natia’s eyes were a bright crystal blue, a blue so much like ice that Nick could see himself reflected in them. The small delicate spots beneath her eyes, which continued upwards onto her cheeks, made her face look even more elegant. Up close she was so enchantingly lovely it took his breath away. Hesitantly he gave her a low bow, looking down at her feet.
“My Queen…” Nick barely managed to get the words out, it was his first time seeing her. The way she stood before him, tall, poised, paws crossed calmly over her stomach; her face was so serene and regal, it made him feel like an intruder in presence.
“Am I?” A lovely crisp voice filled the air around them.
“W-what?” Nick looked up at her, confused by her words.
“Your Queen. Am I? You seem to have had no qualms about sneaking into my castle, breaking into my tower, and stealing this country’s most treasured possession. Now, does that sound like the actions of a loyal citizen of my kingdom?” She tilted her head slightly, a small smile pursed on her muzzle. Her eyes glinted in a mischievous way. It caused Nick to bashfully look away and rub the back of his neck.
“Well, when you put it that way Queenie it makes me seem like a bad guy.”
“Careful how you address Her Majesty, thief!!” It was Lieutenant Bogo who bellowed out the warning in a great booming voice. Queen Natia held up a paw to silence him. Nick rolled his eyes over to the bunny knight and winked at her. Captain Hopp’s mouth tightened into a hard line and her eyes looked furious, but she said nothing.
“Nicholas,” The Queen spoke his name in a smooth calm tone.
“Just Nick is fine.” Her eyes glinted at him for a moment, looking genuinely amused, but warningful.
“Nick, I am here because I want to confirm some of our findings about you for myself. I am aware of the fact that you have been questioned relentlessly this week and for this you have been given no answers for your own questions. Allow me a few more inquiries and then you will be given answers to what you seek.” She spoke with the graceful yet commanding tone fitting of the leader of an entire country. Nick could see no room for a snarky remark or a refusal. He nodded at her in agreement.
“I’ve been warned of your habit for roundabout explanations, so for that matter these will be yes or no questions, unless of course I ask you to elaborate. Understood?” He nodded again. “And there will be no use of the truth dust, I trust you to give me honest answers.” Nick nodded again, eager to never have to taste that awful powder again.
“Good, first question, did you grow up in an orphanage?
“Yes.”
“Because your parents died when you were still a kit?”
“Yes.”
“Are you from this country?’
“Yes.” Nick’s eyes narrowed, he had been getting asked this a lot and was unsure of the significance of it.
“Are your mother and father from this country?”
“Yes.”
“And what about your grandparents, great-grandparents, what about even further than that?” Nick’s brows knitted together at this question. Natia saw and a painful expression crossed over her features. “All the way back to the beginning.” Nick hesitated, feeling once more that confusing guilt well in his heart.
“...No.” He saw the Queens’ eyes flicker here and her tail twitched.
“You know this how?” She was pushing him, wanting to see what he himself knew. Nick gritted his teeth, he had never had to explain it. Captain Hopps knew, Arisa knew, the Queen knew...so why did he have to say it out loud. He had never held a grudge against the crown for any of his misfortunes, being forced now to throw it in her face left a terrible feeling in his gut.
“My parents, all the elders in Ember, told us younglings about how our village came into existence. After the war...when predators like wolves, jackals...foxes…” He flashed Judy a look before settling his heavy gaze back on the Queen. There was a lump crawling up through his throat making it hard to breathe in deeply. “...they fled Dostringar and sought safety here, in the new country of Furosie. But, they were denied. Still hated for what they were. A species that had always sided with the ruling house Fangmar. They were allowed to stay, but isolated to that village without any...protection...left to di---”
“That’s enough.” Natia cut Nick off before he got too emotional. Her sudden cut off caused Nick to flush with embarrassment. Either for getting too worked up by his own story or the fact that he was in a room where most of the listeners had never heard of that village. Very few knew...very very few...
Dostringar is the large dominating country to the east of Furosie. There is a long standing history of war and blood between the two countries. Furosie had once been land belonging to Dostringar before a war was started to break free from their ruler some thousand years ago. Seen then they’ve been in a never ending feud with Dostringar whose rulers have continuously tried to burn Furosie to the brink of non-existence. Bitter enemies with no chance for peace. There was always the constant threat of another war, always skirmishes along the borders, tries of assassination on the Monarch; Blessed Knights were always on alert with very little rest. It left an air of unease in the minds of Furosie’s subjects. Dostringar was best known for cruelty, violence, and acts of bloodshed. As well for their ways of twisting magic into something dark and evil. The rumors of what happened to mammals there were the subject of nightmares. Stories of heinous crimes filled the whispers in taverns late a night when they thought no one was privy. In the past, and even now, there is no contact with Dostringar’s rulers. So all anyone has to go off of are rumors. Rumors though seemed to be enough to strike fear into the hearts of mammals.
As for the significance of wolves and foxes mostly inhabiting Ember was, and their connection to Dostringar, the war. The ruling family in Dostringar is House Fangmar, a den of wolves. During those dark times wolves, foxes, jackals, any and all canine species served under the rule of that house, some oppressively. That stain, that mildest, it was still deep in the hearts of Furosie’s mammals. They never forgot the stories and the crown had never overturned that law that the citizens of Ember had to stay there. In truth, they were forgotten until twenty two years ago when it was wiped out....
‘Even now...after all those years...you never see wolves in Furosie…’
“Does your family have a history of magic?” Despite the sensitive mood that had settled over them all Queen Natia continued, her voice held no trace of wavering.
“What?” Nick shook his head, flicking his ears, trying to clear the fog that had started to settle over him as he remembered the past and the stories. He hated having to remember.
“No…”
“Do you have magic?”
“Of-of course not! That’s ridiculous!” That was a new question that had never been asked of him till now. It was an idioctic question that blindsided him into forgetting who was asking it.
“Yes or no?”
“Do you think if I had magic I would’ve let you treat me this way!? I would’ve escaped weeks ago. Hells, I would never have been caught in the first damn place!” His mouth was ajar with astonishment. The idea of he, himself, having anything remotely like magic was ludicrous.
“Yes or No!?” Queen Natia’s voice bordered on the edge of a refined yell. Her patience was coming to an end, and quickly. Nick bulked, but watched the way her paws digits lightly tapped in anxiousness. Nick took a deep breath and shouted back at her.
“NO! NO! I don’t have magic! Just because I’m from Ember, just because I’m...a-a fox! With some small inkling of a tie to that miserable country doesn't mean I have evil magic!” Nick felt a small bristle of tears forming at the edges of his eyes, anger and frustration, feelings he had suppressed since childhood. They all came welling up out of him. “None of us were evil! Every mammal in Ember was good. I swear…” Nick clutched the bars of his cell, falling a little as his knees began to buckle under the weight of his emotions before the Queen. His whole body was shaking it with his turmoil. How could such a weak amount of blood matter to anyone anymore.
There was a silence about the room and all that could be heard was the crackle of the fireplace. He dared not look at the bunny knight, for he knew he had broken the rule about ‘respect’. He didn’t need to look at her to feel the boil of anger in her eyes, not just here, he felt the eyes of every mammal on him. Instead, he kept his eyes fixed on the Queen’s feet.
“Can you tell me what this is?” There was the small sound of metal clinking together, his ears flickered about to the familiar sound. When he looked up he came face to face with his necklace dangling just before his eyes. A small wave of relief washed over him and the tears he had yet to spill began to dry. He had asked about its whereabouts several times since he was caught, but he was never given an answer. It was safe and to have it so close to him again, a strange sensation of safety washed over him.
“It’s my necklace…”
“It’s very beautiful.” The necklace slowly rotated with the light, swaying on its silver chain. It turned slowly, the symbol carved into its back caught the firelight, making the outline glint with the flames. Engraved there was a wolf's face and in it’s jaws it gripped a mage's staff.
“Do you know what this symbol is?” Natia asked curiously, arching her brow high, waiting to see what he would say. Nick continued to watch the necklace, waiting until the engraving disappeared as it turned.
“No, no one ever knew…” He remembered asking his mother several times what the strange symbol had meant, but that knowledge had been lost to his family.
“There’s no reason you would know it. It’s a very old symbol that has been lost to this world for a long time. An ancient dead symbol that was used to represent a mage serving the house of Fangmar. Though, it’s been centuries since this particular symbol has been used. This position within the Fangmar household no longer exists, not since, well...since the last mage to serve them betrayed their family in favor of serving my house.” Her words were slow and carefully placed. She never took her eyes off of Nick, she wanted to see every twitch of his ears and memorize the way his expression took on a look of shock.
Fangmar was the ruling family of Dostringar. A house of dire wolves whose bloodline has ruled over Dostringar since its founding. Nick couldn't even begin to fathom how his family ended up with such a dark object. He stared at his once precious stone, and a dreadful sick feeling welled up in his stomach.
“Nick…do you know who this necklace once belonged to?”
“...My...mother.”
“And before her?”
“My grandmother.”
“What about before that? Who first possessed it?”
“I don’t know!” Ripping his tortured gaze from the necklace Nick shook the bars, his emotions were still raw and this was just too much for him to process. Through gritted teeth he tried to keep his pain in place but her questions kept striking him deeper than any punch from Captain Hopps. “I have no idea! So stop it with the mind games and just tell me what it is I should know. Yes, I’m from Ember and yes it frustrates me to be here in front of you knowing your family turned their back on us. Yes, that necklace is mine, but whatever it’s past may be I have no say in it. As far as I’m concerned, it’s just been a family heirloom. I have no connections to Dostringar or Fangmar! So stop treating me like a spy, or that I’m out for revenge! What does any of this matter to you! I’m just a thief who was paid to steal a rock! So throw me in the city prison already will ya!” By now he was screaming with a voice on the brink of breaking. His paws clutched the bars so strongly it felt his knuckles pop. Once again, the room was silent, the sound of his heavy breaths filled it along since the crackling fireplace.
“Thank you Nick, for your honesty.” Natia’s voice was hesitant, but soft, and there was a bit of remorse for having put him in this state. “I believe that is all for today. I have all the knowledge I came for.” Queen Natia slipped the necklace back into her sleeve as she turned to leave, but paused for a moment to look back at him. “I’m sorry for the pains those memories cause you...I…” Her blue eyes stared at his downcast state and she had to stop herself from saying something that would have sounded selfish.
“No...no….No! Wait!” As he heard her pawsteps walking away they pulled Nick out of his grief long enough to register that she was leaving. “No! NO! You can’t just come down here and drop that literal ton of crap on me and leave! You said you would answer my questions! What do you know about me!? Tell me! Tell ME!” Nick’s whole body shook with desperation.
“In time you will know all that I do, but not this day.” Natia looked over her shoulder and gave Nick a look of genuine sympathy before she disappeared back up the steps.
“You liar! You bitch! Let me out!” Nick hollered the insults, and was rewarded, as promised, with swift punishment. Captain Hopps’ fist glowed with an electric blue light and she punched Nick hard in his stomach through the bars. The force knocked him the rest of the way to the ground. He curled himself up into a tight ball as he hugged his gut. Blinking tears out of his eyes he looked up at her. Instead of a cocky smile he growled at her, baring his teeth and snarled. He was sick of always looking up at her. There was a brief moment of pause before Judy reached for the fur atop his head and pulled his face up to the bars.
“If...if you ever speak to her majesty in such a foul way again...I will kill you.” They stared for a moment at each other. Nick snarled again, his lip curling. Judy just stared, her eyes had lost their sharpness and in them instead Nick saw pity, and to him that was worse than her threat.
She dropped his head abruptly, causing his face to hit the bars. The guards began to file out after the Queen until it was just Arisa left. Nick pulled his sorry state up against the stone wall, biting back tears and emotions that were swelling up inside him. He hadn’t felt this much pain, loss, or sorrow in a long time, not since his first night in the orphanage; now it had it piled up on him in ample amounts. He had forgotten how much his insides could hurt. Far worse than any punch or cut, this tore at him from his very core and refused to heal.
“Arisa...please...wait. Just answer one question please. Just one…” Nick rolled his head over to look at her, pleading with her not to leave him alone. She lifted her head towards him, her eyes glinting in the shadow of her heavy cloak.
“What is it you wish to know?” She had none of the sympathetic look all the others had had. She still had her normal look of amusement, like he was a play thing.
“What is it that you all fear for me? What do you think I am?” It was a heavy question, a part of him already knew she wouldn’t answer it, but still, he had hope. They looked at each other, saying nothing now, just watching the way each other's ears flicked, tails swaying, digits tapping. She was thinking, thinking hard about what she could possibly say that wouldn’t give away too much of the fun.
“Let’s just say, well...you may be something no mammal has seen in a long time.”
“How vague of you to put it that way. I should have known I wouldn’t get a straight answer from you.” He let his head fall back into the cold wall as her paw steps disappeared like all the others had. Then he was left alone once more in his cell with only the pops of firewood for company.
~~~
No one said anything as they walked by the Queen’s side. The guards disappeared, leaving only Judy and Arisa to walk with her. She set a slow leisurely pace, not seeming to have a destination. She kept her head high and didn’t bother to check to see who was still following. She took her time, treasuring this quiet moment that allowed her to ponder the event that had just taken place. Her elegant tail swished from side to side and her ears occasionally rotated. When it seemed she was finally ready to talk they had come to a halt in an open air hall out in the castle gardens. This was her personal garden so it assured that no one would over hear them. Her majesty took a seat on a bench between two large rose bushes, in front of her was a fountain with its centerpiece being a reared leopard spouting water.
“He isn’t at all what I expected.” She slowly smoothed out her dress before crossing her paws over her lap. Looking up she gave a half smile at her two most trusted subjects and even more valuable friends. Here they could speak plainly to each other, not the tiptoed words that would be given to her in the council hall.
“He is rather pitiful today.” Arisa shook her head before pushing back her hood and letting it fall off her ears. The tiny golden hoops on her black furred ears clicked as she flicked them. Long ragged claw marks decorated her left cheek, scars with a story Arisa had never cared to tell.
“I hadn’t expected him to react like that.” Judy’s brows furrowed together as she looked to her Queen most disapprovingly. “I was not expecting you to give him so much information. Telling him about the necklace is not something we discussed. Ask him about Ember, the necklace, but you told him about mages and Fangmar.” She sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
“You do not approve?” Natia rotated her ears at Judy.
“I don’t. We’ve overwhelmed him, he’ll be less willing to cooperate and will now press us for more information. Of which we have little to give, mostly it’s just speculation.” She bit her inner cheek with frustration. Seeing him today Judy had begun to feel sorry for him, but her position to the Queen contradicted with the things she had wanted to say to him. She now saw him as more of a victim rather than a criminal and it was very confusing for her.
“Truly, he knows nothing more than what we have already discussed telling him, it may be it sooner, but still....” Natia smiled up at Judy in a comforting way. “When I saw how he reacted today, to Ember, to the necklace, Judy my heart ached for him. I truthfully never knew there was a survivor. My parents kept me so sheltered from so many truths. The things he must have seen, the way he must feel about what my family has done, I cannot expect him to ever trust us. Still, I wanted him know, even if it hurt.” She laced her paws together, choosing to stare at them as she spoke softly.
“I fear your timing was off. No matter how we may feel about him now, he is still a thief, your Majesty. It is my job to protect you and your country from all threats. I believe he still may be one, or become one, after today.” Judy crossed her arms over her chest, trying to keep an apathetic expression on her face and failing. She settled for tapping her foot disapprovingly.
“I have not forgotten that. I just, he looked so wounded and…” Natia gritted her teeth, a small curl forming on her delicate muzzle. “I swore, when I was young, that I would save Ember when I became Queen, but...I was too late. He has been through so much in his life and now we are about to put him through more. He deserved the truth.”
“We can only hope that once he sees it for himself that he’ll want to cooperate with us.” Silence fell between the three of them, each looking somewhere else other than each other. Each of them had a different priority in mind. For Judy all she cared about was keeping Natia safe and working towards the future Arisa had foreseen for them all. A long sigh escaped Judy, eyes shut and head hanging in exhaustion.
“So you actually believe it to be true?” Judy stared down at the purple stone in the Queen’s paws. Such a small thing, fragile on it’s thin silver chain, and yet it held such an ominous presence. “All the pieces fit together, but at the same time how could he have it?”
“Who's to say, this little stone has many secrets and has lived a life none of us could ever imagine. I truly do believe he is the one. All we have is this as proof, but something tells me it is so.” Natia touched the stone gently, staring at the ancient marking.
“And yet he is a thief. He could have thrown our country into another war. We cannot afford to be too trusting based on a feeling. No matter how we may feel about him now, we still must move with caution.” Judy took a deep breath, getting her own feelings in check. After everything she saw and heard today her mind was buzzing with emotion. Emotion that had no place here. He broke into the Mage’s Tower, stole the treasure of the country, and fled. Everything else was secondary.
“War is at our doorstep and I have no experience leading a country into a bloodbath, all I have are my feelings.” Natia closed her eyes as tight as she could, holding her fears in check. “As we’ve discussed before, Nicholas Wilde may have a part to play in all that is to come. We need him”
“That means play nice Captain.” Arisa’s golden eyes narrowed and glowed just the slightest. “I’ve seen it, I can still see it. He has a great role to play.”
The three women looked at each other. The future of the Queen's kingdom was uncertain and to have to trust it in the hands of a stranger was not something Judy was comfortable with.
“The next part of this will have to be played out with the utmost delicacy, but I trust in Arisa’s vision. If she says Nick has a part in this, and if he truly is who I think he is, then he will be a great ally in the years to come.” The Queen looked to Judy, her strongest and most faithful Blessed Knight. “Have faith my friend.” Judy’s nose twitched, her face scrunching up, moved by her Queen’s words.
“I will follow whatever task you set for me, My Queen.” She placed her paw over her heart and bowed deeply, her left paw still gripping the hilt of her sword.
Chapter 4: A Power Within
Chapter Text
A Mage’s Heart
Chapter three: A Power Within
Weeks, maybe a month, must have gone by before Nick was summoned by the Queen and permitted to leave his cell. In his isolation he had begun to lose all hope of ever getting out of these four walls. The guards who he had once conversed with now ignored him; which was just as well since Nick no longer felt like talking to anyone. All his demands fell on deaf ears and empathetic expressions. He had begged to see the Queen again, but that hope had slowly died inside him with the realization that she had gotten what she wanted from him. Afterwards he had been left alone for days and nights, his mind turning over the emotions in his wounded soul.
Arisa had come to check on him a few times, but her company was not welcomed. She still refused to give him any information, instead she persisted to annoy him with chatter about the kingdom's gossip. These visits seemed to come at her amusement and left him only with more mystic messages. The bunny knight never came, that too was just as well, he no longer wanted to see her. He still felt anger about the way those females had played him. As time went by she became a distant thought as his optimism began to fade.
So when the day came that he was finally summoned by Queen Natia he thought for sure it would be for his execution. That must be it, they had gotten what they wanted out of him, so now what use was there to keep him alive? He was confused by the demand for his cleanliness though, why have a dead mammal bath? After a meager breakfast of bread and water, he was provided with a bucket of freezing cold water, cloth, and soap. He was grateful, so long without a wash left him smelling to the point it had even begun to bother his nose. So, despite his inevitable end, he would at least be decently presentable for it.
Once dry Nick was given a clean set of clothes then taken out of his cell in chains, bound paws and ankles, all were a little too heavy for him. His feet dragged and scuffed the ground as he shuffled along. Pushed forward by the rough hooves of rhino guards Nick scampered his way up the stairs. As he had suspected, his cell had been deep below ground. Several winding halls, stairs, and locked doors later, Nick finally saw daylight for the first time in over a month. Squinting his eyes he stumbled with momentary blindness. Too long had he only seen light by the dim flames of the fireplace.
As they entered the outer palace courtyard Nick was bombarded with the sights, sounds, and smells of everyday life. The yard was filled with the bustling of mammals, noble and merchant alike. Chattering conversation caused his ears to flicker every which way. The smell of early morning bread teased his nose, forcing his mouth to water with a craving for sweet rolls. These sounds and aromas that had once been the mundane background to his everyday life now made his heart ache. It all felt so foreign to him now that Nick was no longer sure just how long he had been locked away.
“Move it!” A blow to Nick’s back brought him out of his daze. His chains made awful clanking noises as he shuffled through the crowd. The mammals around them paid Nick little attention, save for a curious glance or two, as the guards forced him forward towards the main part of the castle.
Entering through the castle’s double doors they immediately came face to face with more nobles, these a higher class of life than the ones outside. Each elegantly dressed in the fashionable, expensive, attire of flounces and frills. They held their heads high as they walked with an air of superiority in the face of a lowly criminal. Some whispered to each other behind lacy paws and hoof fans, some gasped at the sight of a dangerous prisoner while clutching pearls, and others pretended they didn’t see him. These noble airs reeked of strong perfumes and imported cigarettes, all of it mixing together and stinging Nick’s nose; he strongly fought the urge to paw at it. As they walked, Nick did his best to ignore them all, to keep his head up and eyes forward.
‘Never let them see that they get to you,’ he reminded himself. Though after being in that cell for what felt like an eternity, their stares and hushed voices made him feel increasingly vulnerable. Actually, he felt very vulnerable right now. He had been rubbed raw by the Queen. It dug up so many repressed feelings and memories. Down in the cell there was nothing to distract his thoughts. He had to face them head on. All of which he had failed to do. So now, under the prying eyes of strangers, Nick constantly wondered which of those eyes knew. Knew Ember? Knew who he was?
The further into the castle they went the harder Nick had to fight to keep his eyes on the straight. The castle was a stunning sight to behold, his glances here and there filled him with wonder. Marbled floors so well polished he could see his own reflection. The carpet beneath his feet was like walking on clouds as he curled his toes in. The abundance of wealth was present in every elaborate statue, oil painting, and tiny intricate detail in the molding on the walls. Everything here sparkled in the light of the sun as it cascaded in from high windows so delicate it seemed they would shatter at any moment. The complete opposite of what little he had seen on the night of his break in, the Mage’s Tower was a far cry from the elaborate decor of the main palace.
Even the air smelled different than what he was used to. They had moved on from the public spaces and were now in the innermost heart of the castle. It was more private, being more to the current Queen’s liking with delicate filigree flowers painted on the white walls. The sweetness of roses from the gardens filled the open air halls they passed through. Fresh flowers arranged in exotic vases from far off lands lined every corridor. They filled the palace with their sweet floral aroma. Among the flowers, the fragrance of lavender oil tickled his nose. It was the lavender that brought a hint of a smile to his face. The essence reminded him of the way his mother used to rub the oil on his cuts to help them heal. The memory of her was faint now that he was grown, but little things always brought her back to him even when he wished not to remember. Now, with agony in his heart, the small happy memory helped to chase away some of the pain.
When the guards stopped him, they were before another pair of large wooden double doors. These doors were a deep cherry wood color with rearing snow leopards carved elaborately into the woodwork. It made for an impressive sight. The guards on either side of the doors, a zebra and a moose, hit the floor with the bottoms of their heavy spears three times. The loud thuds echoing down the empty hall they had come from. There was silence then and Nick had to wonder what this display was all for. Then, from inside, three heavy thuds answered theirs. The doors slowly began to be opened with a great boom. The heaviness of them was proven by the two elephant guards, one on each door, that pulled them open from the inside. Cool air wafted out, ruffling Nick’s fur, and more lavender oil danced against his nose making him sneeze.
This room was the biggest Nick had seen yet, as expected of a throne room, the size fit the importance of what happened here. Stepping forward, his paws met with a plush royal purple carpet. It ran the length of the room and ended at the Queen’s throne. A push from behind urged him forward, causing his shackles to rattle. Those chains were the only sound heard in this massive hall as he moved down the length of the carpet.
This certainly was a room fit to be the center of Furosie’s Monarchy. The ceiling was deeply concave, gorgeously painted with scenes from throughout the history of Furosie; scenes portraying a great war, the magic of the Blessed Knights, and the rise of a leopard Queen. Gold leaf was on every delicately carved molding, standing out on the white walls. Golden leopard heads had been sculpted beautifully into the woodwork, surrounded by flowers. The sight was as awe inspiring as it was frightening. For such a glorious room there was only one piece of furniture in it, an enormous elegant throne.
As he neared the end of the carpet Nick was surprised by the small number of mammals here, despite being able to hold the entire castle if need be. His gaze moved about until he laid eyes on the bunny knight standing just at the bottom of the steps. Beside her was the water buffalo. Behind them stood the rest of the Blessed Knights, twelve of them, and every one of them in full armor. Next to the Blessed Knights were a handful of other armored animals, palace guards and knights of importance. On the other side of the room was a small menagerie of mammals. They all were dressed head to toe in riches, presenting themselves as royals and mammals of position within the castle and royal court. They were probably brought in as a witness to his deliverance. All eyes rested on Nick in judgment for what was to come.
The two rhino guards stepped away, replaced by two bobcats. This only furthered his suspicion that he may not make it out of here with his life. Hesitating on the final steps Nick ran his eyes up the few lone steps before the royal chair, laying them finally on Queen Natia. She struck a regal sight, still as stone and blue eyes narrowed on her subjects. Her attire today was a royal blue dress, embellished with silver thread embroidery. The crown atop her head was silver, circling her ears and adorned with pearls and a large bright sapphire. One paw gripped the arm of her throne, while the other held a scepter. The scepter was simple, but not without its own grandeur. A large clear crystal sat atop the thick silver staff, and holding the crystal in place were silver leaves that sprouted from silver vines that ran up the length of the staff. Arisa, garbed in a heavy cloak to where he could only see her snout, stood to the Queen's left and a lion stood dignified to her right.
Her presence was still as dominating as it had been in the cell, but now Nick didn’t feel the urge to bashfully look away from her. Instead he kept his gaze focused on her. His paws were fists, holding back the rage and anger from his month of isolation. He wanted her to know, to know that today would be different. He would take whatever punishment she gave, but he would not take it with his tail tucked between his legs.
Natia shifted her hip slightly, breaking her stone-like demeanor. He saw her ears rotate a bit while the end of tail curled and uncurled. Her eyes, a shimmer of icey blue, slowly lowered and rested on him. Nick met them head-on, the shackles cuffing him rattled and there was no bulking as there had been before. It was as though he was challenging her to do her worst.
The silence was broken by a gruff coughing and clearing of the throat by the lion. He was large, with a well groomed mane that glistened like gold as he moved his head. He unrolled a large scroll, holding it out at arms length as he began to read. Just behind him was a small desk where a small white ewe sat, several blank scrolls laid out before her. Her hoof was raised, holding a quill, with fresh glistening black ink ready to write down all of the words spoken there today.
“Nicholas Piberius Wilde, for your heinous crimes against the crown, namely of thievery, breach upon the castle, fleeing from the palace guards, colluding with the enemy….” Natia never broke her piercing eyes from Nick, the smallest hint of a smirk settled at the corner of her mouth. “...and involvement in a plot to bring war upon this country of fair and young Furosie!”
“WHAT!” The cat guards behind Nick grabbed at his shoulders, holding him back as he struggled against all the accusations laid upon him. “That’s a lie!” His jaw clenched in anger, his teeth grated as growls escaped his throat.
“Continue, Lionheart.” Queen Natia spoke, calmly, in the presence of Nick’s growing rage. Hackles raised as Nick bore his anger into her with his eyes.
‘How dare she!?’ Nick never tore his eyes from her, nor she from his.
“These crimes have resulted in the necessary attention of her grandness, her most excellent majesty, Natia Sophipaw Lustira, Queen of Furosie. May it be known that this day will be notated by the court, and the consequences of Her Majesty's judgements inscribed for all eternity.”
“Thank you for that introduction Sir Lionheart.” Her voice was very even as she spoke, overlooking the fact that Nick’s growls filled every corner of the room.
“The honor is all mine, oh most illustrious.” Lionheart bowed slightly, his paw extending and rolling in a grand gesture.
“This is unbelievable! Being a thief isn’t a good enough crime, so you add conspiring with Fangmar and trying to start a war! How fucking honorable of you, your highness!” He spat on the ground before her, sick to his stomach of what he was hearing. This earned him gasps from the more delicate nobles in the room. His guards still held him in place, for his body was shaking with such great force that he was in visible trembles. His tail was standing straight up, bristled with his rage. Lips curled up to expose his teeth, and his muzzle a wrinkle of skin from snarling. He could feel his death coming, but he had no power to do anything about it. He was a thief with the deck stacked against him. These royals with their titles and coins could get away with anything. He wasn’t going to go quietly.
“How dare you!” Judy sprang forward, her paw raised to slap him, but Natia raised her paw silently, stopping Judy.
“It is not as unbelievable as you may think, Nicholas.” Queen Natia spoke, but it was Arisa that came forward, a small but elegant golden box in her paws. Opening it revealed the rock he had stolen. It was hard, very hard, to believe that this red rock was the culprit of all he was being accused of. He remembered Judy’s words now though, she had said it may result in his death. How true that was proving to be now.
“As I’ve said before, I don’t know what that is supposed to be. I find it hard to believe that this, this little rock puts me in a position to be accused of trying to start a war.” He glared at the rock, feeling tense in its presence. Regretting he had ever laid eyes on it.
“The significance of this precious stone is lost on you, I do believe that now. Sadly, the mammals who paid you to steal are not so in the dark. It puts you in a most dangerous position.”
“Tell me about it.” He sneered at Queen Natia’s words, his body still ridged. He hated every mammal in this room, never in his life had he felt so powerless as he did in this moment. All he could do was stand here, held back, chained, and forced to eat the shit he was being fed. The more he felt inside him, the harder it became to look at Natia without wanting to scream.
“Nevertheless, the crimes against you stand as they are. This stone is worth more than the life of all who have gathered here today, including my own. Had your thievery been successful you would have put this country, and it’s citizens, in great danger. Danger equivalent to that of the war that birthed this nation. Your actions could have very easily brought death to every mammal in this room.” Her words hit him like an icy wave crashing down over him. He felt his eyes go wide, hackles lowered as his body went limp, his jaw going slack, and the expression on his face was easy for anyone to read. He could hardly believe she was saying. For her to say such things was no laughing matter. The life of the Queen was believed to be above anyone’s, even the whole of the countries. He could sense no lie in their voice though, her feelings came across clear as bells. She truly felt that this stone was worth so much and therefore bore such great exaggerations. Nick was finding himself way over his head, overwhelmed for having to be at the mercy of a power greater than all of them. Being at the end of his rope, he saw no way out. His anger was still there, just below the skin, but he was losing his fight. He was just done with it all.
“Fine! If you’re going to kill me...make it quick!” He hung his head as he yelled his defeat at them. Ears pinned back against his skull, his anger making his voice shake.
“You’re death may yet come, but first I want to explain a few things to you. As serious as your crimes are, there may be a bigger role for you to play here.” All eyes were on her majesty as she spoke, but slowly they turned to Nick.
“What role could I possibly have in all this?” He raised his eyes slightly, glaring at Arisa. He recalled her words to him in the cell, saying he was something they hadn’t seen in a long time. The statement had stayed with him, just another question that had gone unanswered that left him confused in anger.
“Do you know the history of Furosie?” Natia questioned him further, he hated her questions.
“Not really.” He dead panned at her.
“You are uneducated?”
“Self taught, mostly.”
The Queen let out a sigh as she closed her eyes. “Then I’ll start at the beginning.” She spoke in an eloquent manner, strong and demanding, but soft. If she had been speaking at another time, in another place, about anything else he may have wanted to listen. Instead he wished she would stop, just get it over with. He found her condescending, speaking as though he knew nothing.
“It’s common knowledge that this country is young, nestled between the powerful Dostringar to the East and Mystopolica to the West. They are strong counties, with long proud histories, our country is not so. Every child, royal and country mammal alike, knows of the Great War, our fight to be independent of Dostringar.” Strong words poured from her, laced with passion from her very heart. It was obvious she loved her country. None of this was new information to Nick though, every mammal in Furosie knew of the story, the war. Truth be told though he hadn’t heard it before coming to Animalia, at least not in the same way. And the legend that came after the war, that had been a favorite bedtime story of the children in the orphanage.
“Sadly, truth has become a bedtime story. What finally brought an end to the bloodshed has for some reason been turned into a fantasy, a fairytale to lay young kits down to sleep at night. You know it, yes?” Here, her voice rang solemnly. Nick nodded an answer to her question, and there was a pause from her, urging him to continue for her. He let out a sigh, letting his head drop as he tried to remember how it went.
“A mage appeared and brought with them a fruitful seed of light. Planting the seed it grew into a massive tree bearing magical fruit. Twelve of the most true and just warriors ate the fruit, blessing them with the power to vanquish evil. It was with their new powers that they, with the help of the mage, were able to bring an end to the war.” He looked back up at her, she seemed satisfied, causing him to grimace.
“More or less that is what they say happened.”
“What does any of this have to do with me?” He sounded exhausted.
“I’m nearly there.” They stared at each other and when he didn’t have a retort for her she continued. “That tree is real, we call it the Tree of Light, this castle was built around it. During the knighting ritual knights eat its fruit in order to be vessels for it’s magic and we call that being Blessed. But….most of all....Nick, SHE was real!” A small rise of desperation rose in Natia’s voice, as though she was trying to stress how important it was for Nick to understand. “It was with her guidance that the first Queen built this castle and shaped this land into a symbol of hope and peace. She believed that this country could become free of Dostringar’s rule.” Natia stood from her throne and Nick watched her resplendent figure take the steps down to him. Her tail swishing from side to side and her crown glittered where the light hit it. “Her willingness to fight against Dostringar was more than just bravery in the face of tyranny. The stories leave out who she was, and because of that those facts have been lost, but I know...and so Nicholas Wilde, I call on you now to lay upon you this knowledge.” She came to stand before Nick and he felt lost in her story, not knowing what she would say next. There was silence as she put forth her paw to reveal his necklace nestled there. The sight caused Nick to swallow with dread, shaking his head, remembering her words from that night in the dungeon.
“This necklace belonged to her as it belongs to you now. Bearing the crest of the mage to the House of Fangmar, rulers of Dostringar, and enemy to all. She betrayed her country Nicholas. You say it belonged to your mother, and her grandmother before her. You, the sole survivor of Ember, of whom all its citizens hailed from Dostringar. All of this leads me to believe that your family are the descendants of that mage...of her...Saphielle Yllaries, the saver of these lands, the most powerful mage there ever was, and probably ever will be. A figure who has fallen into myth. She too was a fox, and this....” Natia motioned for Arisa who brought forth the golden box which cradled the ruby stone. “...this is her heart stone.”
All he could do was stare at the two items laid out before him. The necklace had belonged to his mother, that’s all he knew of it till now. A small reminder of her smile in his dark days after she was gone. The heart stone, just a moment ago it was some ugly rock, and now, he still didn’t know what it was but...still the weight of the objects before him was heavy.
“W-what is a heart stone?” he asked, curiosity getting the better of him. Arisa closed the box, before she answered in that low crackled voice of hers. Her tone was knowing, confident, and teasing him.
“A mage’s heart stone is what becomes of a mage’s body and soul when they pull their magic back into themselves. It’s a last resort of preservation when mages feel their lives are in danger. It takes a very talented mage to do this without killing themselves.” She tilted her head backwards to look Nick in the eyes, her golden eyes twinkled with a most mischievous grin. “Saphielle is alive inside of this stone and has been so for over nearly a thousand years.”
“Alive...and in there?” He took a couple of heavy breaths, trying to digest what he was hearing.
“Yes.” Arisa’s reply was sharp, leaving no room for doubt as she stroked the box in a loving manner. “To this day we have no proof of what caused her to take such drastic measures. Whatever it was, this is the result of her feeling great danger, it was not yet her time to go.” There was silence as many of the faces stared at the small box, feeling the weight of what was inside. Laying a heavy pressure over the room.
Natia looked to Nick, watching his face closely, seeing how he too stared in a mixture of confusion and disbelief. “Even after all these years the rulers of Dostringar have not forgotten about her, this stone. Saphielle’s betrayal is a stain upon their house, whatever their plan is for her, I shudder to think of it. This would not be the first time they have tried to steal her from us, but it is the only time they have ever come this close to succeeding; and it’s all because of you.”
Nick’s ear dropped a little, falling back against his head as he looked away from her gaze. The idea that his actions were as horrific as they were all making them out to be was slowly starting to make sense.
“I must stress to you the reason for the heart stone being such a drastic measure for a mage to take. For it only to be used if all else is lost. After all, it is the reason I’ve called you here today.”
“Why?” He felt himself asking before he even realized he had spoken. He dared to look up at her once more causing Natia take a deep breath when she saw the resolve in his eyes.
“The reason being is that...she cannot bring herself out of this state from within the stone. She is trapped there by her own spell, never to be undone from the inside. Only her chosen receiver can break the spell and release her. A single touch should be enough to do it. Every Queen of Furosie has touched it since that night to no avail. Every Blessed Knight, every mage of note. All in hopes to free her.” Natia looked at the box, her desperate expression was as though through sheer will alone she could unlock the stone. “We need her.”
Nick stared at the stone, in that tiny rock, locked away inside was some super powerful mage pulled out of legend. The same mage who ended a war, created powerful warriors, held off the corruption, created a whole damn country. He looked over at his Necklace, still in Natia’s paw.
‘My necklace once belonged to her. It’s not hard to figure out where they are going with this.’
“I already touched the stone when I stole it. Nothing happened then, what difference would touching it make now?”
“My hope is that, if you are kin, is that you also possess her magic.”
“I already told you. I have no magic. None. Her kin, maybe, sure, but I am of no use to you if it’s magic you want.” There was a pleading, disparate tone to his words. A need for this to all be over. As they looked at one another, Nick hated seeing that look of pity again cast over her face. She turned to walk back to her throne.
“It has been discussed at great lengths, your current lack of magic. Arisa believes that is because it is sealed inside of you. Nothing in your life has ever brought you a great need to awaken it within yourself. Because of that the stone may have not reacted to you before.” When she sat down she raised her specter and brought it down hard on the floor. It’s sound echoed throughout the room, causing Nick to pin his ears back. Every mammal took several steps away from the center of the room, save for the guards who stayed behind him, paws still holding him tight.
“And what!? You plan to force it out!?” The idea left him open mouthed and gasping at the sheer idiocy of that plan. Too far fetched to be real, or so he thought.
“Yes.”
“Don’t I get a say in this!? After all you’ve done to me you still want to do more! I don’t want magic! Get your paws off me damnit!” Panic triggered his fight response and he began to thrash about, kicking up his feet and trying to flee them.“Keep it locked up! Find someone else!” His struggle against the guards was useless. They forced their weight down on him, digging their claws into his shoulders so hard he knew there would be bruises. His small frame was no match, not bound in chains as he was, and still weak from his time below in his cell. They dug their claws in more, drawing pin pricks of blood, and forcing him to his knees. Snarls rumbled up in his throat, causing his muzzle to vibrate as he tried to bite at the chains on his wrists. One of the guards grabbed the fur on the back of his neck and pulled his head up. Now his eyes felt wide and open. Everyone in the room looked at him with distant expressions that made him feel even more powerless, if that was possible. His eyes raced around the room until they landed on the bunny knight. Her big purple orbs were wide, her mouth in a firm harsh line as she watched him, there was more pity there too. Still though, looking to her sword he saw her paw was firmly gasping it ready to cut him down where he knelt if need be.
The sound of metal being drawn from its sheath caught his attention. Looking to Arisa he saw she had drawn a dagger from her belt. It was small, but ornate with a quartz at the bottom of it’s pommel. The blade glinted at him most wickedly and Arisa’s smile matched it. Fear, so much fear, washed over him that he gasped and threw his head about wildly.
“Hold out his paw, grip him tight, this will be painful.” That cracky voice sounded almost excited.
“NO! STOP THIS! This is insane!!!” His words were a desperate scream of panic, but no one cared. “Aagghhh! Bunny Knight!!!” He didn’t know why he felt the need to call for her, but her eyes were the only thing he saw when he closed his. Bearing down for the pain that was about to come as Arisa began to chant intangible words. Her voice became hollowed with a strange undertone while she recited her incantation over Nick.
A pull from deep within his body began to well up as she chanted. It started out like a gasp for air, but suddenly it was in his bones, in his blood, in the very nerves on his skin. It was slow at first, but then quickly it began to feel like he was getting ripped away from the inside. One of the guards was grasping his left wrist in an almost bone crushing grip, and it was there that he felt everything being pulled to. It was forming into a pressure in his palm, something bubbling up under his skin. As everything within him, even his soul, was stretched to that point on his palm, he began to feel something being uncovered deep inside of himself. Layers upon layers were being peeled back to reveal something hidden inside of himself. He could only describe it as a void within himself, unnamable and new, but whatever it was, that too was getting pulled up and up. Heat began to radiate all over his body, causing beads of sweat to pool under his fur. All of everything that he was, converging into his palm. The void felt larger now, as if it was the only thing left inside of him. This hot new presence was all about to explode from the pressure that had built up in his palm.
He was so focused on his insides that he wasn’t aware of the violent tremors causing his body to shake. Pain bloomed over his skin as Arisa’s words became louder and louder; ringing in his ears like the beat of a drum to the blood pounding in his ears. He wished for this to end. Finally he let out a loud scream and that was when Arisa drove the dagger down into his palm with all the force in her body.
“Rethisiá!” She screamed over his howl. So soon as the dagger pierced his flesh a torrent of magic flew from the wound. Arisa’s hood blew back, causing her to stare up at the room full of colored magic.
The immense pressure that had built up inside of his palm was gone. Blood poured from his paw, but something more than that spilled out; it’s source being from deep within that void that her words had brought to the surface. He felt his body’s insides bouncing back into place, as well as making room for that new strange feeling inside of him. The heat was gone, replaced by a gentle warmth radiating a feeling of comfort over him.
“Raw magic…” Nick’s ears flicked when he heard Arisa’s whisper in his ear.
‘Magic huh?’ He thought to himself, relaxing, despite the dagger still in his paw, he opened his eyes. The sight that met him was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. From the wound on his paw poured the most vibrant array of color. It slipped from his paw like water, going in every direction. Up into the air where it swirled about the room, sparkling, bouncing, and dancing. Sliding across the floor where it wrapped about mammals feet and ankles in a playful childlike manner. Above them orbs of light burst in the air and sent sparks scattering up the walls and raining down on them like fireworks.
