There was a knock on Wulfric’s bedroom door.
"Wulfric?" His mother’s voice called out from her spot at the door. With the way the events had been, she felt it was better to tell her son the truth now rather than later. Telling him was one thing, however. His reaction would be another.
Wulfric had just recently arrived to his bedroom, after having retrieved his sabre; especially after a spar, it really did feel more fitting to have it than not. He’d attended to some minor matters, like checking up on his appearance. But mostly, he had been considering the merits and demerits of open versus concealed carry. He had just been trying on his slimmest thigh holster and most compact dagger when there was a knock on his door. Adjusting his tunic over the recent addition, he faced the entrance.
At the sound of his mother’s voice, he replied,
"Coming." He strolled to the door, and opened it. Her face told him much the same as her tone had; she was in quite a different mood from when they’d last met. She struck him as trying to be
careful.
"Hello, mother," he greeted, studying her expression openly.
"Shall we speak here or elsewhere?" He asked because she obviously had something she wanted to talk about.
"Hello, Wulfric. I invite you to accompany me." She spoke immediately in a composed manner. Alibeth then turned and proceeded down the hall, the tap of her heels echoing with purpose. After a brief moment, she halted at the terminus of the corridor and inclined her head backward, her gaze meeting his.
"It will be worth your time."Her son quirked up a brow at her curiously, but stepped out of his room and closed the door behind him. He had intended to attend the race - and not purely for entertainment’s sake. He wished to stress to Lorenzo the importance of
not messing up again. However, the man would be far too busy with announcing for a while yet. And, in the end, even if Wulfric missed out on the chance to speak to him, then he could count on Auguste to handle the man while they dined with the Sultan.
Saying nothing of his schedule to the queen, he went after her. It struck him as amusing that though she’d issued an invitation, she was clearly leading with an expectation that he would follow. And he did.
He was rather intrigued why she’d sought him out, after all.
By the time her gaze met his, he too, was nearly at the end of the hallway.
"I have no doubts that it will be," Wulfric intoned. There was a very subtle hint of something which might become a smile if he allowed it to form. But he did not.
He took the remaining few steps towards her.
"Let us, then," he prompted. Though there were some remnants of amusement yet, he kept it in check. His expression smoothed out into a cool neutrality. He matched the gravity of her intent; and as he continued on by her side, so too, did he adjust his pace to hers.
Alibeth escorted Wulfric to the library doors and cautiously pushed them open, scanning the room for any signs of life. Satisfied that it was empty, she turned the lock with a decisive click before making her way to a sunny corner of the room. She approached a bookcase and, after a moment of contemplation, started to fiddle with the books on the top shelves, out of Wulfric's view. Suddenly, the bookcase creaked and swung inward, revealing a hidden passageway.
"Wulfric, I presume you have some knowledge of the existence of magic?" she asked, her tone nonchalant as she turned to face him.
Wulfric soon found himself at the library. He was only an occasional visitor here - he had a collection of his favourites right in his office, for one - so it had been some time. They walked among the shelves, and he idly inspected those they passed. Alibeth guided him to a section which, especially compared to its neighbours, was oddly well lit. They stopped near a shelf hosting several historical volumes; he knew those well. Adjacent to it was a bookshelf with fictional novels; he was passingly acquainted.
He watched with some curiosity as his mother reached for the upper shelves of the latter. He shifted, trying to see what she was doing. However, she concealed it. A moment later, a hidden passageway was revealed. Wulfric pondered its inky depths. He hadn’t realized there was such a thing here. Yet, there was the shadow of a memory…He felt as if he had found one of these as a child, elsewhere.
Whether he had or hadn’t, it left him with several questions.
The queen’s next words even more so.
Wulfric’s expression hardened, showing none of his surprise or disquiet.
"If you were to term supposition as knowledge," he replied. There was a glint of accusation in his gaze, even as his tone and words were measured.
"I thought it might have existed once. I considered it to be of little to no relevance in the present day and age." His eyes narrowed.
"Clearly, a mistake," he inferred unhappily.
There was a moment in which he merely looked at her. Then, he tilted his chin at the passageway.
"Go on.""Oh, it is quite relevant." Alibeth replied, with a measured smile, as she firmly shut the door behind them. She led her son down a narrow, stone passageway to a modest room lined with shelves of books, which also housed a writing desk and a simple stool.
"Your father is under the impression that all of the books in this castle have been destroyed. However, his lack of exploration belies this notion. I deemed it prudent to preserve these volumes, to serve as a reference in times of uncertainty, such as this."Lack of exploration indeed, Wulfric thought sourly, because whether his mother meant it as an indirect criticism or not, it did seem to apply to him as well.