All around them the room felt warm, giving off a feeling of protection. Mammals reached up and ran their digits through the waves of light, causing their paws to tingle. They all seemed to be absorbing themselves in that feeling of safety, being assured that this wasn’t anything to fear. Natia herself wore an expression of such amazement it made her look like a young cub again. Even the guards who had once been holding him so tightly, had completely released him.
Nick looked to Captain Hopps, only to be surprised and he smirked at what he saw. She had both paws strained upward, softly gliding her paws through streams of the magic. The magic slipped and trickled down her arms, wrapping around her, very similar to an embrace. She wore an unguarded expression, one full of wonder and enchantment. He never could have imagined that she was capable of making such a face.
“We’ve seen enough.” Arisa gently took his wrist in her paw and pulled the dagger out. As soon as it left his skin all the magic in the room was sucked back into his wound, but something most unexpected happened next.
Silence fell over the room, all eyes were on Nick, and not a single soul dared to breathe. Floating inches from Nick’s face was a spirit in the shape of a fox. She was nose to nose with him, completely translucent, but perceivable enough to see the soft outlines of her face. As with the magic there was no hostility here, she radiated the same warmth and gentleness as his magic had. Even with her lack of a tangible body Nick could see the soft emotion in her eyes. He could even make out the slight smile on her face. Every mammal in the room stared at them. Her presence before them was calm, peaceful, and one could even say loving. Nick’s tail gently swayed from side to side as the spirit brought her paw forward to his chest. There was a slight tingle on his skin where the very tips of her fingers seemed to brush his fur.
“Soon.” It was but a whispered word in his inner thoughts, but it was so powerful. Then she was gone as suddenly as she appeared.
“Ah…” Nick gasped a little, it was as though a veil of silence was lifted and suddenly the room was buzzing with conversation. Looking down his paw was fully healed with only a grey scar on his paw pad to show for it. There was still a tingling sensation on his chest where she had touched. Bringing his paw to his chest he felt a warm metal. He grasped it and it brought up to see what it was. In his paw was his necklace, restored back to its proper place on his neck. He also took note that all his chains were gone, causing a small chuckle to escape his lips.
“Well would you look at that....”
“How did you…” Judy was staring at Nick, her paw hovering just over her sword, but hesitating. Every mammal in the room recalled the feeling of warmth that had poured from his magic. It left them all feeling safe, no longer in doubt of who it was, but it also left him confused. He was still a criminal, though now it was strange to view him in that way.
“It would seem we have our answers. No mammal who is here today would argue that you are indeed Mage Saphielle’s kin. You have her magic within you, and it’s hard to deny that she was the entity before us just now. You even wear her necklace around your neck as proof.” Queen Natia seemed to slump back in her chair exhausted. “She was here, so close to us...she...”
“Your majesty?” Judy took several strides towards the throne.
“I’m alright, I’m just so relieved. Suddenly I feel as though things are coming into fruition after all these years of searching.” Touching her paw to her forehead she smiled. “To think her decedent would come to us in the form of a thief.” Her brows knitted together as she stared at Nick, something was still weighing on her.
“Strange how the world works, huh?” He looked again to his paw, the dagger had gone clean through, so on the back of his paw there was a thick white line within his fur.
“Yes, it is.” She straightened up in her chair. “Please, touch the stone again.” Arisa took the box from Lionheart and opened it before Nick. This time when he looked down at the red stone he could feel the energy radiating off it. He knew she was in there, felt a connection to her now that had never been there before.
‘This is all nuts, it’s crazy, but…’ The anticipation grew, but when he touched it, nothing.
“Huh?” He tapped it several more times, but to no avail. Even he was surprised.
A loud sigh escaped from Queen Natia, who was shaking her head side to side, eyes pinched shut. “I was so sure you were the one. How can this be, after all we’ve just been shown? I don’t understand, what is missing here?” The words were more to herself than an actual question. Every mammal in the room had similar thoughts, even Nick was staring down at the stone in stern concentration. Arisa closed the box and approached the throne, taking the steps rather quickly. Leaning down she began to whisper in the Queen’s ear.
“That is good to hear.” Queen Natia nodded in understanding, refocusing her gaze on Nick. “While you cannot unseal the stone now, Arisa assures me that some day you may yet. Till that time I invite you to stay here, in the palace. You’ll receive training and study in magic, so that when the time comes you will be able to wield your powers to their full potential. In exchange for your future service I shall have all your crimes forgiven. You will no longer be seen as an enemy to this country.” There was a pause as Nick stared at her, it had all happened rather quickly, just like that he wasn’t going to die. Instead they wanted him to...to…
Immediately Nick burst out in a loud laugh that caught everyone in the room off guard. It was a hearty laugh that left Nick holding his stomach and bending over in a fit.
“Excuse me, I’m sorry, I just can’t believe what I’m hearing.” He wiped a few tears out of the corner of his eyes. “Let me get this straight sweetheart, you’re saying that if I agree to stay here that you’ll forgive me of all of my crimes. You also expect me to someday help you with...whatever. Correct?”
“Yes, that is how I wish it to be.” She fixed a raised eyebrow on Nick, not seeing what was so humorous.
“Why? Why should I even consider helping you?” Nick straightened himself, glowering up at Natia. His mind racing back to his month of isolation, the knowledge she had divulged, the way she spoke to him of Ember.
“Because your Queen is asking you.” It was Judy who spoke up, stepping forward just slightly. Her face now looked much softer, almost guilty as her big purple eyes stared up at him. He ignored her, instead he spoke out to Natia herself, taking several steps forward until he was almost on the first step. A few cuffs escaped his muzzle as he thought of Judy’s words though.
“My Queen, are you? Or do you just want my help, now that you know I’m of some use? You left me alone in that cell for a month. You spoke to me of Ember, knowing full well it would be painful. Your parents, your grand parents, hells...every royal to have ever sat their ass on that fucking chair left us to rot on the edge of the boarder. They hated us for something our ancestors did. Feared us, thought us still to be loyal to a Kingdom that lives to see the whole world burn. Boarder attack, after boarder attack, sickness after sickness, and we stayed loyal to that fucking treaty written up over a thousand years ago! We never sought the capital for help! EVER! Except once...one time…” Here his voice broke, the threat of a sob to escape passed the rage in his voice. “The night my parents died. Our chief sent for help from the nearest town. Three days later after corrupted demons slaughtered every living mammal and were feasting on the dead bodies did a group of Knights finally show up. Not to save us...but to deal with the monsters." A very heavy stillness incased the room as they all listened with heads hung low.
“Queen Natia…” Nick closed his eyes for a moment, but then looked back up at her. “I know you are not to blame for that. Hells, I know that most of the mammals in this room have no idea what I’m talking about, but you do. You knew. Yet, you still treated me like I was a threat to you. I’ve never sought revenge or answers, I never even wanted to see you. I was content to live my life down in the slums. This…” He waved his scarred paw. “This changes nothing. I will never help you. For me...for my parents...and every other good mammal that died that day. I will never serve this country."
“Punish me for my crimes, the ones I actually did. I won’t resist and I’ll take whatever punishments you see fitting, but afterwards I’m through with this.” He was sick with anger at her audacity, her conceitedness, her royal blood that allowed her to assume she could ask such a thing of him. It made him boil with rage. Every mammal in the room looked at him, and then to Natia, curious as to how she would react.
He saw on her face that his words had hit her hard, but he felt nothing for her. He wanted her to hurt, wanted her to know that he would not be swayed. It felt that for the longest time she said nothing, just stared at him with beseeching blue eyes.
“You will be given no punishment, you are free to leave here today, your crimes admonished.” Natia lifted her scepter and brought it down hard on the floor. The echo of the boom was still ringing in the room when Nick turned on his heel to leave. “Nick,” He stopped, but didn’t look. “I, this country, we can never atone for the heartless acts against Ember and its mammals. I wouldn’t ever ask you to forgive us, but someday I hope we can work together and assure that nothing like that happens to no mammal ever again…”
He gave her little more than a pause before he briskly walked back up the long plush carpet, leaving behind a room full of whispers. He was sure that by the end of the day there would be ten or more different versions of what happened here today. It would turn to rumors and gossip, he wondered what each version would say about him. Would they mention Ember? Would his magic still be warm or would it change to evil? Honestly, He didn't care either way, all he wanted was out.
“Nick! Wait, don’t go!” Judy called after him, but was cut off by Natia.
“Blessed Captain Hopps, let him go.” The elephant guards at the door opened it for Nick to leave, then let them slam shut once he was through.
“My Queen, why? Why let him go when we just learned so much. He truly is the key to all of this. To end a war before it even starts.” Judy’s heart pounded with regret. All her fears and anger were gone, all that was left in her was that overwhelming feeling of warmth from Nick’s magic. She couldn't have been more wrong about him and the sad look on his face when he spoke of his home, of Ember, it broke her in this moment.
“He is right, I have no right to ask such things of him. For now, he needs time to process all that has happened. He needs to heal, in so many ways. He’s just been shown a whole new side of himself and it’s frightening.” Natia was fully seated back in her seat now, a tired distant expression falling over her fair features.
“Besides, with magic now at his disposal, this is not the last we will see of Nicholas Wilde.” Arisa, still clutching the box, interjected. “What’s more, that magic will not allow him to sit still for very long. It wants to be used. He will need us as much as we need him soon enough.”
Notes:
I know there have been some readers who have commented with concerns about Nick's harsh treatment and Judy being OOC. I myself have wondered if I was being too harsh on Nick. That being said, I think it's safe to say that Nick will need a lot of convincing for him to come back to the palace. In the next chapter you will get some insight on Judy and I promise you will see a softer side to her. Thank you all for reading and your kudos!
Chapter 5: A Soul's Weight
Notes:
This chapter was such a struggle!
Credit for Finnick's shop name goes to: Tandiian
Thank you all for reading and commenting.
Update: 03/21/2021
Chapter Text
A Mage’s Heart
Chapter four: A Soul's Weight
As soon as the doors slammed shut behind him Nick fell heavily against them, doing his best to steady his shaking legs. He took a large gulp of air and let it out slowly, trying his best to calm his rattled nerves. Placing his paw just above his stomach he was able to feel the hot tingly sensation of where the void feeling had been. This new place within him felt strange and foreign, as well as just a little exciting. He could feel something alive within him now, living just beneath his skin, rushing through him. It was like the thick pulsing of a vein that forced his heart to be so fast he felt it could burst out of his chest.
“This...this is crazy...” Running his paws over his face a few nervous laughs escaped him. Discovering he had magic was one thing, but telling off the Queen was something entirely different. It had been a deep satisfaction he hadn’t known would bring him such a thrill. The look on Natia’s face was still there at the forefront of his mind; and her last words nipped at his heels, they had chased him out of the throne room. Shaking his head allowed him to push them away, he didn’t want to think about them too much. Another deep breath to clear his mind, relief setting in, he was able to realize for the first time that he was free to go.
“I didn’t die today, that’s something.”
“There’s still time.” He jumped a bit, looking quickly to the right of him. It was the same guards from earlier. The zebra guard extended her arm out to him, her hoof was gripping a leather sack. “Here are your belongings.”
He studied her for a moment, finding it extremely odd that she would have such a thing ready for him. With all his years of being an experienced thief, he knew something was off.
“Thank you.” Slowly he took the sack from her, in doing so his paw brushed her skin. A small shock zapped him and he quickly withdrew his paw.
“Uh, sorry about that. Had a shiver.” She raised an eyebrow, but shifted her gaze back forward. Peeking into the sack he saw his clothes, they were still dirty and he would probably have to throw them out. Alongside them were his dagger and locking picking tools. He was actually surprised they had held onto these things, let along that they were giving all this back to him.
“Queen Natia.” Was all the zebra said, an answer to the confusion on his face.
“Hu?” His face jerked up.
“There were instructions that if you were to leave a free mammal today, your things were to be returned to you.”
“Ahhh, I see…” He lifted the sack onto his shoulder. “To think she thought that far ahead, how audacious of her.” A small snicker from the zebra had him looking up at her, a bit surprised really.
“Very, to place such faith in a fox.” He was getting really sick and tired of having his species called out, though, that’s how it had been his whole life. They glared at one another for a moment before the zebra huffed a bit, smirking. “You better get going before they change their minds in there.”
“Yeah, best be off.” The smirk still on their muzzle gave Nick the shivers, but he did his best to give a slight nod and ignore the gross feeling that formed in his stomach. Shoving a paw into the pocket of his breeches, he made his way back up the long hall, the hair on his neck standing up from the eyes that bore into him. Once at the corner there was another guard, a lioness, she made direct eye contact with him, but said nothing as he walked right by her. His ears flicked back when he heard her start to follow him several paces behind. He remembered the way back to the courtyard well enough, but having a guard on him just made sense he supposed. He just wanted out as soon as possible.
It seemed like no time at all had passed as it was still midday when they came back through the airy gardens. Nose once again filled with fragrance; thick was the perfume of roses, lavender, and the heat of the sun on cobblestone walls. The air was warm and fresh, bringing a smile to his face as he took in a large breath. He hadn’t been able to fully enjoy it before. Now he appreciated the scents, reminding him that freedom was almost here.
Entering the courtyard Nick found it was still a buzz of activity, busier now that the merchants were fully open to customers. The lioness stopped just short of the doors, but Nick didn’t waste any time as he half jogged down the steps, his sack jostling against his back. Coming out of the shadow of the palace, the sun immediately heated his fur; chasing away that heavy feeling that had lingered on him since the throne room.
Looking around as he moved through the crowd, he had nearly forgotten how lively everyday life was. There was so much noise. Sounds he had never paid much attention to before now had his ears rotating in every direction. He threaded his way forward towards the courtyard gate, hurried to get as far away from the palace as possible. It felt liberating to be among common class mammals again without drawing any attention to himself. Much easier to do now without chains. Just over a month, but it had felt like an eternity since he had been free to go where he wished. No walls, no knights, no queen, just him and his destination before him. Here on these busy cobbled streets no one looked down or up to notice him. He was just another invisible, plain, common animal who slinked and pushed his way through. Among the masses of conversation, exchanges of copper, having to swerve to avoid wagons, and stealing a handful of blueberries off a fruit stand, he was just another everyday commoner. By the time he made it through the outer courtyard gates he was completely at home again, melded into everyday life among the citizens of Animalia.
The city of Animalia consisted of four large walls dividing the city into sections. The palace courtyard was a hub of trading and selling among the higher end merchants. They catered to the nobles and higher class mammals, those with a name, and coin to back that name. Those mammals lived in the next wall referred to as the inner circle, or upper district. Next was the middle class circle, or merchant district; here is where the merchants guilds halls were located and the members lived. It also was home to the shops that sold refined goods; such as dresses, magical items, crystals, healer practices, and the like. Next was the outer third circle, or lower district. It was the furthest from the palace, the largest of the circles, and where most of the lower class lived. Here a mammal could find cheap lodging, pubs, taverns, smithies, lower end merchant shops; it had a little bit of just about anything you could think of, as well as a street for more carnal pleasures. The outer circle was also by far the busiest and by far the poorest. Crowds and vendors packed every street, wagons pushed through the crowds, and the docks were in full swing. The harbor bells could be heard on the hour, ringing loudly from the west and east gates. It was in the third circle that Nick had done most of his growing up and learned all the skills of his trade. Nothing in this circle ever changed, making it feel as though he had never left.
Out of all the shops Nick had to choose from he came to stand before one that looked of no real significance. It was nestled on a rather quiet street, tucked away off a back alley, dark and dank. The store front had at one time been painted a light blue color, but the paint had long since chipped off. A lit lantern hung from the doorway, signaling they were open. It was an average looking store, a small sign reading “The Golden Paw Pawn” hung above the door. A small fox face was carved into the wood just below the name.
A tiny golden bell rang out as Nick opened the door, then again when he closed it, echoing for just a short moment. Inside it was a simple pawn shop, nothing out of the ordinary for the third circle. A plethora of new and used goods collected dust on the varied shelves and tables scattered about. Items ranged from books to clothes, potion bottles to decorative vases; this shop would buy and sell anything if it was worth something to some-mammal. There seemed to be no organization to any of it as things spilled onto the old dust covered wooden floor.
“Well well, look who's not dead.” An elderly armadillo sat behind the counter, she was busying herself with some sort of needle work. Her face was titled forward so she could look at Nick over the top of her large glasses.
“Good to see you too, Dharma.” He gave her a wink, which she huffed at and looked back down at her sewing. Seeing her brought a smile to Nick’s face, as cold shouldered as she was, he had missed her.
“You look like shit. You’ve been causing trouble again, haven’t you?”
“Aren’t I always?” She tsked at him, but Nick could tell her standoffishness was for show. She was just a harsh female by nature, but deep down he could tell she was relieved to see him again. It showed in the way she was picking at the needlework without actually accomplishing anything. It was just something to focus on while not trying to let it show how worried she had actually been for him. She’d been working in this shop long before Nick had been brought here. A constant caretaker in those early days, someone to help chase away the nightmares, he loved her for it all.
“He downstairs?”
“He’s in a bad mood, your absence has caused us a lot of trouble you know.”
“Thanks for the warning.” Going around the counter Nick leaned over and pressed a light kiss to Dharma’s presented cheek.
The back half of the store was separated by a curtained doorway. Mostly used for storage, it was a mess, not so different from the front. He had to weave around tables loaded with a variety of odds and ends. All were items waiting to be appraised to be sold or traded. At the very back of the little room there was a bookcase. It had plenty of books and scattered objects sitting on it, just a normal looking bookcase. A light push to the side and Nick was able to move it to reveal a set of stairs that lead down. A light could be seen flickering at the bottom through a cracked open door.
“Here we go.” He shifted the bag on his shoulder a bit before pulling the bookcase back into place behind him. Doing his best to tiptoe down the old steps, remembering which boards squeaked the loudest. In the distance he could hear someone speaking.
“Useless! Junk! Junk!...Worthless!” There were the clattering sounds of things being thrown onto the wooden floor. He had to force himself to stifle a snicker before he could proceed any further.
“Sounds like business isn’t going so well.” Nick casually turned the corner, pushing the door fully open, and leaning against the frame with a smug smile.
“NICK!” The small fennec fox, who had until a moment ago been sitting in his chair, lurched himself up. Jumping onto his desk, scattering papers every which way, knocking over a stack of scrolls. “You’re alive!?” Finnick’s eyes were wide open as he was shocked beyond words. Nick swore they almost had a shine to them as Finnick stammered, paws trembling, trying best to compose himself.
“Yeah, apparently so. Did you miss me?” He pretended to fuss with something under his claw. Still wearing the huge grin on his face.
“Everybody thought you were dead Nick! Word got out that you were captured by those Blessed Knights. No one's seen you for over a month. We all just assumed, I mean...how?” Finnick seemed to be a bit overwhelmed, waving his arms about, his jaw slack and open as he stared on in his dumbfoundedness. There was relief in his voice though too, eliciting Nick’s ears to rotate as the change in pitch. Looking over at Finnick it was also there in the way his eyes shook. Fear perhapse.
“Oh yeah, that happened, but yea know me. They let me go cuz of my good behavior.” He used his free paw to scratch his neck, rolling it from side to side to ease the soreness. He was still pretty tender from all his ordeal now that he had time to relax.
“Yeah right! No one just gets ‘let go’ from the palace dungeons.” Finnick was still gawking at him in utter disbelief. He had never expected to see his friend again after all. “I don’t understand how you can be acting so calm, like you’ve been on vacation on something. We were all worried sick.”
“Well, it’s actually a pretty long story.” Nick took a seat in the chair in front of Finnick’s desk, of which he was still standing on.
“I bet. You look like you’ve been through some shit.” He took note of Nick’s matted fur, bloodshot eyes, and despite the jokes Finnick could hear the exhaustion in his voice. He looked a mess.
“So I keep hearing. Do you know what my house looks like? A hot bath would be really nice right about now.” Even with his cold water rub down this morning his skin still felt itchy. He needed a proper bath to make himself feel like a mammal again and not some filthy street creature.
“About as bad as you look. The guards tore it apart, no idea why or what they were looking for. Probably best if you just stay here for a while.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that.” Nick leaned back in the chair, stretching out his legs. “So, how's business?” He smiled at Finnick, eyeing him down the length of his nose.
“How’s business!? Nick! You’ve been gone! My best mammal off the jobs! I got a fat stack of requests and no one to do em’. I had to rely on Weaselton! Weaselton! That useless weasel keeps botching nearly every job I give him! He couldn’t steal the coin purse off a blind mammal’s table! And get this! Get this! That fucking weasel keeps bring me crystal balls...made of GLASS! GLASS! I can’t sell that fake ass shit!” Finnick was now yelling at the top of his lungs, grabbing his own ears in frustration.
The way things worked in Finnick’s shop were as such; Finnick either gave you an assignment, or he was given one by a customer which he then dealt out to one of his underlings. Nick, being his best, was always given the hardest jobs. The harder the job the more it was worth. Nick had a reputation for success, so often so that he was requested by name. Finnick also dealt in smuggling stolen goods to different shops in the city, or other cities entirely, even across the border to Mystopolica. It was a rather large operation, but it all came down to what Finnick could get his paws on.
He actually owed Finnick a lot, having had recruited Nick off the streets after he’d run away from the orphanage. Nick was around nine at the time, lost, nowhere to go, hungry. He’d actually tried to pilfer from Finnick himself, a stranger at the time. Instead of a beating Nick was offered a job, a bed to sleep in, and food. Finnick had several younglings working for him, said the little ones made great pick-pockets. From there Finnick had taught him all he needed to learn to survive; he’d never looked back, counting his lucky stars it had been Finnick’s pocket that day.
“Sounds like things have been rough.” Stretching his arms back over his shoulders, he gave a short laugh. “Well, go ahead and give me the stack. I’ll work my way through them if there are any good ones worth doing.” It had only been an hour since the throne room, but he was already eager to get back to his life. A bit of his old confidence had slipped into his voice, but he could see that Finnick wasn’t so ready to let things go. He gave Nick a long hard look, concern growing where his brows knit together. Shaking his head Finnick sat back down in his cushioned chair with a heavy sigh.
“That last request got you locked up. I really thought you were dead…truthfully all this time I’ve been blaming myself. I knew the job was sketchy, no mammal ever pays that much upfront, but the money was too good.” Rubbing the corner of his temple with one free paw Finnick drummed his paw digits on the desk with the other. His mouth became a rigid line as he let slip the guilt he had been feeling. “I really thought I had gotten you killed this time, no fakes, just dead.”
“What are you talking about? I agreed to do it. You weren’t the only one who saw that big ass coin purse and nearly passed out.”
“It was too dangerous, I knew that, and still...”
“And you think I didn’t? Doesn’t matter, I’m alive and I’m here now. A lot happened, but don't ever feel guilty. I’m not a kit anymore. I can pick and choose my own jobs.” He bit the inside of his mouth when he saw the way Finnick’s ears flattened on his head. “And hey, it wasn’t all bad. I got to meet the Queen and I found out some real interesting stuff.”
“Hmm?” Finnick perked up a bit, raising a brow at him. “What happened?” The expression that Finnick wore was out of place to see. He had never seen Finnick look so genuinely worried about anything in his life. Nick straightened up in his chair, folding his paws over in his lap.
“I don’t know if you’ll believe me.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because it’s pretty unbelievable.”
“Try me.”
With a heavy sigh Nick launched into his story. He started from the beginning with breaking into the Mage’s Tower, running from the guards, and getting captured by the bunny knight. He didn’t leave a single detail out, describing the beatings and the accusations he had suffered. He recounted for Finnick how he met the Queen. When Finnick asked if she was as beautiful as they say, Nick went to great lengths to emphasize her outer loveliness; much to Finnick’s delight. He hid nothing, not even what Queen Natia had told him about the origins of his necklace or the talk of Ember.
At the mention of Ember Finnick eyes fluttered a bit, looking a bit startled. In all their time together Nick had never mentioned Ember, expect once, right in the beginning. Finnick had never heard of the village, but honestly he didn’t care where the kit was from. Over the years he had heard rumors, but never persisted to know anything more than what Nick was comfortable telling. From time to time Nick would let slip something about his childhood. Just like that time Finnick let the comment slide as Nick continued with his retelling, leading up to the throne room.
Nick went into the details about the story Queen Natia had told him about the legendary mage, Saphielle. Relieving the facts about her connection to Dostringar and her deep roots in the Fangmar household. He began telling Finnick about the mage’s heart stone, which sounded even more unbelievable when he retold it out loud. He could see on Finnick’s face that he wasn't convinced. Nick struck Finnick with a serious look when he brought up the necklace once more. He gripped it in his paw, feeling the warmth of his connection to it.
“Are you serious....you actually believe that?” Finnick raised an eyebrow at him.
“I didn’t at first, but then they proved it to me...Saphielle proved it too.”
“Saphielle? The mage stuck inside the stone? Whose antique necklace you’ve been wearing around your neck all these years. You expect me to believe you’re the grand-something of some all powerful mage...WHO IS LIVING...INSIDE...A ROCK?” Finnick’s eyes were as big as dinner plates as he stared Nick down. “How the hell did she prove it to you from there? Nick, tell me!”
“Because Arisa stabbed me with a dagger after chanting some mumbo jumbo ok! She stabbed me and unlocked...unlocked magic from inside me.” Nick stood, rolled up his sleeve, and presented his paw for Finnick to see the scar. “After the magic was unlocked, Saphielle’s spirit materialized right in front of me. I saw her Finnick!”
“Nick…they fucking stabbed you in the paw!” Finnick slammed his paws down on the desk so hard is caused objects to rattle.
“Finnick! I have magic now! It’s all true! I can feel it!” Nick was getting exasperated, trying to convince any mammal of this was a lot harder than he had imagined it would be. Finding out he had magic now, at his age, was pretty strange.
“Y-you’re telling me you have magic? YOU! Hahaha!” Letting out a loud cackling laugh Finnick fell back into his chair, grabbing his stomach in fits of hysterical laughter. “You! A mage! MAGE NICKY! Ahhahahaha!”
Nick gritted his teeth in frustration, letting out a low growl. He felt heat rising to the surface of his skin. Staring down at his now clenched fists, all he could hear was Finnick’s howling laughter in his ears.
“It’s true!” Standing abruptly Nick shouted and brought his fists down onto the desk. As soon as Nick’s paws hit the table the glass balls that had been piled in a crate by the desk burst into shards. Bottles on shelves began to shatter one after another. The candle on Finnick’s desk sprang to life, it’s flame climbing high enough to reach the ceiling. Books, bottles, scrolls, stacks of paper, all of it flew off of their shelves in a frenzy. It all happened so suddenly, but then nothing, just a quick burst of chaos followed with calmness. Pages fluttered in the air and landed on the ground and the candle dimmed down to normal.
Nick gasped, unclenching his fists, and began to look about wildly. The room was a mess of broken glass and scattered objects. Finnick’s claws were dug into his plush chair as he stared bewildered at Nick. He could hardly believe what he had just seen, but the mess to his office warranted his attention first.
“Marian's ass Nick!” Finnick jumped to his feet, standing up in his chair. “What the heck was that?! So you getting this magic shit was true, didn’t have to prove it by blowing stuff up…!” Finnick continued to rant, obviously more concerned about the state of his office.
“I didn’t do it on purpose, I don’t know how I did that…” His sentence trailed off, more a mumble to himself as he stared down at his paws, the light grey scar clearly visible. To think he could now do something like this without even meaning to, it was as fascinating as it was frightening. He had been so preoccupied with getting out of the palace, away from those mammals, he hadn’t thought too deeply on what he now had inside him. Surveying the damage he had caused, Nick was shocked at what he had done. It seemed such a violent reaction for having slammed his fists. Made him wonder what he was truly capable of now.
“...and I'll be damned if you ain't paying for it all!” Finnick fell back into the chair as he calmed down. Crossing his arms over his chest he stared at Nick for a hard minute. His friend hadn’t moved hardly an inch. He watched Nick looking around the room, then stare down at his paws. Realization of what this all meant really beginning to sink in. Finnick huffed, looking up at the ceiling as he scratched behind his ear. “Tsk, so it’s all true, huh. Magic, I’ll be damned.”
Nick nodded somberly. “Yeah. Sorry Fin, it's just…all of this...” Nick waved his arms around to gesture the mess he made. “...I don’t...it’s all…strange...” He recalled what he had seen in the throne room, this and that, connected by what was in him. Magic, he really did now have magic that he could actually use to do unbelievable things.
Finnick leaned back, observing Nick; ears flat, distant eyes, tail limp, struggling with words. He’d never seen Nick like this before. As if the realness of it all had just now hit him all at once. He knew he couldn't let this continue, it was just down right sad. Finnick climbed onto the desk and walked over to stand in front of where Nick stood, still waving his arms around like an airhead.
~SMACK!~
“Pull yourself together Nicky!” Finnick grabbed two fist fulls of Nick’s shirt and shook him as hard as he could. “So you got magic, your grandma’s some hot shot, and she’s...stuck in a rock. You’re a mage now!” He gripped Nick’s necklace and yanked it a bit. “But you’re still you!” He poked Nick hard in the chest, just over his heart. “Ain't nothing going to change you. So straighten yourself up and show that magic what’s what.”
Nick reached a paw up to his cheek where the smaller fox had slapped him, rubbing it gently to get rid of the sting. It had been a long time since his friend had had to give him a much needed slap in the face. So much had happened today and if Finnick hadn’t been here for him Nick probably would have eventually gotten lost in the emotion of it all. He chuckled, “Thanks Fin”.
The fennec returned the chuckle, letting go of Nick with a small smile.
“You start dragging your tail again, I'll happily slap you anytime. Now!” He hopped off the desk and picked a broom up off the floor. “Let's get this place cleaned back up. Here, catch!” He tossed the broom to Nick. He started sweeping up the broken glass as Finnick started picking up the paper scattered about the room.
~~~
After Nick had left the throne room every mammal present erupted into a buzz of conversation. Even the Blessed Knights whispered amongst themselves about what they had just bore witness to. It created a feeling of excitement throughout the air. Every mammal in the room was a rush of stirred up excitement. For Judy though, staring through the crowd, eyes locked on the door, it left her with a hard lump in her chest.
There was an overwhelming conflict building up inside her that made her heart race. Her mouth parted as she breathed heavy and her pink nose wouldn’t stop twitching. Her anger at him was still present, but just above that, riding under the surface of her skin, was the warmth of Nick’s magic. It had almost been like an embrace which left her body warm, her paws still tingling from it’s touch. She also felt sympathy, recalling his words to Natia, she couldn’t even begin to imagine all that he had been through. A tragic past was no excuse for his actions, but she could understand, a little, how things ended up for him the way that they did. She was beginning to feel torn between her first impression of him and how she saw him now. Too much had happened today, but she didn’t have time to process it all at this moment. Instead she pushed it all away, doing her best to keep her face calm as she reminded herself there was much still to be done.
They were dismissed soon after, the guards were doing their best to scatter the chattering nobles. There would be no end to the rumors that followed. Judy was sure that by dinner time every courtier and peasant alike would have some version of the tale. Nick’s name would be on every tongue that waged over ale. It was sure to do wonders for his thieving business. Several mammals tried to get Queen Natia’s attention before he exited the room, but she refused to speak to any of them. She looked to be just as shaken as Judy, but wasn’t hiding it as well as she probably thought that she was.
“You’re majesty! How can you just allow him to walk free after speaking to you in such a disrespectful manner. You must think about how mammals will react to that display.” Lionheart followed after her closely, pleading with her to reconsider her actions.
“Enough Lionheart.” She cut him off, her paw rising to stop him from following her. “Tomorrow we will speak more on this.” It would seem that Queen Natia was just as in need for privacy as Judy felt. Her eyes fell to Judy, but said nothing as he left the room through the back entrance.
Judy had been left alone with Lieutenant Bogo, and the other Blessed Knights, and the entourage of spectators. With the Queen gone the throne room became even more lively, now that they felt free to speak without fear of Natia hearing their judgments. Judy and Arisa were rushed with questions, it was a frustrating task clearing them all out. Every-mammal had to have to hear their say-so on the matter. It was the start of a long day that felt like it was a never ending drag of various tasks. On one paw she was pleased to have things to keep her mind occupied, but then again it seemed all any-mammal wanted to talk about was Nick Wilde. Between all the chatter more patrols were ordered, a report was written, and through it all she had been able to keep her emotions in check.
Sun long gone, she and the other knights found themselves winding down in the Knights housing quarters. A building built just off of the main castle, separate and tucked away for privacy. Here each of the Blessed Knights had their own bed chamber, special made, and detailed for each species. There was also a communal bathing area, a kitchen, common room, and the Knights had their own training grounds. The building was in a giant dome shape, with the center being a large living space where they could relax with plenty of couches, chairs, tables, and a large fireplace. It felt like home, for many of them it was, having been away from theirs for so long. Here they could usually let their fur loose and just be friends, but each of them had mixed feelings about what they had witnessed today. It caused a heavy tension to settle in the air.
“To think such strong magic comes from such an unexpected person.” Gazelle, a wind mage, slid gracefully down onto a couch.
“I can see why the Queen called us back to the capital, this could have gone very badly.” Bjorn, a large grizzly bear, stood just behind the couch with his arms crossed over his chest. He wasn’t as trusting as some of them and was suspicious of anything new. He was an experienced Blessed Knight, relying on that to guide his decisions. He’s years on the border had made him distrust anything related to Dostringar in the slightest, Saphielle’s descendant or not.
The Blessed Knights, Judy and Bogo excluded, often were gone from Animalia for months on end. They spent a great deal of time patrolling the border between Furosie and Dostringar, each with a small company of knights. Their duty was to survey for threats and dispose of any enemies that happened to sneak across. They often came across small hoarders of mischief, or corrupted mammals, that required slaying. When they weren’t doing that the Blessed Knights traveled alone across the country; visiting other cities, small towns, and villages along the way. Their presence served as a reminder of Queen Natia’s rule and that her protection spread throughout her country to every mammal big or small. A Blessed Knight was seen as a keeper of the peace and was often called upon to settle disputes in smaller villages where law keepers weren’t present. A Blessed Knight’s authority was held up as good as if they were the Queen’s own words.
It wasn’t uncommon for a Blessed Knight to travel the roads in secret. To only reveal themselves as Blessed Knights when the need arose. This allowed them to truly see what life was like outside of Queen Natia’s eyes and ears. Gazelle herself traveled as a bard, singing in taverns; only to pick up gossip from happy drunken mammals after her songs had lulled them into looser muzzles. All of them had characters they liked to play, it allowed them to feel normal again. Therefore they each had varying experiences and outlooks on life that influenced their opinions.
They spent so long away from Animalia that it was rare for them all to be in the same room. Out in the field it was common to run into one another, but Judy and Bogo rarely left the capital these days, so often their friends would come back a little different than before. It was nice to see her comrades again, if only for a short while; but there was a heavy feeling in the air now that made them all a little uneasy. It made speaking bluntly difficult for some.
“I felt it was necessary, there was no telling what could have happened when Arisa awakened his magic. Natia insisted it had to be done, so I took what precautions I felt were required.” Judy crossed her arms over her chest, she stood just apart from the rest, who had all made themselves comfortable among the furniture. While they were friends, family, Judy had certain duties as their Captain. They didn’t have to like her methods, but they did have to respect that she knew what was best. As they were all strong, proud Blessed Knights, relenting to their superior wasn’t always easy.
“And that meant gathering every Blessed Knight into one room to restrain a tiny fox if his magic went out of control or turned out to be dark, got it.” Saffrin, a cheetah, jumped over the back of the couch and settled next to Gazelle. “You seem to be overly cautious about this one Judy. Were you worried you couldn’t handle him?” Sneering a little, her tone was mocking. Saffrin, the youngest and greenest among them, was nearing the end of her field training with Gazelle.
“Ohh, she can handle him alright, didn’t you see him?” Belathur, a caribou, leaned forward in his seat. He smirked a bit, but his tone was serious as he stared at Judy.
“That poor mammal looked exhausted, I can only imagine what became of him locked away for so long.” Gazelle tsked at Judy, her eyes looking sympathetic as she shook her head.
“Poor mammal?” Basha, a clouded leopard, spoke up as she raised an eye at Gazelle. “Are you forgetting he’s a thief?”
“You’re one to talk.” Emery, an otter, piped up before Gazelle could reply, smirking as he saw the flustered look appear on Basha’s face. “If I’m remembering correctly Blessed Captain Friedkin picked you up off the road after you and your gang attacked their wagon.”
Blessed Captain Yara Friedkin was the Captain before Judy. She was a polar bear who had a reputation for seeing potential where many saw a lost cause. It had been by her recommendation that Judy be promoted to Captain upon her retirement. So many thought it would go to Bogo, as had Judy, but Yara had insisted.
“That was a long time ago! Don’t try to change the subject Emery! That fox should have never been allowed to leave today! He’s more of a threat now than ever!” Her jaw was clenched, the hair on the back of her neck standing up, even her tail was puffed.
“Basha, calm down, Queen Natia chose compassion today, rather than force. He is still a mammal, how can you not have empathy for what he has been through?” Gazelle leaned forward on the couch, her face full of concern.
“I don’t agree--!”
“Enough.” Every set of eyes in the room looked to Judy, her stern voice cutting through the chatter. “Nicholas Wilde is a thief and a criminal, those facts cannot be forgotten. I had a lot of reason to judge him harshly.” Judy took a breath here, the feeling in the room shifting back to the way it was before. All eyes on her. “I called you all back for more reasons than I have divulged until now. That mammal broke into the palace, got into the Mage’s Tower, and stole the Heart Stone out from under our very noses. If he could do all that, whose to say he couldn’t have made it into the inner castle, or dare I say it, the Queen’s Chambers? If he had been an assassin this all could have been much worse. I let those fears drive my hate of him, I was ready to kill him today had the Queen ordered it of me.” Judy paused, fixing a stern gaze on her silent companions. All of them met her eyes, understanding just what she meant, knowing full well they would have done the same. “Let’s not forget our country has a target on her back. Are we such young Knights who would be foolish to think our Queen will always be safe? Spies are everywhere these days and I will die before I let anyone get near Natia. So yes, I see every intruder as a threat and they will be treated as such. My sword will not stay idle in the face of justice for the wrongs that have been committed.” Her paw rested by her side, squeezing into a fist, feeling the warm band of the ring that housed her sword.
“I ask you all, what would you have done? I will be the first to admit I was harsh, but now I must move forward. Natia still has hope that Nick Wilde will come to fight by our side. We have to put our feelings aside and prepare for that day.”
The room was so silent you could hear the heavy sighs that escaped through pursed muzzles. Her words and questions hit them hard, forcing them to reflect. Spies were indeed everywhere these days, that wasn’t anything new, but when they were found close to the Queen was when things went bad. Assassins were not a joking matter either, on the rare occasion there was an attempt no one slept well for months after. The predicament Nick Wilde had put himself in didn’t look good for him, at the time. To have gotten so close, it was no wonder Judy had been on edge, her Queen’s safety was worth everything to her.
Gazelle was the one to finally break the awkward silence that had begun to fill the room with suffocating air.
“His magic was very warm, and yet I felt a sadness in it.” Gazelle looked to Judy, having magic of her own she was able to read it better than a normal knight. She had felt something deeper than the comfortable light that had washed over the rest of them. Nick’s core had felt distant, like a lost child. “There wasn’t a single trace of hostility, even after all he said, he truly has no desire for revenge.”
“I would agree.” Arik spoke up from across the room. He was a mage as well, aligned to fire, and a canine species at that. An Afric spotted lupin who had come to this land from across the sea. He too had faced hostility and mistreatment since he was a pup. Despite that he never let it break his kind and positive outlook.
“I know, I felt it too.” Judy looked at them all, meeting each of their eyes one at a time. She knew full well the range of differences among them. Two of them were mages, a few had bad experiences with magic, others lived by steel and bravery, some came from humble beginnings, and others noble by birth. Fourteen of them in all and they could never all agree on anything...except one thing... Queen Natia’s safety always came first.
“Do you remember...the first time you heard of Ember?” Gazelle asked the question softly, eyes cast down at her hooves. There it was, the elephant in the room that none of them had wanted to talk about.
“It was the same for most of us. Tradition right?” Ramsey, a mountain ram, and the oldest of the Blessed Knights answered her. He was old enough to remember that old tradition, as were most of the knights in the room. “It happens during your first border patrol, during your field training as a Blessed Knight. Your mentor takes you to whichever is the nearest village to Ember. You both drink, the fires start to die, the tavern falls silent. Then they tell you about a village of wolves just a ways down the road, but it’s a place you’ll never go, ever. They tell you that it’s full of Fangmar loyalists that the Crown chooses to ignore out of some peace agreement. The next day you move on and you give that section a wide berth and it’s over. That's how it was for me and that’s how I told it to you, Basha.” His voice had become somber, feeling that first wave of guilt for having believed such a story for so long. Many of the others were hanging their heads, staring back at some far off memory. The village had been destroyed when Judy was just a kit, so she had never experienced such a tradition. Her first time hearing of Ember had been during one of her drinking night’s with Yara, and it had been a rather sad telling of it.
“Only now we know it wasn’t like that at all, and it wasn’t just wolves.” Bogo added, and Belathur looked over to meet his gaze. He had been Bogo’s mentor out on the road.
“Now we know.”
“How could that village have been kept a secret for so long?” Saffrin questioned with an almost pleading tone. Like Judy, she was too young to have heard that story, only she was just now learning of its existence.
“On the map Ember fell into the Dead Zone, so there was no risk of anyone traveling that far in and finding it. It simply didn’t exist.” It was a simple explanation to a rather loaded question, Belathur chose the more logical answer. Truly though, there were many reasons as to why it had been so well hidden for so long.
“That’s so sad, all those mammals just abandoned there.” Saffrin hung her head, recalling Nick’s story to the Queen. “Left there to die.” At this Gazelle reached over and laid a hoof over Saffrin’s paw. For the second time that night the room filled in with the sound of deafening silence. It gripped them all as their thoughts wandered in and out of past and present thoughts. They had all seen death, been the final bowl as well as the savior, but to know that the Crown they held so dear to their hearts had allowed such a terrible thing to happen hit many of them with an uneasy feeling. Judy looked around the room, studying each of their faces.
“This day has been long, I’m sure each of you are ready to call it a night. With so much going on you all will be staying here in the capital until further action can be decided upon. In the meantime I’m sure you all gave instructions to your seconds to continue your patrols and stay on the border paths. With the mage’s heart stone as the target we can assume that Dostringar’s ruler is up to something. We must stay vigilant.”
“Captain.” Gazelle stood from the couch and placed her fist over her heart. The rest copied her, showing their loyalty to their leader. Looking at them all, dressed in their full shining armor, their expressions hard, eyes resolved to protect and serve, whatever that meant. Judy was proud of each and every one of them. She let out the heavy sigh she had been holding in. Her shoulders went slack as she rested her paw on her hip.
“Get some rest tonight, I expect to see you all bright and early in the morning for training. I have to make sure none of you have grown soft in the field.” This earned a jostle of awkward laughs from all of them. The tension in the air slowly began to relax, allowing them to breathe again. They playfully pushed up against one another, bragging about new moves, creating light hearted competition. No one liked to look weak in front of the Captain. They were all sure to show off their best come dawn.
Judy shook her head and slipped away first, retiring to her quarters, she needed time to herself to go over the day's events. Once the door to her room was closed she leaned against the back of it. Her eyes shut as big heavy breathes escaped through her nose. It was a relief to finally be alone.
She reached a paw upwards to gently thumb the small sapphire on her breast plate. It glowed a soft blue, reacting to her touch. Her armor faded away, melting back inside the crystal until she needed it again. In its place the sapphire now hung on an ornate silver necklace. Each Blessed Knight used these magical items to store their weapons and armor. Judy’s sword was stored in a small purple silver ring on her paw. With the armor gone and her sword stored away in her ring, it left Judy dressed in a simple under shirt and breeches.
Her quarters consisted of two rooms; in one room was a bed, chest for storing equipment, a small wardrobe, and a desk. The other room was more for relaxing, furnished with a couch, chair, fireplace, a bookshelf, a few odds and ends from home. It still had the feel of palace luxury with the beautiful molding on the walls, but it was homely with it’s own charm.
Sitting herself at the desk, she pulled a journal from the top desk draw, along with a quill and ink pot. It had become a habit since she had left Bunny Borrow to write in a journal every night, even when she was out in the field. Tonight, as she held the inked quill over the yellow parchment paper, her paw hesitated; it was as if she didn’t know where to start. All day she hadn’t been alone with her own thoughts, until now; sitting in the deafening silence of her own room, she was drawing a blank. Judy glared down at her journal until the ink on her quill went dry.
“I need a drink.” She pushed her chair away from the desk and walked briskly to the other room. Opening a cabinet she pulled out a medium sized glass and an expensive bottle of red wine. From here she was close enough to the door that she was able to hear the laughter coming from the shared living space. It had been a long time since they had been able to socialize so freely. During their training together they had all come to be close enough to call one another family. Since being promoted to Captain though Judy felt a slight detachment from the rest of them. She felt guarded, unable to make mistakes; and yet, in the truthfulness she only gave her heart, she felt she had made so many recently. Judy slammed the cabinet shut.
Pouring herself a generous amount she walked over to her balcony door. Upon opening it the cool night air gently ruffled the fur on her cheeks and cooled her chest as she breathed in the midnight breeze. The sky was clear of clouds and the full moon bathed everything in it’s beautiful soft light. Each star in the night’s sky twinkled with a brilliance that only a star could. She sat the wine bottle on a little glass table nearby and took up the chair next to it. Here she sat for a long while, contemplating the day's events.
~~~
Nick rubbed a dry towel behind his ear. The hot bath had done his body a world of good, he was actually starting to feel like a normal mammal again. Finnick was putting him up in a guest room above the shop. It was a small simple room, but it had a warm bed and that was all he really needed. The events of the day had caught up with him in the bath, having almost fallen asleep in the warm water. He wasted no time in shrugging on a clean pair of pants before his fur was fully dry, and blowing out the candle on the nightstand.
Lying in bed, sleep came and went, forcing his mind to feel hazy. Just when he would start to slip into sleep’s embrace, a sound from the world outside his window would bring him back awake with a start. Having had nothing but a straw pile on a cold floor until recently made his bed feel too soft. The noises from drunkards on the street made his room seem too loud. Everything startled him awake and soon it became impossible to fall back into a relaxed enough state to shut his eyes.
“So be it.” Nick rolled over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness and now everything was bright, lit up by the moon and her twinkling stars. Nick lifted his paw and titled it into the light. It made the grey scar shine on his black paw pad. It was hard to believe that it was still the same day. After his outburst in Finnick’s office there had been a couple more times where something strange would happen. Laughing too hard had caused a picture on the wall to fall and shatter, raising his voice too loud out of frustration had made the bath water boil. It seemed he would have to be very careful from now on. He brought his paw down to run a digit over his necklace. The stone always felt warm now and it’s weight filled him with a foreign sense of completeness. Despite all the newness of itl somehow his insides had begun to feel right. Like for the first time in since Ember he was exactly who he needed to be.
All his life he had struggled with who and what he was, living day to day with no definitive identity to guide him. Was he truly just a thief? A fox? He was the last survivor of Ember, the only one who could remember their traditions, their way of life. He had never focused much on that thought. Now he had new labels. A mage, a descendant of Saphielle. How would these define him now? How would other mammals look at him? What would tomorrow bring? What paths would be open to him now? Did he even really want things to change? He had no answers to any of these questions that halted his sleep. Recalling his passionate words, how he had wanted to thrust them like pins into Queen Natia. They had been spoken with the purpose of pain, wanting here to feel as helpless as he had. Wanting to leave her squirming and uncomfortable. But did he truly want to go back to thriving, or could he do something more with his life and this magic? What difference could he bring to this city?
“Saphielle…you’ve given me so many new options.” It was hard to believe it was all true. A name he had never heard until today now forced him into hours of sleepless thought. Who was she really? What did she really do that day that made her a legend? He wanted to know all about her, wished she was here to guide him. He wore her necklace, possessed a magical line to her, had walked in the same halls she had, but knew next to nothing about her. Her name on his tongue filled him with a thrill he couldn’t describe. He wasn’t afraid, nothing inside him felt scary, but he hadn’t a clue where to start sorting it all. He was sure the teachers at the palace could help him, but he wanted nothing to do with them.
He had no intention of going back, but what was he to do now? He couldn’t live with the possibility of losing control of this magic, he needed to learn how to harness it. Sure, at the moment he was just breaking things in the shop, but what if he hurt someone? He couldn’t imagine hurting Finnick or Dharma, but how long would it be till he did? That tingly feeling in his chest was ever present, swirling with heat that made him shudder from time to time. This was his magic, hu?
~CLICK~
Nick jumped at the sound of something hard hitting the glass window. He sat up, staring at the glass for a while, but then it happened again. This time Nick leaped out of bed, running to see whatever it was. He grasped the wooden seal as he looked out onto the street. There wasn’t a soul insight, but the hairs on the back of his neck stood up and his tail bristled. Something inside of him told him that he was being watched. As he opened the window a paper fluttered into the room, falling at his feet.
“What the…” Cautiously he picked it up, giving the parchment a bit of a sniff. “Smells...like...” he sniffed it again to be sure “...like rotting meat…” The scent brought a gut wrenching feeling to his stomach as he unfolded the note. There on the yellowed paper, scribbled out words in fresh ink.
‘For what a stone was worth, you now possess. We’ll come to take what has been promised.’ Nick read the words several times over, their meaning sending a chill down his spine. Peering out the window again Nick sniffed the air, but the scent was gone.
He didn’t get any more sleep that night, worry racing through him now that he knew he was being watched by hells knows who. Nick had taken their money, but they never received the goods, he’d been a fool to think all had been forgotten. He knew deals like this never ended well. With no way to contact the buyer, they would come for him...and now he knew they were agents from Fangmar.
~~~
As the laughter in the common room died, the moon had moved far across the sky, and the embers in the fireplace glowed with the dying of it’s flames. With half the bottle gone Judy sat with her knees pulled up to her chest and a blanket over her shoulders. Cheek pressed to her knee, she sat there in the silence that only the night could provide.
The wine helped her thoughts to relax and focus on the things she hadn't been able to think about for the last month. She had been so fixated on Nick, who and what he was, that little else had moved her from her task. Today all that had come to an ending of sorts. Now they knew the truth, he was a descendant of Saphielle, and yet still so much more than that.
“He, he can be forgiven for his crimes, but will he stand with us when we need him?” Judy rolled her head, closing her eyes, cheek pressed to her knee as she sighed. Her thoughts turned to Ember, all the stories, all the lies, she tried to put herself in his position. Her own words haunted her.
“What would I do if I were him?” Without voicing it she knew the answer. The look on his face had crushed her, his story had broken her heart, but she couldn’t tell that to anyone. How could she let them know just how much she sympathized with him? She felt like she was two different mammals torn between her own feelings and her duties to guide the actions of those who put faith in her to be strong.
‘Where do we go from here? How do we make amends for the wrongs that have been done to him? How do we make him trust us?’ Her heart ached with only the guilt wine could provide as she thought of Nick. None of his crimes mattered now that Natia had pardoned him, what was important now was giving him space to heal. Hoping that someday he would come back to them.
She grabbed her ankles, leaning back in her chair to look up at the sky. She recalled that weightless feeling she had experienced, running her paws through Nick’s beautiful waves of magic. All her fears and insecurities had been stripped away in those moments, leaving only that pleasure of being raw with delight. It had taken her back to her days as a regular Blessed Knight, before being made Captain. Back then she had complete and utter confidence in her abilities. No one looked up to her, no one counted on her to make the right calls, all she had to do was fight. Trust in her training, her sword, her own strength of body and will, and rely on her comrades to have her back.
Here in the night as she sat there bathed in moonglow, pondering her own feelings, she found herself to be a stranger. A huge sigh escaped her as she let her mind wander into territory within her heart she usually pushed away. Gripping her arms she tried to hold onto the warmth that Nick’s magic had left just under her skin. She ran her paws up her arms to her neck, then her cheeks. It sent shivers up her spine as she rolled her head back, closing her eyes, and recalled that tender feeling of happiness that rested in the space just above her heart.
Searching inside of herself for how she really felt. There Judy found tiny bits of fear and she allowed them to creep to the surface. They were a mixture of sadness and empathy, regret and loneliness. All the feelings Gazelle had sensed living beyond the warmth of Nick’s raw potential as a mage. Judy found herself in the position of having to someday rely and put trust into the mammal she had mistreated, and she knew Nick would not forgive them as easily as they had him. The push and pull of friend and foe would be a great hurdle to overcome for them both. To hold Nick’s paw in hers for Queen and country...Judy didn’t know if she would be able to do that.
She placed her paws around her neck, fluttering her large purple eyes open, allowing them to be wide so she could soak up the beauty of the night. To be as bare and naked as the moon with her emotions felt like such a daunting task, and yet, the passion to be free and wild she had forgotten. Left discarded on the floor to adapt the cool control of a Captain and yet Nick had shattered that in an instant. Now his power stirred her up inside and made standing still impossible. She lightly squeezed her neck to feel the pressure, gain control of herself, but instead she felt like screaming.
Chapter 6: The Choices We Make
Summary:
Let me know in the comment section if you can pick out the other Disney characters I've added! :)
Big shout out to Tandiian for becoming my beta reader! They have been a huge help to me throughout the progress of this chapter!
Update: 04/18/2021
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
A Mage’s Heart
Chapter five: The choices we make
The sun bore down a blazing heat onto the field, baking the dirt beneath the feet of the mammals below. Clouds of dusty earth swirled through the air as paws and hooves scraped across the ground with an accompaniment of snarls and growls. Among the scruffles was the distinct sound of metal echoing across the near empty space as mammals swung their steel weapons with precise purpose. Despite the fact that they were just sparring, each strike was made with the follow through to end the others life. They lunged at one another, teeth bared, and eyes steely focused. Pure muscle memory drove their bodies forward and knightly instinct forced their blades to find the best spot to strike. Yelping was heard between gritted teeth each time metal connected with skin. By now their bodies were aching from the work, proved in the sweat pouring down their bodies, dampening their coats, muzzles parted with panting tongues. New bruises were sure to appear from mistakes that lent to learning; that if made with sharpened steel would have been the end of them.
Each Blessed Knight specialized in a different weapon, rarely did any two knights weld the same armorment while in service. Though, Judy did recall there being a set of twin tiger brothers who both welded chakrams. They had been quite a destructive pair, so she had heard, it was before her time. Still, even today, they are still talked about avidly for their teamwork and skills. It was always recommended to have a diverse range of weaponry skills in their repertoire. Either a leftover sentiment from the stories of the original twelve Blessed Knights, or a purposefully tactical idea, Judy wasn't sure. It had just always been this way.
Among the current Blessed Knights Judy had her sword, Bogo carried a great axe, from there they had two mages, daggers, bow and arrow, shield, halberd, trident, ect. Together they were all highly skilled in combat and strategy. Once a Knight becomes Blessed special weapons and armor are made for them. Each piece is specially crafted and enchanted to channel that Blessed Knights powers through. To make sure they are always battle ready, Blessed Knights carry their weapons in the form of a magical object, such as a ring or bracelet. All armor is stored in a sapphire to always be worn around their necks. To keep themselves proficient the knights practiced with a training version of their respective weapon. Without their blessed powers to rely on it forced them to be creative in their approaches, having only their physical strength, skills, and knowledge to work with.
Blessed Knights were regarded as extraordinary warriors for their ability to use the blessed power from the tree of light. When blessed powers are called upon by their host it manifests in the form of blue magic to deliver powerful magical strikes. A passive effect of the blessed power is that it also makes its host physically stronger, faster, more resilient to pain, and sharpens their senses. A Blessed Knight can also purify corruption, to an extent, only in small amounts. Mammals so special as to become Blessed stood apart from the rest, they carried more weight to the name and on their shoulders. The power was more than enough to vanquish corruption and evil, but calling upon it uses up a huge amount of energy. Once their bodies were depleted of it they were just like any other soldier. Judy didn’t want the Blessed Knights relying too much on that power. It was better to hone their skills, mind, and their bodies to be stronger on their own. By doing so, her hope was to make their movements and instincts sharp to battle without having to use that power.
Judy watched, standing just along the edge of the training ground, a steel sword resting over her shoulder, eyes narrowed in concentration as she observed their practice. Almost all the knights before her were trained by the previous Blessed Captain Yara, a polar bear of amazing strength and virtue. All these years, Judy had strived to be just like her, since the first day she saw Captain Yara ride through Bunny Borrow. It was a very high bar to set to oneself. She didn’t have the same physical strength that Captain Yara had, but Judy made up for it with her mind, She had a good eye for seeing where mammals left themselves open or where they missed valuable opportunities to strike. Her Knights had amazing form, but sometimes the road made them soft, and so these practice sessions were a necessity. It was also, for some, a good time to show off any new moves that they may have learned.
A trickle of sweat beaded up on her brow, coming to a breakpoint before rolling down through her fur. They’d been at it since before the sun had risen, now nearing high noon, many of them looked like they were about to drop. They all sported dampened fur and were breathing heavily, but none dared to call it quits before their captain's orders. Bogo stood in the middle of them all, his large arms crossed over his massive chest. He studied each of them just as critically as she did, shouting at them when they fell on their asses and encouraging them when he was pleased with what he saw. Often Judy or Bogo would direct them to swap partners if they saw a better match to be had, or a more challenging skirmish. This way it kept them on their toes, never allowing them to get too cocky when they were dominating.
Currently before Judy were Saffrin and Ramsey, they were working at paw to hoof combat. A fighting style just as important as wielding a weapon was. Ramsey, a mountain ram, was well built with hard stone muscles, sporting large rounded horns on either side of his head. His skills and experience as a seasoned warrior made him a powerful opponent for anyone. He also had the advantage of being the only Blessed Knight to not brandish a weapon. Ramsey fought with his hooves, preferring to use his massive strength and size to his advantage. During actual combat his blessed weapon of choice were gauntlets to which he channeled his blessed powers through to deliver devastating fast punches. Saffrin, a young cheetah, was usually a dual daggers fighter. Relying on her speed and agility to strike her opponents quickly before they even saw her coming. She had Ramsey beat on speed, that was for sure, but one false move and…
Saffrin dodged a punch aimed for her shoulder. She slid across the dirt, body hunched down low to the ground, gliding effortlessly across the hot dirt. Just as quickly Ramsey ducked low to match her, his fist striking her square in the chest to send her flying backwards. It was skill and experience that had allowed Ramsey to become adept at reading his opponent's movements. Well, that, coupled with Saffrin’s young and predictable nature.
Saffrin was sent tumbling into the dirt next to Judy, and not gracefully either, more like a thrown stack of grain.
“Thought cats always land on their feet?” Judy bounced her sword on her shoulder a few times, smirking down at the pride rumpled Saffrin. She’d have a decent bruise in an hour, would hurt like hell, but a listen well learnt.
“Sorry to disappoint you.” Saffrin spoke through gritted teeth, ears pinned back, her long tail snapping back and forth in agitation. Saffrin was the youngest amongst them, Judy herself had been the one to request that she be given the opportunity to be Blessed. Saffrin had so much talent, with a good heart to match, but still much to learn. Technically still a trainee, but that was be coming to an end soon, then she would be out on her own. Given a squad and second, all of who would be looking to her to lead them. Judy knew she would be able to handle it. This last year had been spent under the tutelage of Gazelle, so Judy had no doubts Saffrin would was ready to step out on her own. When Saffrin set back out she’d be leaving Animalia a full fledge Blessed Knight, though she did not know it yet. Judy couldn’t be prouder of her. Whatever she had left to learn only her own experience and mistakes could teach it to her.
“You underestimate his speed because of his bulky size. If you don’t learn to look beyond the obvious you’ll keep falling on your ass.”
“An old ram shouldn’t be that fast.” Saffrin winced, rubbing her chest, trying to rub away the sting.
“I’m not that old, you’re just slow.” Ramsey, extended his hoof to her, a smirk on his mouth.
“I highly doubt that.” She did an eye roll with her whole head.
“You’ll catch up to me eventually.” Saffrin let out a snicker as Ramsey lifted her, any lingering irritation she may have had left.
“Keep talking old man, I’ll get you next time, just you wait and see.” She jabbed him with her elbow a couple of times, a toothy grin on her round face. There were no hard feelings left between them. In the past Saffrin would have gritted her teeth and scowled in bitter defeat. Now she took things in better stride, realizing that they all had room to improve. No one left anyone behind; they were a family who had each other's backs to the very end.
At this point Bogo and a few of the others had come over to watch. It was now past lunch and the eagerness to call it quits for the day was plain to see on all their faces. She smiled at them, folding a paw over on her hip and raising her sword back up onto her shoulder.
“How about we call it a day, hmmm? Everyone, go wash up and head to the mess hall. Ask Cook to give you all a little extra since I made you skip breakfast.” All of them let out sighs of relief, the posture of their bodies becoming loose, groaning out their soreness, eyes closed in bliss at her words. Each of them were keen to wash away the grime out of their coats and fill their bellies with a hot meal, knowing that after their meal there was still a full days work to be done. Despite the weariness of the group, field clean up was quick, doing their best to be done before Judy could change her mind.
After the rest of the knights were gone Judy and Bogo hung back, retreating to the shade of a large tree. There was a silent understanding between them that something was weighing heavily on both their minds.
“They’ve stayed sharp, don’t you agree?” Bogo huffed a bit in pride, feeling responsible for their excellent training, having been Captain Yara’s lieutenant as well. He gave a crooked smile down at Judy, arms crossed over his chest.
“They have…” There was apprehension in her voice, as though she wanted to say more. Instead she leaned back against the tree and moved her foot over a bit of dead grass, not looking up.
“Buuut? I can tell that you’re holding something back.” He raised an eyebrow down at her.
“...I just feel uneasy...things seem far too laid back these days. You’ve read their reports, things on the border are quiet. I don’t want them to relax for even a moment; thinking they can go easy on their journeys. Something inside is telling me to prepare them for-for something! But I don’t know what that is…”
“There are times when the borders are quiet. It’s not unusual to go many months without a raid or an attack. No, this feeling you have, it’s something else.”
“And what could that be?”
“The fox.”
“...Of course it’s also about him. How can it not be?”
“It’s been over a week, nothing bad has happened, you need to let it go.”
“I can not. There are too many still unknown variables to this. Some mammal was sent from Dostringar to steal the stone. They are still out there, plotting. And who's to say news hasn’t gotten back to their King about Nick’s magic? And yet, he is allowed to wander about the city alone. I know Queen Natia said to leave him be, but...” Judy felt herself starting to spiral for a moment as she rattled off her worries from the last few days. She had been careful not to burden Queen Natia with them, but Bogo was a rock in her endless sea of fears.
“Judy, I’m sure everything will be fine. If, and when, something happens, we’ll know. We’ve had spies all over this city, and the surrounding towns, searching for the agent, they’re bound to show up somewhere.” He gave her a soft look, one that he hoped would reassure her.
“Captain Hopps!!!”
They were interrupted by a small grey mouse scurrying towards them. His small body, shrouded in black, looked like a moving shadow over the dirt. Judy leaned down so he could climb onto her paw. Once settled she lifted him up so they were face to face. His little body shook as he breathed in gasps for air. He was named Bernard, a member of their small mammal spy group. Mice like him were perfect for getting into places unnoticed. He was dressed in simple black garments, with a hood drawn over his face, large grey ears poked through the slits atop it.
“You have news for me?” She glanced up at Bogo, she wondered what he would have to say about this later. Even so, he looked interested in this new turn of events, if not just a little surprised. He and Judy, while apart from the spies, still worked closely with them for palace security. However, he wasn’t aware of any of the spies reporting directly to Judy, and in such a hurry, it made him concerned.
“I do, Captain. We’ve located Nicholas Wilde as you requested.”
“Where?”
“We’ve tracked him to the Golden Paw Pawn, in the third circle district, east side.”
“Finnick the smuggler owns that store, go figure.” Bogo stated the comment more to himself than the group, seeming to have put two and two together. Finnick was the best smuggler in Furosie and Nick had a reputation that matched. It would only make sense that the two were working together, perhaps even friends.
“Our intel would suggest they’re well acquainted, yes.” Bernard looked up at Bogo a bit from under his hood.
“I can’t believe it’s taken us this long to find him, how could we not have known about this?” She placed a hand on her hip, shaking her head with pinched eyes. “I told you we should’ve shut down that no good little fox a long time ago.”
“And if we did that some-mammal would just take his place, probably some-mammal worse even. He doesn’t do anything more than stolen goods.”
“That we know of.” Judy added, not having Bogo’s confidence on this matter.
“We already have spies that keep up with his dealings, no reports of animal trafficking or drugs. The capital will always have smugglers, better to let the lesser evils go.” Judy opened her mouth for a retort, but decided against it. It was a conversation for another day.
“We’ve always known about Nick, but he’s the cautious type who's aware when he’s being followed, even by us. It’s always been tough to keep tabs on his comings and goings. I apologize for our lack of knowledge till now.” Bernard began to nervously tap his digits together, his nose twitching, making his whiskers noticeably shake.
“I’m not blaming you Bernard, any of you. Now we know, and that counts for everything right now. Thank you all for working so hard these last few days.” She at least knew where he was now, which was a huge weight off her shoulders.
“Thank you Captain.” He breathed a sigh of relief. “Spy Master Bianca requests to be advised if she should be sending a report to her Majesty?” Bernard, head tilted up to look under the edge of his hood, twitched his nose about in even further uneasiness. He saw Captain Judy hesitate, mouth pursed shut in thought.
“No.”
“Captain?” Bogo’s face looked beyond concerned here, not liking where this was going.
“I’ll be the one to inform her. For now please tell me everything you’ve witnessed since finding him. I want full details, don’t leave anything out. As of right now...I’m doing this off record.”
“Yes Captain.” Bernard bowed his head in understanding as Bogo clung to every word.
~~~
“I said no!” Finnick slammed his fist down on the table, Nick was glaring at him hard from the other side. They had been debating this all morning long, Finnick wasn’t budging. “It’s still too dangerous.” He gritted his teeth, almost snarl like.
“You’ve kept me cooped up in here for too long Finnick. I need to get out, grab some fresh air before I go insane. I mean, come on, it’s been ten days.” Nick stretched his arms, rolled his head, all with teeth gritted so tight they felt as though they were about to break.
“You’re not ready! Every day you break more and more shit in my shop! You can’t control your magic and it’s getting worse! It was fine in the beginning, but now you’re losing it!”
“I’m fine! I’ve got it under control!” Just as he said it a picture frame flew off the wall and shattered the glass pane all over the floor. Finnick just pointed at it rigidly with a hard expression on his face while Nick did his best to avoid looking at it. Every day it seemed he was losing more control over this new power inside him; not that he had any control to start with. From exploding vases, to fires roaring to life from the long dead embers, that last one had been the worst of it. Even a small outburst of emotion had started to cause significant damage to the space around him. He honestly didn’t know how much more destruction Finnick and Darmah could stand.
Staying inside though was making him crazy. He truly felt that if he could just get some fresh air things would be better. Having been trapped in a jail for over a month he needed to feel free to roam. This confinement was making his skin crawl and his spirit twist. That and...he would never say anything to Finnick, but a discomfort had started to grow in his left paw since late last night. It had started as pin pricks, but now it felt like a hot poker burning its way through his body. The sensations came and went in waves, but were becoming more frequent as the day wore on.
“I just need to be out of this shop for a couple of hours. I’m sure that will do the trick and relax me for a while.” Nick flexed his paw a bet, trying to ease the ache, playing off what just happened.
“You don’t get it, do you?” Finnick fell back into his chair with a heavy sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He cracked his eyes a bit and fixed Nick with a serious glare. “This isn’t just about your hysteric magical powers. That feeling like you’re being watched, I’ve got it too.” This caught Nick’s attention. He had confided in Finnick about what happened that first night here, showing him the note in the window. Since then he sometimes got the fur rising feeling of being observed, but he could never find the source. It was like being watched by a spirit.
“What do you mean, exactly?”
“My spies have been giving me reports about mice.” Finnick emphasized the species with just the slightest hint of an amused smirk touching the corners of his mouth. He was very familiar with them as they had been keeping up with his dealings for years. Annoying little rodents they were.
“Mice?” Nick raised a brow at him, mice were never much of a concern for him. Easy enough to avoid when you knew they were there. He was usually quite good at sniffing them out, but his senses seemed to be off these days, his mind too muddled with recent events to have noticed. More proof that he needed to get out of this place before he became rusty.
“Ratigan has spotted a couple of those goodie goodie palace mice lurking about around the shop. Probably keeping tabs on you. If they’ve tracked you here there’s no telling what they know.” He chewed on one of his claws, not liking the feeling he was getting.
“Palace mice aren’t anything to be worried over, even if they are keeping tabs on me, it’s not like I’m breaking any laws. I’m free to go as I please, I was released.” He brushed it off, rolling his eyes and looking elsewhere. “Anyway, can you really trust Ratigan? Squeaking about a few mice! HA! He’s a no good thug, even for a rat. He’s not some-mammal I’d believe easily.”
“I trust who I pay, and I pay for his information. He may be a crooked, no good lying scum, but he wouldn’t dare sell me bad info.” He took a breath, trying to keep his cool. “Besides, those mice are a bigger problem than you think Nick. Yeah, the Queen let you go, but don’t think for a moment you’re free to wonder. Words probably already gotten back to them that you can’t control your magic. That makes you a threat. Not one they’ll leave be for long.”
“Your choice of company aside, I think you’re overreacting. A few accidents doesn’t make me dangerous. So what if they know, I’m not doing anything wrong.” He slouched back in his chair, muzzle pursed in a pout. Finnick pulled at his ears in frustration.
“It all still means you’re being watched!”
“SO!?”
“So you can’t leave!!!” They seemed to have rounded back to the beginning as Finnick pounded his fist down on the desk. They sat across from each other, small growls escaping through their clenched jaws.
They were interrupted by the sound of a bell chime from the store front. Followed by the loud sound of banging and thuds, as if things were being dropped about on the floor above them. Both of Nick and Finnick’s ears flicked about at the irritating sounds, visibly flinching at the resounding crashes that much resembled one of Nick’s magical incidents. The bookcase to the basement was then heard being moved aside, which could only mean company was coming.
~BANG~
~THUD~
~Bang...bang...bang...bang..bang…~
Something heavy and solid could be heard falling down the stairs. Nick flinched at every impact it made on the wooden stairs. A horribly pained groan came from Finnick’s direction, causing Nick to turn and see that Finnick was harshly clawing at his own face; it was as if this sound was causing him extreme physical agony.
“Nooo, not today...whyyy….” Finnick smacked his head against his desk.
When the object came into view it revealed itself to be a large glass ball rolling across the floor, stopping when it hit Finnick’s desk with a hollow thud, then started to roll back towards the stairs. “WHAT THE FUCK WEASELTON!!!” Finnick leaped onto his desk, wide eyed and immediately pissed, knowing who was the cause all of this without even having to see.
“Look here Boss, I got it figured out this time, trust me, it’s a winner.” Weaselton stumbled into view, arms full of more balls, and a sack thrown over his shoulder. Despite not having seen Nick in a while, he just grinned, not missing a beat. “Ahhh! Nicky, heard you were dead.” Weaselton looked Nick up and down, a toothpick seated on his mouth. He was a weasel, a particularly sleazy one at that, with no redeemable skills to speak of.
“Ahhh yes, yes, they almost had me, but I heard from a little mousy that you’ve been fucking up, big time, while I was away.” Nick reached out and grabbed the toothpick, popping it between his own teeth.
“Fucking up, ehhhh, I don’t know about that, forget you. Boss, I---” Weaselton pushed past Nick, dropping the heavy glass onto Finnick’s desk, but before he could finish his explanation Finnick cut him off.
“NO! No Weaselton! I done told you that this shit ain't worth the cost it takes to make it! I can’t sell this to no mammal. Take them all back where you got em and do the job I actually gave you!”
“But Boss, I--” Finnick just made a quick noise, eyes wide as though they were about to pop out of his skull, as he pointed at the door.
“If you don’t get out of here right now I’m going to give Nick your job.”
“Ahhh, I get it now, golden foxy paws is back and you’ll give him all the good jobs. I see how it is, old Weaselton isn’t good enough to listen to his ideas.” Weaselton whipped at his nose, trying not to look too offended.
“That’s right, you’re starting to get it now.” Nick’s voice was a smooth mocking tone, his face set to a permanent toothy grin as he picked up one of the glass balls and shoved it into Weaselton’s open arms.
“Smile now fox boy, but while you were off rotting away in some cell cuz you got caught being sloopy, I was here! Weaselton!” Pointing to his puffed out, prideful chest, a little slow to start collecting up his scattered objects.
“Yeah yeah yeah, get out of here.” Finnick waved him off before Weaselton had the chance to go into a full blown speech. There was hesitation as he looked from Finnick to Nick, did a few more takes, before fixing a glare at Nick. Nick only waved at him, giving a smirk that caused Weaselton to growl at him as he continued to chew cockily on the toothpick.
“I’ll be back.” Showing a bit of teeth Weaselton knew there was no room left to argue his case further. Gathering the items back up into his paws, mumbling under his breath as he trudged his way back up the stairs.
“Don’t you dare leave any of those useless things behind!” Finnick hollered after him.
~DOOR SLAM~
“That useless weasel gives me a fucking headache every time I see him. I swear if I see one more glass ball...I’ll kill him Nicky...I swear it.” Scratching he behind his ears, face suddenly looking old and tired.
“Give me a job.” Nick whirled around, feeling a rush of excitement in this opportune moment. “The most profitable one you got.”
“You mean the most dangerous.”
“Who cares! Stop wasting everyone's time relying on Weaselton. I promise, you give me a job tonight, and you’ll get paid.” Nick gave a cocky smirk down at his friend as he laid both paws down on the desk. This was it, his way out of this shop. Nothing spoke louder to Finnick than money, even more so when none was coming in. Right now they both knew he was right, Nick was the best and Weaselton had just put Finnick over the edge.
“Fine.” He saw his friend’s face fall as he gave in, but Nick didn’t care. “Just...just be careful, alright? It’s not overly risky, just...sensitive...and the client, let’s just say they hold position.” Finnick reached into his desk and pulled out a small blue envelope, wax seal broken.
“Doesn’t matter, I’m always careful.” He stared at the envelope, so happy he could momentarily forget about the sting in his paw.
“This is a special request, there’s no other mammal I can entrust this to.”
“I got it, don’t worry, I’ll be as quiet as a mouse.” Nick took the envelope and brought it to his muzzle, winking at Finnick in triumph.
~~~
It was a long climb up the spiral Mage’s Tower to Arisas’ chamber, not a light undertaking, but Judy felt the need to make it. There were many things weighing heavily on her mind these days. She now knew that Nick’s magic was growing more unstable with each passing day. Even a non-magicborn user, such as herself, knew this was happening too quickly. It raised many concerns about the safety of the city. Normally she would have gone to the Queen right away, but there was a nagging in her that told her to hold off, it was unsettling working behind her back. Judy feared being told to leave Nick be, again, Natia was set on allowing Nick to have his space. She had never question Queen Natia’s judgment before, it ached her to feel it now, but she just wasn’t ready to give in.
So here she was, climbing the Mage’s Tower to seek out Arisa for guidance, not knowing if any would be given. The Mage’s Tower was named as such because it was in this very tower that Saphielle had lived. Her quarters were at the very top, which had remained untouched since her time; and only entered into when they had need to retrieve her heart stone. It was locked and protected by magic. Only the Queen had access to the key and the barrier, well... that she was hoping to have an answer to as well.
When Judy made it to the landing the harsh scent of spices hit her nose. The strong smell caused her face to twist up and she sneezed; which sent her nose into a series of twitches. It was always like this with Arisa’s quarters, her concoctions caused the whole floor to stink. Bracing herself she made the short walk to Arisa’s atelier.
The door was already ajar, but Judy still chose to open it slowly. She never knew what she would find on the other side. Today she seemed to be in luck, despite the smell, everything seemed to be at ease. The room was warm, made so by the many candles scattered about on tables and shelves. It was windowless with every inch of wall occupied by a bookshelf or table, save for the fireplace. From the ceiling hung dried herbs and flowers, along with the hanging and interlocking of brightly colored clothes, dyed every shade of a rainbow. It caused the ceiling to look larger than it was, spinning the illusion of a never ending kaleidoscope. Looking about there was a never ending sea of books on nearly every shelf. Alongside jars of strange ingredients or floating creatures in glowing liquid. Bowls and boxes held riches of spice and materials imported from the exotic reaches of Mistopolica, Bohevia, across the Whispering Sea to the golden sands of Istaria. One long table was home to a strange set up of beakers, tubing, and bubbling liquid spinning through it. It was a strange stuffed full room and in the middle was a pedestal with a large, old book resting upon it.
“I knew you would come today.” The sound of Arisa’s voice scratched through the air, barely heard over the sound of the bubbling cauldron in the fireplace.
“You always do.” The words were laced with uneasiness as Judy pushed her way inside. There was a pressure against her leg that startled her for a moment. Looking down there was a creature rubbing against her calf. It took her just a moment to recognize it as a Nobgin, a small dragon like animal that was common to Furosie. With four scaly legs and a head like that of one of it’s much larger cousins, they really did look like baby dragons. Nobgins though have a fur mane that starts at their necks and runs down to their tails. They also have fur feathering around their legs and often sport patches of it on their cheeks. Additionally, Nobgins have leathery wings that are much too small to be of any use. Overall, land dwelling creatures that are oftentimes kept as pets, for they were easy to tame.
“He’s new.” Judy bent over and gave the strange thing a pat. It was big enough to where it’s large head butted against her knee.
“I acquired him yesterday.”
“Lonely?”
“Not really.” She turned, having finished stirring whatever it was in the iron cauldron. Her hood was down, here she didn’t feel the need to hide her face. The fact that Judy rarely saw her with it down was either mostly for Arisa’s dark sense of dramatism, or it had something to do was the large claw marks that decorated her right cheek...who was to say.
“I hope I’m not bothering you.”
“Not at all, as I said, I saw you coming.” She gave Judy a small smirk. Her face fur was black, peppered with silver and grey above her eyes and on her cheeks, her muzzle though was still perfectly black. Her golden eyes seemed to nearly glow in this dim light.
“Right.”
“You came to talk about Nick, correct?”
“Yes, him too, among other things, I have some concerns about what to do with some new information I acquired today.”
“Taking a more cautious approach are we?” She snickered, holding a bit of her robe up to her muzzle. It was a remark on her hotheadedness in the beginning.
“I have to be, he doesn’t trust us. Any move I make now must be planned and executed carefully. I’ve had our spies track him down. Luckily he’s still in the city.” Judy paused for a moment, scratching at the fur near her ear. “His magic, it’s starting to become unstable, that’s quicker than most new mages. So far he only seems to be only doing minor damage to his direct surroundings, but I fear...this isn’t normal?”
“No, it’s really not.” Arisa picked up a small bowl of dark red powder and took up a pinch of it, sprinkling it into the pot. “It’s strange for his magic to build up so fast. Pooling. Swelling. Deep inside. Without proper guidance soon he’ll well...hehe...boom…” Sitting down the bowl Arisa made a motion with her paws to emphasize the meaning.
“What?” She’d never heard of this happening before, her mind immediately rushed into the worst case scenario. “Any explosion of magic here in the city would be disastrous...and Nick.” Judy looked up at Arisa, worry etched across her face. This is the last thing she expected to hear today. “Are you saying...he could die?”
“If things continue as they are now, then yes.” It was heavy news to be hearing, it completely changed the course of the conversation she had been hoping to have.
“I need to bring him back to the palace. We need to fix this.” She slumped back into a large cushioned chair before the fireplace. Taking a que, Arisa sat in the chair opposite her, a smile curling on her face.
“Now, I was sure I heard our Queen give you orders to not interfere with him.”
“You just said he’ll die if we do nothing!”
“I didn’t say not to, I just pointed out you’d be going against orders, Blessed Knight Captain.” She folded her paws over her lap, tilting her head to the side with a smile.
“From the start you’ve been saying how important he is to the future of this nation, you’ve seen him...there.” A reference to Arisa’s visions. “So I have no choice, this is the way things were meant to play out.” She nodded to herself, not knowing what she would do, but knowing it would have to be done in spite of orders. “How much time do we have?”
“That I can not say.” Arisa looked over into the fire, seeing something far off reflected there. “But soon.”
“Soon, how vague.”
“As you said, this is how things were meant to be. Therefore trust your instincts and all will be well.”
“Ughh!” Judy leaned back into the chair, folding her arms over her chest and glaring into the flickering fire. It took several deep breaths to work through the frustration. Knowing Nick’s life was in danger actually made her feel more confident that her worries had been warranted. The anxious feeling in the pit of her stomach made more sense.
“It’s not just his magic that has me worried though. An agent of Fangmar paid Nick to steal the heart stone, there’s no way they are just going to let him off that easy for failing. More than that he was revealed to be a descendent of Saphielle. I won’t be foolish enough to believe that information was kept to the confines of the throne room. He’s in danger in more ways than one. We need to protect him.” Her paws were two fists clenched against the arms of the chair.
“Hmm…” Arisa tilted her head up towards the ceiling, an almost pleased look on her face.
“What’s that look supposed to mean?” Judy raised an eyebrow at her, her mouth pursed, unamused. She was trying to be sincere, but as usual Arisa seemed distracted by something unseen.
“Danger is a vast term in regards to Nicholas Wilde, when is he not in danger? Being forced to be born, live, survive on the edge of corruption. I see it all around him. In him. But yes, your worries are warranted.”
“Be. Direct.” She narrowed her eyes yet again, annoyed.
“You know very well I cannot.”
“You’re supposed to be a seer!” Judy snapped at her, the frustration from these last few days coming to a head. She felt the words slipping out of her mouth, but had no bother to stop them “But you can never tell me anything when it actually matters. Nick’s life is in danger! And I know you can see it! Saw it all! Just like…” Judy cut herself short, catching Arisa’s attention.
“Go on, say it.” Judy felt her face flush in embarrassment at her mistake, her outburst of emotion that she had been keeping to herself. Still, she needed to get it off her chest.
“The night Wilde broke into the castle, I know you saw it, had to have seen something; but you still refuse to tell me anything. It could have all been avoided, everything! All of it! But every time I ask...you just tell me that the future depends on things remaining ‘untouched’. I don’t understand what the point of seeing the future is if you can't tell us when our Queen’s safety is at risk.” Her paws were shaking at this point, perhaps out of anger or nervousness.
Arisa had quietly listened, never had Judy called her out on her powers’ pesky rules so directly. “Queen Natia will always be safe, I have promised to tell you otherwise.”
“You have.” Judy bit at her lip a bit.
“As far as Nicholas Wilde is concerned though, his role is set and I cannot interfere with it. My only duty is to assure our Queen that things are still on the right course.”
“It’s not just that! You-you!” Judy stopped to stake a breath here, collecting her thoughts. “You guard the barrier around Saphielle’s chambers. I saw Nick’s lock picking tools, they are enchanted with charms for breaking spells, but they alone could not have been enough to break one of your barriers. How did Nick get in?” The cracked tone of her voice held back so many unfaced emotions. She, along with Natia, trusted Arisa beyond all measure. A loyal servant to Furosie, an even dearer friend. But there were times, like now, when she feared the seers power. Now Arisa gave her a look that sent shivers down her spine, made the hairs on her neck stand to painful attention. Her throat ran dry and eyes widened in conflicted resentment. The way the fire glowed in Arisa’s eyes made them look sharp and deadly.
“He got in, because the future said he needed to.” He rested her face in her paw, smiling at Judy. It was as if this was a teasing game to her.
“You let him in…” Her anger flared a bit, her nails digging into her paw pad.
“I just didn’t stop him.”
“YOU! Traitor!” She screamed, leaping from her chair to stand at full attention.
“Calm yourself Captain, think of all you know now, think of all that has happened, where it has led you. You scream traitor, but I have been witness to this moment for years. Before you were even born I saw that fox, saw him as he is now. I can not stop this. Not if we are to be on the winning side of this war.” Even in the face of Judy’s rage Arisa didn’t stir in her chair, allowing the moment to pass with the cracking of the fire. Judy’s chest rose and fell with each gulp of air she took to rein herself. It was exhausting fighting back the urge to pull the cryptic seer from where she sat.