"So, the previous king was fine having them around, but not Edin?" he asked, trying to get a better understanding of the timeline of events.
"Then you preserved some of them - or had them preserved?" The idea that she might have entrusted some minions with something so vital, but not him - not until now - bothered him.
"I simply meant that I decided not to destroy the books upon discovery. I have no knowledge of their purpose or truly who knew of their presence here." Alibeth had clarified to Wulfric upon his question.
With practiced ease, she then swiftly selected a tome, well aware of its contents.
"You must exercise utmost caution when handling these books. All magic comes at a cost, even those that appear innocuous." She flipped to the page of memory spells.
"A plethora of options really. It’s absurd to accept logically every single one of them got too inebriated to remember not one thing that occurred…" Her gaze slid to her son, hand still on the book,
"In due course, you will find yourself consulting these books as a means of comprehending situations that defy explanation. When something seems inexplicable, it is often the result of magic, and as you will discover, it can be a force to contend with." Alibeth subsequently studied her son’s reaction before commenting further.
Wulfric stepped close enough to read the book segment she indicated, since she was trying to point out something to him. He raised a brow at what he saw.
"Memory…" he pondered. Yes, magic was an option, perhaps even the likelier one. However.
"Is there a way to discern for certain if this - or any given act - was done by magical rather than mundane means?" He had long thought that people had this irrational tendency to consider something
inexplicable merely because they personally couldn’t explain it. Then, they attributed it to something beyond their understanding; to something supernatural. Even
knowing that magic existed didn’t change his opinion all that much. One could still over-rely on magic. Rely on it as the means with which to accomplish something. And rely on it as the source of explanation for something.
"Previously, I had suspected poison, drugs, or a combination thereof. Could it not be that instead? Or what if it is also that?" Though he was being very pragmatic about it all, a spark of curiosity had been ignited within him. Wulfric turned an intrigued look on his mother.
"It would be convenient if we could detect magic. It users, its victims…" He once again peered down at the page of memory spells, thoughtful.
"Also…is it possible to undo or ‘cure’ magical afflictions? A way to restore lost memories, for example." He then straightened up, and blinked at Alibeth as something occurred to him.
"And please, do not take this to mean that I am inclined to use magic."Alibeth smiled at her son's inquiry, pleased with his level of intellect and inclination to consider all options.
"If all the individuals had displayed similar symptoms when they were discovered, I would have concurred," she said, closing the book.
"However, I took care to observe each and every one of their physical and mental states, as well as that of others who exited from the gathering. The symptoms varied greatly. You could attempt to persuade me to believe it was a drug den with a multitude of options for them, alas I have my doubts."Her narrowed gaze fell on Wulfric as her tone grew icy with him,
"While magic can be detected, it requires a spell to do so. I have a strong aversion towards casting spells and so should you." Wulfric didn’t sigh, though he wanted to.
"Did I not ask you not to accuse me of a desire for witchcraft? I am no mage nor do I wish to be one…" He went to lean against the writing desk, nonchalantly scanning the shelves full of magical knowledge.
"I suppose this is why you haven’t told me until you felt like you absolutely had to." Though he’d attempted to be entirely neutral, the slightest hint of bitterness slipped through.
Alibeth smirked at his retort. However, she had more to say when it came towards the second remark. There had been another reason why she had withheld the information, although she did not speak immediately upon this.
"You know…" his gaze landed on hers.
"I imagine I might prefer a world without magic." He cocked his head to the side.
"But this is not that world." He paused for a brief moment.
"And though there have obviously been attempts to eradicate it…It is still here, is it not?" He arched a brow pointedly.
"... I would prefer the same…You'll find, Wulfric, that there is no need for magic in order to extract a confession. Morrigan and our other interrogation tools are quite proficient in their craft. The chamber I provided them in the dungeon is protected from spell use. It was in such a state before I even arrived."The queen met Wulfric’s eyes and declared coldly,
"Our methods have consistently proven successful in eliciting confessions, after which the individuals are dealt with accordingly.""Far be it for me to doubt the efficiency of torture," Wulfric declared with dry amusement, and his lips twitched up into a brief smirk.
"But it rather requires that we capture the target first. And the one this time is already proving elusive - after all, there was neither hide nor hair of anyone or anything you could have taken back with you by the time you arrived at the warehouse, was there?" A curt nod from the queen confirmed his hypothesis.
A slightly longer exhale followed that confirmation.