“Have you...seen the end?” The question was posed through gritted teeth.
“No, the end, the true end, it’s still dark to me.” Her Nobgin jumped onto her lap, rubbing its head up against her chin.
“So how can you be so sure he is the one. What have you seen that makes you so confident that Nick will make the difference for us. I’m sure he will be powerful, but what if he betrays us in the very end, the end you can’t see! You say so much and yet so little. So tell me now! Tell me that all our hopes on him are not for nothing!” Tears crested her eyes and slipped into her fur. She felt the sting of blood drawn on her paws but ignored it as her body shook.
There was a long drawn out silence between them where the only sound heard was the cracking of wood in the fire. The tiny nobgin began to purr as Arisa stroked him.
“My friend, I cannot tell you exactly what I have seen, but I can feel your sadness now. It touches me. Please, don’t worry so much.” Arisa stood, pushing the tiny creature from her lap. In the few steps it took to reach Judy she took her friends paws in hers. “All your choices so far have been as they should have always been. You are a bright shining ray of light cast upon the darkness that overshadows this country, but Judy…” Arisa grinned wildly, a large bright smile that broke through the anger Judy felt building inside her. “His light is brighter.” Arisa touched Judy’s paw pads, healing the tiny punctures with bits of green magic. “So, so brilliant that it chases away all the darkness I have seen to reveal hope. That hope is what brought me here. You and Nick share a fate like none I have ever seen. Your destinies are already intertwined with limitless possibilities. You will save him from harm in the days to come and one day he will do the same for you. Then, the two of you, will protect Furosie.” Arisa whipped a few of Judy’s tears away. “Be strong, the road ahead is dark, but light will always be there.”
Never had Arisa been so comforting. It was still cryptic, but her words did give Judy hope. Judy rubbed her cheek with her wrist, removing some of the wetness from her fur.
“Forgive me, I shouldn’t have called you a traitor.”
“My actions, though only known to me, would fall under that title. You were right to question me. I only aspire that my words now have given clarification as to why.”
“More or less.” She rubbed her nose a bit, trying to compose herself once more. “I should go.” Her legs shook a bit as she took a few uneasy steps for the door.
“Before you go, might I suggest the west harbor.” Picking up a heavy bit of cloth, Arisa went to remove the cauldron from the hearth. “During the witching hours, tonight perhaps.”
“Y-yes…thank you! ” With that, Judy headed for the door at a near run now.
~~~
As night settled over the city Nick set about preparing for the job Finnick had given him. It was a fairly straight forward request, but it required delicacy. He needed some things from his home first. To get there Nick had to go to the complete opposite side of the third circle, west side.
On each side of the city there were harbors, east and west, and you could access them from all three districts. Here in the third circle though was where it stayed the most lively. The west port was the main trading hub for the city because it was adjacent to Mystopolica, who was their main source of export. Even now, so close to midnight, the street was teeming with mammals. While the docks and warehouses where outside the city wall, here within the city it was where the taverns, inns, trading posts, and merchants quarters were. Most of these businesses were along the main road that ran through this side of the city, so the lanterns stay lit long into the night.
All around him, the air was filled with the laughter of drunkards, accompanied by the stinging of alcohol in his nose. Song, music, the rowdy uproar of boisterous sailors, it all caught his ears from inside the pubs. Wafts of booze escaped from the open doors to match their slurred lyrics. No doubt that before night's end the songs they sang would be beyond recognizable. Outside, along the streets, were groups of ship workers and merchants, those who choose to avoid the noisy crowds. Some carried drink, others stayed sober to watch their goods, knowing full well that crowds brought with them thieves. They paid him no mind as he moved through the busy streets, making his way to the wall’s edge.
Once he reached the wall Nick changed course and headed down into the small space between the wall and the buildings. From here he was able to work his way deep into the third circle. Leaving behind the hustle and bustle of the harbor he found himself wandering into broken paths and forgotten places. Back here, snug against the stone wall, was more or less an area made up of closed shops with shattered windows. These shops had been too far back to attract any customers therefore they went out of business; of course unless your business was of a more carnel nature. Left to rot back here in the dark damp streets that Furosie’s officials seemed to have all forgotten about. Mostly the mammals that lived here were poor or sick, orphans and street urchins. The wall in this section was by far the highest, looking up it was hard to see much of anything past the lines of drying laundry. Being here in the darkness, not a lantern was lit, and the only sound being a muffled cough somewhere nearby. Most mammals that found their way back here would probably feel alone, but not Nick. For him this was home and he knew better than to think no one was watching him.
Continuing further in, Nick felt his way along the stone wall absentmindedly until his paw touched the side of an abandoned blacksmith’s shop. He smoothed his paw over the familiar old wood and felt a brief flood of warmth inside himself. He had called the attic of this place his for the last ten years. He never knew who it’s owner originally was, but he had claimed it and no one had ever questioned it. This was home.
Rounding to the back of the shop he walked carefully up a flight of stairs to the second floor. Pushing the door open, which had been left ajar by the guards, he was met with the sound of the door hitting glass. Even without a lantern he could see that what Finnick said had been true enough, the place was a wreck.
“I think they sacked it just for fun.” He pursed his mouth and scowled at the state of it all. Bed overturned, table hacked apart, glass bottles thrown from their shelves, ripped up books and papers littered the floor. “It’s like they didn’t even try to search, tsk tsk, amatures.” Despite the disaster the room was in Nick knew they hadn’t, and would have never, found anything of value.
Peering around the room he observed the damages. Nothing that couldn’t be fixed or replaced, he saw nothing to be heartbroken about. He had very little attachment to most material objects. Having lived a life where he mostly had nothing it was hard to view material objects as cherished possession. Everything dear to him was worn on his neck or in his heart. He would find the time another day to clean this up. It was easy to brush it off with a shrug and a shake of the head at how clueless the guards could be. When he saw the state of his mattress he began to chuckle to himself as he closed the door. The poor simple straw mattress had been torn to shreds. A partially long gash was cut straight down the middle. They had pulled out nearly all the straw in a vain attempt to find some incriminating evidence or something. Of course they found nothing.
“No one hides things in the mattress anymore, don’t they know that much?” Slowly he made his way through the tiny room, picking up a chair and sitting it back up right. He hadn’t had much furniture to speak of anyway. A simple bed, a table, a few chairs, a book shelf, and the object of his coming here. Pulled out into the middle of the room was a large old chest. The top was open, clothing pulled out and strewn over the room.
Slowly he began to rummage through the piles of clothes on the floor. He needed certain clothing for nights like these. The moon was full, bright and the stars twinkled so brilliantly that they were sure to give away his orange fur, even in the shadows. He had been given back all his belongings from the night he had been captured; but the smooth black leathers had been left wet to mold in their uncared for state.
Luckily he managed to pull together a suitable outfit. A fitted black tunic which he then tucked into black breeches. He then used a bit of black cloth to wrap his tail, doing his best to hide it. A black cloak and half gloves completed the look. Nick had brought a small satchel with him that he kept tucked under the cloak.
“Hmm…” He flexed his left paw a bit, testing the ache in it that had yet to fade. It was annoying, but tolerable. Still, it was ever present and nastily distracting. Shaking it a bit Nick walked over to the bed and pulled it down along the wall to make a small space at the head of the bed.
Looking at the wall here it seemed like plain old wood, nothing suspicious at first glance. The sight though brought a smile to his face. There on the wall was a very inconspicuous knot, natural and completely normal. It was slightly hollowed out and when Nick hooked it with a digit it was easy to pull out that small section. Inside the wall, was a tiny shelf large enough to hold a sack of coins and a few papers. Nick took nothing, but lifted another small bag of coins from the satchel and placed it alongside the existing one. He had a few stashes similar to this across the city, he never liked to keep too much coin in one place. It was money to be saved for a time when he planned to leave this city, now it looked as if that day would be sooner rather than later. Along with the coin Nick placed the suspicious note in there as well. He felt the need to keep it safe, but didn’t feel comfortable leaving it where it could fall into the paws of another mammal. Once the panel was back in place he gently pulled the bed back up snug against the wall.
Having accomplished what needed to be done there was no more time to waste. Pulling a face mask up over his nose, so that only his eyes shone Nick slipped back into the shadowed streets. This time of year the nights were chilly so the air kept him cool as he made his way around. A welcomed feeling, considering nowadays he always seemed to run a little warm.
His destination was the middle class circle where most of the merchant guilds were; there he would carry out the job tasked to him. The request had been written in elegant handwriting using a rich black ink that he would never have been able to afford. It was an expensive grade, not common in the lower circle. The paper, the envelope, even the bright red wax seal, all of it was finery you only saw in the palace. As it turned out, Finnick had been sitting on this since right after Nick got locked up, unsure what to do with it. Giving it to Weaselton was setting it up for failure, but turning it down wasn’t something he had wanted to do either. This job, well, it was almost personal for mammals such as Nick and Finnick.
He was headed to the home of Rutherford Claws, a lion, and a tailor by trade, of renowned talent. Through his hard work and dedication to providing exceptionally crafted pieces to royal and noble mammals alike, Rutherford had worked his way to being the leader of the Tailors Guild. He’s held this respectable position for over seven years now, well known and loved, his customers would call him nothing but friendly and professional. All his work was custom made with nothing but highest reviews in court. But…Nick felt his jaw clench as he neared the middle circle gate, his mind deep in thought.
Lately it had come to the attention of a concerned party that Rutherford Claws wasn’t as honest and good a gentle-mammal as he appeared to be. It turned out he was keeping two ledgers of his sales, one with his fake earnings, and another in which he was charging canine species more for his services. The act had Finnick and Nick disgusted, which is why it was hard to just let this one go. It may have seemed like a little thing to some, but for them it was just the surface of a hundred wrong doings that happened every day all over Furosie.
With the Queen of Furosie being feline and the King of Dostringar being canine, there were those in this country that hated canine species on sight. Lumped them in with the evil and corruption that plagued the lands to the south. It was hard for some to let go of the nation's wounds with Dostringar. They would never allow the mammals around them to forget, never forgive, despite it being ancient history. It was that kind of mindset that had followed mammals like Nick and Finnick all their lives. It hit Nick even harder for having lived in Ember where canine was the dominant species. He was protective of preserving the memories he had of his home. The tender feelings he still carried for the memories of his friends and parents.
‘Species does not define a mammal.’
It was the small things being done, like this Mr. Claws, that kept Nick feeling like he would never be able to catch a break in this life. To continue being caged up at the bottom of his city. Never allowed to rise beyond what he was. Whoever had asked for this job might feel the same. To expose injustice, even on this small level, was an admirable thing.
He was a couple of buildings down from the gate when he decided to start choosing his pawsteps more carefully. Mammals from the outer circle weren’t allowed to pass into the middle after sunset without proof of business. Luckily for him there were other ways in. He set out a little bit to the left of the gatehouse, turning up alleys and cutting through small openings in between houses until he came to the wall that separated the two circles. Here a small water runoff gutter ran under the wall with bars allowing the water to pass through. There were no lights that reached here and with the city sound asleep he wasn’t too worried about peering eyes on him. It hadn’t rained for a while so the ditch was bone dry and was about two foot deep. He hopped down and shuffled his way over to the bars. He knew, having done it himself, that one of the bars was loose. He quietly popped it out of place and slipped easily inside the narrow space. From here he crawled a fair distance before he reached the other side. It was the same here too, one loose bar to slip in and out of place. It was all simple enough to accomplish and he was in.
Despite only being a wall apart there was a big difference between the two circles. The houses here were nicer, grander, with beautiful architecture that elevated their statues as wealthier than most mammals. The streets were clean with bushes and trees on the corners, and not a dirt road in sight. Here there were more lamps and patrols on the streets, but when you had the city memorized like the back of your paw they were easy to avoid. He set to working his way along the houses and shops, sure to keep his tail, ears, and every toe in line with the dark cover provided by the buildings. Things weren’t as cluttered together as in the circle below, that meant his timing had to be absolutely perfect. With little to no room for error Nick felt his heart pound at the high stakes.
In the past this would have been treated as a game, a challenge to be won, but for some reason it all was beginning to feel different tonight. It wasn’t the job that seemed to have him on edge, but something else in him now caused his breathing to quicken. Here, right now, hidden in the shadow of a house Nick felt a lump form in his throat as light flashed across the stone road and teased the edges of his feet. The rush of nearly being exposed sent a wave of nervous shivers up his spine. It made him feel young and stupid again, all mixed together with the needle like pin priks in his paw. It was the new feeling in his chest, the prickles in his paw. Now was not the time or the place to carry this unknown part of him; but he had no choice but to accept it. He really needed to calm himself down or this was going to quickly become a botched job and he couldn’t afford to screw this up.
It was still a long way until he would reach his goal, guild leader homes were built close to the inner circle. Considered only a step down from being actual nobility. It caused Nick to chuckle a little at the irony, being so close but never any hope of gaining that title. Mammals like Rutherford Claws, having worked their way up through the ranks by sheer talent alone, only to be cut off from what they actually wanted. It gave Nick a twisted sense of satisfaction to know that all Rutherford’s hard work was going to see him end here; and pride at knowing he would be the one to do it.
‘I have to do this.’ Nick took a few deep breaths in through his nose and let it out in slow rolling puffs. This action steadied his heart rate, making it so it no longer felt about to burst from his chest.
Rutherford’s home was snuggled a few rows down from the inner circle gates and right on the main road. It was a tall, two story home, painted a royal blue color; the door was an ivory white with a title sign hanging next to. It was a list of Rutherford’s titles and profession, a rather impressive list to any potential customer. The home was several rooms wide, with many windows, he just had to find the right one to enter through. The request had only given a vague description of where the ledger was. Nick flexed his paw again, it was starting to grow hotter.
The molding on the outside of the house was thick enough so that Nick was able to get a good grip to climb. Scaling the house was fairly simple, the roof was a good textured tile that allowed him a steady grip, and the wood siding was rough instead of smooth. Looking around he found a small window that let out into a hall, it was perfect, hidden in shadow and concealed from the street, but locked.
Crouching there Nick dug in his satchel for a small light brown leather bundle. Rolling it out revealed a set of ornate lock picking tools, each in their own little slot. They had been a gift from Finnick when he was promoted from pickpocket to an actual reliable member of his business. They’d been confiscated during his arrest, it had been a great comfort for him when they had been returned. He slid one out that was nearly paper thin with a hook on the end. It was perfect for unlocking these windows. By sliding it through the small space between the windows he was able to lift the tiny latch on the other side. He considered it a design flaw to have nearly every window in the city made this way.
Silently creeping through the window Nick found himself at the end of the hall, just across from the stairs. Glancing down the staircase he could see the front door, putting him near the front of the house. The hall was sparse of furniture, save for the lone table with a vase of flowers on it. Down the hall he could count four doors, three being bedrooms and one being a linen closet, those were his guesses. At the very end of the hall from where he was standing was a door; typically in houses like these the largest bedroom would be that one. Which is where Rutherford and his wife should be sleeping. The intel specified that Rutherford kept the true ledger in a safe beside his bed. Not exactly the ideal place Nick wanted to be, but, oh well…
A settled house at night is quiet. As though all life has gone from it, leaving only the hollowed out shell of itself with the loss of sunlight. This house too was no exception. The familiar ticking of a clock was heard like a soft echo through the hall. His ears would flicker at every tiny creak of old wood that made noise with no reasons other than age. His nose cooled with the chilled breath of a long dead fire that made the air inside crisp and dewy. Along with every minute sound came the gentle thuds of his heart.
Every step forward he chose with careful thoughtful movement, testing each board for give before putting his full weight into it. All the while he couldn’t help but stare down at his feet, so focused he caught himself forgetting to breath. He hadn’t felt this way since he was a kit on his first job. Now, tonight, inside this silent closed space, he was so over focused that his mind was pulled into a thousand different worries. The most pressing being the ever growing ache in his paw that he tried to numb with all his will, trying not to focus on how difficult it was to ignore. Needless to say, it was a long, heart racing pace at a crawl, on all fours, to reach the bedroom door.
Everything in the home was lion sized, so Nick had to strain just a little to reach the door handle. This too was an agonizingly slow task that required him to be patient. He strained his ears to pick up each and every tiny click as he turned the door handle. With eyes shut tight, ear pressed as close as he could to the door, he waited, ebbing his paw into millisecond twisting. When the bolt cleared the latch Nick then still had to pray the door open, with all the hope that this door didn’t squeak. After a few heart stopping little squeaks Nick was in. He left the door open by about half an inch, enough for a quick escape, but not noticeable to anyone who would look in that direction.
The room was darker on the inside than the hallway had been. Black curtains were pulled shut to block out the light from the streets and moon. Luckily for Nick he had excellent night vision, as he so often liked to brag, and with it he could see that the bedroom was far from sparse. Between the huge elegant bed, to the vanity painted golden, to the wardrobe and chest of drawers, the room was full despite it’s large size. There was also the scent of a sickly sweet perfume that tickled Nick’s nose; forcing him to catch a sneeze or risk waking the sleeping lions. Both lions were large, he could tell from the two huge humps snuggled under a silken green duvet, and their heavy breathing rumbled the very air as they slept.
Dropping down once more to all fours Nick crept across the cool wooden floor, at the same slow pace he had used in the hall. Each board was gingerly tested for give and every tiny sound they made caused his heart to drop into his stomach. It was often in traditional families that the male would sleep closest to the bedroom door, in case of intruders such as himself. So Nick checked that side first. The intel said there would be a safe, but all Nick found here was a regular bedside table with four large drawers that left no space between it and the floor. It was mind numbing business opening the draws to check inside them for fake bottoms. It seemed to take forever, but the risk of noise was too great to go any quicker. When nothing out of the ordinary was found, he crept to the other side. The bed sat up high enough that he was able to belly crawl underneath it. It was the same exact table on this side was well, once again he found nothing of interest.
‘Hmmm...well, it’s got to be here somewhere. If it were me...where would I…” Nick’s eyes widened for a moment as an idea came to him. ‘Oh Nick you sly fox, why wouldn’t you look there first?’ He shook his head, a smile on his face with gentle shut eyes. How could he have been so simple minded to think that there would actually be a…Nick looked into the space between the table and the bed, fixing the wall with studious look.
There, plain as day on the wall he saw it. A large seam between two planks of wood, a larger than normal space. This indicated that something was there, something that Mr. Claws didn’t want any-mammal to find.
‘Something indeed.’ Just as Nick had his hidden hole in the wall, so too did Mr. Rutherford Claws. He had to give credit, only devious minds thought of such things.
He eyed the table, it was heavy solid wood and with everything in the house lion sized it was going to be stupid tedious to move. He glanced up at the sleeping lions, he could just see the fluffs of Rutherford’s mane over the edge of his pillow. Their breathing still sounded heavy in sleep, which was a good thing.
‘So far everything has worked out....’ He glanced down at his paw, it still felt overly hot, with the pain still ever present. He’d been lucky in that he hadn’t had a magical incident yet. To have one now would be disastrous. Going forward he would have to be even more lucky if he wanted to make it out of here with the ledger. Closing his eyes he allowed himself time for a few more deep breaths.
‘Calm, control, calm…’
Slowly he began squeezing his way into the space between the table and bed frame. It was a snug fit, but he had enough room to flatten his paws against the side of the table and push.
~thummmp~
Nick’s first hard push forced out a sound that seemed to fill the room with dread. There seemed to be long, stomach turning, agonizing moments as Nick’s entire body went rigid and he listened intently for any change in the breathing. He had to clear the table from the wall, he needed momentum, and it would be like ripping a bandage off. He couldn’t fathom any other way to avoid making that horrible noise. To move the table took all his strength, it would have to be done in one hard push, with hope the sound didn’t wake his host.
With a giant gulp of air he held his breath, put his shoulder into it, dug his feet in, and pushed. This time he ignored the initial sound and instead focused on the hollow sound of wood sliding across the floor. It was a low and steady sound that he hoped would go unnoticed in the passing of a dream. He tried to minimize the scrapping of his nails, but it felt unavoidable as he used all the strength in his legs to move him forward. He eyed the wall all the while, waiting to see that seam again. As soon as his eyes locked on it he stopped.
Immediately he hunkered down, quickly darting under the bed. His ears flickered wildly around, searching for any subtle noise that he had roused them from their sleep. Closing his eyes he began to concentrate on the worrisome sound of some-mammal above shifting. Every toss, turn, the grumbling of their mouths as they drifted off once more...all of it had his paws twitching for the door. When it finally stopped someone let out a loud snore, but no screams or alerts that Nick had been spotted.
He waited a long moment, hunkered down on all fours, the fur on the back of his neck standing on end. There was the awareness of relief that washed over him, but it was so coupled by anxiousness that it took Nick time to refocus himself on finishing the job. Once calm and collected he slunk back out, his body stretched out and lanky as he moved towards the fake panel.
Facing the wall with a clear head, he was able to admire the brilliance of it. One would have to be close to notice the seam, not quite flush against the rest of the wood. The grain lined up nearly perfect and the color spot on.
‘Not bad, not me, but not bad at all.’
Pulling his leather pouch out again he started to work the wood panel loose with a thin flat tool. Once out he laid the piece of wood gently to the side and studied what it had relieved on the other side. A medium sized safe box, made of iron over wood, nestled snugly in the wall. It was front facing, with a large key hole set to the left side of it. Intricate golden flowers were set into the sleek, shiny, black iron. The flowers cascaded over the door plate in waves of delicacy, blossoming golden roses on thorny vines. It was obvious just from that detail alone that this was a high end safe box, expensive, and made by an experienced crafter. It in itself was a work of pure artistry.
Reaching forward he studied a digit over the keyhole, his paw brushed over the inlaid flowers. He was slightly awestruck when he watched them shimmer to life at his touch.
‘Enchanted…’
This would be the tricky bit, magical safes were all the rage these days among the higher class mammals. They were difficult, nah, near impossible, to crack. There were any number of magical enchantments one could use on a safe like this one. On top of that he had never seen one this detailed before. Usually they were embellished with gems on the face, or glyphs set into them. This just had gold flowers, but the shimmer and the tingling in his paw meant this was undoubtedly an enchantment protected safe. It was something he should have expected, but instead was found surprised.
‘But what kind? I don’t want to have to search for the key, that’ll be a waste of time, not to mention a pain.’
He was hesitant to go jamming his tools into the lock. Depending on the enchantment it could end up triggering some sort of alarm to go off. Any number of things could happen, but....Nick tried to recall all of the items he had seen around the room. He scanned his surroundings once more from where he was crouched. Glancing up at the bed posts, the hooks on the wall, anywhere a key could be hidden. He set to running his paw along the inside of the bed frame, it turned up nothing. It was all in hopes of not having to pick such an unknown lock, but it seemed that was the only choice he had now. Too much time had passed and the witching hours were soon to be upon them, it was now or never.
Taking a deep breath he let it out slowly as he spread his tool pouch along the floor. The tools themselves were ornate silver, special made; and while magical safes weren’t something he commonly ran into, it wasn’t as though these tools wouldn’t do the job...probably. Each tool was different and served for different jobs. That said, Nick had several copies of the same pin tool. Each had a different combination of stones set into the handle; and each combination had a different purpose. Since this lock was a mystery he chose the pin tool with a run of the mill quartz, jet, and amethyst set into it. It should dispel any magical enchantment set into the lock.
‘Here goes nothing!’
With tools in paw Nick crept up to the safe until his face was only a few inches away. His tail curled on pure instinct in between his legs. In these moments, Nick felt as though he was unable to breathe as he slid the tools into the lock. As he focused he did his best to block out all other noise around him. Soon the only sound he was able to hear was the clicking of silver and iron sliding over each other. His paw twitched into tiny movements as he worked the intricate mechanism into opening for him. There had been no alarm, but the time between locked and open were hours away. There would be no small victories until he had the ledger in his paws. The ache in his paw now burned with the agonizing slow, tense, movements he was having to make. He had to restart several times when a spasm had overtaken his wrist. Tiny drops of sweat beaded up on his face.
‘Damnit all!’ He braced his elbow on the face of the safe, trying to steady himself now as the frustration was getting worse. Resetting himself once more Nick closed his eyes, more deep calming breaths to slow his movements. He felt his legs trembling, but ignored them. Ear pushed against the cool iron, listening to the drags of the lock, until…
~thunk~
His breath hitched in his throat and he froze when he heard the bolt slide away and saw the safe door crack just a little. Still, he didn’t react right away. Instead he listened to the room, stared at the safe in slight apprehension for what was to come next. The golden flowers were still shimmering and the tools against his paw pads were warm; either from his body heat or the magic that was working through them. The pain in his left paw was now beyond being able to ignore as it shook with tremors. Even though he was so close, Nick felt like running, a dread in the pit of his stomach that matched what he had felt that day in the throne room.
Panic.
‘Fuck! I feel like I’m losing it…’ He locked his jaw with sheer willpower, teeth clenched so hard he thought he could hear them cracking in his mouth. With more roughness than he meant to Nick jerked open the safe door. On the back of the door was the enchantment, a large rosy quartz surrounded by a circle of agate. A rather simple stone set for such an expensive looking safe. Perhaps it wasn’t as pricey as it looked.
The contents inside were a rather unimpressive sight as well. True to the info, on top of a stack of papers sat a hefty leather-bound book. Thumbing through the long rectangular pages were all the actual sales made by Mr. Claws. Customer names, species, dates, order details, and last but not least, the actual sale cost. No doubt if matched with the fake one in the store, these would be inflated. He stuffed the book into his satchel before turning back to thumb through the rest. Sure, the job was just for the ledger, but he couldn’t help poking around for something that made this a little more worthwhile.
As he shuffled around in the safe he found a silk purse, it’s contents turned out to be a mix of finely cut gems like sapphires and rubies. He tucked that away in the satchel as well to pawn off later. As he prepared to leave he eyed the quartz again, it really was a rather simplistic set up for such an elegant safe. He reached out with his left paw and palmed the face of the smooth quartz without thinking.
Just as soon as his scar touched it his entire arm grew hot as though it was on fire, more so than it had already felt. White prismatic light crackled around his whole paw, like electricity connecting him to the quartz. The golden flowers on the face of the safe turned red, glowing like an iron brander. The pain was unbearable, more so than when he was stabbed with the knife. A low whine began to fill the room, only to grow steadily louder within moments. Soon it was an ear piercing scream that made Nick’s body grow still as he gritted his teeth to keep from screaming himself. He had dropped to all fours to curl in on himself. He used his right paw to grip his other arm, digging his claws in so deep he drew blood. His eyes wide in terror as he focused on the scar, it glowed white across his paw pad and felt like fire scorching him from the inside. Despite the immense pain his mind was screaming at him to move. TO RUN!
“WHO'S THERE!?” The roar of Rutherford Claws leaping out of his bed broke through Nick’s agony long enough for him to bound for the double windows. Throwing open the curtains, filling the room with moonlight.
“Ahhhhhhh!” Mrs. Claws screamed from her bed, a shrill terrified sound, heard clearly over the wailing of the alarm.
“Aagghh! Stop right there!” There was the unmistakable sound of a sword being drawn from its sheath. Nick looked over his shoulder just as he had the windows open, knee beant up to his chest as he climbed on top of the window seat. Rutherford was coming at him, sword raised high, Mrs. Claws starting wide eyed from her bed.
“Catch ya later.” Overcome with heat Nick still found enough focus to feign a cocky smile before he swung himself from the window ledge and up onto the roof. Running over the rooftops took him back to his chase from the palace. Only tonight was clear, not a cloud in the sky, and the moon was full and bright. His paw burned like fire embers now, sweat blooming over his face and beginning to run through his fur like a fever.
‘What a fool I am…’
“GUARDS! GUARDS! THIEF!!!” Not long after the bells began to ring through the city.
Notes:
Big "Thank you!" to everyone who has been reading since I posted the first chapter! It means a lot to me! I also appreciate all my new readers! Thank you! I hope you all have enjoyed it so far! More excitement to come in the next chapter! <3
Chapter 7: In Magic's Blaze
Notes:
Hey Everyone! I am so excited to introduce this chapter! It contains scenes I was really looking forward to writing. So because of that I was able to get it out quicker than expected! I hope you can enjoy reading this chapter as much as I did when writing it!
Shout out to my awesome team of beta readers! Tandiian and Tarathiel!
Updated on: 05/04/2021
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
A Mage’s Heart
Chapter Six: In Magic’s Blaze
“Haa...haa...haa...haaa!” His breath came out in heavy rasping gasps as he paused to lean against an alley wall. Every intake of air made his throat and lungs feel as though there was a fire erupting inside of him. The heat blossomed over his skin like a flame dancing against glass, sweat rain in rivulets through his fur, causing it to mat. His legs felt like lead weights as the muscles in them spasmed and burned from. Every movement since jumping from Rutherford’s house had been bursts of pure adrenaline. The pain in his body was near crippling as he struggled to move now, winded and aching, but he had to. Nick cradled his tender paw into his chest as the burn continued to grow and swarm through his body in a rage. It was getting worse with every breath. No long a dull ache, now it was beyond making him want to scream.
“Nnnhh!” He grunted, rolling his cheek to press against the cool stone of the wall. His mind floated in and out of reality; he fought to stay in control of what little he felt was left of himself. His surroundings had begun to blur as dizziness from the fever set in. Trembling where he stood he allowed himself this small moment to breathe and ponder while his mind was somewhat clear, if just a little hazy.
He felt like he had been running for days, and as the night waned on he was starting to lose hope of getting out of the city with his life. If this damned fever wasn’t going to be his end, then it would surely be the guards. It seemed that there was a guard waiting for him at every twist and turn of the alleys; so that seemed to be the most likely turnout, there was just no end to them. From the moment he’d left Rutherford’s house the guards had been relentless in their pursuit. Raining arrows on the rooftops had forced him down to the ground, earning him a cut across his back from a well aimed shot. Getting to the Outer District had been a frantic dash for the water runoff he had made use of earlier. Being on the ground he was forced to dodge spears and swords; all the while his paw was in such agony that it was useless. Somehow he had managed, between the rush of the flee and the instinct to live. It was those things, those basic desires, that kept his mind sharp enough to focus on which direction he should run.
The warning bells continued to ring loud out into the empty night air, overtaking the senses and overwhelming his direction. It made developing a strategy difficult, all he knew was that he couldn’t risk Finnick’s place. He wouldn’t dare to lead the guards there no matter how desperate he was. So as he hunched over on himself, his first thought was to leave the city altogether. He had managed to maneuver himself, slowly, through the Outer District with minimal interference from the guards; but between the pain, the bells, the heat, it was becoming increasingly laborious to remember where he was or how long he had been there groaning on the ground.
“I...can’t stay here…” What a sad sight he must look, fur matted with sweat and blood, mouth dry from panting, his body trembling from the unseen pain within. Somehow the wrappings on his tail had come undone, the bright orange of his tail was now dirt caked. He was a long way off from where he had been before his capture, before this magic. It was like he was a completely different person from then, how pathetic he was now, like a newborn kit without any skill. The thought caused an ominous feeling to creep up on him. The idea that this magic was eating him from the inside. That this magic was going to be his end and he had no way of stopping it from doing so. He wanted to allow that shiver of fear to take him over and give in, how much easier it would be to die here.
Struggling to stand he steadied himself against the wall, shuffling along as best he could, the satchel banging against his sore hip. He was able to feel the blood running down his back, hot and sticky as it pooled underneath his clothes. Sweat was causing the open wounds to sting. While he did his best to move slowly, teeth gritted tight to muffle his groans, his ears were able to pick up the distant sounds of conversation. It was that familiar buzz of activity that made him aware he was near the west harbor gate. It meant he was close now, but that small bit of reprieve in him sank; combined with the everyday nightlife there was the clanging of metal armor.
“Ughh…” Nick threw his head back against the wall, berating himself inside on how stupid this undertaking had been. He put a paw to his face, trying to work through the frustration. It had been too soon for this, Finnick was right, and now there was a good chance he would never be able to tell him just how right he had been. Closing his eyes he did his best to bring himself off that edge of panicked despair that he was so close to dropping over. It would do him no favors to lose himself now, more than he already was at least. When he opened his eyes he was met with an idea.
Above him were several clothes lines strung from window to window, garments left out to dry overnight. On one of them were several blankets, among them he spotted a rich brown colored one that would be large enough to encompass his whole body. The idea was that he could disguise himself long enough to slip through the gates and be gone before the guards had figured it out. His current clothes were cut in several places, there was blood, and he’d lost his hood and tail wrap. Not to mention he was a panting, sweaty, mess. There was no way he was not going to be recognized. The line was a little high up there, but if he climbed the drain spout he could reach it. He quietly hoped to himself that his body would make it.
Nick flexed his poor paw several times, earning him just as many shocks of pain and whimpers through gritted teeth.
‘Damn this! It’s now or never!’ He shook his paw, took several deep breaths, before readying himself to bear the pain this was going to cause him. As he reached up with his left paw to start the climb an unexpected burst of light shot out from his palm. It filled the alleyway like lighting striking across a night sky. The force of the blast was destructive enough to shatter all the nearby windows, bust up some doors, and of course knock down all the laundry. Despite the wreckage around him Nick didn’t take any notice of it.
The white light had been so blinding it forced Nick recoil to the ground; but it wasn’t just the light that had sent him spiraling into the dirt. Nick had screamed through the violent outburst of magic and was still screaming as he curled up on the ground. He clutched his paw to his chest in a bone cracking grip, his body shaking as he gasped through his agony between hollers. It had felt like razors shredding his palm from the inside out. Tears slid down his cheeks, soaking his fur as he tightly shut his eyes, trying to shut out everything till the pain could ebb. His tail was wrapped tightly around him while he rode the waves of pure anguish. He needed time to work through this, but found he had very little of it to spare. Already his ears wildly flicked about as he heard the guards closing in on him from both directions. There was no way possible that they hadn’t seen or heard, nor could he avoid being seen.
“Ahhh-aahh...haaa…...grrrrr…” He bore down all his strength into squeezing his wrist trying to use pressure to stop the pain, but it was useless. His jaw was locked in a teeth shattering clinch, doing his best to subside his strangled yell.
The clothes from above fluttered down along with the dust and debris, falling over Nick’s huddled up body. He stretched his paws out weakly, feeling through the mixture of wood and glass until he felt the softness of cloth. He gingerly tugged it over himself, not carrying which it was, and finished pulling it over his head just as guards entered the alley from both ends. He did his best to hide his face as he gripped the corner under this chin in a makeshift hood.
“You there! Stay where you are!!” He heard the shivering sound of steel swords being drawn free from their sheaths. “Stand and show yourself!” Even with his eyes down, unfocused, Nick could feel them closing in, inching forward with weapons drawn at the ready. He didn’t have to see to know that there was no way for him to escape this.
Not again, he didn’t want to be captured, tortured, and beaten. In this state he didn’t think he could survive anymore time trapped in the dark. The mere thought of being forced back into that dank cold cell sent more fear spilling through his veins than he could mentally handle right now.
‘Not again…’
“Stand thief! There’s no running now! We have you surrounded!” The rustling of their armor came nearer. It was coupled with the crushing of glass beneath their wrapped feet as they drew in closer. The sounds echoed maddeningly loud in his still ringing ears. Making it feel as though they were right on top of him. He shuffled a bit, rising up to all fours.
“Don't struggle now, just give yourself up now and no one has to get hurt...” There was the familiar sound of iron shackles rattling in the paws of a guard. His senses were like pins in his skin, allowing him to feel the reaching of paws and hooves at his back. That desperate edge he had been trying not to fall into became a plunge, followed by the desperate gasps for air as his mind sprang back to the present. His eyes were shot wide open, pupils constricted to tiny shaking droplets of green.
“NOT AGAIN!!!” His own voice was unfamiliar to him as he cried out, a terrible quickening fear behind his words. Nick whirled on the guards, jumping to his feet, and spinning his body around to face them at his back. The blanket fanned around him like a cape as he thrust his paw out from underneath. He threw his left paw out in front of him and from it sprang forth that same bright prismatic light that he had seen just a moment ago. Only now he was using all his concentration to purposely force it out, will it to work for him. It spidered from his paw and through the air like fiery electricity, blindingly bright, and the force of it threw the guards backwards. It knocked them to the ground, stunned and dazed, their ears ringing from the impact. Their groans and hollers were mute to him as Nick took that chance to rush them. He shoved his way through the few still standing, paying no mind to the ones lying on the ground as he used their bodies as stepping stones in his escape down the alley.
He couldn’t avoid the shards of glass that littered the ground. He felt the stinging as their sharp edges sliced into his paw pads; paper thin bits dug into him becoming embedded. Sadly, there was no time for him to rest and dig them out, he had to keep moving. The sensory overload from the heat and his flight instinct allowed him to ignore the bulk of the pain for now, but he knew his poor paws would be ruined later. Nick made it to the end of the alleyway and stumbled to discover he was on the main road. He hadn’t realized he was so close.
“Ahh…” Nick winced as blood rain into his eye from a cut on his forehead. He was standing in the middle of the road, and being in such a populated area mammals were starting to gather around him. They had rushed out of their homes, taverns, and inns, drawn out by all the commotion.
“Sir, are you ok?” A female sheep nearest to him tried to peek under his hood, but then she noticed the bloody paw trail behind him and gasped in shock.
“Get back!” Nick barked at them, causing several of them to skitter away in fright. He stood for a moment, panting roughly as he deliriously stole glances around him, trying to gain back some sense about which direction he should be heading in. His eyes looked frantic as all he could do was stare at the ground as he pushed himself to move. It was a shaky advance forward as he shoved his way through the crowd, using the momentum to clear a path ahead of him. His whole body ached from head to toe, each step being more painful than the last. He could smell the freshly caught fish and taste the salty sea air on his tongue. He was so...so close. Among those smells though came another, the taste of his own iron blood on his tongue. His nose had started to bleed.
‘How much longer can I go on?’ His body still felt as though it was on fire, but the pain had ebbed a bit. Now he just needed to stay standing long enough to make it out of here alive.
“HALT RIGHT THERE!”
‘Dammit…’ He lifted his face to take a sidelong glance over his shoulder, nearly choking for air as he pleaded with his surroundings for a reprieve. Behind him guards were filing into the street, their bustling armor reverberated through the air with an intimidating march as they stepped in unison. Once their appearance began to catch the attention of the bystanders, many of them fled inside for safety.
He was left standing alone in the middle of the road, just yards away from the west harbor gate as the guards began to encircle him. Nick stayed steady, bracing his weight to keep from swaying. His claws dug into his paw pad as he fisted his left paw in an attempt to ease the fire he felt there. With narrowed eyes he glowered at them under the edge of the blanket.
“Let me leave.”
“Not a chance. You’re coming with us.” One guard stood out among the rest, a rhino guard, large and intimidating with a massive sword drawn at the ready. He was a regular guard captain, but carried himself as something more special. He towered over Nick, looked down at them over the tip of his horn.
“Can’t you see what I’m capable of? Or do you want to get hurt too?” A nervous smile peeled over his face as he shifted his eyes back to the ground. His left paw was shaking like a leaf in a storm with the raged inside of it. He could feel the pressure growing with his emotions. It sent sharp threats of pain all over his body, like he was going to explode again. Blood trickled down between his digits and dripped to the earth below. The magic that swelled inside of him seemed as though it had a mind of its own and wanted to be set free. Nick casted his head down and slowly shut his eyes.
“You’re a dangerous criminal, I’ll give you that. You will be arrested for your crimes tonight.” The words the captain spoke sounded like they were spoken from underwater to his ears. Everything now sounded muffled as Nick continued to block out everything but the feelings inside of him. The heat, his anger, the pain, he concentrated on all of it, fueling himself for a great escape. It was in that state that he realized that along with the guards shouts he could no longer hear the bells.
‘How strange…when did I stop hearing them?’
The sound of a sword swinging through the air has a very soft and distinct voice. It’s delicate, smooth and if coldness had its own breath it would be this. He knew it so well that even with his eyes closed, he was able to leap forward several paces to avoid receiving a large cut across his back.
“Uugh!!!” A guard behind him shouted as their sword struck into the ground, sending clumps of dirt flying from the impact. Nick spun around, his eyes now open wide from the attack. With gritted teeth he charged towards the guard, a tiger, that had tried to strike him down. He used the time it took the tiger to raise their sword again to his advantage and was able to maneuver his smaller form around them. Scurrying on all fours, claws scraping into the dirt, he tried bolting around their legs as the circle of guards all began to draw their weapons. Now it became a frenzied act to avoid being caught by one of those blades. A sword came down right in front of him, forcing him to jump to the side, he climbed up and over the ox guard who had swung it. Nick slid down their armored back, landing on his feet in time to duck another swing, this time from the rhino captain himself. Every action brought him closer to the gate, but if he wasn’t careful he could very well lose his head.
Through it all he had managed to keep the blanket tied tight over his head, and it survived a little less worse for wear than he did. He had managed to avoid any major blows to his body, only receiving one new clean cut across the back of his thigh from a spear he hadn’t seen shoot at him from his side. Clearing the ambush had reduced him to all fours, scurrying over the ground, coating his fresh open wounds in dirt. The goal had been to flee, not fight, and It was worth it to bring himself all the more closer to escape. He now had a straight shot to the gate and took it at a full sprint, all four paws pounding the earth beneath him. The gate, two massive wooden doors, had long been closed and it was far too high and smooth to climb. There was a pang of fear inside him that made his nerves scream. The terror of being cornered overtook him with the guards nearly on his heel. He flung his whole body against the heavy wooden gate, with his front paws slamming into it first. Nick dug inside himself for that magical pressure, the one that wanted to come out, to tear his body apart. He brought it to a head and let it go.
The blast that was created by his futile attempt for some control over his magic was larger than that of the alley. He dug his back claws into the ground, doing his best to not be blasted backwards by the force of it. Whoever had followed behind him though were all sent backwards by the unexpected force. Splinters of wood stuck in Nick's arms as he covered his face, cutting into him and becoming lodged in the muscle. Still, that pain did nothing to subside the violent tremor that was once again rampaging in him from the forced use of his untamed magic. Much like then though there was no time to nurse his aches or wounds. Somehow he had managed to create a hole large enough for a rhino to fit through, as well as a good size crater in the ground beneath it. Dust and wood chips were kicked up, causing Nick, and many others, to cough and sputter. He seized the moment and rushed through the broken gate before the dust settled.
There was hope that after that massive of a blast no one would follow him, it was a small one, but he pleaded that it would prove to be true. Outside that gate the harbor at this time was nearly empty, save for the curious mammals that had come off their ships, and out of their warehouses, to see what all the noise was about. They gave him a wide berth as Nick spirited away, clutching his wounds and fleeing the city.
His one recall out here was the forest. A large densely overgrown area just outside of Animalia. He had very little familiarity with it, but it was the only place that he could think to run to that had no mammals living in it. So he made for it with pure adrenaline being the only thing keeping him from collapsing at this point. The air was cooler out here and he took in huge gulps of its crispness to soothe his scorched throat. The dewy grass underneath his bloody paws was a small grace to his burning body.
‘Just a little closer…’ It was that small thought that made each step bearable as the forest came into view. He’d only been here a couple of times for exchanging goods, but never any deeper than the tree line. Now he felt the need to run to the heart of it. To become lost in it’s deepest depths until he felt safe. Except at this moment he felt like even a danger to himself.
When he finally laid his paw on the first tree he took that moment to look back over his shoulder at the City of Animalia. There was a strange sensation in his gut, this city no longer looked the same to him as it had before. He felt almost frightened of it, but mostly it just felt like a stranger to him now. He was sad to see it in this way, for he was sure this would be the last time he would ever lay eyes on it. There was a gladness within him when he saw that no mammals were following him, and it allowed him to have some peace of mind. Casting his eyes away from the walls he once called home Nick entered the woods with no path or direction, he just threaded himself aimlessly further in.
The woods were so thick that the moon couldn’t reach the ground. Everything around him was as silent and quiet as the emptiness of a shadow, which helped ease him into letting his defenses fade away. He clumsily reached up and untied the heavy blanket, allowing it to fall uncaring to the forest floor, left there to be forgotten. The heat was still in him, but there was a hazy calmness that had begun to set in as his heartbeat started to slow. It was like being pushed along in a dream now as he allowed the trees to guide him, feeling the rough bark underneath his paw. Relying on them to show him the way as his vision began to grow darker. It felt like his whole body was starting to give out on him as a coldness began to spread over him. The events of the night were catching up now, he felt the strength in his legs quickly leaving him. When his knees finally gave Nick dug his claws into the trunk of the tree he was leaning against and slid down to the ground. For several long, heavy, breathy moments he panted, claws still dug in before he was slowly able to roll himself over, back laying against the tree for support.
‘Am I going to die here…?’
As his body lay there against the cool wood of the tree, chest rising and falling with the shallow breaths of his battered and abused body, everything started to close in around him. It felt so good to not be moving, but now he was able to feel everything. The crippling pain in his paw had ebbed some, his body no longer felt like it was boiling from the inside out, but he still felt so much pain. Finally able to shut his eyes he allowed his muscles to sag and relax into his exhaustion. With his mouth hung open he began to let out loud ragged breaths as the wounds he had sustained became more present now that the high of adrenaline was no longer clouding his mind. He could feel the blood oozing from him, pooling hot and crimson on the grass beneath him. While he knew those would heal with time and care, it was his insides that he wasn’t so sure about.
‘I don’t even know if I have time really…how easy it would be now to just give in.’
He lifted his good paw slowly up to his chest and gingerly dug into his shirt. There, laying heavy on his chest and warm to the touch, was his necklace. Bringing it out he felt the etching of the mage symbol beneath his digit. It used to just be a family heirloom with at symbol whose meaning no one was able to recall. Now, in his darkest hours, it was the last thing he could think about.
“Saphielle…” He cracked his eyes open, just enough to make out the shape of the purple stone in his paw. “What did you mean...by soon?” A painful chuckle slipped softly up his throat, bringing with it a twinge of emotion that brought tears to his eyes. “Did you mean death?”
The moment was broken by the sound of leaves being crunched on the forest floor. His ears twitched at the sound, but he was beyond being able to move, let alone run. There was no energy left in him to be afraid, now he just closed his eyes and accepted whatever fate had in store for him. He let his head fall back, dropping the necklace onto his chest with a thud, and allowing his arms to drop back to his sides. The footsteps drew closer, seeming to move with purpose. When they were right before him they stopped and Nick could feel their eyes on him.
“I’ll be dead soon...so don’t worry about it…”
There was no response, curious, he found the energy to crack an eye open. It took a moment of tiring concentration, but he was able to focus just enough to make out the dark silhouette of a figure. There was a familiarity now as he grimaced at them, their hooded presence bringing back that feeling of being watched.
With very soft movements the mammal before him leaned down into a crouched position. They held out a paw just inches from his face and softly began to whisper words that sounded eerily like the language Arisa had used when she had cast her spell before stabbing him. The paw in front of him began to glow a purplish black, spinning small wisps of magic around Nick’s muzzle. He prepared himself for more pain, but instead a pressure deep within him seemed to be lifted. It left him feeling lighter and now the pain in his paw was back to the dull ache of yesterday morning. He wasn’t healed, he could still feel the blood pouring from his dirt caked wounds, but something inside of him had assuredly shifted.
“What did you do?” His voice was a choked out rasp as he spoke, not sounding like himself at all.
“I’ve stopped you from dying, for a little while at least.” The voice that responded was low, almost monotone, he was unable to discern a gender.
“What does that mean?” Nick’s eyes narrowed, his vision began to clear some as the dizziness he had been feeling finally stopped pounding on his brain. He could better see now that it was a mammal around his size. They were shrouded in a large black cape with a long hood over their face. He sniffed the air and wanted to gag at the smell of rotted flesh that perpetrated the air around them.
“It means I’ve relieved just enough of the magical pressure inside you for you to survive, but not enough for you to heal.”
‘Not enough for me to heal, eh? So probably not here to save me, but they’re also not from the city. This probably isn’t going to go well.’ Though his mind was starting to clear he could think of no way out of this. Escaping wasn’t an option when he couldn’t even lift his own body.
“You’re probably wondering why I’ve done this?” The mysterious mammal rose themselves back into a standing position, but even looking up Nick still couldn’t see their face.
“You could say that.” He did his best to try and shift his body, but he lacked the strength to do more than budge a bit to the side. He tried to hide the grimace from the pain that shot up his spine at just that minimal bit of movement. “Mind telling me who the hell you are?” They didn’t answer him right away, but he could feel their eyes on him as they pondered an answer.
“It’s our first time meeting like this, but we have met before.”
“The letter in my window...”
“Yes.” They didn’t even hesitate their admittance. He wasn’t surprised, he had his suspicions since he sensed their strange presence, coupled with the familiar smell of death. With that knowledge though he felt his body tense as a frightening realization sunk in.
“That would mean you’re the one who hired me for the job, stealing the mage’s heart stone.” He ground his teeth as a low growl escaped his throat, rumbling in his chest, as an intense anger bloomed within his broken body.
“Yes again, you’re quick. I am a servant to my Lord Diramus Grimwolf Fangmar, King of Dostringar, and rightful ruler of these stolen lands.” The figure reached up and pulled their hood back, revealing themselves to be a badger. The sight revealed caused Nick’s eyes to widen with fear of the mammal that now stood before him, for they looked wrong. The fur around their dark red eyes was gone, leaving sick pale skin on the surface. From their eyes thin red lines ran jagged across the grey skin, spidering down over their cheeks to their mouth.
“You must recall my words of warning. I’m surprised you weren’t more careful.”
“I try not to take ominous and vague notes too seriously.”
“It would have been better to take mine to heart. You’ve left yourself vulnerable, you’re like a newborn kit yet to learn how to walk.” Their face remained unchanged and their voice was hollow without definitive tones. It was like talking to a soulless husk.
“What do you expect to do, you never got the heartstone and it’s beyond my capabilities to get it for you now. You’re out of luck, so either kill me here or crawl back to your master.” His face twisted into a snarl, his claws twitching on his paws as he barked his words at this stranger. Even though he could barely move Nick felt a rage lit up within him. If it hadn’t been for them then none of this would have happened.
“You misunderstood the message, I’m not here to kill you…‘For what a stone was worth, you now possess. We’ll come to take what has been promised.’” They recited the note for him, but still the words were just as lost on him as before.
“Am I supposed to know what that means?”
“You should. After all, the outcome for us all is centered around you, now.”
“W-what?”
“You have what is akin to Saphielle Yllaries’ magic inside of you, we no longer need the heart stone.” The badger blinked at him, as though this should have been obvious.
“How do you know that?” He felt his stomach drop, his snarl fading into a look of panic. How could they possibly already know who he was.
Instead of words the badger lifted their paws up to their own face. There was a blurring shimmer around their paws and when they brought them back down the badger had changed appearance. There before him stood a zebra from outside the throne room.
“I’ve been following you for a while now Nicholas Wilde. I was outside the throne room that day, I know everything that happened there. While my King wanted the mage’s heart stone, we mages hadn’t found a way to release her from it. Now, that is no longer an obstacle. All we need is you. The power you now possess will be more than sufficient for our needs.”
The warmth faded from his body as all the pieces started to fall together. His mouth fell open as his eyes filled with dread while gazing up at the zebra. How could an enemy have gotten so close to the Queen, to be hidden right in plain sight. Now they were here before him. Talking about the fate of the world and his part in it, it was too casual. Too many mammals around him lately liked to talk about the end, his part, their part; it all seemed so unreal that his anger faded and he began to wonder about the state of his mind. How much blood had he lost? Perhaps this was a dream, or maybe he was already dead.
“Nick…” The zebra changed back into the badger as they crouched back down in front of him. “...you already bear our King’s marker, it was always meant to be this way....” The badger reached out and took his necklace in their paws, rubbing it fondly, like an old familiar friend. They stared at it as though they were entranced by it. “I’ve longed for this.”
All sound was gone now and all Nick could hear was the drumming of his own heart. He starred in wide eyed terror at the badger as they pondered over his stone. Everything around him slowed to a dead crawl. He felt his own blood trickling out of his body, felt every strand of fur as the blood pushed through it. He was barely able to register that the badger had let go of his necklace and was reaching for him once more. Their cold red eyes glowing, as the same purple magic as before began to radiate once more from their paw. He let himself fall into the haunting words they chanted in that strange far off language. Nick began to close his eyes as he felt the caress of the badgers’ paws on his cheeks, giving in to the feeling of numbness that was spreading over his weakened body.
Just then a bright blue light shattered the darkness. It hit the badger, sending them hurtling across the small clearing.
“Nick!”
Nick turned his head, right before his vision blacked out, and saw the shining amethyst eyes of Captain Hopps and her radiant silver armor…
~~~
Three hours earlier
The sea breeze blew in over the wall, ruffling Judy’s fur as she breathed in deeply, taking in the calmness of the city. She stood on top of the courtyard wall, looking over the quiet houses and flickering lantern lights. From here she was able to see far and wide, past the Outer District gates and into the harbor. The witching hour was nearly upon them and Arisa’s words kept nagging at her. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to go because she wasn't sure what she would find there. Right now the city was quiet, but she had the horrible sinking feeling that was about change.
“Captain Hopps.” Judy turned a little to see Lieutenant Bogo walking towards her.
“What are you doing up here?” She questioned him, but had a feeling she already knew why.
“Same as you, I suppose.” He came to stand next to her, leaning on the wall, taking in the same view. “You’re thinking of going, aren’t you?”
‘Straight to the point as always.’ She had to give it to him, he was consistent. “You don’t approve, again?” She folded her arms over her chest and looked up at him.
“I reserve my opinion from earlier, this isn’t something you should concern yourself with.” Another breeze blew, the taste of salt was on his tongue as he spoke.
“I told you what Arisa said, he’s important, I can’t just let him wander out there alone. If he’s going to be in west harbor that means he’s left the pawn shop. So not only is he a danger to himself, but to those around him as well.” She hadn’t mentioned the bit Arisa had said about her own part in the future to come. The idea of her and Nick someday working together didn’t seem possible.
“Judy...I’m talking to you as a friend right now.” His voice lost the edge of harshness it usually had. He looked down at her over his shoulder. By dropping the formalities this meant he sincerely wanted her to listen. There was a pause here and Judy looked up at him to meet his gaze. “Let it go.”
“Why is this so important to you?” Her face scrunched a bit, becoming torn. It wasn’t like him to be the concerned party. Bogo let out a deep breath before continuing.
“I’ve noticed that lately you’ve become too fixated on him. To be honest, I can’t tell if you are regretful or just obsessed. You’re not as focused as you used to be and it shows in everything you're doing.” He stopped himself here, as though he wasn’t sure if he should say more. Another deep breath. “Ever since the incident in the throne room you haven’t been yourself. Sending spies and sneaking behind the Queen’s back, it’s not like you. I need my Captain back.” His gaze had shifted to staring out over the city. It sounded as though those last few words were more to himself and she was just a bystander. He was trying to be kind, in his own way, showing he cared. The feelings came across and made Judy’s heart swell a little with guilt for having caused him to worry. Bogo was her most trusted Blessed Knight, beyond loyal, and a dear friend. If he had noticed this change in her, then it was well advised that she should listen.
“That obvious, huh?”
“To me, I’m not sure if anyone else has picked up on it yet."
“Thank you, for saying so. I just, I want to see this all to the end. I need to know what his part is in all our futures. If I’m being honest, it makes me extremely nervous not knowing his whereabouts, what with his magic being brand new. All these unknowns make me anxious and then I don’t know what I should be doing. I’ve never felt so lost before.” She had her paw over her chest. It felt good to say them out loud.
“I understand, but some things are beyond your control.” Bogo straightened himself, standing to his full height, eyes still gazing out at the city. “They’ll happen however they are meant to happen, and you’ll just have to accept that.”
“That’s easy for you to say.”
“How so?” Bogo raised a brow at her.
“You’re not the one whose going to have to fix things when it all goes to shit.” She looked up at him, a smirk on her mouth.
~BOONG~BOONG~BOONG~
The bells echoed over the city like a wave of ice that made both Bogo and Judy’s blood run cold and their hearts stopped beating. From below they could hear shouting in the distance and their eyes were able to follow the soft glow of the torches in the middle district as the guards sprang into action. Without knowing what was happening Judy already had a hunch that this is what Arisa had wanted her to bear witness to.
“Bogo, I'm going down there." Without waiting for a response, Judy turned on her heel and steeled herself for action. Her mind blocked out all previous worries and all that was left in her was the detached composure of a warrior. She reached her paw up and touched the sapphire hanging on a silver chain around her neck. Instantly her armor materialized around her body as she advanced forward down the wall.
‘This is going to be a long night.’ Bogo thought to himself as he huffed in resignation, shaking his head as he followed his captain. He touched his own sapphire on a mantel around his neck, his heavy silver armor forming around his hulking body as he moved after her.
As they made their way through the palace courtyard they were able to witness the guards scrambling to their posts. News had already spread that a thief had robbed a well known guild leader. Not a threat to the Queen or palace security, but it seemed the robber was giving the city guards a good chase. Recalling the trouble Wilde had given them not long ago, now all thief activity, especially at night, earned the full attention of the palace guards. When they saw Blessed Captain Hopps and Lieutenant Bogo awake and in full armor it made them a little nervous. Several animals stopped them to ask questions. It quickly became rather annoying seeing as they had their own Captains to answer to and bother with their questions. Blessed Knights though were as high ranked as they came, but still, there was an order to follow.
Their questions caused a delay that Judy herself had very little patience for this night. Despite her own feelings Judy still took every question and concern seriously, advising them as best she could. When they finally made it to the upper district there were guards busy assuring the noble citizens that all was safe. The bells had brought many curious mammals out of their homes and into the streets.
Down in the Merchant District there was a crowd gathered, guard and citizen alike. When Judy and Bogo drew nearer she was able to overhear the mention of a thieving ‘fox’.
‘It can’t be, he wouldn’t be so stupid…’ From inside the house she could hear the bellowing's of an irate lion. She recognized the home as belonging to Rutherford Claws, leader of the tailor's guild, and his wife. It seemed he was the unfortunate victim of tonight's events. Judy could hear him well enough, as could every-mammal nearby, his voice carried. Again, there were angry rants about a fox. ‘...then again, it’s too much of a coincidence not to be him.’ It caused her to shrug a bit and shake her head in disbelief.
“Should we stop to question him ourselves?” Bogo asked, looking down at her.
“No need, I know it’s Nick Wilde. We need to get to the harbor before--” Judy stopped dead in her tracks, losing her words as a magical force surgered through the city like a breeze, ruffling her fur, stealing all her focus and taking over the senses. It rushed through her very core, causing all the fur on her body to stand on end as her nerves tingled. Her control over her emotions rippled, leaving small cracks on her cool exterior. Her nose twitched about as she let the feeling wash over her and dissipate.
“Captain...” Bogo felt a shiver of magic run up his spine, the very same feeling he’d had in the throne room. “Is that what I think it was?”
“Yes...” They both turned to face the outer district, taking a deep breath to relieve the pressure they felt building up against them. Their blessed powers made them more sensitive to magic, able to pinpoint eruptions of it within the city. What they felt now was familiar, warm, and there was a touch of fear threaded throughout it. With so much magic let out she was sure every mage gifted resident felt it too.
“Lieutenant Bogo, I need you to go get Gazelle and then come find me.”
“Understood.” There was zero hesitation in him and Judy had absolute faith that he would find her again just when she needed them most. Though she prayed it would not come to that.
“And tell them to stop those blasted bells! I know what this is!” She threw her paw up, pointing to the nearest guard tower. Bogo held a hoof over his chest and nodded in understanding before leaving to follow her orders.
As Bogo headed back to the castle Judy turned quick on her feet and broke into a run in the direction of the magical energy. It felt far away and she now knew for sure that this had been what Arisa had meant. The magic burst had lasted for just a moment, but it now lingered in the very air she breathed. There was no doubt in her mind that this was Nick, but something about it felt all wrong. To have built up so much magic inside of him over a period of just a week? It was abnormal to say the least.
She had only been running for a minute or two when another burst of magic hit her. This time it was larger, hitting her like a wave crashing down, drowning her in a sense of fear and panic. The fear coming from his magic was so thick she could feel it in her bones. Judy’s resolve cracked and she allowed herself a brief moment of panic.
‘Nick…’ Judy shuddered to think what could have caused such a great amount of fear in an animal. Logic told her that Nick was being chased, for what the guards saw as doing their duty, Nick saw as captures that needed to be fought off. There was pity in her for him and it caused her to worry for his safety. To wonder what was happening to him right now. She felt a need to protect him ever since she learned of his origins in Ember. It was hard to admit to herself, and she would never tell anyone, but Judy felt very sorry for him. Guilt made her want to confront him, to explain and make him understand why she had done the things she had, which couldn’t happen if he died tonight. Judy did her best to push that last thought away and press on.
She kicked her speed up a notch, feet pounding on the cobblestone street, nearly flying down the main road. Nick’s magic was coming to a head, and she could feel the pressure of it all around her. These bursts of release wouldn’t be enough to stop it from boiling over. She hoped she would be able to make it in time to save Nick, and anyone else, from a magic that no one could have possibly known the extent of.
‘How could any of us have known he would have this much?’
Judy’s lungs began to burn as she forced herself faster, and faster, never slowing. Her only focus was to reach Nick in time before anything got out of control. Animalia was a large, expansive city, to accommodate all species of mammals comfortably. Unfortunately that meant it took Judy nearly twice the time to get to the west harbor. The closer she got, the more city guards she began to run into, which slowed her pace as she had to maneuver around them.
Just as she neared the lower district’s main road another burst of magic slammed into her. It shook her body, heart, and soul, bringing her to a stumbling halt in the middle of the road. This time she was much closer to the source so the impact was more intense. The air became so saturated with pain that for a moment she couldn't differentiate if it was his or her own. It was so much more raw now, like a fresh wound, it broke through her defenses. Leaving her panting for a moment, catching the breaths that had been knocked from her.
Along with that blast of magic there had been a deafening boom that had sent every mammals around her scurrying for shelter. If she hadn’t already known it was Nick she might have worried they were under attack. Instead all it did was strengthen her resolve, but she was wasting precious time standing here being affected by magic. Judy had thought she had more control over herself than this. These last few days of worrying had made her soft to his state of wellbeing.
‘What do you know, Bogo was right.’ Judy took several deep breaths, steadying herself to the calm collected will of a Blessed Knight. When she opened her eyes again she could see dust rising into the air over the tops of the buildings. She was nearly on west harbor road, she wondered what would be awaiting her when she got there. ‘Nothing good.’
Picking up her pace once more she rounded the corner, hurrying towards the gate at a brisk pace. Guards were everywhere and she had to shout for several of them to move out of her way. Obviously whatever had happened here was causing them to be distressed. Her presence down here alone was starting to cause a buzz, given the facial expressions of many of the guards. City guards weren’t as used to seeing Blessed Knights as those in the palace.
Before she even saw the damages she could already tell it was severe, and when she did see it she was as shocked as everyone else. As the crowd around her moved, she immediately went wide eyed at the state the gate was in. The hole was easily large enough for any large mammal to fit comfortably through. Chucks of the ground were strewn about as well. Splinters of wood littered the street, anything that had been near the gate at the time had been blown back. Broken carts, barrels, fish stands, all of it was either damaged or knocked over. She made carefully chosen steps as she moved through the street when her paw encountered something warm and wet, squishing beneath her toes. She looked down, already suspecting what she would find there.
‘Blood….’ It was obvious from the significant amount that this was from a deep wound. As she glanced around there was a noticeable trail of bloody paw prints starting from the alleyway. Moving closer she saw there were several mammals already assessing the damages done there The magic here was faint, but she imagined this to be the origin of the first two magical bursts. There was quite a bit of blood here. It was smeared on the broken pieces of glass, there were puddles along the wall, as though he had spent time standing there, bleeding. The smell of iron was something she was long used to by now, still, it made her nose wrinkle with disgust.
“Captain Hopps!” Judy looked over as a rhino approached her, a very panicked expression on his face. She knew him well as the Captain of the City Guards, a rather proud and arrogant male. There was a hint of annoyance that flattened over her face, irked at not being addressed by her full title from some-mammal ranked beneath her.
“Guard Captain McHorn.” She regarded him with a cool expression, acting unphased by the obvious chaos around them. There were some guards who had suffered injury from the explosion, other’s sat shaking their heads from the ringing in their ears. Obviously they hadn’t been able to handle what had happened here. While this was a rather unique occurrence, she would have thought they’d be better trained to deal with magic. “Where is the mammal responsible for this?”
“I’m sorry to inform you that he escaped into the forest. I’m putting together a party to go after him as we speak. We were able to deal some significant injuries, so he couldn’t have gone very far. I will personally drag the criminal back myself. There is no need for you to concern yourself with such a lowly thief.” His words came across as fumbled, like he was grasping at straws to hold onto. Embarrassed? Maybe. Not wanting to be shown up by her, specifically? Much more likely.
“No, I will be going after him myself.” She made to move around him, but instead he blocked her path. It had seemed done on impulse, the expression on his face when he did it looked stressed. Eyes wide as he stared her down.
“What! You can’t go alone, this is an extremely dangerous mage! Allow me to deal with this!” Judy very slowly craned her head up at him, she wasn’t very fond of being told what to do.
“I wasn’t suggesting it, Captain McHorn, I’m telling you. I will be going alone. So order your guards to stand down!” Her eyes had narrowed into sharp glints of purple, her paws were firmly gripped on either side of her, taking on an immovable stance.
McHorn visibly gulped in a nervous breath of air, unsure of what to do. While most mammals saw Judy’s Blessed Knight rank and respected it as such, there were still those that needed to be reminded that she was above them all. Her orders were final.
“Understood, Blessed Captain…” McHorn tentatively laid a hoof on his chest and gave a slight head nod in defeat before slowly moving aside to let her through. Several of the guards moved out of her way then, not wanting to be told off as she headed straight for the what was left of the gate.
The damage up close was severe, but not without the option for repairs. She reached down and picked up a piece of wood to find it was still warm from the blast. The powerful release of magic had thickly permeated the air here. Only those sensitive to magic would be able to feel it though. There was no doubt that every magic user in the city had been able to feel this. The palace would be in a buzz in the days to come with rumors. Here in the heart of it Judy felt herself becoming a little overwhelmed. No one-mammal could have predicted that Nick’s magic would ever grow this strong…and this had just been an uncontrollable release of it.
‘When he’s able to wield it with purpose whose to stay how strong he’ll become.’
Tossing the bit of wood aside, her gaze shifted towards the forest. A breeze blew in from the lapping waves in the harbor. Carried on the wind was the saltiness of the sea, but she also caught a whiff of more blood. ‘He can’t be in a very good state, he’s lost too much blood. I’m close now, he won’t get very far with his body like this.’ The idea of seeing Nick no longer caused her to be anxious. There was a feeling of relief that she would be able to help him and she wanted to do that more than anything. To redeem herself in his eyes was something she had begun to realize that she wanted. While she couldn’t apologize for her actions in service to her Queen, she could help Nick to see her as more than some-mammal to hate. Arisa said that their futures laid side by side. This couldn’t be the end, it was just the beginning.
‘Just hold on Nick…’ The calmness she felt as she took off into the grassy field was coupled with a sense of compassion. The trail of blood she followed grew stronger as she drew closer, bringing back other times in her life where she had to fight to protect some-mammal. At some point fear and nerves fade away and you’re left feeling nearly emotionless. Duty becomes first above all else and your own life no longer plays a part in your thoughts. It was those feelings that guided Judy as she broke through the tree line.
Here she slowed her movements down to something you could barely call a crawl. Aware of how her armor clattered she put it away, back inside her necklace. Her breathing became as smooth as a whisper over the air. Movements slight, toes curling into the damp dirt, barely a crunch of a leaf to be heard as she hopped from one spot to the other. She honed her skills into being as silent as the shadows around her, slinking her body underneath bushes and over logs. There was little to be known about what state she would find Nick in. She needed to be prepared for the worst, yet hopeful for the best. If he sensed a threat he could lash out with his magic.
Her paws brushed against something soft, cloth. Tentatively she sniffed at it to find it dense with Nick’s scent. Sweat, blood, and the saltiness of tears. He must have discarded it, unknowingly letting her know it wouldn't be much further now.
Her body stiffened when her ears picked up the murmur of voices in the distance. She had not expected to come across anyone other than Nick out here in the dark. The trail of blood led in that direction though, so it would seem that Nick himself wasn’t alone. It was a hard thing for her, not jumping to conclusions about what that could mean, as she would have done in the past. It was even more frustrating to find the patience within herself to not quicken her pace in hope of getting there sooner. Nick himself was beyond being able to pick up on her subtle movements. There was no telling if this newcomer would be able to sense her coming.
“The letter in my window…” Nick’s voice became clear, bringing Judy to a stop. She would be able to listen comfortably from here. There was a significant relief that Nick was still alive and conscious, but she had to wonder for how long that would last in his current condition.
“That would mean you’re the one who hired me for the job, stealing the mage’s heart stone.” Judy’s eyes flashed in realization as to who this was.
“Yes again, you’re quick. I am a servant to my Lord Diramus Grimwolf Fangmar, King of Dostringar, and rightful ruler of these stolen lands.” Her blood surged hot in immediate loathing. It had been a long time since she had been this close to an agent of Fangmar. To think they had been inside her city this whole time, the thought drove her to get closer; discarding the need for caution. She needed to see who this mammal was, get a good look at their face. While she knew in her sensible mind that capturing this mammal would be the best course of action, a part of her wanted to rip them apart.
It was agonizing for her to move so slowly as she felt desperate now. Her reason argued that this agent would be able to feel her coming if she wasn’t careful enough. So she stayed on her current path, gaining ground inch by inch. She breathed in deeply, bringing her heartbeat down, she felt inside herself for her blessed powers. Taking them under her control Judy shoved her powers as far down into the depths of herself as possible. Pushing their presence to the brink of being unnoticeable by anyone who would seek to look.
“What do you expect to do, you never got the heartstone and it’s beyond my capabilities to get it for you now. You’re out of luck, so either kill me here or crawl back to your master.”
‘Nick, don’t be stupid!’
“You misunderstood the message, I’m not here to kill you…‘For what a stone was worth, you now possess. We’ll come to take what has been promised.’”
The agent didn’t have to explain the meaning of those words for Judy to understand what they meant. She listened along with Nick as she finally came into view of the two mammals.
“You have what is akin to Saphielle Yllaries’ magic inside of you, we no longer need the heart stone.”
“How do you know that?” She could hear Nick’s voice trembling, either from his physical pain or emotional fear. Now things were falling into place for them and it was an eye opening despair that they had been pawns in a larger plan this entire time. Judy watched with large eyes, the shape of purple orbs, as the badger before her changed into a zebra. To have such strong magic, and yet Judy didn’t feel a thing when they did it.
‘I can’t believe Fangmar has mages of this caliber. I can’t get a read on them at all, it’s as though they aren’t even really there…’ Judy chewed on her bottom lip, nose twitching, hanging onto every word the agent spoke. Her nose too caught the whiff of death surrounding the badger, but she didn’t know what to make of it. How she wanted to spring into action, cut them down where they stood. Instead she listened and soaked in every ounce of info she could. It was hard to watch Nick lying there, the expression on his face looked like a mammal that had been broken in body and spirit. Even in all the days and weeks he had spent as her prisoner never had he made such a defeated face.
When Judy saw the zebra change back into the badger she began to steel herself to leap out from her hiding spot. There was no way Nick would be in any shape to fight back against this threat. The blood in the air here was sickeningly pungent. Nick had lost too much, leaving himself vulnerable. As she watched his eyes flutter Judy knew he was near the end of his consciousness.
‘Hold on Nick...just a little longer...please…’
“...you already bear our King’s marker, it was always meant to be this way....” She watched the badger fondled the necklace lovingly in their paw. It made Judy uneasy to see it in the paws of the enemy knowing what it used to be a symbol of.
When she saw the strange animal caress Nick’s cheek, so slow and gentle, an ominous intention cut through Judy’s senses. It was like the bells of the city going off inside her head. Suddenly there was no focus holding her back, no strategy, just instinct...and it was screaming danger.
On pure impulse Judy leaped from the bushes, armor materializing around her. She threw her paw out before her in a wide arc. The small amethyst ring on her digit glowed as her sword shimmered to life in her paw. It quickly materialized into cold, hard, brilliant shining steel as she clutched it in a knuckle popping grip. Going off pure emotion her powers shot forth through her body as she channeled it all into one solid strike from her sword. Her movements were so quick that the badger never had a chance to dodge the attack. Blue light sliced across the small clearing and hit the badger solidly, sending them flying into the nearest cluster of trees. She watched the badger fall in a heap to the ground before taking her eyes off them.
“Nick!” Judy sprinted to where he lay, falling to her knees unable to fully believe what she was seeing. From afar she hadn’t realized just how badly he was hurt and she felt herself begin to fret when she saw the horrific state he was in. The warm orange color of his fur was barely recognizable underneath the grime and blood. She tentatively reached out to him, unsure if she should touch him or not. Her own paw shook when she brushed the soft leather of his sleeve. “Nick…” His eyes slowly blinked at her, but there was no sign he actually saw her, let alone recognized her. He blinked a few more times, then his breathing became ragged just before his dim green eyes rolled back into this skull, and then he was gone.
“No!” A pang of terror shot through her as she pushed her ear forward against his chest. Even with her hearing there were several long agonizing seconds before she heard the sound of his heart beat. It was faint, but there… “Hang on…”
Judy wanted to do more for him, but she knew that right now he couldn’t be her main priority. She trusted that Bogo would have Gazelle here soon, that would have to be enough. For now there was a larger more immediate threat that she needed to take care of. Looking up she could see the agent rising to their feet.
“You are impressive, I wasn’t able to detect you until it was too late. You Blessed Knights truly live up to your reputation.” The badger casually dusted off their robes, seemingly now unaffected by the blast.
“That attack was supposed to knock you out.” Judy rose herself, putting her body between the badger and Nick. She wasn’t going to let them take him, nor did she have any intention of allowing them to escape. There were too many questions that she needed answers for; as quickly as things were falling into place, so too were more questions arising.
The two stood across from each other, Judy raised her sword loosely behind her, digging her feet into the cool earth. She regarded the badger with cool confidence, there was no doubt in her mind about the outcome of this fight.
“We don’t have to do this, my business is not with you, only him.”
“You’re here in my country, that makes everything you do with him my business. This night will not end well for you I’m afraid.” There was a smirk that touched the corner of her mouth as she saw how the badger was trying to back out of this. “If you think you’re escaping tonight without a fight, you’re dead wrong.” Without any warning signs Judy leapt forward into action. She held her sword just slightly under her, able to use the momentum of her speed to swing up at the taller mammal. It came as a small surprise when the badger was able to quickly produce a staff to block her.
“I don’t want to fight you.” The badger leapt back, avoiding the following slice from Judy’s sword aimed across their waist.
“Because you know I won’t lose!” She brought her sword up over her head and brought it down in a vertical slash. Another blast of electric blue energy flew from the steel, headed dead center for the badger. They were able to bring their staff up just in time to throw up a magical shield that absorbed her attack. The force of Judy’s blow, even when blocked, managed to shove the mammal back several paces.
There was little time to waste and Judy made every second count. Without giving the badger a chance to think she rushed forward. Up close like this Judy wasn’t able to produce the devastating magical attacks, but her sword skills were nothing to be taken lightly. She was quicker, more agile, and her sword hit the mage’s staff in sharp rapid strikes. The cacophony of metal against wood rang in both their ears as it took all of the badgers focus to keep up with her. Their bodies moved at a rapid pace, every hit and connect was in reaction instead of thought. Every time the badger’s staff struck her Judy rushed to counter, sometimes she cut flesh, other times air.
A small unexpected push back came from the badger, they planted their back paws into the dirt, holding their ground. With both front paws firmly grasping their staff they pushed down, using their height and weight to try and hold Judy in place. They freed up one paw, holding it up above Judy’s face. Judy watched in surprise as that paw began to glow purple. It steadily formed an orb that gave off the stench of corruption and rot. It burned her nose and made her eyes start to water. She knew she would have to avoid this and quick, or she would end up with a huge patch of grossly burnt fur.
Judy wildly pulled herself backwards, wrenching herself free, causing the badger to stumble forward a bit. She twisted her body into several quick backflips, creating a fair distance between them. Landing firmly on her back legs, Judy braced herself just in time, sword held out flat, when the mage finally released their orb. Channeling some of her power into her sword she was able to use it as a shield, blocking the orb, changing its direction and sending it sky bound into the trees. After the first orb the badger started an endless onslaught of them. It forced Judy into the defense, having to dodge, but she still needed to be mindful of Nick lying defenseless behind her. Blocking them one after another, the defiled magic shot off in every direction, wizzing and zinging through the air. The ones that struck the earth and trees sizzled and spit, a taste of what was to happen should Judy miss one.
‘I need to end this! And soon!’ Judy stole a quick glance at Nick, she was no longer sure if he was breathing.
A brief pause from the badger gave Judy the opening she needed to strike the mage with another impressive blast of her blessed powers. This time she put the whole of her body behind the attack, positioning the sword as if it were being pulled from a sheath. As she channeled her powers into the attack the entirety of herself began to glow. The energy leaping off her in waves of light, like living blue flames engulfing her body. Even her brilliant purple eyes shone blue with an otherworldly light.
The badger, for the first time that night, widened their eyes in worry. A spasm of fear crept up over their skin, gritting their teeth, knowing there was nowhere to run to. They hurriedly raised their staff, prepared to shield themselves as they had before.
‘Pointless.’ Excitement touched her face when she took note of the terror in the badger’s eyes.
Her body rushed forward as though she herself were lightning. The force that she produced shook the trees around them and created a vortex of wind as it hit the badger. It shattered their shield, creating the sound and effect of broken glass, as the pieces dispersed into the air. The badger was hurled backwards into the tree, throwing off splinters of bark at the impact. There was little doubt that they wouldn’t be getting back up from that, looking at the huddled state of them twitching on the ground.
Approaching them Judy still felt cautious, her sword was gripped at the ready. The wind must have been blown out of them as they gasped and coughed, blood smeared on the edge of their muzzle.
“Give up. You cannot win this fight.” Judy’s armor looked almost luminous when the bits of moonlight danced over it. The silhouette she created was dazzling as she stood there victorious. Her sword was held out straight and steady, tip mere inches from the badgers face.
“You’ll gain nothing from me rabbit.”
“We’ll just have to see how long your convictions last.” Judy’s face had not faltered from the composed indifference she had started this fight with. Her eyes still held the hint of blue from her powers; as the light hit them they took on the hue of stars.
“Longer than yours I’m sure.” The badger was bent over on their knees, arms crossed over the stomach. An eerie smile plastered over their bloody muzzle. They gazed dead ahead at Judy, their own strange red eyes wide and roused. Face to face like this the badger’s appearance was like dead skin, pale and blotchy. The raw red lines around their eyes and mouth resembled bloody cuts. It was a sight to give a mammal haunted dreams, and it was a sight she never got used to seeing on the faces of the corrupted. How wrong they looked...like they weren’t even mammals anymore.
“What?”
The badger sprang forward, claws coming at Judy’s throat, their paws producing that same purple glow as the orb. This time though instead of moving back Judy lurched forward to meet them, grabbing underneath and gripping the badgers wrist. Judy’s paw glowed a faint blue and suddenly the badger felt their magic being suppressed. The attack faded from their paw, the badgers magic disappeared until they felt as though they had nothing left in them.
“W-what did you do to me!” Like a backblow suddenly the full extent of Judy’s ability hit them. The badger fell limply over, now on all fours, but Judy’s kept a tight hold on them.
“I’ve suppressed your magic. You’ve lost.”
“Captain!”
“Captain!!!”
Judy’s ears picked up the familiar voices and she breathed a sigh of relief. Her body felt warm and sweat fell through her fur. She hadn’t realized how tense she had truly been till now. Their voices allowed her to relax a bit.
“I’m over here!” In a moment Bogo and Gazelle broke through the small tree line.
“Captain!” Gazelle, in full mage armor with her staff already drawn, made to move towards her, but then she spotted Nick. A gasp escaped her, she instinctively went for him.
“No! Here, I need you to cuff this one first.” As with all her orders there was no hesitation as Gazelle did as she was told. Coming over to where they knelt on the ground Gazelle set to work. While she was a wind mage, she did have other small handy spells that she was proficient at. One of those was the creation of magical cuffs, they would physically bind them as well as continue to suppress any magic the bearer had.
“It seems you handled this well enough all on your own.” Gazelle raised an eyebrow at her as she used two digits, glowing a soft yellow color, and slowly moved them around the badgers wrist in an infinity symbol. Two glowing yellow rings formed around the badgers wrist and held them together.
“They were a pawn, just a grunt mage...still, I don’t like the feeling I’m getting here. Anyway, I didn’t have Bogo bring you here for me.” Judy let their wrist go, allowing the agent to fall the rest of the way to the ground. Without their magic the badger was considerably weakened in body and will. They were still conscious, but made no attempt to run. “It’s Nick, you saw the shape he’s in. I’m not sure if he’ll make it.” The both of them looked to Nick. Bogo was beside him now, looking down over his motionless figure. He was still alive, chest just barely rising in tiny shallow breaths.
Gazelle, coming to sit by his side, gently looked him over. Her face visibly wincing as she looked at his bloody wounds. Out of all of the Blessed Knights Gazelle was the kindest, most warm hearted, and her empathy was boundless. She was often told that her heart was too gentle for the duties of a Blessed Knight. The things they saw and the things they did were more often than not, bloody. Despite that Gazelle never lost herself in the sadness or pain. She always found a way to move forward with a smile. Even when her virtues were tested Judy had never seen her falter to do what was best for the kingdom, even if it meant breaking her own heart.
Judy watched as Gazelle lifted Nick’s paw to her hoof, the palms flattened together. It was a very soft and intimate touch, and Nick looked so vulnerable as she did it. Gazelle closed her eyes as a soft green glow kindled between their palms.
“Oh Captain, he is badly hurt inside...this magic of his is like fire, searing his magical channels. I’ve never seen anything like this.” Gazelle’s face twisted a bit in a sting of pain. “I can feel a small bit of his pain, and it’s...it’s like an inferno raging inside of him...” Gazelle cracked her honey colored eyes, looking to Nick with pity. The glow faded as the connection broke. “I can’t believe he made it all the way out here like this. His will must be strong indeed to survive this much.” Reaching towards his face Gazelle ran a digit over the cut above Nick’s eye. A green light emitted from her and filled the cut. It shimmered for a moment and when it stopped the cut was still there, but instead of raw angry muscle it was a light grey color. Not healed, but starting too. “There isn’t much I can do for him here besides easing the pain. We need to get him to Healer Yennien, he’s the only one who can fix this.”
“He’s not going to like being woken in the middle of the night, but he is the best we've got.” Judy wasn’t looking forward to this visit.
“I actually banged on his door on the way out. I knew those magical outbursts would be something like this, I just didn’t know how bad. But you’re right. He wasn’t happy. We’re all going to get an ear full when we arrive.” She held her hooves out over the rest of Nick’s body, a green light surrounded them, glimmering with warmth. The healing magic gently rained down on Nick’s body. The drops of green hit his fur, splattering and soaking down into his skin. The magic would give him a temporary relief, it could fix nothing.
“Perfect.” Judy’s voice was soaked with sarcasm, as she pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head.
“Even he’ll have difficulty with this one.” Bogo stood up to his full height as Gazelle gingerly took Nick into her arms. “I’ll get that.” He nodded towards the badger.
Judy rolled her eyes at him, “Yeah...you do that, it’s not like I could lug them anywhere.”
Notes:
Woohoo! Wasn't that fun!?!? Let me know what you guys thought in the comment sections!
Chapter 8: A Heavy Breath
Notes:
Shorter chapter, but I hope you all still enjoy it! Yennien was a really fun character to create and write for, you'll be seeing a lot of him in the future! Please leave a comment and let me know what you enjoyed about this chapter!
Shout out to my awesome team of beta readers! Tandiian and Tarathiel!