"I have some ideas on how to corner them, and I am certain so do you. But my point is…This enemy of ours is fully willing to use magic. And if their aim truly is sabotage? Inciting chaos? Maybe even to reveal to the world this power of theirs? That kind of damage…It should be prevented. And no, I shan’t say ‘at any and all cost’, because it would be ridiculous for us to needlessly escalate, and inadvertently create an uncontrollable situation."He looked away, the icy blue of his irises affixing on a random tome. A fist clenched by his side.
"But this idea that someone, somewhere - anyone, anywhere - could and would use magic…For who knows what aims…That they could harm us, while we all here are so utterly vulnerable, so helpless…I detest it," he confessed.
"Oh, the situation is even graver than you perceive." She had no words of comfort for her son.
"I believe this mastermind may be using others to bear the costs of magic use for him more often than not…" Alibeth spoke with a clear, unwavering voice, her eyes scanning the book titles as she paced amongst the shelves.
"That does not surprise me," Wulfric noted.
"Undoubtedly, those proficient in magic have found ways to bypass the cost, one way or another."She was rather nonchalant despite the dire situation she was describing.
"The man I had burnt at the stake today was one of the pawns. He was quite transparent that he would make a spectacle of himself as he met his end, much to my satisfaction." The queen paused to consider the order of the details she wanted to present to her son for a moment. Alibeth turned from view then pulled an eyeglass from a concealed area on her person. She turned back to face him and presented it for his viewing.
"I have an enchanted spyglass here, Wulfric. Before I tell you what it does, I’d like to give you a foundation of knowledge."Wulfric hummed at the brief summary of the execution.
"...Let’s just keep it away from the level of a witch hunt, shall we?" he offered, tone as casual as hers.
"No need for one. They always come to me eventually."Then, she showed him a spyglass. For one who professed to be ‘strongly averse’ to spells, she seemed to have no issue handling magical tools. Thus, he had to wonder whether she did have experience actively casting magic. And if she did, how extensive it was.
"Certainly," he assented to her suggestion easily.
"Very well," Alibeth stated as she retrieved a thin book from the shelf. The book, titled "Starcatcher," featured an illustration of the sun and moon on its cover. Alibeth flipped to chapter two.
"You may have already noticed a pull toward these books that cannot be explained. This is due to the idea that magic supposedly is attracted toward ambition. The more ambitious you are, the more powerful your magic may be." Her eyes met his, then she stepped aside for him to read.
Wulfric took the book, and flipped it to the beginning. The foreword was quaint and catchy.
"Take too much from me; I will take everything from you," he quoted, mildly amused. Out of context, it was quite the vengeful statement.
In context, he questioned if the author had meant that she, personally, would take, or that magic would, because it always took its due. Probably the latter, though the former had some uncomfortable implications too.
"With love and hope for a better world," he concluded with some sarcasm.
Did you truly believe this? Or were you simply using it as an excuse? Either way… He wasn’t sure if magic ultimately could better the world. He was inclined to think it depended on how one used it, however…
"Curious individual, this one, hm?" he remarked, as he briefly glanced up at his mother. She simply smirked.
He then quickly read through the introduction in the first chapter.
"Addictive nature," he said with firm disapproval.
Even more swiftly, he perused the book’s spells, just to get a feel of what magic could do.
"Most of these can be accomplished by mundane means," he commented on the novice spells.
"And who the hell would willingly lose a memory forever?" he exclaimed suddenly, indignant. Wulfric shook his head in disbelief, then continued going through the book.
Of the intermediate spells, tracking did appeal to him, but unless one knew the person well, one would require something of theirs regardless. Too, he wanted to know if it was possible to protect oneself from such magical spying.
"Enchantments…" he sighed, aware that it would be entirely too easy to grow paranoid thinking of the ways in which one might be affected by magic.
He raised a brow at some of the magics pertaining to the body.
"Admittedly, the idea of facing and overcoming a challenge like this is intriguing," he noted.
He was drawn towards the protective spells - however, the costs were downright daunting.
Finally, he returned to the second chapter. He read this one thoroughly.
"A bond between this book, the magical plane, and your body," he quoted, baffled. This concept of a bond or a connection between oneself and magic…It seemed altogether strange. He didn’t even know what to begin to think of a ‘magical plane’.
"Calls out to the ambitious or to the addict?" he criticized openly.
"Magicae…Witchblood…Dark witches," he mouthed the unfamiliar terms, assimilating them.
Then, he once again faced his mother, and turned the book towards her, still open on the second chapter.
"Try not to take this the wrong way…But did you test out this…magical affinity?" he asked, a bit awkward since magic and terms associated with it were still unfamiliar to him.
"Or were you suggesting I should?" he tagged on. Though she’d already scolded him once for proposing use of spells, he was getting some strong mixed messages here.
"I have performed magic before." Alibeth admitted without batting an eyelash.