Updated On: 05/06/2021
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
A Mage’s Heart
Chapter Seven: A Heavy Breath
“Yennien!!! Judy shouted out as she slammed the doors open, causing them to rattle against the hard stone wall, nearly throwing it off its hinges. Gazelle hurriedly followed behind her, Nick clutched tightly in her arms, barely a breath left in his lungs. “Yennien!” Judy called again upon not immediately seeing him, a bit of anger in her voice. The healing hall was mostly empty at this time of night, save for a few nurse aids scurrying about and some scattered patients fast asleep in their beds. They had come straight here, whereas Bogo had left them to take the badger to a secure cell. Judy had also tasked Bogo with taking Nick’s satchel and all of its contents into holding until Judy could properly go over them.
“I’m here, no need to shout!” A tall, slender, fallow deer came around the corner of a cream colored separation sheet. He yawned loudly while scratching the fur near one of his antlers as he glowered at his company over the top of a pair of spectacles. Not angrily, just that of a tired old buck who had been woken up from a halfway decent nap. Being the best healer this side of Furosie he was a very busy buck. Never having much time to himself, Yennien cherished the quiet moments gathered between the arrivals of the near dying and the half living. “Waking me during the witching hour and then making me wait! This mammal better be dying.”
“Nearly. He needs your attention now!” There was a touch of franticness in Judy’s voice that Yennien wasn’t used to hearing. It wasn’t the first time Judy had come banging on his doors in the wee hours of the morning. Usually it was a trainiee that had done something stupid. This though, the way Judy’s body moved, and the way she looked between him and the fox held tightly in Gazelle’s arms. It was in the way her eyes were shaking as her nose twitched that made it clear to him that this wasn’t an ordinary case.
“Hmmm…” Yennien took it all in with narrowed eyes and a pursed mouth.
He was old, gruff, and roughly dressed in a comfortable tunic and breeches. An apron that had seen better days was tied around his waist. Most healers opted to wear a set of lavish green robes, and Yennien liked to say that those healers never did any real healing besides treating noble mammals’ headaches and runny noses. Real healing was as bloody as it was exhausting, and Yennien had seen enough of it to last him a lifetime. Here in these halls there wasn’t much he hadn’t seen. As a young buck though, out on the border, he had seen things that even after a lifetime he would never be able to
forget.
The healer’s hall was a long, but wide brick building, made to house patients of all species and sizes. The tall walls were lined halfway up, end to end, with huge clear windows that stretched upwards to the ceiling, allowing in natural light during the day. At night, a row of large crystals that hung from the high vaulted ceiling, casted a warm yellow light down on them. Smaller crystals embedded in the walls closer to the floor glowed almost like fireflies in the stone. A variety of medicinal plants and herbs hung suspended along the central and side rafters. Lively green vines ran along the windows, keeping the air inside fresh and crisp. The subtle scents of peonies and lavender, sage and licorice, added a light taste to the air. These readily available plants allowed for easy gathering as well as being able to mix quick remedies at the bedside as needed. The beds, all in varying sizes, allowed for all patients seen here to lay comfortably, from the tiniest mouse to the largest elephant, separated by thick cream curtains. Wheeled ladders and stairs also made sure that Yennien and his staff were able to treat every mammal in need. There was no better place in the city for Nick to be than here.
“Bring him over here. We’ve had a bed prepared, for some time now mind you.” Yennien took a moment to button up his sleeves and rinsed his hooves off in a nearby water basin.
“There was a delay, your patience is appreciated.” Judy hurried at Gazelle’s side, trying her best not to sound as anxious as she was.
“Yes, thank you.” Gazelle laid Nick down on the white bedsheets as gently as she could. His chest barely rose, and small wheezes passed through his slack muzzle. His throat sounded scorched and sweat still formed on his brow. Even in his passed out state his eyes pinched together in pain. “He’s in terrible shape Yennien, I don’t know how much longer he’ll hold on.” Gazelle’s voice was calm, but every mammal in the room could hear it shake. Yennien glanced over at her, having heard her voice, knowing that unlike Judy she could see beyond the surface of skin. Her face was strained, hooves a barely visible shake as she smoothed the fur on Nick’s cheek. Blood smeared over her armor was fresh, staining the white cloth of her sleeves and smudged in ugly red over her silver armor.
He sighed, “If he’s made it this long than he can wait a little longer.” He dried his hooves on his apron as he walked over to meet them. He could clearly see that Judy’s jaw was set so tight that it caused her teeth to grind harshly, it was a slight amusement to know he was testing her patience.
“Hold onto your nobgins Captain, it’s going to be a long night, I’ve got time to spare.” He smirked down at her as he stood next to the bed. Reaching down underneath it he turned a small wooden knob that raised the bed a little higher for his comfort. “So, let’s see what kind of mess you’ve brought for me this time.”
There was silence as Yennien leaned over the bed, hooves on his hips, mouth moving from time to time in deep observation. He rolled Nick over to see the cut on his back, and maneuvered his arms and legs, making sure to take note of every cut and scrape.
“Hmmm…” Nick’s breathing was still so shallow, one could barely tell if he was breathing at all. Yennien moved around to Nick’s feet, picking up one of his back paws and seeing the state they were in. “Terrible, terrible; what a state this is.”
“He’s had a long night.” It was all Judy could say in response, her nose was sent into twitches as her ears flicked in annoyance, and her foot patted the floor from time to time. She wanted this hurried along, to be given answers to the severity of what only her eyes could see. “I think his insides are far worse than the rest of him.”
“You don’t say.” He eyed her over his glasses, only to see Judy rolling hers. “I could feel those magical blasts as well as you two. They were no laughing matter. Honestly speaking, after the throne room, I’d wondered when he was going to turn up on my table.” He picked up Nick’s left paw, turning it face up to see the grey scar along his paw pad. Turning it back over he parted the fur there to see the exit scar. If one looked closely you could see that no fur grew along the skin there. Yennien made several disgruntled noises, his face set to an irritated expression to match.
“What do you mean? You knew this would happen?” Her face twisted into a look of surprise, brows frowning at his words.
“Just a hunch, mammals talk, you know. Hearing about an adult male fox who suddenly gains all his magical ability in one go. Only to be sent off with not even a rudimentary lesson in magic. Really Captain? I swear, all you sword swingers know how to do is fight like animals.” He dropped Nick’s paw back on the table with a look of utter disgust. “Ugh! Arisa, that witch, not an ounce of finesse in her.” He and Arisa had never gotten along, and whenever they were in the same room all they did was bicker at one another. Something about tact versus what Yennien would equate butchery.
“She’s not a witch! And mind you Yennien, this much magic is unheard of to possess in one so mature, there was no reason--” Gazelle was cut off by another disgusted sound from Yennien.
“Ugh...I could have done a much cleaner job. I’m sure she got some sick enjoyment out of cutting him open like this.” He kept his eyes down, tutting to himself as he continued to look Nick over.
“Yennien!” Judy raised her voice louder than she meant to. He was blatantly ignoring them at this point.
“What?” He finally looked up at them, only to be met with pleading eyes set in fear.
“We didn’t know…” Judy’s voice was but a small whisper, her large eyes shaking a bit. Gazelle gently laid a hoof on her shoulder and Judy reached for it slowly. This was a side of her Yennien had never seen before, her guilt in this was obvious. He no longer felt he had the energy to chide them more.
“Ok...ok…” He let out a long tired sigh and shook his head. “Let’s see what we can do now, hu?”
While Yennien was a master healer, able to mend broken bones and gashes, his true skill actually lay in treating magical injuries; the wounds inflicted on the insides that only his eyes could see, his magical vision. He was good at what he did, very good. Treating mages with out of control magic, blocked or raw channels, wounds caused by another’s ill-placed blast. Being able to manipulate the magic within a mammal was where Yennien’s ability was really put to its greatest use. That day in the throne room he would have been able to gently peel back the layers of Nick’s magical core until he was able to coax the magic out slowly, naturally, but it would have taken hours...and there hadn’t been the time for such kindness.
“You should first check his magical channels. I was able to a little, but they were horribly raw and sensitive. It was hard for me to stay connected to him for more than a few seconds.”
“That bad, hu? This won’t be fun.” He reached up and pulled open one of Nick’s eyes to see that his pupils were completely blown wide. Yennien used a snap of his hooves to flash a little magic light, getting no response wasn’t a good sign. “He’s pretty far gone, his bodies not even responding.”
Yennien grumbled a bit more, rolling his shoulders before extending his hooves over Nick’s body. He closed his eyes, focusing himself into the right state of mind. When he opened them again the soft brown had turned into swirls of glowing green. From his hooves the same rich forest light began to form and a small whining sound hummed through the air. The light spilled down in shimmering waves, cascading over Nick’s entire body and enveloping him from head to toes. In this way Yennien was able to establish a line from his own body to Nick’s. This allowed him to freely explore the magical channels inside of Nick.
Judy watched, having retrieved a stool for height, as even Nick’s insides flushed a pale green hue on the whites of his cheeks down to his toe digits. The light moved, pulsing through Nick’s magical pathways, connecting his whole body in a flow of continuous magical feedback. Through this connection Yennien was able to experience the chaotic magic that raged through Nick for himself. He had to endure the feelings of torn apart walls and the scorching of fresh magical channels. Yennien could almost see the mangled ugly sores that were left in the wake of this new raw power. Channels that had been blocked for years were suddenly ripped open, wide and surging with max potential. Being connected to Nick was like walking into blazing flames, accidentally breathing them in too deeply, feeling the inferno inside him. Never before had he bore witness firsthand to such a disastrous state of magical awakening. Nick’s body and soul were in such a wretched state that even Yennien knew this could not be healed overnight.
Yennien stayed like this for for several minutes, his eyes never blinking, his body still as stone. When the glow faded, Yennien’s eyes changed back to brown, and he let out an exasperated sigh. Sweat had begun to pool on his forehead, trickling down over his face, and he wiped his chin to keep it from dripping. Yennien’s nostrils flared a little as he took deep breaths to try and fill his lungs with the cool air of the building, He had bore the heat and pain of Nick’s power as though it were his own. He had no idea how this poor creature had made it this far.
“As I thought, his channels are riddled with magical burns from being torn wide open by that witch. They are pushing out tremendous amounts of power with no where to go, no flow. Not to mention his magic had been unconsciously pulling from the natural magic channels all around him, there is no control here at all, he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it. He can’t take in anymore. He’s body just isn’t able to keep up with it.” Yennien straightened up, placing his hooves on his hips. “His magical core is scorched to pieces, he hasn’t been properly aligned, and to top it all off the amount of magic surging wildly through him is enough to blow this whole castle to shit! Where he acquired so much of it in this day and age is beyond me. He should have never been allowed to leave the palace. I know you don’t want to hear it again, but how in the hell he’s still alive I’ve no idea. Those magical outbursts saved his life no doubt, that’s for damn sure, small in comparison to what he could have done. If he hadn’t shot off a couple of rounds his magic would have exploded out of him. Who can say what devisation that would’ve caused.”
Judy and Gazelle slowly blinked at him, not sure what to say. They had both expected bad news, but this was a lot to take in. When they didn’t answer Yennien rolled his head, bringing a hoof up to pinch his nose. Tutting to himself, waving one hoof at Nick, trying to make them believe in what he was saying.
“He’s damn near close to death as is, look!” Yennien grabbed a white cloth off the shelf, ripping it off the stack so roughly it caused the rest of them to fall to the floor. Parting Nick’s shirt open he wiped the clean cloth through the white of the fur there. Nick hadn’t been injured here, but when Yennien pulled the cloth back the white fur had turned a pinkish color. The cloth too had a red smear on it. “If you look closely you can see blood is being pushed out through his pores. I’ve never seen a magical build up this extreme. It’s tearing him apart from the inside out. A week, it’s only been a week and it would have killed him tonight. Not even in late bloomers, who usually have more built up in them already, have I seen this sort of damage. This...it’s incredible really, but insane.” He looked down at the blood on the cloth and noticed his own hooves shaking. Not from fear, but for the excitement of being presented with a challenge.
Yennien took a step back, looking at Nick with a wide eyed expression of amazement. “A mage of Saphielle, hu? That’s what they’re all saying, right? Who would have thought?” There was a moment of total silence as the three of them stared down at Nick. No one could have guessed that the events that took place in the throne room that day would have led to this. Such power in the body of a fox who otherwise couldn’t have fathomed holding onto a power so great it would shake the country. The things they would have to explain to him when he woke...
“What can be done?” Gazelle was the first to speak up, her face held a resolve to it.
“I can siphon off some of his magic, keep it from building up until he’s strong enough to be aligned. As soon as he is able to stand on his own that must be what comes first. It’ll go a long way to allowing him to heal faster.”
“Aligned?” Judy had heard the term before, but didn’t know much about it. While she herself did possess something comparable to magic, it’s core wasn’t the same. Gazelle answered.
“For a mage, being aligned means to center their magical core with the rest of their body, heart, soul, and the natural energy residing in all living things. Nick’s magical core is currently ‘crooked’ as you would call it, so there is no steady flow. His magic is just building up in his center with nowhere to go. That’s what’s causing the unintentional use and bursts of power. Getting him aligned now will allow for an even flow throughout his body. Once that happens these accidents won’t happen, he will have full control.”
“I see…” Judy nodded in the simple understanding that it was probably a lot more complicated than that.
“Basically.” Yennien motioned towards one of the nearby rabbit nurses. “Let’s get to work then. He’s body is too weak to withstand quick healing, he has no energy to spare. We’ll patch him up the old fashioned way and give him some medicine to allow for easier natural healing, and something for the pain.”
“Is there anything I can do?” Gazelle was eager to be of use.
“Help me strip him, I want to see all his wounds.” They nodded to each other in agreement, and Gazelle gingerly set to work lifting Nick’s arms and then his torso. Yennien had a less gentle tactic however as he roughly cut away at the thick leathers. Peeling off the clothing allowed them to see just how bloody and deep the wounds were. The wound on his back was particularly bad and it turned the bed sheets red immediately as the blood that pooled under the leather gushed out.
“Right then, messy it is. We’ll need lots of hot water and clean dressings.” Yennien nodded to a nurse over his shoulder, sending them off to fetch it. “Tut-tut, he’s going to need lots of stitches…” He said it when referring to Nick’s back and legs.
A rabbit nurse, Mitsy, as Yennien called her, wheeled a basin of clean warm water over to Gazelle. She set to work right away, wiping off the dirt and dried blood, staring from his arms, it would take time to remove the splinters of wood. It quickly turned the water crimson as she rang out the cloth in the bowl. She worked on his feet next, carefully, wiping off the layers of filth. She was able to feel the bits of glass stuck in the meat of his paws.
Mitsy was prepared as she wheeled a set of steps to the bottom of the bed. “Allow me.” She climbed the small staircase with a shallow basin in one paw and tweezers in the other. She began picking out the glass, the tiny shards clinking as they fell into the metal tray. Fresh droplets of blood started oozing from the raw cuts. Yennien passed her gauze and a small bowl of thick green paste to smear on them.
While they worked, the sound of small jingling bells rang out through the hall, catching all of their attention to look up.
“Mail coming.” Yennien called it out just as a red squirrel, running along the rafter, entered into the hall through a hole in the wall. Throughout the palace, in most rooms that is, there was a tunnel system that small messenger mammals were able to utilize to do their jobs quicker. Bells were set in the walls to ring so that mammals below knew to expect them. Judy looked up, recognizing the squirrel as Arthur, the Queen’s personal messenger. He wore a purple scarf with an embroidered cat crest around his neck, Natia’s colors.
“For you Blessed Captain Hopps.” Aruthur dropped the letter he was carrying, allowing it to flutter down for Judy to catch easily. Without waiting for a response, he turned and scurred back out.
“I guarantee you that’s bad news.” Yennien nodded towards the letter, bearing the Queen’s unbroken wax seal. There was a cracked grin on his face as Judy grumbled, breaking the seal and reading the contents.
“I’ve been summoned.” This was completely expected, and Judy wasn’t surprised, knowing full well that Natia would want a detailed explanation from her mouth personally.
“Told you.”
“Go. We can handle this.” Gazelle gave her a small smile. It reassured Judy to know that Nick would be in such caring hands. Too much had gone into rescuing him to see him die on the bed table.
“Do what you can for him. We allowed this to happen, the least we can do is make sure he lives to get an explanation.” There was no shortage of guilt here too, for none of them had seen what was right in front of them, a power beyond measure that would rock this country to it’s very core. Judy wanted him to hear it all from her own mouth.
“He’ll live. Sure he’ll be in some pain for a while, but he’s got a fight in him that’s for sure.” Yennien cracked a smile at her, despite the late hour he would never see a mammal suffer and die while he drew breath in this palace.
“I’ll leave you to it then.”
~~~
The healing hall was a separate building just off the palace entrance, a large tall structure with grand architecture to rival the palace itself. The starry sky was still pitch dark, but sunrise was now not far away. The early morning air was dewey, the dampness of it stuck to her cooled fur, and birds sung in the trees that she passed.
Her summoning to the Queen’s chambers came as no surprise, she already knew what it was about. She would be expected to give an oral report of tonight’s events. While she’d done this many times before, tonight there was a small sick feeling in her stomach. No good news would greet Natia’s ears. It wouldn’t be a pleasant experience revealing that an agent had entered so far into the palace, gotten so close to her majesty, and there would be deep shame in Judy’s voice as she told of her such.
The way to Natia’s chambers was silent, her own paws the only sound being heard as her nails clicked softly on the marbled floors. Lush royal curtains remained parted against windows that lined the hallway leading to the Queen’s chambers. Moonlight spotted along the floor in spurts at each window, with the darkness between lit by wall crystals. It would almost seem that the commotion caused by all the earlier activity had never happened. That said, there were more guards present now, standing silent as Judy hastened her steps down the halls until she reached the large, carved doors of the Queen’s rooms. Turning the golden handle, which was carved like a blooming rose, she stepped inside to wait.
Inside Natia’s chambers were grand perfection with bright white walls gilded with large silhouettes of tigers dancing through silvery starry skies with full moons. The molding was intricate, delicate, and gently carved with ornate clusters of golden roses and sweeping patterns. Judy was left in a small waiting room just before her main bedchambers. I was separate and only used for any personal guests she would receive here; therefore quiet and away from any prying ears. Though here too were plush lavender satin sofas and chairs just as rich a sight as the entryway. Judy chose to stand at the ready, waiting for her Queen to appear. Paws tucked behind her back, steadying her breathing as little nervous flecks managed to crawl to the surface of her fast beating heart. Her feet rocking just slightly back and forth over the rich indigo of the exotic carpeting.
The door creaked as it was opened by a boar guard and Natia entered, only to have the door shut close behind. She was clothed in a long purple silk robe, no baubles on her digits nor a crown nestled between her ears. She looked tired, but still as elegant as ever. She didn’t look to Judy once as she settled on a lavender rococo chaise. A sheep followed in after her, wheeling a cart that bore a silver serving set upon it with two neatly decorated bone china cups with saucers. Judy kept her face forward, back straight, and her eyes calm as she waited to be addressed.
“That’ll be all Lidia, thank you.” Lidia, the sheep, bowed politely and left them, closing the doors behind her. The room filled with the tiny clinks of a silver spoon tapping against a porcelain cup as Natia poured herself a cup of tea and sugared it. Again, silence overtook them as Natia shut her eyes and quietly sipped the still steaming cup. Gently, she set it back down on it’s tea plate.
“It would seem you’ve had a busy night, Captain.” Natia opened her eyes, catching Judy with the bright blue of them.
“More than bargained for really.”
“I’d have you fill me in. From what I’ve heard, a simple thieving incident turned into a giant hole in the lower west harbor gate.” Her expression was that of a female full of disappointment, Judy could feel it in her gaze and see it in the firmness of her muzzle. It wasn’t something she was familiar with. A small pit of sickness formed in her stomach.
“Your information is correct, a blast left the harbor gate with a breach in it. Extra guards have been posted for security. Tomorrow will see preparations started to repair the damages.”
“I see. And the cause?” Here Natia eyes’ narrowed, fixing Judy with a look that made Judy shiver. It was clear in her eyes that she already knew who was to blame, but she wanted to hear the name from Judy.
“Nicholas Wilde, My Queen.” Judy let her ears droop a bit, knowing the answer would lead to the explanation of how she was so well informed about his whereabouts.
“Interesting, am I to assume he is also the thief?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” A small snicker escaped Natia’s muzzle, breaking up the tension a bit.
“It’s only been a week and he’s already back to work. So tell me, Captain, what has he been up to since he left us.”
“Your Majesty...I-”
“I know you’ve been keeping spies on him!” Her voice raised to a higher pitch just under a yell. “Despite my orders for no one to interfere with him, you went behind my back with every intention to do so if and when you saw fit.” Natia sat regal with her back straight, eyes narrowed and bright as sapphires. Her soft anger left no room for Judy to argue. “I have always trusted your judgments, kept you as my dearest council and friend. Despite your best intentions on this matter, you never should have acted without my knowledge. If you truly believed me to be wrong, then you should have come to me personally.”
“My Queen.” Judy bowed her head deeply. “I apologize for my actions. They were born of guilt and fear. Feelings I should have expressed to you before acting on them.” There was a long silence that fell between them. Judy kept her head down, her jaw locking tight and the sting of regret prickling in her eyes. Never had she felt so ashamed with herself.
“Raise your head, my friend.” Her voice met Judy’s ears with softness. Judy raised her head just enough to witness Natia letting out a low sigh, her eyes fluttering closed as she leaned back into the plush cushions. “Have a seat, and let’s talk...as we usually would.” Natia motioned to the chair nearest her. “Tea?” She reached forward pouring some into the remaining cup, which was decorated with a golden latticed pattern and painted roses along the sides of the cup and saucer, the rim lined with gold as well.
“Thank you.” Judy reached forward, adding sugar and cream to hers, the rich citrusy smell of Ceylon wafted up toward her nose as she took the first sip. It was sweet and albeit refreshing. Judy sighed, relaxing in front of her Queen, her friend. She saw Natia smile at this as they both took another sip. Judy placed her cup on her saucer then, holding it on top of her lap.
“So, it would seem his magic has grown in his short absence from us.”
“Exponentially.”
“My intention was to give him space. He had so much sadness and distrust in him when he left, I thought it best to allow him the time he needed to breathe. Have thoughts on his own that would hopefully lead him back to us. I just didn’t want him to come back with even more reasons to hate us. I see now, good intentions as they were, it was a mistake.” She laid her head back, eyes closed, and sighed heavily.
“It was the best of intentions, no-mammal could have seen this coming, well, apparently Yennien had a thought.”
“Did he really?”
“Yes, but he said nothing, so I doubt even he really knew to what extent the damage would be, or how quickly.”
“What is really happening? While the display in the throne room was impressive, I don’t recall any mention of it being abnormally so. I have little understanding of how magic actually works.” Rubbing a paw over her muzzle, she felt sheepish at that admittance. She should be more knowledgeable in that area, all things considered.
“I can’t be positive, but my suspicion is that he had much more magic buried beneath his core. What we saw at that time was just the surface of what his body could contain. He’s also been unknowingly drawing magic from other sources. Yennien says he has to be aligned, that will relieve the build up. Who's to say how powerful he’ll become after that. Arisa has said that the fate of this country rests on his shoulders, but we have no idea what that means. Does it mean he’ll fight to save us? Or something more ominous? There is just so much we don’t know. Who or what Nick Wilde really is has yet to be shown.” She rubbed her paw along the side of the teacup, feeling the warmth of it.
“Only time will tell.” Natia reached forward to once more take up her cup of tea. “Now, I’d ask you to tell me, in your own words, what transpired this night. I’ve already read a hasty report from Captain McHorn, but I’m sure you have more to tell.”
“Much more and none of it good, Your Majesty. I bring it to you with a heavy worry.” Judy took a deep breath, seating her cup on the table before her.
“Tell me.”
Judy started from the beginning of the sounding of the bells. These things Queen Natia was already aware of; the thieving, the chase, the gate. When her story mentioned the magical outbursts and the feelings that came with them; Natia’s ears and long fluffy tail flicked in curiosity at this. She held onto every word, intently listening to the story unfolding before her. Judy didn’t skip a detail. She described the fear that slowly became overwhelming with every new burst. Intense enough to swallow a mammal into despair if they allowed it. What Yennien had depicted as scorched magical channels burning him from the inside out. Judy’s words vividly described the damages done in the alleyway and the gate; telling of the bloody paw prints on the cobbled street.
“I’m surprised to hear he can already be so destructive. So much magic in such a small fox, his pain, I can’t imagine feeling it so intently.” There was sympathy in her eyes as she cast them down to the floor. Natia had yet to say, but Judy could tell she too still felt a deep guilt about what happened to Ember. None of them liked the idea of him having to go through any more heartache.
“Time and training will heal him, the physical wounds anyway.” They caught eyes, without saying a thing Natia caught her meaning. Trust would have to heal the rest. “Right now his magic is all out of control. Once he learns to harness it at will he surely will be a force to be reckoned with.” Judy paused, then further recounted Yennien’s concern over the damage that nearly could have been. She noticed the Queen’s brow furrow for a moment at this possibility.
From there the rest of the story took on a more serious tone as Judy recalled her confrontation with the agent of Fangmar, as well as Nick’s physical deteriorating state. While they had discovered agents in the castle before it was the proximity to the Queen that shook them. Every time an agent slipped past them new measures were taken to ensure detection, somehow this one had gotten into the very heart of the palace. As with Nick, this badger heated a deep anger inside of Judy, one that Natia herself sensed growing in her.
“I’m so sorry Your Majesty. It's my job to keep you safe and yet, they were right outside the throne room…and I never once sensed corruption! I can’t help thinking of the possibilities had their intentions been otherwise.” Her paws were gripped in nail biting grips, clutched on her knees as she closed her eyes in disgrace.
“It is an unsettling thought, but as we’ve said in the past...Dostringar always seems to be just one step ahead of us. These years with King Darimus in rule have been hard, he is cunning, smart, and obsessed with power. We thwart one attempt and then he finds a new way in. We must stay vigilant in the days and months to come.” Despite the words of reassurance Judy was able to hear the uneasiness in them.
“That’s not all…” Natia looked up and Judy caught her gaze with narrowed eyes, her voice lowering to almost hollow. “...‘For what a stone was worth, you now possess. We’ll come to take what has been promised.’...It’s what the agent said to Nick. They wanted to take him back to Darimus.” She looked away, shifting her gaze away from Natia, a pit forming in her throat. “I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I’m also hesitant to reveal what I believe it’s meaning to be.”
“They wanted the heartstone, but now they want Nick. If they were outside the throne room, they know he is Saphielle’s descendent. It would seem they feel Nick’s magic is just as strong as Saphielle’s was. Heaven’s help us...can this get any worse?” Natia’s voice sounded exasperated as she placed her paw over her eyes, closing them and leaning back into the chaise.
“But that’s impossible! Saphielle is said to have been the strongest mage there was or ever will be again. Her power is legendary. Even being her descendant he can’t measure up to her!” Judy’s voice had raised into a near yell before she realized she was doing so.
“Everything you say is true, absolutely true, but that doesn’t change the fact that they believe his power to be enough...enough for whatever it is King Darimus is scheming. If they are shifting their attention to him then we can assume they’ll try again.”
“And we’ll be ready.” Natia lifted the paw over her eyes, catching the fire of determination in Judy’s gaze. Passion and hate lay there, cast in the hard lined expression on Judy’s face.
“I trust you. I know you’ll keep us safe.”
“I just wish we knew what it was he wanted, what his goal is. The rulers of Dostringar have always been a problem, but him. He is getting bolder these last few years and I don’t believe it to just be for the lust of war. He wants something more, I think. The growing number of agents we find is troubling. And yet…” Judy chewed her bottom lip as she thought. “...attacks on the villages and towns nearest the border used to be a common occurrence, but lately there have been less. I’d say they’ve grown bored, or perhaps...”
“Gathering their resources. Saving their numbers for a calm before the storm.” Natia completed Judy’s train of thought with a somber tone. It was a reality that no one wanted to admit, but it seemed the most likely explanation. “Steeling their numbers, infiltrating not only the very heart of Furosie, but Mystopolica as well, for an advantage we have yet to grasp...I fear for the worst in the days to come.” Judy’s ears perked up at the name.
“Has there been word from Mystopolica?” While their alliance with the great country to the west sat on a friendly note, as a whole, they remained a mystery in many ways. True enough, they shared in export and allowed for trade, and there were many of the palace residents who hailed from there. Mystopolica left many things unknown to them; a land of secrets amongst friends. The mysterious nation's enchanted machinizations were without any known equal, as they were able to combine the magical world with the industrial, the mystical with the physical. Judy had never seen their city, but was told of their floating crystals that allowed them to harness magic and bend it to their will.
“Actually, I received a message from one of our spies. It came a few hours ago, more news to keep me awake this night.” Natia reached into her robe pocket and pulled out a small paper. Her face was now crestfallen with sudden sadness; her brows knitted together and her eyes stared into her teacup with growing tears. “The oldest Prince is dead.” Her words slipped out at a near whisper through a constricted throat. “Murdered by an assassin right in the heart of the palace. It’s no mystery where the origins of the culprit lay. All in a successful plot to steal something of great importance. The message doesn’t say what the item was.” Natia clenched the paper in her paw, her voice shaking a little as she spoke.
Judys’ eyes went wide as she fixated on the paper that Natia gripped so desperately. It was beyond belief that an assassin would be able to breach Mystopolica. While Furosie had a system in place to detect hostile magic, it was all based on a system designed by Mystopolica. Furosie’s advances were child’s play in comparison.
“That...That’s devastating to hear.” Judy’s paws formed into fists at her side, and she bit the inside of her cheek to hold her anger in check. “They truly are getting bolder. To attack us is one thing, but to go after Mystopolica is a whole other thing entirely.”
“Their history with one another predates our country's founding. They have war stories that last far longer and far greater than ours.” The Queen looked to Judy, the shine of tears yet spilt in her eyes. “He was too young to leave this world, only nineteen. I’d only met him once in his younger years, but he was bright and curious. He didn’t deserve to die.” Her voice did crack and tears fell from her eyes, wetting the backs of her paws gripped in her lap. “His parents, to lose a child…”
Judy sat, listening as Natia spoke freely, not knowing what to say when it came to these sensitive matters. She reached forward, resting her paw on top of the Queen’s own. The small touch allowed Natia to release her grip on the paper. Natia looked up, being met by Judy’s small smile allowed her to stifle her tears, nodding at the welcomed comfort of her friend's touch.
“Thank you.” She softly wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. “I must ask you to keep this information between us.”
“Of course.”
“The way we’ve learned of it is dishonest to begin with, and I don’t wish to cause the King and Queen any more sadness. I’m sure it will only be a matter of time before they reach out to us.”
“Just as we have spies, they have theirs. No mammal is without dirt. I’m sure they already know of this night’s occurrences as well. Mystoplica may be your ally, but they still have their secrets.”
“That is no doubt true.” There was a resilience within her, knowing what must be done, while saddened by the knowledge that it must be this way.
“I wish we knew what it was that they stole from them. To be so valuable that the Prince would be put to the assassin’s dagger for its retrieval.” Judy chewed some more on her lip, rattling her brain to connect the incidents together with some hidden clue.
“Mystopolica’s enchanted items are second to none. Many are made with great measures to their secrecy. Whatever it was, I’m sure it will be used against all of us with malicious intentions. Their scheming is becoming more and more worrisome. We need to find out what it is, and soon. I fear what may come next. King Darimus, I wish I knew more about him.” Natia paused here, allowing her head to crane back, looking up at the rounded ceiling with it’s glowing gold crystal. “Nick Wilde seems to have appeared just as things are starting to take place.”
Judy didn’t answer right away, her words seemed to be lost for a moment. She knew, as well as all of the Blessed Knights, that these days of peace were coming to an end. They had to be prepared, but for what still remained to be unseen.
“Do you think he’ll be ready?” Natia’s voice sounded hopeful.
“If he makes it through the night, then he’ll have a long way to go before he’s ready for anything. For all that power he holds he has not a clue how to use it. Only training will tell how useful he will actually be.” She rolled her eyes a bit, his magic was stupid impressive, but the mammal in control of it hadn’t done much to give her reason for pause. “First off, we have to get him to agree to stay.” She pursed her muzzle, shrugging a bit at Natia. It caused her Queen to chuckle lightly.
“True, I can only hope we can convince him, and when we do, I’ll be leaving him in your care.”
“What!?” Judy balked at the statement, her eyes fixating on Natia as she blurted the question in return. “What do you mean, Natia? I-”
“Blessed Knight Captain, Judith Hopps, from this day forward, Nicholas Wilde will be under your guidance and protection. He shall live in the Blessed Knight’s quarters, take his meals with you, train under your guidance, and he shall henceforth be your responsibility.” She said it all with a mischievous smile, in spite of Judy’s shocked disbelief, with the most regal and Queenly tone.
“Y-your Majesty, you can’t be serious?” Judy’s face lost all composure as she stared wide-eyed at her Queen. “I don’t have time to babysit a thief who could only be bothered to wait a whole week before committing another crime. I beg of you, please, reconsider.” Judy was leaning forward in her chair, nearly tilting out of it, her paws held up in defense.
“My mind is made up. Consider this a lesser punishment for going behind my back and sending spies to keep tabs on him.” At this Judy had to shut her mouth in surprise, unable to refute it.
“Let me guess, Spy Master Bianca?”
“Who else?” Natia smirked, raising her eyebrows at her in that cocky, ‘I’ve known the whole time’ manner.
“I should have guessed she would be the one to tell.”
“She likes you, but her loyalty is to me. Be careful next time you disobey my orders to chase after your obsession.”
“Ob-obsession!?” Judy’s cheeks colored red and Natia left out a gentle laugh.
~~~
The healer’s hall was silent, save for the tiny trickles of water that filled it every time Gazelle rung out her rag in the water basin. Nick lay bare on the table before her as she patiently worked to clean his wounds, gently washing out the dirt and dried blood. The whites of his fur were tainted a slight pinkish hue, thanks to the blood that had seeped through.
Mitsy was still working tirelessly on Nick’s feet. She had managed to remove all the shards of glass and had applied a healing salve on them. Now she was wrapping them in gauze and bandages. Nick’s body was too weak to be healed in a rush, it would take too much of a toll on him. Instead they applied salves to his wounds, stitched up the larger ones on his back, arms, and thigh, then time would do its work. The salve allowed him to heal faster than normal, but wouldn't put too much of a strain on his body. His physical wounds weren’t life threatening, all would mend given time and rest.
The real danger was what was still wounding him, even now, from the inside. While Gazelle and Mitsy treated him, wrapped him, poured small sips of water onto his parched tongue; Yennien took on the task of his tattered magic channels. It was an undertaking that required him to remain still, eyes locked open and glowing soft green. His hooves stayed hovering just over Nick, casting his magic down into him.
He was soothing the channels slowly, bit by bit, repairing them. His magic had a slight numbing effect. It was a constant fight as well to keep Nick’s magic from building up too much. Yennien was able to siphon it off, absorbing it, making it his own, and then returning it in the form of his own healing. In this manner, a bit of a flow was created as Nick’s own magic was cycled back into him in a more positive way. Still, there was a constant building of pressure that never was never ending. Every time Yennien stopped for a break the magic started to build up again. While his body housed his own birth given magic, every mage also had the ability to absorb magic from the natural flow of magic inside the natural world. All living things like animals, plants, water, even the very earth beneath them had magic. Mages could tap into those always flowing channels. So, along with his own magic, he was also grasping at every other channel near him. It was endless. Yennien and Gazelle were not at risk of being tapped into, being aligned; they did not freely radiate it as plants and other creatures did.
A steady stream of sweat ran down near Yennien’s eye, the strain of it was starting to weigh on him. The glow faded from his eyes as he allowed his hooves to fall down to his hips.
“Ughhh…” He cracked his back, a horrible sound that resembled breaking bones. “Getting old.” He reached for a cup of water by the table side and gulped it till it was empty. “The heat in there was like stepping into an oven.” He fanned out his tunic, trying to cool himself. Mitsy was just finishing his feet and took this moment to excuse herself to make more salve for his arms.
“He’s fever’s broken a little, that’s a good sign.”
“It’s something.” He set the cup down and pulled up a chair behind him to sit. “This’ll take several hours, even then I’ll have to stay near by to siphon off magic from time to time. Once you’re done you should get some sleep. He ain’t going anywhere anytime soon.”
“I’d like to stay.” Gazelle replied, continuing her work as she spoke, reaching for the tray, readying herself to start on the stitches.
“Why’s that?” Yennien inquired, raising a brow at her.
“What?” Gazelle looked up, her hoof hesitating over the tray.
“Why stay? It’s not like he’s a friend. He’s a thief, and a criminal at that. If the roles were reversed he’d likely see you, me, any of us, dead. Sure, his magic is something else, but I’m not convinced he’s here to do any of us any good.” He’d spent the last few days hearing Arisa cackle on and on about her vision. Heard the nobles gossiping about the sight they had been ‘blessed’ to witness. All of it made his temper flare. He wasn’t one for believing in prophecies, fate, dystiny or any of the crap. He stayed firmly in the here and now; which consisted of a half dead fox with stupid amounts of power. He admired the legends of Saphielle like any other young mage whelp fresh from history class. Still, that had been her, and this fox in front of him was not her.
Gazelle’s surprised expression faded into a genuine smile at his words. Another thing for Yennien to raise a brow at.
“It’s not something easy to explain, it’s just something I feel in my heart. Even now, his magic feels warm and kind to me. We mammals do not choose the lives we are born into. The life given to us is often all we will ever know. He did what he had to do to survive, but that does not mean his heart is evil. I believe him to be a good mammal, we just have to give him the opportunity to show us.” Her hoof reached towards Nick’s chest, brushing over the purple stone nestled there.
“You should’ve been born a healer, you have the heart for it.” Unlike him, she actually truly loved and cared for every-mammal around her. He envied her that, her heart and kindness, sometimes he felt he was better suited for, well...other things.
“I do wish I was better at healing magic, I’ve studied so hard to be better.”
“You're better than most battle mages at it, I’ll admit that much.” He gulped down another cup of water, but eyed the way she still caressed the necklace. “Why do you keep touching that?” He motioned his cup at Nick.
“Oh, sorry, forgive me. It’s just so amazing. To think something so personal of Saphielle’s has survived all these years. In Ember of all places.”
“Ember?” Yennien’s brows knitted together at the name, nearly choking on the water in his mouth.
“You’ve heard of it? Most mammals never have, it’s not on any maps.” As said before, no mammal outside the royal family and Blessed Knights were told of it. That Yennien was familiar with it surprised her.
“I have, are you saying this fox is from there? Ember?” He sat his cup down, leaning forward in his chair.
“Yes, the only survivor, it’s so sad.” She pulled her hoof away from Nick, placing her tools to the side. She looked down at her hooves, they were bloody, too slippery to hold a needle. “I’ll only be a moment, excuse me.” With that she headed off and Yennien didn’t care to ask where.
He sat now, staring at Nick for a long time, with a hard stare of skepticism. Nick’s body was damp from water and his fur clumping together as he breathed. He looked a mess, half dead, mouth hung open and gums white from blood loss. The tiny necklace he hadn’t cared to notice before now held all his attention.
‘It’s purple...like her’s....’ Yennien rubbed his hooves over his knees, wiping the sweat off them before he nervously leaned forward. With shaking hooves he reached for the necklace, hesitating many times, not wanting to confirm it, but at the same time he needed to know. He lifted the necklace, turning it to face the light, his hooves shaking. The sight of the engraving caused his eyes to widen, but a small smile curled at the corner of his mouth. Laughing a bit he shook his head and brought his hoof over his face to hide his rising emotions.
“Well, would you look at that. Tut-tut, what a sight indeed.” He laid the necklace back down, just a few tears crested at the corners of his eyes. Gently he laid his hoof over the necklace and patted it gently. “Ok fox, I think I'm starting to believe.”
Notes:
Did you guys like it? ;) Can anyone name the movie that I pulled Arthur from? I'm thinking of doing a few small Zootopia shorts, maybe for this story or something new. What would you guys think about that?
Chapter 9: Wolf at the Door
Summary:
As promised, here is chapter eight! A little early, but I was too excited to wait! I hope you enjoy it and it was worth the wait. <3 Thank you all for being so patient!
Don’t forget to go check out the new art in chapter one. <3
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
A Mage’s Heart
Chapter eight: Wolf at the Door
Time: Five Hours since Judy’s encounter with the badger
The long night bled into the awakening of an early morning sun. Creeping it’s light in through the tall glass windows just as Judy was exiting the Queen’s chambers. Having had no sleep, or one quiet moment to rest her eyes, the sun’s heat on her fur felt like an unwelcome intruder. The conversation had lasted much longer than either of them intended. What had started in the wee hours of dawn had ended with the tolling of the second breakfast bells. Now the Palace was awake and in full swing. Servants bustling about preparing for the day. For Judy though from here on it would just be a continuation from the night’s events.
Her eyes were heavy now, the strain of a long night catching up to wobbly legs, and she had to roll her shoulders to gain back some feeling after sitting for so long. A deep growl rumbled in her stomach that made her contemplate ducking into the kitchen for a quick nibble of something that wasn’t tea. She had to shake off that temptation hard, as there would be no rest for her, just as she knew that Gazelle was still with Yennien, and that Bogo was waiting for her down below with the prisoner. None of them would be resting until what needed to be done was done.
Far below the castle grounds, deep into the earth, was a prison, built especially for Dostringar captives. It was separated from the standard civilian jail, where Nick had been held, and only certain guards were allowed in specific areas. Judy had to take the paths like she was going towards the Blessed Knight quarters, then go beyond that, marching down a dirt patch away from the training yards and towards another tall stone tower. This place wasn’t visited often, thus it being so far out of the way wasn’t too much of an imposition. It was better to have such evils kept away from the Palace.
The two guards posted at the entrance said not a single word as she unlocked the door and locked it again behind her. Inside was a large open round room, a single torch set on the wall directly across from her. Beside it was another locked door that led to a spiral staircase that dove down into the darkness. The descent was empty of anything other than stone walls. The air grew chilly long before a mammal came into contact with anything other than shadows. Doors began to appear, behind them hallways that lead to cells. These high levels were mostly used for holding spies, mammals deemed to be less dangerous than what was kept down below. This is where Nick would have been sent if he had been discovered to be working for Fangmar.