"As I said, I do not prefer to. I have dabbled foolishly in my youth and I have also cast protection spells on my children when they were born. Much of the rooms within the castle are already imbued with magical protections, however, it was done so long ago that it would take an expert practitioner to spot the magic.""Hm, well, it is a relief to know that our fortress enjoys such protections," he commented as he closed the Starcatcher book and set it on the table.
"I do not suggest you should unless it is important. Though I do suggest understanding magic as much as you can." She held up the spyglass again,
"My sister and I came upon a number of trinkets one day. This was one of them." She came to stand at her son’s side and held the spy glass up to his eye. She moved her arm out in front of him. He would see a thick green aura of light and moving energy around her arm.
"Your sister," Wulfric repeated curiously, as he looked through the presented item. He noted the green colour, and the density of the energy, and supposed it was indicative of his mother’s magicae.
"Mutatio." A cloth on the table began to change from yellow to white as Alibeth cast the spell with a mere touch of her finger. As Wulfric observed through the spyglass, he would see the energy grow and then shrink, signifying the loss of energy during the spell's casting.
"When someone casts a spell or takes from their magicae reservoir, it causes a shift in their energy that can be perceived through this eyeglass. When many spells are cast in one area, it can even create a pull effect towards those who are particularly active in their magic use, as if their energy is drawn to the spell casting. At the execution I attended today, I was able to witness such an effect with Cameron's magic use. Some even feared him and cast protection spells.""So this is that widespread," he commented. Though, he could hardly fault anyone for wanting to protect themselves from magic.
He peered through the spyglass inquisitively, trying to detect if any trace of magic remained within the bespelled tablecloth. He then brought up his own hand in front of the enchanted item, wanting to see his own magicae. His was also green.
Then, he regarded his mother.
"Are humans the only ones in the natural world with magical energy?" he wondered.
"I suppose even animals have their desires." After a moment of reflection, she added,
"One need not worry excessively about the possibility of an apocalypse. Magic has been a part of our world for as long as we can remember and yet, here we stand. Even those who send their proxies, such as Darryn, seem to have limitations. If the mastermind behind such actions holds as much power as we fear, one may wonder why there has never been a large-scale move made. Why are we still here?" These questions, though asked aloud, seem to have a rhetorical tone to them, suggesting that Alibeth may already have an inkling of the answers.
"I am not worried about an apocalypse…more so about the political implications." He didn’t like her allegations against Darryn, but was momentarily distracted by thinking about her last question. It was quite philosophical, in a sense, though he was sure she’d meant it practically.
"It must be because they couldn’t have…" he eventually settled on.
Then Wulfric pinned her with a look.
"You say Fletcher is a proxy?"A frosty laugh escaped Alibeth's lips as she sneered,
"You mean to say you thought your sister was a master seductress…?"Yes, yes. So hilarious, mother. Shall I bow down to your no doubt superior understanding? He kept the sarcasm to himself, lips pursing.
"She has, in fact, seduced numerous individuals," he stated neutrally. Moving on, he prompted,
"So. Fletcher?" And, because he did want more information,
"What all do you know about this case?"Alibeth grimaced at Wulfric’s initial words. The topic of her daughter was not one she wished to address, but her thoughts turned to the matter at hand.
Being no challenge to men does not always mean one is alluring. Something must be done to rectify her revolting behavior."Darryn showed signs indicative of overuse of magic during the period of his interrogation. His behavior had been atypical before anything had even been done. His eyes did briefly glow as well. Furthermore, he confessed to working for someone, however, we were unable to obtain the identity of this person." Alibeth explained.
"I figure he’s attempting to flee about now. Certainly, he will be pursued by not only us but whoever his master is. I reckon we’ve seen the last of him." "Us?" Wulfric was clearly disapproving.
"If we are chasing after him, it shouldn’t be to target him, but whoever is after him." Their priority wasn’t a runaway stableboy, but whoever he could lead them to. Besides, he had a promise to keep, even if Fletcher
was more of a risk than he’d thought him to be. Then, because it was relevant, he added,
"If the person he is working for and the party’s host are one and the same, then it might be Marek Delronzo. According to that meddler Hendrix, anyhow…But it should not be too difficult to confirm this." She placed the eyeglass in his hand and turned to leave. Though she had obviously heard him, she had not verbally acknowledged anything he said. She did, however, pause for just a moment.
"If you plan to attend the horse race, keep an eye out for me…Oh and also, keep your other eye on Lady Mina Blackwood. Something’s strange about her."Wulfric seemed as if he were about to say something, but closed his mouth, accepted the item, and pocketed it.
"Very well."
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