She kept moving, turning, her torchlight flickering, casting shadows along the wall. Spiraling down further until finally the floor felt like ice below her feet. Here is where she stopped. Once she reached the last step, it opened up into a small room with a large iron door. As she drew close, the magical energy trapped behind it felt like a pressure against her body. This room was specially designed to hold enemy mages. Here their magic would be useless against the spells set in the room to nullify dark and corrupted power. It was the perfect place to interrogate Dostringar mages.
As she slid the key into the lock the putrid stench of rotting flesh hit her nose worse than it had in the woods. Now the smell made her stomach wretch; she was grateful she had wisely chosen to forgo food.
“Captain.” Bogo greeted her before she even had a chance to lock the door behind her.
“Lieutenant.” Nodding to him she took note that he looked just as exhausted as she felt. “What is that awful smell?”
“Death.” Arisa emerged from behind Bogo with one of her ‘all knowing’ smiles etched across her face. Being the resident expert in Dostringar magic she always took part in the initial questioning of one of their mages.
Bogo rolled his eyes at Arisa. “How's the fox?” His question didn’t come from a place of concern, rather curiosity.
“He looks like shit, but he’ll live.”
“I could have told you that.” They both looked to Arisa, who was snickering to herself, and decided it was best to let that one go.
This room was larger than most, a perfect circle and carved into the floor were thick black lines that formed a magical glyph. Within this circle no corrupted magic could be used, all spells were broken, and no evil could enter. In the center of the circle was the badger, held in a kneeling position, arms chained to the floor. They had been stripped bare down to only their fur. Bogo and Arisa were standing by the entryway, a table beside them held the contents of Nick’s bag scattered about.
“Find anything in there?” Judy nodded to the bag as she scanned over what appeared to be a ledger book, gems, lock picking tools. She still found it hard to believe Nick had been so stupid as to go back to thieving, at least so soon.
“Nothing that relates to this.” Bogo gestured to the mage. “Figured I’d let you check it yourself before handing it over to the city guard, that Mr. Rutherford has been making a lot of ruckus for this.” He picked up the ledger and handed it to her.
“I see.” Flipping through it quickly she deemed it unimportant of her time. “Hand it over to the city guard, I don’t have time to deal with petty theft.” She tossed it back onto the table as she turned on her heel to give all her attention to her one paramount concern.
The badger sat unmoving in the center of the room, pathetically limp in their status. Now that they were bare Judy could tell that they were female, not that that made a difference. They were also, as Arisa said, dying. Their body was starting to decay, and rapidly by the look of it. Bone was starting to show through large gaps of skin that were falling away, exposing teeth and ribs. Surprisingly though...a lack of blood, just a small puddle gathered around them, but not enough to fill a whole adult body.
Coming closer to get a better look Judy saw something she was already familiar with when dealing with Dostringar mages. A large seal branded into the badger’s chest. All mages who lived in Dostringar, whether they served the royal family or not, were branded with this seal. Arisa surmised that it was a way to control them, to what extent they didn’t know, but it definitely kept them from using their powers. No ruler since Saphielle’s deception trusted a mage to have freewill.
Something new was here though and Judy’s brow furrowed as she stared at it. A large red rock, shining a brilliant crimson color, embedded in the center of the seal. She’d never seen this before and it made her nervous to see it glimmer in the firelight as it did. It carried an ominous presence, as though it was alive. Between it and the rotting badger, Judy wasn’t feeling too confident about where this interrogation was headed.
“Did she die on the way here?” Slowly walking around the badger she was able to fully see the extent of the decomposition. It was as if the badger was falling apart right before their very eyes. There had been no fatal blows dealt during their fight. It was not uncommon for Fangmar’s spies to commit suicide, but that didn’t seem to be the case here.
“No, they started to expire after I got them into this room. I called Arisa as quickly as possible. She, ugh, has an interesting theory.” Bogo’s voice trailed off, leaving Judy curious. Given the evidence she had an idea what her theory would be, and she didn’t like it.
“Is that so, do you know what this is?” Judy looked up at her from the center of the room, ears rotating about in anticipation. There was a moment of silence as Arisa took a few steps closer to the badger, Judy could just see the slight smile that formed on Arisa’s face. She liked making them sit on the edge of their seats as she took her time. With her hood drawn down so low Judy couldn’t see her very well, but it looked like she was choking back a chuckle as her teeth were bared just a little. Ahh, no, this was excitement.
“Of course, it’s necromancy.” That raspy voice of her’s sounded more amused than Judy would have liked.
“I was worried you would say that.” She let out a long exhausted sigh, closing her eyes and shaking her head. “Not something you see very often these days.” Nor did she have time to deal with such a nuisance magic.
“I imagine it’s more commonplace there, where she is from.” Arisa rolled her head to the side, staring at the rotting body before them. “But to see a puppet so far from it’s master...it’s a powerful spell as far as necromancy is concerned.” Arisa came closer to the badger, not hesitating to lean down and run a digit over the seal on their chest. “This is what you are used to seeing, correct? Fangmar’s seal. From what we know, with this they can control what a mage does. For they fear a mage’s will, their hearts, their desires, this seal makes them no more than a tool. House Fangmar still clings to the old stories of Saphielle, her betrayal, they dare not repeat that mistake. Rounding up every mage in their country to be slaves in their rotted castle.” Arisa paused for a moment, a silence that Judy noticed but didn’t interrupt, before she continued. “This though,” She palmed the red crystal embedded there. “This is new.”
“Yes, it is, now what can you tell me about it?” Judy tapped her foot in impatience and just a bit of discomfort. The way Arisa talked about House Fangmar always made her wonder just how much the seer actually knew. She did her best to ignore it, as she always did, questioning that knowledge had never ended in a straight answer.
“Just that inside this stone is a piece of a mammal’s soul. The soul of the master that is controlling this poor creature.” There came that ever chilling entertained laugh, she gripped the badger’s head, forcing them to look up at her. “Pitiful.”
“A piece of their soul?” Bogo spoke up, sounding perplexed, and just a little disgusted.
“Just a sliver, nothing harmful. The soul is very versatile, it can be used for all kinds of fun things.” She smirked at Bogo over her shoulder. “Tiny pieces worked into spells such as this can be very useful.” It was such knowledge as this that made so many of the mammals that lived in the Palace nervous, but they dare not question how she knew such things.
“I’ve never encountered necromancy before, but I never thought it would look like this. A corpse is just a corpse, but this one? This badger was able to move, think, talk, other than the smell I had no idea they were already dead; and even in the woods it was not as pungent as it is now. Not to mention she used her magic against me.” Judy watched as fur and skin oozed off the badgers arm and slopped to the ground.
“It’s impressive indeed. I myself have never encountered necromancy as powerful as this, usually they are mindless rotted bodies, creatures to be disposed of.” Arisa tilted the badgers head far back, revealing a large cut across her throat. “This is potent, they wanted her to be convincing, she had a very specific task.”
“So then, what is before us now? If not a mindless animal, then what was she?”
“A walking husk. She moves, speaks, her magic, even her personality may be the same as before, but dead never the less. Everything is but a mere echo of who she used to be. Usually they cannot go too incredibly far from their master, their source, whoever it was they are bound to. I suspect this soul stone made it possible for her to make it all the way here. Then magic was fed through so that she was able to stay intact for as long as it took for her to fulfil her mission. If she is the one who purchased our fine foxes skills then she has been in this city for well over a month. Not to mention however long it took to get her here.”
“And yet, she’s just now starting to smell and decay? Getting here alone would have been a toll on her body.” Again, Bogo sounded surprised.
“With her master sustaining her with a constant flow of magic, who's to say she couldn’t have gone on for years.The magic fueling her is very strong for her to have made it this long. When she entered this room the necromancy magic was broken. This body is useless to you.” Arisa pulled a bit of flesh off the badgers face and rolled it between her digits.
“And the soul stone?” Judy did her best to ignore the sight of it.
“Well, there are you in luck. Through that stone the puppet master was able to see and hear everything. All the while their body is kept at a safe distance.”
“That master, does it have to be a mage?” Judy had circled around the badger several times as they spoke, and now came to a standing rest in front of her, staring into the stone.
“No, a mage had to be the one to make the connection, but the animal she was bound to could have been anyone.”
“Is the connection still there?”
“You mean, can they hear us right now?” At this question Arisa looked at Judy, her grin spreading, loving the intensity she saw on Judys face. It made her shiver.
“Yes.” Judy didn’t look at her.
“Probably, the stone is intact, and it’s still warm and trembling, like a heartbeat.”
“Good.”
“Yes, yes it is.”
“I’d like you both to leave me alone with the prisoner. Go, get some rest.”
“You heard what she said, you won’t be able to get anything out of them.” Bogo came to her side, his face turning, twinging at the sight of the badger’s body.
“Not them, but I’m damn sure I can get something out of whoever’s on the other side.”
~~~
The cold air around them was still, hushed, not a breath of movement in it to be felt. Breathing it in made the back of Judy’s throat dry with it’s icy sting, and she had to gulp to keep from coughing. The company of the dead and dying badger brought on no sound of its own beyond the occasional plop of falling flesh. She was forced to sit there and watch the slow flow of blood that pooled out of their quickly decomposing body. By some miracle the body was still slightly upright on their knees, head hung low, almost touching their own chest with their chin. All the while the red stone set into the blacked flesh seemed to glitter with a life of its own. The ruby shine of it almost had begun to glow, and that glow had not gone unnoticed.
Judy sat with the chair facing backward, her arms resting across the top of it, steadying herself to be as still as the air. How long had she been sitting here staring till her eyes watered? Watching for any signs that there was someone else present other than the dead and herself. Not that she had any doubts there was. Not one moment had passed that she did not feel another’s eyes on her. She knew, and whoever they were, they knew; all that was needed was for one of them to make the first move.
With all this time Judy had been thinking hard about who it could be on the other side of all of this. If the master didn’t have to be a mage themselves then it could be any mammal. A spy, someone to watch, and feed the King information. What all had they seen since entering the castle? What all did they know, and therefore King Darimus knew? How had they let such an intruder slip past them? The endless hole of ‘what ifs’ filled her thoughts as she did her best to not give them too much life.
After a thousand years Furosie still had little information about Dostringar’s going ons. Despite sending spies very few ever returned; and those that did remained changed by what they were forced to bear witness to. They reported horrors beyond what words were capable of describing, heinous acts against nature, pure unbridled viciousness. Beyond that the rest was filled in with speculation, tales passed down, and what old scrolls told. As to what state their country was in today, there were no solid facts other than current rulers. Furosie’s inner circles had no information on who Darimus held close, who his trusted were, nothing. It was reported he had one son who was to be his heir. It was to be presumed this son would come to be just as cruel and wicked as his father. All who ruled Dostringar did so with blood and death. So it was not a particularly difficult task to imagine what kind of mammal he was. The wolves of Dostringar, especially those born of the Fangmar line, were vessels of evil. No good could come of them, not when they thrived beneath the tree of corruption and became willing hosts for it’s cursed nature.
She felt a small twinge of guilt for that way of thinking. It was this very way of thinking, coupled with the long standing history of animosity towards wolves, that left the town of Ember to rot. All those predators had suffered from the past wrongs of their ancestors. It was for that reason that wolves, though there were no laws that kept them out, were never greeted with kindness in Furosie. One could live their entire lives in Furosie and never encounter a wolf. The resentment spread to other canine species as well, but Judy had never really taken notice of it till now; it was amazing how one could be so willingly blind.
Another large chunk of decay dropped from the badgers body, hitting the floor with a heavy plop. Rotted black organs had begun to bottom out, causing the stomach to bulge before breaking the flesh, to spill in a puddle about the corpse. The badger’s intestines fell in a tangle across the floor, followed by the liver, lungs, and all manner of bowel contents which landed in a nauseating heap atop of this. All that remained within, dangling and framed almost prettily by tarred bloody ribs was its charred heart, hung like an ornament by the shriveled threads of its arteries. The putrid odor that followed contaminated the air with a stench so thick she could taste it on her tongue as she breathed. Judy wrinkled her nose at it all, unable to control the instinctual habit of a rabbit, turning her nose in quick circles.
As time went on a heaviness began to settle over her eyes once more. Her years of training had prepared her for long days without sleep, but that never stopped the struggle once it came. She prayed for the second, no third, wind that she knew would come. Judy allowed herself one deep blink, shutting her eyes with a slow breath. Once opened again she felt her throat hitch and her stomach flutter as her eyes caught the shift of a shadow within the stone. Her whole body stiffened as she stared at it, forcing her pupils to tense to keep from blinking. She dared not shut them again. Her spine was taught as her nails dug into the hard wood of the chair.
‘Move again dammit!’
Strained purple eyes fixated on the slight flickering shifts of shadows, set deep into the ruby crystal….the glint of eyes reflected back at her there. Some-mammal was indeed watching, she shivered again in a small manner of excitement. Forcing herself to take a large breath, in through her nose and out through pressed lips, allowing her to clear her mind of all anticipation.
“I can see you.” Whispered words, but they rang out clear like a bell amongst the stillness. She knew they would be heard. Were being heard. She was gladdened to have a break in the lull. “You’re watching me, as I’ve been watching you. It’s time we put an end to this silence. Or are you too afraid to face me? For all that I’ve done to stop you, your plans have amounted to very little. That body is currently rotting away into nothing, it will be burned, and then you will have gained nothing but ash from it.”
Squelch….Plop!
A lump of flesh peeled away from the body, falling to the ground with a wet splattering sound. She wasn’t sure what she had expected to happen next, but the same dull muted decay wasn’t it. She tried not to let her disappointment show as she let out a slow breath. She saw the tinge of a swirled shadow move again in the stone, but nothing else. Being heard was never the question, but she hadn’t thought she would be so obviously ignored. The light chuckle that left her lips hit the walls like a wind chime, then a smirk came to her.
“Coward it is then.”
Without warning the body suddenly cracked and shuddered; startling Judy herself into going rigid as she watched. Joints started to pop one after the other, sending splinters of bone scattering across the floor. Flesh began to slosh off in heavy masses as the badger trembled and writhed against the chains. The heavy iron was whipping back and forth across the floor. Their entire body twisted into tight muscle ripping turns that made Judy cringe where she sat gripping her chair. Nothing about them looked like a mammal anymore, no resemblance to the living, just a demon. Which seemed even more likely as they let out a chilling cry from the depths of their black heart.
Once half the badger's body was laid out across the floor in shreds, every bone broken, every muscle ripped, Judy was no longer sure what was keeping them upright except for the magic. They had stopped thrashing, back straight, eerily calm. The badger's now mostly skeletal head rolled around brokenly. One eye socket was hollow, the other had one red eye hanging from it. This made for a rather chilling sight.
There was silence once more, as if doing that much had taken up whatever energy they had left. So instead they just stared at one another, as if waiting for the other to speak. All the while that skeleton head looked as though it was smiling. A sharp movement of the broken jaw caught her immediate attention. The skeletal mouth moved in a circular motion, it was like the loosening up of a muscle, as though the body had grown stiff. Then it moved sharply from side to side before snapping open widely, to let out a howling laugh that shook their whole body. The sound was like that of a deep throaty chuckle. One that gradually grew louder as the badger leered at her.
“Yyoooouuu…” That first sound, that first word, it was as cold as ice and prickled Judy’s ears. It was a completely different tone than one in the woods. This was one deeper, resounding, echoing off of the very bones that protruded through it’s flesh. In truth it unrested her, just a little, just enough that Judy felt her paw twitch to summon her sword. “...have assumed so much for one that knows NOTHING at all.”
“And yet you speak, provoked by my words. I promise I know far from nothing.” Far from it, too much had happened this last few months. Nick being used as a pawn for the heart stone, spying, an heir of Saphielle’s magic returned to the world. Not to mention the withdrawal of demons on the border. The death of the Prince of Mystopolica. It all was leading up to something, she just didn’t know what. War came to mind, revenge, but why now? She hoped she could pry something useful from this creature that now lay before her.
“I speak only so that you know you have been heard, little rabbit. Your confidence far exceeds your ability to perceive what is right in front of your nose. We’ve been watching you, therefore we know you are no threat to us.” The words clawed through the air with ragged force, as though speaking was a struggle. Yet, the leer that she could see there made it obvious this was a delight.
‘We...us...could there be more than one mammal present?’ Arisa had said there was a possibility that the one controlling the badger had not been the same one to cast the actual magic on it. For all she knew she could be speaking to multiple mammals.
“You say you’ve been watching, so then you have seen me blocking you at every turn. Stealing the stone, trying to capture Wilde, you’ve done nothing but fail at my paws.” She didn’t ignore that the badger could have been up to more than these things, something she missed. After all the time they had gone unnoticed, but she prayed she was wrong.
“Nooo.” The voice creaked, almost amused, despite there being nothing but teeth left she could see them smirking at her.
“Yes.” Judy hissed back, narrowing her eyes into purple shards of glass, but all the voice did in response was laugh. Throwing their head back, the decaying corpse let out another throaty chuckle, causing the body to shake with clattering bones. This was not the first time she had to interrogate a spy of Dostringar. Though usually they weren’t this arrogant. More often they were violent, almost more like stupid beasts with only baser instincts. Perhaps it was because they were in the safety of the castle, they had no care for this body and were able to speak more freely.
“Oh my little rabbit, how the light has blinded you, crippled you, bathed you in false hope. So much so that you are unable to see what is yet to come. How it’s being built right in front of you, right now.” Their voice, while still ragged and harsh, almost sounded sweet now. It was to mock her. She would not easily be played by their words, but it did make her wonder.
“Enlighten me?”
“Not now, but in time.”
“I gather I won’t have much time left to wait. Our borders are quiet for the first time in years.” If only she could get this thing to let spill some sliver of knowledge. She knew her words would have to be chosen carefully, but her impatience, along with general tiredness, was making her feel rash.
“Soon, it’s all coming to an end very soon.” They let their head fall to the other side, the eye dangled from the one socket swinging.
“I look forward to an end to all this, but it won’t be the outcome you desire. You tried to steal Saphielle’s heart stone. Why, after all these years, knowing the seal cannot be broken except by one of her choosing. So then, I can only assume there was a plan in place to break the seal. That would take powerful magic, which I now know you have, along with her magic…ahhh! That would have been a massive amount of power at your King’s disposal! Too bad it will remain sealed away, far from your vile grasp.” She chose not to reveal what she had heard in the woods, how Nick had become their new objective.
“Why does your Queen still cling to it, that stone, that bitch!” Anger, no, rage, began to spread throughout their voice, and quickly. All at the very mention of Saphielle’s name. The knowledge that this subject was a point of sore hate for this mammal before her was an advantage. Something she could use to spur them into letting something slip while they were so heated.
“Why does your King fear it? Why does Saphielle still inflame you so? We sing her praises because she was our savior!” Judy could no longer hide her pride and gladly let her smile spread from ear to ear.
“SAPHIELLE WAS A TRAITOR!!!” The thrash of iron resounded off the walls as the skeleton mage jerked violently against them.
“To your rulers yes! To us a symbol of true hope and grace! Of strength and love! She lives on in our hearts and in MY soul, and I will fight till my last breath to keep her heart stone safe. To keep her safe.” Judy found that her heart had started to race fast, a light flush on her cheeks from the passion speaking of Saphielle sparked.
“Your life…” Their body was now slumped forward, arms spread out by the chains as they leaned forward, and their breathy words sounded haggard. “I promise you, some day you will give it. Tis a shame you give it for such a vile cunt as that witch. You say she saved you? Nah, she trapped your lot against the ocean like rats on a sinking ship. Knowing that someday we would come to pluck you off. Eat you.” Eat, that was said with a hunger that Judy felt on the back of her neck. “She betrayed you as well by giving you stolen lands and stolen magic. All for what? These last thousand years have been nothing but a waiting game. You will give back what was taken.”
“You make it sound so easy. If you think we are so weak as to just roll over and die you are sorely mistaken. Furosie was born from the dream to live in a safe land, of just and peace. To break free from malicious rule! We Blessed Knights--”
“Aahhhh-haahaahaa!” They had cut Judy off, thrown their head back in boisterous laughter. It was alarming how clear and thrilled it sounded, how amused they were by her words. Their emotions seemed to change like the wind. It gave Judy whiplash to try and keep up.
“Yeeeesss, there it is! The arrogance of Blessed Knights, how I’ve heard so much about it! To see it for myself. You truly foolish creatures! Guided by trickery and deceit. Born of a tree stolen by a usurper to cast a light so bright it made you fall stupid.” Chains slid across the floor as they spoke, as they shuffled forward as far as they could on their broken knees. Its body leaned forward, stretching its head out far, arms pulled back taut behind them, bringing themselves as close to Judy as they could.
“I look forward to the day I taste you, little rabbit, little Blessed Knight.”
Taste, it was something Judy didn’t like to think about. How the reports were written, always they came back with the same knowledge. That the wolves of House Fangmar feasted on rabbits like livestock. Which meant the mammal she was speaking with was indeed a wolf.
“Our citizens have grown strong, our tree is healthy, and we Blessed Knights thrive under salt air and on ocean grass. All the while your rulers planted themselves on the top of a crumbling mountain and cursed the name Saphielle like a nightmare. You have allowed corruption into your hearts and turned your back on the mammals who no longer look to you as kings and queens. Instead they see death and cruelty. You thrive on fear, but you will find none here.”
They stared at one another for what seemed like hours. There were no shifts of shadow in the stone. All the while Judy kept her heart steady and her breathing calm, waiting for the other to speak. Face to face like this, if there were breath in this body she would have felt it on her lips. She watched that one dead eye hanging still from the socket. Searched their skeleton face for some hint of emotion.
“I suppose..” The body shifted, sitting back on their haunches. “...from your point of view we must look like monsters.” They seemed to have regained their composure, a small loss, but knowing it was a wolf narrowed down that it had to be part of the royal family. There had never been any reports of a wolf having magic. So they indeed were working through a mage.
“More or less.”
“Mammals often fear what they fear becoming. Predators and prey, good and evil, evolution and instincts. Mammals try to run away from their nature. Here, we let our inner beasts thrive. Therefore, you fear us.”
“We’ve evolved away from those savage ways that you wolves seem so intent on bringing back. Allowing yourselves to be corrupted by your magic tree.”
“It’s nature, not magic, not corruption, it’s life itself to live the way I do. You are the abnormal ones. Maybe not you prey, but the way your predators trot about, living along prey as equals. You keep them in check, but really they are all hungry to sink their teeth in.”
“It’s called peace.”
“Was Ember in the name of your Queen’s peace?” It shouldn’t have surprised her as much as it did that the mammal knew of Ember. Nick had said as much that Ember had not been spared from the raids, the demons being wiped out because of it.
“If you knew of Ember, a village full of predators, then why destroy it? Why not save them?” Judy felt this was all leading up to something, but the wolf’s hesitation caused her to worry they might run. They waited a moment, no movement, the silence eating away at her nerves.
“They had something I wanted and refused to give it up.” She took a shallow breath to steal her anticipation.
“What did they have?” The skeleton face of the badger looked up at the ceiling, teasing Judy with their drawn out pondering.
“A fox kit.”
She was not prepared for that. Her mind flew in several different directions all at once. Trying to rationalize what that meant. That King Diaramus had known about Nick since he was a babe. Had tried to steal him all those years ago and that was why Ember was laid to ashes. For how long, for how they knew, it made little sense to her, but this was something. Just knowing that Nick had been their goal all along was something she could work with.
“Nick Wilde has been your goal all this time.”
“He is of little interest to me, just a vessel for something far greater, I thank you for opening him up for me.” Again, that smirk, but Judy didn’t register how confident they looked as her mind continued to race.
‘Me…this has to be some-mammal of importance.’
“I can feel him you know.”
“What?” Her head snapped up straighter, eyes widening. “Impossible.”
“Nah, not for me. I can taste his magic on my tongue as we speak. How delicious he tastes. It makes me tremble. That day in the throne room, when he opened up for the first time, I felt more pleasure than I had in years.” Their skeleton paws reached up to touch their face, running down their neck, trembling in an unseen delight. Judy did not like the feeling she was getting from them. They sounded far too engrossed with themselves, too thrilled, she felt something tremendously ugly from them. They way they ran their hands over their boney frame and the way the red stone glowed.
“Impossible.” Judy hissed the word again, what he was implying had never been done before. She felt her paws shake uneasily.
“This is an impressive room you’ve built, and suppressed many mages within it. But I will not be so easily contained. You cannot keep him from me, this Nicholas Wilde, heir of Saphielle, he will be mine.”
“You’re not here, that body has no magic for you to use, and you WOLF, have no magic!” Judy stood, throwing the chair aside with such force it broke against the wall. Her glowing blue sword flashing through the air as she summoned it to life. “WHO ARE YOU!?” She poised her body, but found her eyes shaking as the wretched creature before her only leered it’s sharp teeth.
The badger’s body suddenly began to shake so violently it crumbled into ash before Judy’s very eyes. Loud booming laughter filled the room like a thousand drums playing at once. A quake started to build, vibrating the walls until the very stones were jumping in place. The only thing not moving was the red stone in the center, it was floating in mid air, glowing crimson with a heat that blinded her. From it Judy could sense the building up of great power. In all her years of interrogating mages in this room never had corrupted magic entered. Never, not once, and she would be damned if she was going to let it happen today. Sprinting forward Judy raised her sword to cleave the stone in two. Hoping that would be enough to stop the magic from breaking free.
The sound that came next would have made her heart stop had she not been so focused on her task. It was the boom of splitting stone, followed by the entire room giving a powerful shudder, resulting in a large crack split across the floor. It broke the glyph and in turn the spell holding the accursed magic back. Judy was immediately thrown backwards by the force of the erupting magic. Everything in the room shattered, the table, chairs, and the lamp, all flung against the walls in splinters. This left the room in total darkness, the only source of light being Judy’s sword and the red glowing stone.
She managed to stay on her feet, but her back was pressed against the wall as the black clouds of corrupted magic churned through the air with frightful ferocity. It was hard to see anything except for the shadows that were darker than black. Fear did not often live in her, but it was here now and she felt very afraid. This did not have the same gentle warmth Nick’s had. This magic felt sick, icy, it bit at her skin like the sharp sting of winter. The smell of death and rot clung to it like flies on a corpse. Only this wasn’t a body, it was magic sprung from the very tree that had sat at the heart of Dostringar. Never had she felt something so utterly malevolent. Everything about it sent terror running up her spine, an instinct she’d never felt before when dealing with their mages. Yet here she was, left in the dark with something she was not familiar, with a mammal that had no form to fight, and with no understanding of how it could be here. This was no mere mage, they were stronger, darker, not a puppet without free will. It was as if this was…
Fighting the force of the magic Judy held her head up and peered into the abyss. It whipped through the air with such savagery that Judy could hear it scraping like talons. She felt it against her cheeks as it moved around her, clawing at her. Moved through her fur like spiders and filled her ears with silent screams of ghosts who had lost their lives to Dostringar’s madness. She felt the prickle of teeth at her throat, and even without a physical body, the panic that grew in her was there. She tightened the grip on her sword.
“Who are you?” It was barely a whisper hissed, but there came the laughter again that she knew would follow, and the jaw at her throat tightened just a bit. She pressed her mouth shut to keep from screaming, breathing in quick broken air through her nose. That laugh slithered around her ears like snakes threatening to bite.
Watching the magic before her, it began to take on a shape. As she watched dread began to fill her heart. With only the gentle blue glow of her sword to guide her shaking eyes she began to see the outline of a gigantic wolf head. The red stone’s glow split into two halves to fill the space of the eyes; so now Judy was face to face with bloody eyes that sneered at her through the dark.
“You know my name, little rabbit.” There was the rush of wind as he moved his massive jaw to speak.
“How...Fangmar wolves have no magic.”
“It’s so much more than meeere MagiK!” He snapped the words, his great booming jaw biting at her with ice. Tiny bits of joyous noise threaded through the tone, it was the pleasure he took in saying it. Never had a wolf of Fangmar had magic, it wasn’t in their blood which is why they relied so much on mages, why there was a role of magic specifically for the Yalris family. Why Saphielle bore that necklace. It was…
“Impossible, this room, the seal!”
“Yet I am here.” The head tilted to the side, sending the shadows running across their phantom face. “Say my name.”
“...No.”
“Say it, Ammuse me.”
“No!” She screamed, gripping her sword so tight she felt her knuckles pop.
“SAY IT!” The wisps of magic bite at her throat again, coupled this time by the images of wolves tearing at her body, ripping off limbs, and the smell of blood in her nose. Judy let slip one tear before the words came jittering out of her mouth.
“Darimus...Fangmar....King of Dostringar.” She felt bile pool at the bottom of her throat for having said that name.
He didn’t respond, just continued to grin at her, pleased. This was him, the heinous King of Dostringar, with a list of evil too long to read. He was here and Judy was useless against him, unable to move by the force of his magic. Magic that should not exist in this world.
“How, answer me that, how can you have magic?”
“The tree saw fit to bestow it upon me for I am the strongest ruler Dostringar has ever seen, ever will see. I will take back my lands and I will see every last Furosian enslaved, every Blessed Knight’s head on a pike...and Queen Natia...” Her eyes betrayed her sudden anger and he chuckled at her. “I will have her head on a platter to decorate my dinner hall.”
Judy twisted her arm and swung her sword up as she screamed a senseless cry. It cut through nothing except air, but her blessed powers were enough that when she cut through the black magic the bits that her sword did touch sparked and faded from black to blue. It was something to know her blessed powers could purify this, whatever this was. She began cutting away at him, swinging her sword through the shadows, all the while he laughed in her ear and chatted the horrors of which he would inflict upon Furosie. The feel of teeth and claws still on her body, but she ignored them, her goal being the stone at his heart.
“And that fox, that Nicholas Wilde, I can feel him, little rabbit. His magic is ready to burst out of him, it’s reacting to my presence as I speak. How it hates me so! Yet…” Judy stopped cutting away at the pause in his sentence, then came his voice so clear and close to her ear she swore she felt his very breath upon her. “...his blood makes him mine and her heart makes him weak.”
“GET OUT!” Her voice was more like a wail than a scream, she whorled on him, cutting her blade threw his face. It was fruitless though. His spectral form melded back together just as his red eyes illuminated his shadowy form in a glow as hot as a brander.
“I WILL HAVE HIM, MAKE NO MISTAKE RABBIT! WHEN I TAKE HIM UNTO ME HIS MAGIC WILL BE MINE! I WILL RAIN BLOOD, FIRE, AND DEATH UPON THESE LANDS LIKE NONE THIS WORLD HAS EVER SEEN! YOU WILL SUFFER ALL THE SINS OF SAPHIELLE AND YOU WILL BEG FOR THE AFTERLIFE BEFORE MY THRONE!” His form grew larger as he spoke, his magic more fierce, and it forced Judy back against the wall once more. This time Judy saw the glint of teeth in his mouth and his eyes took on a more narrowed shape. She felt her fear, but also her resolve as she steadied her sword and her paws and raised it against him once more.
“It’ll never happen, until my last breath I will stop you.”
The head of King Darimus lunged forward with a bloodthirsty growl, jaws wide open as to swallow her whole. At the same time Judy sprung forward, straight into his mouth, down his hot throat, sword posed to strike. There was the clear sharp sound of metal piercing stone as her blade cut the crystal in two. Just as it had appeared the corrupted magic faded, leaving Judy with nothing but a chill in her veins and bite marks on her neck, warm blood pooling there.
The room was suddenly and unexpectedly very quiet. The stone laid in two before her on the ground and there were no signs of Darimus left to be found. The room had taken a harsh beating. Bits of rubble littered the floor, ragged cracks splintered across the stone. It would take some time to repair it, but figuring out how Darimus has been able to break through the spell in the first place would be the real work.
With shaking legs Judy fell to her knees, her sword which was once clutched tightly in her paw she let go to clatter to the ground, its glow framing her face. It was the only witness to bear the spring of tears that came to her eyes. They fell silently onto her blade as she wept out her frustration and the lingering fear he had planted within her. She would stay like that for the next several minutes, stealing herself to stand before she had to face anyone else, before she would have to explain what happened here. It wouldn’t be long before there would be pounding on the door, no doubt what happened here was felt by every magic user in the castle. In all honesty she wasn’t entirely sure what had happened herself.
“I’m so tired…” Exhaustion hit her and she prayed for an end to this long night, day, this seemingly never ending series of events.
Notes:
I really hope you guys enjoyed this! It was a really fun chapter to write and I am pretty proud of it. This was one of those scenes I was looking forward to and I think I got it pretty much how I envisioned. :) See you in two weeks!
Chapter 10: Fever
Summary:
Heads up for this chapter.
TW: Graphic descriptions of gore.
Enjoy!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
A Mage’s Heart
Chapter nine: Fever
Fire. The entire world was set ablaze. Nick could only watch as it burned.
Screaming. Nick woke to the soul wrenching sound of women and children screaming. It was all so sudden, like waking up from a dream by cold water. In this instant however the water was on fire and this was a nightmare. At first Nick wasn’t able to see a thing, though his eyes were wide open, everything before him was black. In his sightless state all he could hear were the high pitched wails forcing his heart to race as though it was about to burst from his chest. He could feel the heat of the flames licking at his skin, and hear the roar of it in his ears as it reached for him. He felt surrounded by it, forcing sweat to break out across his whole body, dry mouthed as he panted.
‘Where am I!?’ Frantically he scraped his claws across the hot earth beneath him, fighting to rise himself to his feet, all for the hope of fleeing. Once he was standing though the choir of screams was too much to bear and it froze him still. Nick clamped his paws over his ears to try and shut them out, but it was no use. All too abruptly the panic in the air grew, cutting through his mind like a knife. He swore he could feel their hot breaths on his face, nipping at his ears, clattering against his bones and driving him into a frenzy.
“....Shut up-shut up-shut-up…” Over and over he mumbled the mantra to himself as he blindly stumbled forward. It did nothing to silence the chaos in the air, nor the building of it inside of himself. Heat enveloped every step he took, causing sweat to pour down his body. The world around him was ablaze, just as much as his insides were. He tried his best to flee the cries and the fire, but they came at him from every direction no matter how far he walked. All the while his body boiled and ached, and his paw burned as if kissed by a hot brand. Trembling as he struggled to breathe, coughing and choking on the sooty ashy air. Forced to breathe in the taste of copper along with the smoke, both mixing so strongly it caused his tongue to tingle. It clung to the inside of his mouth as he gasped and seeped into his throat like blood. He felt suffocated by it, driven to fear and into panic.
He felt his vision start to clear as he waved his arms in front of his face to try and force a path through the smoke, but it billowed around him in shadowy waves. The smoke stung at his eyes, forcing them to water, setting tears to stream down his face, and it robbed him of the very breath from his lungs. A cloud of ash blew up around him as he fought to move. He did his best to shield his face from it, but the smoke slipped through his paws. Barren as his throat was, it forced him into a coughing fit, spitting out the black soot that filled his mouth, burning him from the inside.
As he squinted his eyes all he could make out were the blurry figures of mammals silhouetted amongst the flames; all of them screaming, running, being chased, but he wasn’t able to clearly see what it was they ran from inside of the surrounding blaze.
All around him was a wall of fire, every direction he turned left him with nowhere to run but forward, and even that looked like hell. He felt trapped, standing there in the center of all the chaos as the walls of conflagration grew taller and his panic grew deeper inside him. Slowly his vision was clearing, only in time for frightened tears to prickle up once more. Mammals ran inside the inferno, their howls of pain rising louder than the roaring of the blaze. Inside his nose was starting to fill with the scorch of death, flesh burning along with the iron of blood.
His gut began to twist as he watched the buildings fall and send the embers of the structure into the black sky. Houses he recognized, a home he once called his own, all being burned away in an instant. The scene past the fire was starting to look familiar to him, which made him all the more terrified of the firestorm swirling around him. It crept ever closer, its edges threatening to burn him away along with the memories of this night.
“No! No! STOP!” Nick became even more frantic, stepping back, only to be forced forward again by the heat pressing against his neck. The edges of the wall nipped at his feet, the flames leaping and spinning, reaching out to grasp him and scorch his fur. His green eyes were wide open now, watching as the dance of death continued to grow skyward; touching the stars with its sultry, deadly fingers that threatened to swallow the world down it’s fiery throat. All of it accompanied by the wails of dying mammals.
“Agh!” Spits of fire jumped off the wall and landed on his fur, singeing him, forcing him to smack at his arms and legs. Stumbling in his small circle Nick was trapped with no way out. No longer could he see the stars, but a sky set aflame. Frantically he turned about, searching and searching, but it was too late. Soon he became engulfed and all he could do was scream as the fire licked at his eyeballs and peeled at the corners of his mouth. Suddenly the inferno was inside him. Pooling in his belly and over taking his senses. He had no choice but to give his entire body, mind, and soul to the unimaginable agony of the flames. Even as he was dying the shrieking sounds of death carried in his ear like a pulse.
When he opened his eyes again he was in total and utter darkness. He could still feel the heat burning around him, setting him asunder from the inside out, but the fire was nowhere to be seen. Hugging his arms around himself Nick buried his claws in until he felt the trickle of blood. His teeth clenched and growls slipped through his trembling muzzle. He did his best to fight the shivering of a fever that rampaged in him; feeling the sweat running over and through his fur.
Amidst the vast empty black around him he could still hear the shrill ear splitting sound of mammals dying, like the cry of banshees wailing in his ear.
‘Stop! Stop! Make this stop!’ Falling to his knees then, Nick huddled in on himself, clawing at his own ears, ripping at his flesh and fur, but it was no use. The death sounds were in his very mind and the heat was still setting him ablaze though he could no longer see it. The madness drove him to believe that this was death’s domain. Surely this was punishment for a life lived through thievery and lies. To relive this nightmarish day over and over...and over...and over…
“Nick?” A woman’s voice pierced clean through the wails and the crackling of fire. Nick snapped his head up, eyes wide and shaking with shock. Her gentle voice saying his name shut out all that was tearing him apart. The heat stopped, dying down to embers in his stomach.
“Who’s there?” His voice echoed into the void.
“Nick,” Her voice was so very soft. “Are you hiding again?” A tiny laugh glided through the air and played at his heart. Deeply he breathed in and out heavily, shaking all over, his heart feeling like it was about to burst from his chest. Tears sprang up and spilled down his face, still his eyes were wide. He stared straight ahead of him, too fearful to make a noise that would chase her away. “Come out and give your mother a hug.”
“Hah!” Nick’s body heaved with the breath he had been holding. Frantically he scrambled to his feet, taking off into the unknown bleakness.
“There’s my handsome boy!” The soft ringing of her laugh, like seashells in the waves and the warmth that filled his heart like the first light of a new day. He recalled her face so vividly, and had etched her into his memory with all his might so as never to forget her smile.
“MOM!?” His paws pounded through the abyss, tears scattered behind him like marbles on a stone floor.
“Ok now Nick, go wash your paws, your father will be home soon with supper.” His father, a kind todd with large paws. The best hunter and warrior in the village. A smile that almost touched his eyes. His father was always there to lift him high above his head to where Nick felt like he was soaring through the stars.
“DAD!” He felt himself trip a moment, but pushed on through the breaking of his heart. “MOM! WHERE ARE YOU!?”
“Don’t cry Nick, be my brave little kit, ok?” For some reason her voice grew frantic. Then came the distant sounds of screams, first soft, but they were quickly growing louder as he ran. “Hide somewhere safe!”
“MOTHER! WHERE ARE YOU! TELL ME!” Nick screamed so desperately, painfully, he could swear he felt blood running down his throat. “I CAN SAVE YOU! PLEASE!!!”
Suddenly a cry like the sound of a thousand mirrors shattering erupted and filled every inch of space around him. It forced Nick to cover his ears and steady his body from falling into pieces. He knew in his heart whose scream this was and as the fires once more took him he knew then too why she was screeching. It was a pain he had never healed from.
Nick shut his eyes as tears ran down his face and when he opened them again he was once again inside the vortex of a world set to burn away into ash. Nothing had changed. Still everything was burning and every mammal was being burned alive with it. His body was twisted and mangled within the flames' grasp. He could still hear his mother screaming, he threw his head back, eyes painfully open to the heat, but he couldn’t bear to close them again.
“NIIIIIICK!”
He blinked once.
Like that the fires were gone and there were no more mammals. Just silence. The town was laid to waste in smoldering ashes, still glowing embers, and wafts of black smoke blew across the dead earth. He hadn’t recognized the voice that had called out to him. Slowly he rose to his feet clumsily, he felt he needed to move only to find himself dumbly going forward.
The charcoaled skeletons of mammals laid in piles all around him, lining his way. Hollowed out eyes stared up at him and skeletal arms still clutched small babes. He did his best to avoid looking directly at them, it was a stomach churning sight. Every step he took rustled the ground and ominous ash blew around his legs like death’s paws grasping for him.
The silence, only broken by wisps of foul smelling wind, was almost as maddening as the roar of the fire. Everywhere he looked were dead, charred houses, not a single movement. The direction he chose seemed never ending. He tried shutting his eyes in hopes to wake himself, drumming his fists against his head, but nothing changed. He was still there, standing in the graveyard of Ember. Burnt down to rubble with mammals left to rot above the earth.
A small distant cry caught his attention. It sounded like the small whimpers of a youngling, something still alive amongst the mounds of death. Without hesitation Nick ran towards it, heart pounding, paws carrying him as quickly as he could. He skittered around the corner of the smoldering house. The stench here forced Nick to cover his nose, he gagged, felt the hot bile climb up his throat. Hundreds of unburnt bodies filled the path before him. All of them bloody, half rotted, oozing, bones sticking out of torn flesh. The sound of flies buzzing in his ears was overwhelming. He wanted to close his eyes, look away, but the shock of it was too much. It was a scene from a world gone mad. Their eyes glazed over with death, starting up at him with horror struck expressions, twisted jaws wide open with maggots feasting on tongues.
And each and every one of them was a fox.
All of them torn to shreds, their innards laid out to be devoured by the corrupted monsters that hovered over them like mangled black shadows. They made horrific crunching noises as their huge teeth broke bones in two. The wet sounds of blood sliding down their throats, the growls they let out as they snapped and bit at one another for a better piece. These monsters, once mammals, no longer resembled anything you could call living. Their eyes were black as night, their bodies deformed and twisted, with claws and teeth stained red. Darkness had eaten their souls and left nothing but a mass of rage before him. Nick had never forgotten this feeling of those bloodthirsty eyes on him, the sound of their snarls in his ear, or the feeling of their foul-smelling breath on his neck. Far cries from the mammals they once were.
Nick felt his knees shake as he fought to stay up right. He wanted to vomit, wanted to run, but the tiny sounds of crying forced his eyes to stay open as he searched the gruesome scene before him. Among the carcasses and monsters, a small clearing where a young fox kit lay crying over two bodies.
“S-s-s-somone…! Help me!!! Mommy!” The boy cried, his voice hoarse from screaming!
“H-hold on kit! I’m coming!” The kit sniffled, looking over his shoulder, and struck Nick with large green eyes to match his own. “...kit.” It was a tiny whisper as Nick slowly began forward. With no path clear before him, he chose his steps through the sea of dead foxes. The large black beasts snarled at Nick, protecting their kills, baring nasty fangs that they used to snap at Nick’s arms and legs.
“Hello?” The youngling rubbed his eyes, sniffling again, snot running out of his nose, his little orange cheeks a mess of teary fur.
“I’m almost there!” Moving quickly, trying to keep his eyes straight ahead, Nick gasped, in the briefest of moments he saw the twinkling of a purple stone about the kit's neck.
A ferocious roar cut through air, Nick immediately fell to his knees, covering his ears and searching around him wildly. A pressure casted over him, like paws on his back, making it hard to breathe. The kit's shriek of terror broke through the pressure on Nick, jerking his head up, staring before him with wide eyes. What had appeared before them heightened every instinct Nick had to flee, but he was beyond being able to move. It was a sight that haunted his dreams every night in that orphanage, long forgotten as being the make believe of a youngling, never had he thought to see it again after so long.
“Nick...” This time it wasn’t the sweet gentle voice of his mother, but the rumble of a deeper one, thunderous. An ominous tone that filled every corner of his mind and took hold of it. “Looook. At...ME!” It was an order he couldn’t help but obey, something within him compelled him to look up. He and the little fox, still laid out over his parents, turned their gazes upward to be met with the sight of a thousand red fox corpses piled high into the space above. A tower of orange fur and blood. A shadow as black as death’s cloak was crouched over the pile. The creature was as large as a mountain with eyes as red as rubies. Giant paws crushed the piles of bodies beneath it as the face leered forward and bared bone white teeth.
“HA HA HA HA!” It laughed with a most toothy grin, emitting a booming sound that made the fires spring to life around them and shiver in delight. With the fires grown brighter the light illuminated the shadow into the form of a gigantic wolf and his eyes glowed as he bellowed his boisterous laughter.
The tiny fox wailed again, bursting into tears, but Nick was too terrified to move. The corrupted monsters yelped, growled, and began thrashing about, as if this wolf's very presence excited them. They turned their attention to the dead foxes they were feasting on, returning to the meals with more vigor than before. The sounds of tearing flesh became almost deafening.
“Eat my children, a prize for a job well done, taste them.” His voice shook Nick’s very soul, eyes watered with tears, but all he could do was gawk. He found himself unable to look away from the wolf and the fox bodies he loomed over. One by one the giant wolf began to devour the pile before him. Lifeblood poured from it’s thick muzzle as he consumed the corpses whole. Soon Nick found himself kneeling in a sea of viscera. All the while the small kit was in hysterics.
“I...will have...every. Last. ONE!” The wolf grinned through the flow of blood pouring between his huge teeth like waterfalls. Enormous black paws trod forward until it’s massive body stood overtop of the babe. He never broke eye contact with Nick.
“NOOOO!” Nick leaned as far forward as he could, clawing at the red mud, trying to pull himself towards them. “RUUUUN!”
“I. Will. Have. You.” The thundering voice roared over them all, causing the ground to shake and the ocean of red to tremble. The wolf opened his jaw wide, ready to swallow the screaming kit whole. “YOU WILL BE MINE!!!”
“No!” Nick cried again, tears streaming down his face, it was like watching the scene in slow motion. The babe screaming, clinging to the dead bodies of his parents. The wolf, ominous like death, jaws open wide to devour them. And he was useless to stop any of it.
Suddenly a brilliant while light shot through the darkness, turning his vision white as everything else faded away. Nick hid his eyes, but frantically blinked through the pain to see what had caused it. When he looked he couldn’t fathom what he was seeing. A figure, garbed in robes of white, knelt over the fox kit like a guardian. They held one paw up, blocking the monstrous black wolf with a glowing shield. It was shimmering white, iridescent rainbow colors swirled through it, casting a warm light that felt safe. Their other paw was laid gently on the kit's back. Their presence caused the corrupted mammals to flee for the safety of the darkness.
“NOOOO!” The wolf howled deeply, his red eyes becoming inflamed with rage. Throwing his whole body up, only to come down with a quake against the shield. He began to claw and pound viciously at it in a fit of madness. “You! Cannot save him, witch!!!” Again he threw his enormous body down on the barrier, again and again, long razor sharp claws tearing at it. The saviour simply kept their paw up, not flinching, softly rubbing the kit’s back. They seemed calm, steady, even when the barrier finally cracked, shooting terror through Nick.
“Get out of there!” Nick pleaded, still he could not move, no matter how badly he wanted to run to them.
They must have heard him for the figure turned, showing Nick their face. He gasped, eyes growing wide, momentarily forgetting about the wolf. He shivered at her youth, but dreaded what he saw. Her beauty was known to him, despite having never met, like he had seen her before in his dreams. A small, round, fluffy furred red fox face stared back at him. Small eyes gentle, with one green and one blue, but full of emotions. She seemed surprised, seeming to match his, they just stared at one another. The shock he saw there slowly turned into sadness, or was it regret? Tears began to roll down her cheeks quietly. Lifting her paw from the kit’s back she held it toward Nick. It started to glow a soft warming light. He held his paw out to match her, his scar glowing, aching, but it brought some comfort to him.
“Soon.” Her voice whispered into his ear just as Nick felt the wolf’s hot sticky breath bathe his body from behind. There was no chance to scream or run as it opened its imposing jaws to swallow him.
“SOON!” It’s booming voice cried out in sadistic joy.
~~~
Nick tore open his eyes and let out a voiceless throaty scream. He lunged forward on the bed, panting and sweating. Soon hooves were overtop him, pushing him back, and in his delirious state he fought them. He was still so hot and the smell of blood was still thick in his nose. His vision was too far gone to make out anything other than light and shadows.
“D-dead...th-they’re all...dead.” Nick’s head swam again as dizziness overtook him. He had little choice but to lie back down, though he didn’t know where he was or whose gentle hooves were on his face. Water slid down his parted muzzle and he gulped it down, not realizing how thirsty he was, though it didn’t taste quite like water should. He drank it down in huge mouthfuls, gasping as his head fell back into the soft fluffy thing under him.
“Dead…” He tossed, writhing on the bed, the image of the kit and the wolf etched into the back of his eyelids. And her…
“Saphielle…” Her teary face filled his vision, one blue and one green, staring back at him. She looked so very afraid. “...soon.”
He wasn’t sure he was actually getting the words out as something overtook him once more, fading him into a dreamless sleep.
Notes:
I hope you liked it, sorry it's not as long as my last one! This is one I have been nervous to post. See you in two weeks!
Chapter 11: A Healer's Resolve
Summary:
Hope you all enjoy it! Please check out the notes at the end of the chapter. :)
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
A Mage's Heart
Chapter ten: A Healer's Resolve
It wasn’t till the lunch bells rang that Gazelle was startled awake, as well as making her realize she was starting to feel famished. She had nodded off a bit, resting her cheek in her hoof, not aware how much time had passed. She had been determined to not leave Nick’s side until he was in the clear. Throughout the morning Nick had bounced between fevers, his magic fluctuating had kept Yennien on the alert, he spent little time not at Nick’s constant attention. It was beyond wearing them both down. Dark circles had started to show under her eyes, and Yennien’s clothes had sweat marks running down his back, he was now sporting a cloth around his head to keep it from running into his eyes.
By this time new patients had come in. Nothing too serious, a cook with a burnt paw, a soldier who had somehow managed to spear himself in the foot, and a noble female who claimed to have the vapors...whatever that meant. None of them required Yennien’s healing. The nurses handled them, but it did have them both concerned as to what needed to happen next. Nick was still being kept in the main healing hall, by fear that moving him might trigger something worse. Yennien had expressed wanting to move him to a private room, one that they could put a magical barrier over, but Nick was still unstable. The more mammals that came in meant that if something were to happen more lives than just their own would be at risk.
“Ughhh…” Yennien grunted as he arched his back, earning him the cracking of sore bones. Gazelle wished he would rest, but that was not an option for him it seemed. She had asked if another healer would be able to take over, but he had blunty refused, saying that he didn’t trust anyone else to do it. Yennien was amazingly skilled, as well as arrogant to a fault. While he was not the only healer in the palace he often acted as though he were.
“Let me go and fetch us something to eat.” If she didn’t go, Yennien would eventually drop where he was standing. It wasn’t as if she would have very far to go with the dinning hall right across from them. She could have a servant bring them food on a cart, but in truth Gazelle needed the fresh air and a chance to stretch her legs.
“Hhn.” Was all he said as he slumped down in his chair to shut his eyes for a moment. Nick would be fine for a little bit. At the moment he had no fever, his magic was stable, and his gums had started to turn pink again. “Might want to change out of that bloody mess first.” He said it with his eyes closed, but Gazelle had to look down to figure out what he had meant.
Despite having carried Nick here in her Blessed Knight armor, which she had removed long ago, the soft white robes she wore beneath it were still stained with blood. It was a convenient magic, having to never clean magical armor, that could not be said for the under clothes. Unlike some of the other Blessed Knights, Gazelle chose to wear a lighter set of armor. So while her lower arms, legs, and chest were covered, her upper arms and lower body sported a more flowy white robe design, which were now rightly bloody and dirt covered.
“I suppose I should freshen up.” Examining herself she decided a quick trip to her quarters was in order before food. “I’ll return as soon as possible, if you need me before then, send a messenger.” Yennien gave no indication he had heard her except for a quick flick of his wrist to shoo her out.
~~~
Once outside, the warmth of the sun bathed her in what she would call a warm embrace. It was so soft and inviting, letting her breathe deeply, taste air that wasn’t so saturated with Nick's magic. It also made the grime of her clothes and sweat in her fur all the more obvious. She decided it was best to avoid most mammals, so, not wanting to draw any attention to herself she opted to take the back route. There were always more than enough tucked away and hidden doors so as to move unapproached if a mammal so wished to. The only mammals she would normally see this way would be a few palace guards, but after last night there were more than usual. None of them gave her more than a passing glance though.
Going through the walls took her near the training yard, which was uninhabited at this time of day, then the Blessed Knight quarters came into view. The large white dome of it’s roof was a sight of relief, her home away from home. The one place in the city where she could let her guard down, if only for a little while.
When she opened the doors to the quarters she was met with the scents of sandalwood and freshly washed sheets, of warm bread and wildflowers. The room was warm, heated by the sun flooding in from the ceiling, and everything was perfectly still. Some-mammal had already come to change the bedding. It would seem that most of the other Blessed Knights had taken their breakfast here; though no one was in sight the smell of it still lingered in the room.
She made her way around to the hall, finding her door and opening it without a second thought. Just as she had left it the day before, except for the clean sheets, plate of food, and the precious soul that was sitting there waiting for her.
“Gazelle!” In an instance Saffrin leapt from the bed, falling into Gazelle’s arms, to wrap her up in a loving embrace. Gazelle immediately let her tired shoulders relax and put most of her weight on Saffrin.
“Saffrin…” She ran her hooves slowly up her warm back, loving the feel, slowly gliding them up to her neck and back down. What are you doing here?” Gazelle buried her face in Saffrin’s neck, the smell of vanilla tickling her nose.
“I was worried about you. Bogo advised me to leave you to your task, so I requested to wait for you here.” She pulled back just enough to cup Gazelle’s face in her paws and look down at the state of her clothes. “Have you been injured!?”
“Oh Dearheart, what a bold request that was, and no, none of this blood is my own.” She smiled softly at her lover, rubbing her hoof over Saffrin’s shoulder, resting it over her heart. While knowledge of their relationship was known to their comrades and accepted, the coupling of predator and prey was still a heated argument among most outside of their circle. While they treasured what they had, they also knew that it was necessary to keep it secret.
Saffrin had spent over a year as a regular knight before being chosen to take the Blessing. Gazelle was assigned to mentor the young cheetah, train her, and show her how to be a Blessed Knight. Saffrin had spent this last year shadowing Gazelle in the field. Their year together was coming to an end soon. After this Saffrin would be assigned her own border section, along with a second, and a squad of soldiers. Gazelle couldn't be more proud or more sad. It was during those first few months that their love had blossomed, something Gazelle never dared to dream of happening.
Blessed Knights, while not strictly forbidden, were discouraged from having romantic relations. Their first loyalties had to always be to the royal family, Animallia, and Furosie as a whole. Bonding with another mammal meant that there was always a possibility that emotions of the heart would overpower their vows to the crown. They weren’t abstinent, not by a long shot, it was just that typically physical relations were limited to one night stands. Love or marriage didn’t come till after they left this life behind them. Special cases of Blessed Knights falling in love with each other didn’t happen often, sex sure, but love was another matter. Having some-mammal who understood everything that the other was going through, to share the burden. It was a wonderful feeling, and rare indeed, so treasured when found.
“I fear you have neglected your duties to be here with me, Sweetling.” It was such a little transgression, but they were already willing to let their worries for one another overrule their duties. She worried about the day when they were no longer able to see one another like this.
“How can I concentrate on duty when you leave my bed in the middle of the night? Then I hear that you’ve spent night and morning working in the healing hall without rest or food. Of course I worry for you.” Saffrin had a predictably stubborn look on her face that said she wasn’t going to listen to much of what Gazelle had to say. She ruled with her heart, which is what Gazelle loved so much about her, but it was also what had gotten her into so much trouble in those early days.
“Saffrin, you have yet to see the true reason for us Blessed Knights. I will not sully this time together with you now with all I’ve had to do in the past, but you shouldn’t worry so much today. I’m alright, seeing you here selfishly also makes me happy.” Nuzzling her cheek against Saffrin’s she heard the cheetah produce a soft purr. Their mouths touched tenderly in feather light kisses. They stood there for a long moment, embracing each other, only broken at the sound of Gazelle’s stomach beginning to protest.
“I should feed you.” Saffrin giggled, rubbing her cheek once more against her lover's face.
“Mmmmhhhh, yes, you should, but first I wish to freshen up.” The sight of the food Saffrin had brought for her was tempting, but the feel of the blood on her coat and scent of it on her clothes was enough to want to withhold food until she was clean. “Help me clean up and then eat with me. After that I must return to Yennien.”
“I understand.” They spent the next candle marker together. The warmth of a damp cloth helped to wash away the dried blood from her coat. With clean clothes and hot food in her belly she felt a little of her exhaustion lifted. This time away from the healing hall allowed her to clear her mind, relaxe, if only for a moment. Despite it, she continued to think of Nicholas and worry over Yennien.
Saffrin walked with her back to the courtyard, there they parted ways. She encouraged Saffrin to focus on her work, while Saffrin made her promise not to skip any more meals. She promised with every intention of keeping it, but one glance at the healing hall made her stomach feel uneasy. With just the smallest magical touch she was able to sense that Nick’s magic remained unchanged. If this continued as was she wasn't sure how much longer Yennien could remain standing. He was more likely to be sickened by the constant strain on his body and magic. She hoped she would at least be able to tempt him to eat, that much would do him some good.
She fetched a breakfast tray from the dining hall across the yard before heading back to the healing hall. As she made her way back across the cobblestone a strange feeling washed over her like a mist settling suddenly over the tips of her fur. Like the first trickle of rain before the downpour of a storm. Carried on a wind, ruffling her fur, tickling her nose with the scent of a rot. It caused her pace to slow as every hair on her body prickled, standing up straight, making all her senses on edge.
‘What is this?’ She reached out with her own magic touch to feel for it, trying to find its origin as whatever this was had not come from Nick. It was hard to pinpoint, it was behind something, just beyond her reach…it was a mystery that made her extremely uneasy. Gripping the tray hard enough to rattle, she became very eager to get back to Yennien.
“Gazelle!” A call across the yard broke her attention, just enough to break away from that strange feeling in the air. “Nice to see you out and about!” Arik, an Afric spotted lupin, came trotting over to her; he was a fellow Blessed Knight, as well as a mage.
“Arik…” Greeting him with a nod was as much as she could muster as she continued to search about the yard. Not with her eyes, but with her magic, her attention drawn to something far away. She allowed her magic to spread out, searching for that lingering feeling that hung in the air, that strange scent. “Do you feel that?” Her words were barely a whisper, the tray she carried shook slightly as she gripped it even tighter. Her eyes wide, anxious, staring at the grey stone beneath her feet.
Arik’s smile faded as he slowed his stride, coming to stand next to her, immediately becoming alert. Taking note of the serious look on her face Arik reached his magic out as well, able to feel the same strange aura that tainted the air. The slight scent of death that he hadn’t taken note of before.
“What is this, the fox?” He was able to sense Nick just inside, feel the surge of his magic, but this was different. Nick felt like a tight ball ready to burst; only for there to be a release as Yennien drained it from him and released. This though, it felt like eyes, a hazy presence that was peering from them just out of view. Hiding in the shadow of Nick’s magic. When you tried to look it stepped just out of view, the body to those eyes locked away somewhere else.
“No...this is dark...evil.” Her voice was strained, full of concern and desperation. They stood there for several more seconds in silence, their magic racing through the palace as they searched the ground. Then came the calm before the storm as the strange magic vanished. Their eyes flew up to stare at once another in panic.
“It’s gone!” A whispered observation that was short lived as the magic came back all at once and hit them this time like a crashing wave on the rocks. It quaked the air around them, thrashing through the trees, and rushing through them to shake their very souls. In the same moment the windows of the healing hall simultaneously shattered. Then came the sound of frightened screams as the magical rawr of Nick’s power came to head and leapt out of him as it had done before, hitting them from behind.
It took them but a second to spring into action, Gazelle dropping the food tray she had been holding, leaving it to spoil in the courtyard. They took the steps two at a time as they rushed to the doors. Before they even made it to them mammals were already flooding out of the building in terror. The air was filled with panic, fear, all mixed with the overwhelming raw magic spilling from Nick.
The pair turned the corner and were met with the destructive sight of the healing hall in disarray. Everything had been flung back against the walls, there was broken glass from the windows, and several pieces of furniture were busted up beyond repair. Among it all was the same bright magic from the throne room. A raging vortex of prismatic color, only this time mixed among the golden magic was a hint of black threaded in. Twisting wickedly within the gold like lashing snakes. If it wasn’t for the circumstances this would be a rather breathtaking sight.
Yennien was in the center of it all, standing rigid beside Nick’s bed, arms outstretched, a shimmering barrier around them both, though it was doing little to keep the magic at bay. Yennien was using whatever was left of his own magic and strength, and it was barely enough, despite his best efforts. Even from here one was able to see the magic breaking through the shield in bursts here and there. He was just too weak and exhausted at this point.
Gazelle wanted to rush to his side, but knew she wasn’t the one best suited to be of help to Yennien right now. She noticed huddled against the wall were a couple of nurses and a few patients, too frightened to move. “I’ll get the mammals out, you go help Yennien!”
“Got it!” Arik took off at a sprint, ready to throw up another barrier so that Yennien may drop his. As he got close though he had to slow his pace, finding himself being physically pushed back by the magic still escaping from the fragile barrier. All around him felt hot, the magic seemed to be in a rage, lashing out at whatever was near. It was completely different from that time in the throne room. Instead of gentle and light, now it was frantic, panicked, and angry. The small bits of corruption he could see mixed in were alarming, but that would have to come later.
“Yennien!” Arik yelled to the old deer, holding a paw up to shield his eyes a bit from the light radiating from Nick. Having reached Yennien he was able to see just how much effort the old healer was putting into just standing. His fur looked damp and his entire body was trembling, arms straining to stay steady. The magic was so concentrated here that Arik could taste it on his tongue, like hot iron, and it rattled his very bones like thunder. It was hard to take, and Arik was in perfect condition, he didn’t know where Yennien got the will power. “I’m going to put up a barrier so you can drop yours!” Being the only one of the three of them to not use any magic today creating a barrier would be effortless for him. He was determined to hold it for however long needed.
Arik cast his arms out to either side, pulled his magic into his palms, and imagined a dome to encompass the three of them. He was able to feel the magic pulling away from his body, becoming a tangible thing, taking the shape he willed it to. In an instant the barrier was up, trapping the renegade magic inside of it.
“Fucking hells!” Yennien collapsed to the ground, leaning his weakened body against the wall to his right and panting. “Damn fox…going to put me in an early grave!”
“Do you know what caused this? Just before the explosion Gazelle and I felt a corrupted presence outside, but we were never able to find the source.” The magic in the barrier began to grow at an alarming rate. He’d never known a mage to produce so much so fast. The threads of black glittered ominously through the air around them. “Where is this all coming from! Surely it’s not all his!?”
“Damned if I know! SHIT!” Yennien banged his fist against the floor. “I felt that evil too, but there was nothing I could do to stop this. That quake, that magic, it trembled beneath us. It was the only warning I had before all this! DAMNIT ALL!” A defeated sigh escaped him as he hung his head there on the floor. “This undid so much work…” Yennien was not one to give up, he’d seen worse, been weaker than this before, but he took this case personally now and was at a loss at how to proceed. “You’re right though, this is not all his, his magic is reacting to something or some-mammal, and it’s feeding him dark magic.” He gritted his teeth, glaring up at the magic that now began to fill the space within the barrier. All that progress and hard work now amounted to very little. It was back to the starting point and Yennien had not the strength to begin again; nor Nick the strength to take much more of this.
The fox writhed on the bed before them, his mouth moved as whimpers of pain and fear slipped out. He was worse now than when he had been brought in. It was painful to see him suffering. Arik had never seen a new mage look so pitifully abused by their own magic. He could only begin to imagine the nightmarish hell he was experiencing right now, trapped inside his own body, being boiled alive by his own magic.
“What can be done? We can’t just leave him like this! He’ll die!”
“You think I don’t know that!? We have precious little time to figure out what can be done and I’m at a complete loss! We can keep him contained within your barrier, but that will not stop the magic from surging out of him! Soon it will be too much for even you to bear. And I…” Yennien looked at his own hooves. They were angrily red, burned, not useless, but just so damned tired.
He wasn’t wrong, Arik could already feel the magic tearing away at his barrier. He was feeding it a constant flow of magic, but Nick was producing it too rapidly for him to keep up with. All mages were able to draw magic from other sources, but could never house more within their bodies than what they were already capable of. Nick was an endless source for Arik to draw magic from, that wasn’t the issue. The problem lay with how long Arik’s physical strength and mental energy could last. At the rate Nick was releasing magic and the rate at which Arik was having to expand the barrier, the end result would see Arik go down first...unless of course whatever this was killed Nick before that time came.
“He’ll have to be aligned.” Yennien’s voice sounded resolved, but frustrated in his conclusion.
“You said that would kill him.” It was Gazelle’s shaking voice behind them that made them look. She had cleared all other mammals from the building and now watched them from the other side of the barrier.
“If we do nothing he’ll die anyway.” Yennien struggled to pull himself back up to his feet, shakily holding onto the wall.
“How can you do this when you can barely stand?” She phased through the barrier, going to Yennien’s side, taking him by the waist to support him against her body.
“If I do nothing we’re screwed, if I fail he dies, if I succeed...well then he’ll be a pain in my ass a while longer.” He side eyed Gazelle, a small smirk on his face. “I’m going to need you both to give me everything you got, and then give me a little more than that. This will not be easy, or pretty, but it’s the only option I can see.”
They both nodded in agreement, able to sense that the barrier was becoming more strained by the minute. Arik had broken out in a sweat, his jaw parted slightly as he was panting. Gazelle closed her eyes to focus, she had to transfer all the magic left in her body into him, along with what physical strength she could stand to lose. This would involve giving him some of her life energy. It wasn't dangerous if it was only a little. Where their bodies touched began to glow a light green color as her magic started to flow into him.
“Arik, I’m going to need you to hold the barrier for as long as you can. As soon as Gazelle is done you start, when you can no longer bear to hold onto the barrier and transfer, let it drop, then give me everything you got in one go.” With what Gazelle was giving Yennien was able to now stand without her aid. He flexed his hooves as they began to warm and tingle with the rush of magic. His eyes stayed focused on Nick, watching as the fox twisted in pain on the bed.
‘Bear it a little longer Nick.’
“Nnnh!” Gazelle let out a muffled grunt, soon it was her leaning on Yennien for support as she felt herself start to weaken. There came a rush of ice throughout her body, her core felt cold and she went dizzy.
“That’s enough from you.” Yennien shirked himself off Gazelle, guiding her down to kneel on the floor. He felt better, much, but not nearly to full strength. Gazelle had gone pale, barely able to keep her eyes open as she struggled to stand.
“No, I can give a little more.” She grabbed Yennien’s hoof in hers, forcing more life energy into him.
“Enough, or next it’ll be you on a table.” Sternly he broke her grip on him, she was too weak to resist, slumping on the floor. “Arik, you’re next, and make it quick. We need to end this soon.” The barrier was still strong, but Yennien could tell this was as strong as it was going to get. On the other hand Nick was still pumping out magic.
The barrier shuddered as Arik laid one of his paws on Yennien’s shoulder. His touch was hotter, slightly burning as Arik wasted no time in pouring magic into Yennien. He was forcibly pushing his magic through all at once, it was painful. Yennien could feel himself steadily becoming stronger, feeling his magic replenishing itself. His body was warm, excited, anxious; he flexed his hooves more, they glowed green with anticipation.
“Keep it up.”
“I’m going to have to drop the barrier!” Arik shouted, it was a fine edge struggle to sustain the barrier and transfer of magic to Yennien. The burning in his paws was getting stronger, not a physical burn, but forcing magic out like this left a magical burn through your channels.
“Do it.”
The barrier instantly disappeared, Arik placed both paws on Yennien’s shoulder, dumping the rest of his magic, and some life energy as well, into him as fast as he could. It was painful, he had to grit his teeth, but he couldn’t be stingy. Yennien would need everything if he was to do what needed to be done, and even then Nick may still die. It was an all or nothing move, and he gasped when he felt the last of it leave him.
All the while the magic rushed through the hall, tearing plants from the walls as it whipped about, never showing any signs of waning. They were able to hear the wooden beams trembling. The clashing of metal and furniture and tools were thrown about. Its rage matched Nick’s state, the fox made all range of terrible sounds as he struggled on the bed. Going so far as to claw at his own skin, foam at the mouth, growling in fear.
On trembling legs Arik collapsed next to Gazelle, both of them drained, exhausted, and praying that this would work. With everything they had given Yennien felt renewed, as though the trials of the night hadn’t happened. He stood there a moment, eyes closed, feeling the magic surging through every inch of his body, hot and powerful, making his old bones sing with the feeling of being young. It was enough, usually a forced alignment wouldn’t take so much, but for this case it would take all he had and all they had given.
“Hold him down!” He shouted over the magic. Even as spent as they were Arik still shambled to his feet, leaning over the table he wrapped his arms around Nick’s shoulders. It took Gazelle a moment, but she too got up and held down Nick’s legs. “This will be extremely painful for him. No matter what, don't let go.” They gave each other firm nods as Yennien reached his arms out over Nick. With one hoof firmly grasping his right wrist Yennien began pooling all his magic into his palm.
A green light began to illuminate his eyes as he focused on Nick, a magical vision that had been perfected by healers. Allowing him to see through a mammal, past the skin, through the muscles and veins, to Nick’s very essence and mage’s spirit. With this ability he saw how Nick’s channels flowed, thick glowing veins that pulasted with a heat like fire. Rushing through him, popping, boiling, overflowing with powerful magic. The scorched marks glowed like the end of a hot poker, in turn they burned Yennien, but he pushed past the pain. There was no time to form a connection like he had with Nick before, no time to take things easy, this needed to be done quickly. It would be crude, painful, dangerous, and…his hoof was now glowing the same brilliant green as his eyes and translucent.
‘Honestly…I’m not even sure this will work…fuck…’ Yennien steeled his resolve and plunged his hoof down into Nick’s chest.
“SHIT!” He cursed and growled before gritting his teeth to keep from losing his focus. Nick’s magical insides were burning like an oven. It felt like he was plunging himself through fire. Nick’s entire body began to lurch off the table, growling, clawing and biting at Arik’s arms. Those would need healing later.
As Nick thrashed in pain, Yennien began searching in haste, looking for what he knew was there, but was almost too hot to touch. Down through Nick’s center he reached for what can only be described as trying to grasp lightning. Electric, sharp, constantly there one moment and gone the next...and above all alive. It fought him more than any had before. Lashing out with his own magic Yennien grabbed for it, reaching with his hoof, trying to grasp at something that was both there and yet not.
“Yennien! Hurry!” Gazelle screamed, forcing him to look up at the whirlwind of magic raging above them. It tore at the walls, ripped the very brick and wood apart, chunks of it began to rain down on them. The stone wall began to crumble in places, the room couldn’t take much more of this. It was also biting into Yennien’s skin with small paper-like cuts. More of the blackness was starting to manifest itself as well, corruption that they knew didn’t belong to Nick, but from where it originated from he could not fathom where.
“Dammit all!” Yennien strained his arms, glaring back down at Nick, willing his magic to go further. Pushing through the fire and electricity, looking for his source. The center of his magic, it eluded him, just out of reach, but he could feel it. The pressure of magic here was great and it needed to be aligned if he was to put a stop to this. Closing his eyes he concentrated on the feel of his hoof brushing up against something so unbelievably hot, fighting every instinct in his body not to pull away from it.
‘Just a little more!’ His own magic and strength were draining fast. He felt something cut across his cheek. Glass from the broken windows. He heard a distant yell, but it was garbled and far away. The wind in his ears was like the roar of a storm. He was pushing everything other than the feeling between him and Nick to the far corners of his mind. ‘...so close. Damn…getting too old for this...’
A small slow smirk crossed over his face when he felt his hoof become engulfed by a blazing heat, as if he was trying to grasp the very sun itself, he closed his hoof around the core. He knew after this his own self would need much healing. Firm now in his hold Yennien began to slowly turn his wrist. Aligning a magical center should feel like snapping a dislocated bone back into place. It would run down the center of the body, but still it fought him, and forcing it to his will was not easy. It lashed out, attacking his magic channels, burning him, slithering up his arms inside of him. There was so much anger and fear in Nick, along with something dark and sinister. In conclusion Nick, or someone, was fighting him.
“TURN! DAMN YOU!” Without much thought Yennien phased his other hoof in and gripped his palm around the other side of Nick’s magic center. The dizzying rush he felt as he channeled every last ounce of magic down into his hooves made his legs shake. Bullying Nick’s magic to his command, Yennien let out a painful cry of frustration, arms trembling, straining every muscle.
“Ahghhh!” Using everything in him, more life energy than he had to spare, Yennien felt the sudden snap of Nick’s center shifting into place.
All at once there was a release so strong it flung all three of them to the other side of the room. Between the gut punch of magic and being thrown against a wall Yennien immediately lost consciousness.
He had no idea how long he was out for, but when he came to, and found it took several moments for his vision to clear, he was met with a buzz of noise. He blinked away the blurs of shifting shadows in the bright lights, voices murmured in his ears, but they were still ringing. Mammals were all around him, he felt their paws on his body, trying to help him, but they were more of an annoyance really. He recognized some of the uniforms as being his nurses, other healers, and palace guards. It would seem the danger was over, for now, and he had survived.
“D-dead...th-they’re all...dead.” A strangled voice, full of panic, caught his ears, causing them to flick and turn. Yennien craned his head over to look towards the bed where Nick lay in.
‘...alive…’ He thought slowly. ‘...whose dead then?’
“Yennien!” A sheep nurse touched his arm as he struggled to get up. “You need to lay down, you’re very weak.” She tried to push him back down, but he sluggishly pushed her away. The last thing he wanted was to be treated like a invalid after what he just did. A fucking miracle.
“Leave me…” He found his voice was scratchy, sore, as was everything else. “...I want to see him.” Now that the danger was over, the healing hall was full of guards, other knights, and he recognized Lieutenant Bogo’s hulking form from across the room. They would want to question him, but for now he just wanted to see Nick for himself. Closer to the table now he saw Gazelle, gently tipping a flask of water into Nick’s parted lips. Ever the dutiful caregiver. She looked up at him as he shoved mammals out of his way.
“He’s alive then?” It was more of a statement to himself than a question. He saw how Nick still trembled and fought, his mouth spouted gibberish words like ‘dead, ‘fire’...and ‘wolf’. He was obviously still stuck in a nightmare, but dammit he was alive.
“Yes, barely, and it’s all thanks to you.” Gazelle studied Yennien now with tired eyes. He looked half dead himself. She too wasn’t too far off from dropping where she stood. Arik, who was busy giving a full report of the situation to Lieutenant Bogo, was just barely standing by himself as well. Yennien had been the only one to pass out, herself and Arik had rushed back to Nick’s side. The magic had dispersed with the aligning of Nick’s magical center, the corruption had vanished, and none of them sensed anymore residing inside Nick. It was lucky for Nick that they had remained lucid. For it was Lieutenant Bogo, and a group of knights, that had been the first to arrive with the calm of the magic.
Gazelle had seen the look in Bogo’s eyes, a look she knew well, she had seen it on the borders. Bogo did not hold back in the face of corruption. He had been resolved to kill Nick on the spot if that meant stopping it. Seeing Yennien on the ground hadn’t helped to make Nick look like the victim he was.
“Yes, thank fucking Marian to me.” He cursed a saint's name as he allowed himself to lean back against the wall, sliding his back down to the floor, which was still warm from the magic. “I haven’t felt this drained since I was last on the border.” That was almost twenty years ago, but now it feels like yesterday.
“I concur, it’s been so quiet lately, there hasn’t been a great need for me to use so much magic.” She dabbed at Nick’s forehead with a cool cloth.
“...Saphielle…” They heard Nick whimper so low only they could hear. They stared at him, knowing now he was seeing her, and knowing that nightmares and dreams were so much more than most believed them to be.
“She’s with him now.” Gazelle whispered.
“In some way, yes, I’m sure she is. I can’t imagine a descendant of her’s has ever been truly alone.” He eyed the necklace once more before looking away from it. “Now that he is aligned he’ll recover much quicker. I’ll have him moved to another room with a magical ward, just in case.”
“I’ll stay-”
“No!” He snapped at her before she could finish what he knew was going to be something ridiculous. “You and Arik have done enough, you both need to leave and get some rest. Giving that much life energy will take time to recover it. You both should take a healing draft to help with that.”
“You need it more than I.”
“Ha! You think I don’t know that! As soon as I can feel my legs again I’m calling it a day. There are plenty of nurses and healers to handle this mess.” He looked over at all the mammals scurrying about. Already the nurses were moving the not broken furniture back into place. Several of the palace servants were already cleaning up the broken bits lying about. Those with magic were set to repairing the windows, and whatever else. They’d have the hall back in order, mostly, by the end of the day. He wasn’t looking forward to the whining that would come from the palace herbalist to replace all the plants. But it wasn’t as if this was the first time a sickly mage had caused a huge mess. He didn’t like leaving his hall in the paws of a healer he deemed ‘unskilled’ but his body gave him no choice.
“Besides…” Yennien caught Gazelle’s attention with a more playful tone of voice, he smiled at her with heavy eyes. “It looks like there is someone ready to drag you away for just that.” He nodded in another direction and Gazelle looked up to see Saffrin, she was doing her best to do her job, but her eyes were locked desperately onto Gazelle. The sight, coupled with her emotions, brought tears to the mages eyes. “See, now go, take care of yourself.” She reluctantly nodded, but her body gave no resistance once Saffrin was at her side, falling weakly into her embrace.
Just as the couple left Lieutenant Bogo and Arik took their place. Bogo looked down at Nick, a weary look on his face, or hatred, honestly Yennien thought it could go either way. The fox had stopped his spastic twitching and now lay still on the bed, still looked like shit.
“Alive?” Bogo asked bluntly. Not looking at Yennien, but Yennien figured he wasn’t talking to the nurses that flitted about.
“Barely, but I expect the worst is over, we shouldn’t have anymore outbursts.”
“I hope not, he’s been a menace since last night.”
“Is that your professional assessment, Lieutenant?” He snickered to himself, still sitting on the floor, having to shoo away a nurse every few seconds. He didn’t want to be treated right now.
“It is, I saw corruption from outside, we all did. You will have a hard time convincing everyone it did not come from him. I’ve also just come from the Dostringar holding cell, where Blessed Knight Captain Hopps was interrogating the Dostringar mage. Somehow the magical seal on that room was broken and magic was used to tear the room apart.” He delivered the information without once looking up from Nick.
“What!?” His head snapped up and he stared at Bogo. He wanted to yell that it was impossible, but yet it had been done.
“That must be what Nick’s magic reacted to then, and the corruption, somehow they got to him. That is...a lot to take in.” He looked back at Nick, moving his mouth in thought.
“How can we trust that the fox hasn’t been corrupted?” It was becoming increasingly obvious to everyone around that Bogo was untrusting.
“I can assure you that Nick is safe, and not your concern right now, Lieutenant.” After everything he had just been through to save Nick, Yennien was not going to see him thrown back into a cell. He glared up at Bogo until the waterbuffalo turned his gaze away first.
“I hope for all our sakes your right.”
“I am.” His mouth turned up a little in a smirk, only to see Arik shaking his head from behind Bogo, a wider smile now. “I’m sure you have many fine noble mammals to go assure that the danger is over and all is well. I’ll leave you to it.” Bogo just huffed and turned sharply away, Arik a bit of a fritting mess behind him.
It took a couple more candle marks before Yennien was allowed to retire to his room. Along with a thousand questions from staff and guards, he also wanted to make sure Nick was indeed on the road to recovering. Along with some medicine for pain, a healing draft, Yennien also gave him a sleeping elixir. Another quick look at his channels proved that the alignment was holding, this would allow his channels to start healing more naturally on their own, Yennien wouldn’t need to sooth him as much as he had before. This task could be taken over by one of the other healers.
With the excitement over, he had Nick moved to a private room. This room was one used for the mage patients who had a tendency to pop off magic like Nick had, though far less destructive. So the room already had protective wards in place, so if Nick did flare up again the magic would be contained in this room, he hoped. Yennien didn’t foresee that being a problem though, Nick was very stable now, his magic moved and flowed without hindrance.
Once Nick was settled in, the door closed, Yennien fell down into the chair next to him. He’d had Nick washed up, fresh bandages and clothes, medicine given. He looked much better now than he did before, hells, he looked better than Yennien did at the moment. He casually brought up his hoof to gently tapped against Nick’s magical center, it was solid, and it seemed his channels were already self-healing nicely. Now that there was a steady flow through his body Nick’s magic had become self aware of what needed to be done.
Yennien’s arm and hoof trembled as he held it there, he grimaced at it displeasingly. ‘Just this little bit I can barely do. My arms feel like tar and I can barely keep my eyes open.’ The room they were in now had a small window above the bed. It allowed bright natural light to softly illuminate the room, keep it warm, and enveloped in a calm feeling. He watched the dust molts float through the beams that cast themselves over the bed.
Nick was breathing smoothly now, arms placed on either side of his body, his face turned towards Yennien, the necklace laid heavily on his rising and falling chest. He looked at peace now. Yennien’s face twisted a bit in remembrance of the corruption he saw mixed in with Nick’s magic. There was no way it was Nick, he’d been all through Nick’s channels and never saw a hint of dark magic there. Some-mammal had triggered the flare up and tainted Nick’s mind with corruption. He only dared to dream what terror Nick’s mind had been trapped in. Bogo wasn’t able to see Nick as the victim he was, a pawn in something far greater.
‘He’s been through so much in such a short period of time. What nasty luck he has. I hope, for all our sake, it’s the last.’ He let his eyes close, head resting to the side, to be abruptly lulled to sleep by the sun’s warm embrace and the soft breathing filling the room with silence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Extra
It had taken Bogo threatening to drag Judy to her bed to get her not to follow him to the healing hall. He had been in the process of walking her back to her room when news reached them about an explosion of magic in the healing hall. He’d been the one to find her there in the center of the destroyed interrogation chamber. Still hundeled in on herself, looking so small and fragile. He’d been determined to get her out of there, not knowing what evil may linger, she was unwilling to tell him yet what had happened.
Despite the fact that she barely had energy to walk, that her nerves were beyond frayed, and she looked like she’d seen something beyond words capabilities; she had immediately tried to take command of the situation. He promised to report back to her every tiny detail, but he needed her to let him handle this. She needed to trust in him as her Lieutenant, as her second, as a capable Blessed Knight. She needn't take on every burden onto her own shoulders. Not when she had already done so much.
It took much convincing, but he got her to go back to her room, with the promise that he would come report to her as soon as possible. The look on her face was desperate though, begging him to not leave her in the dark, not after all she had just seen. Now, more than ever before, she was in the throes of guilt to keep Nick Wilde safe and within reach, he wished he knew why. He made every promise he could to her and made sure she got to her room while her legs could still hold her up right. A servant would be nearby with hot food and to make sure she didn’t pass out in the bath. He doubted she should be conscious when he finally came back around.
When he did have a chance to go back to the Blessed Knight quarters, later that day, it was no surprise that she was fast asleep. Having passed out on a couch in their group shared living space. Though given the fact that a report was already written up on the table, and the ink was still wet, she had fought it.
(Just a snippet I wanted to add, but couldn’t find a good spot for it. I didn’t want to add another POV into the mix. lol)
Notes:
I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter! The next chapter will take a little longer, it's still in the works. I'm sitting the deadline for this chapter by July 8th. I should have it done before then.
QUESTION FOR READERS: Are there any questions that you have, that are not plot related, that I have not answered yet? The next chapter will see more questions being answered. Sometimes as the writer I forget that there are things I may not have added because they are obvious to me.
Thank you all for always reading and leaving such well thought out comments. :)
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Leroidatboi on Chapter 4 Sun 17 Feb 2019 09:19PM UTC
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