Theurgy: The Journey's Dawn (Book One)

Chapter 42 The Sword and Torch

         "It is hereby stated, under the bind of my pen and seal and my words that carry executive law, that my place as King is a temporary matter. It has come to me that the Colton line is no more. I carry no relatives, no close blood, and no familiarity to entrust the future of my kingdom into. So this will shall be the instructions to carry out of my unwilling abdication upon my death. The net ruler of this great nature shall be born from Hathan royalty, as my mother shares the strongest ties with them. This appointed ruler must be the will of the current queen, with whom trust I have thanks and admiration. I trust her to appoint someone of a suitable role and stature. All that I may be able to request of my advisors and my Paladins is that they serve their new lord with diligence . . ."

James trailed off, reading off his will. It was old; he had comprised it long ago about the same time he posthumous his father's throne. He had written it, knowing that his line may die with him. He had not yet lost his wife and child, that grief would come much later, but he intended his kingdom would prosper even after his death. The Colton line was done. He planned on leaving this crown to a family he knows will be able to care for it. A family who earned his respect a thousand times is evident just by reading who that family was.

He intended to give Wilbur and Celia the crown. Sure, they would have cursed him his death, but they would never reject it. No one could deny a will of a king. More binding than law and more binding than gravity are to all things. It was the power of choice, be it written and spoken. And by applying this will to be accurate, he has made prisoners out of the Opals. He was cruel, but he no longer cared. The Opals had been in hiding for far too long. This country needed them. He needed them to do what needed to be done, to step up and lead them all to safety if he is not there, which he believed he would not be. He didn't know whether this sensation was natural or supernatural, but he knew he had to do this. He hadn't told a soul; no one knew of this decision of his besides himself.

He called for a servant into his work chamber. "Deliver this to the Paladin of Exploration. Instruct her that it is not meant to be open until the 'perfect time'. She will know what that means."

The servant nodded, then carefully took the note from across the desk. The grey-uniformed woman stepped out of the double doors, closing them behind themselves.

It was done, and the decision was made. He was putting a lot of faith in the hands of another, an uncomfortable thought. Never in his life had he felt this powerless, unable to change his surroundings despite what he had on his head. He pushed away from his deck, gathering the last of the approved legislation to be brought to his next meeting with the council this evening. He had time, but he instead catches a bit of sun today before then. Perhaps he will take another walk in the garden. Sitting in the sun always soothed him, and made his thoughts come quickly, the winds coming from the north carrying fresh scents of the mountains and nearby forests with them. He sat the documents into his satchel and took off towards the garden to spend his time. As he stepped out, three sentinels stood at attention, the same position as when he entered. Do these people ever move on their own? He never saw them chat amongst themselves, doing anything besides silently looking ahead, statues. It was curious, though. There were only three.

"I see that one of you is missing," he said. "Where is the fourth."

The sentinels looked between themselves. It was almost as if they could talk without saying a word to one another.

"He did not show up to this shift, my lord," one of the sentinels said in a low, growling voice. "It occurs from time to time."

"Not often, I suppose," James moved on. He can't remember the last time he ever saw less than four around him. But he knows they could be summoned to the Assembly, the academy that trains every sentinel in the seven clans. It was also the most extensive library in the empire, being a hub for devoted scholars to pick up worlds dating back ages. No one knows what goes on inside those walls, not even Lupren, who commands all sentinels. This is good since there is no way to mimic whatever ghastly training that those who become sentinels go through. All that James knows of them is that you can not wish to become a sentinel; all sentinels are orphans and therefore have no familial ties. They trained three specific breeds of warriors; the sentinels themselves made up the bulk. You have the Erevon Military Police, the order of the sentinels, the order of secret mages working for the empire known only as Pastellon. And then there was the Assassins order, the Black Hand. He knows the least of them because he doesn't control them. That section is reserved only for the Black Hand, one of the councilmen he rarely sees outside of meetings named Gideon. The last he saw him was about seven years ago when the trouble started brewing in an outland kingdom called Salenthus. The king wished to seize some territory they took then, while his successor wished not to go to war with Liontari. Nevertheless, the situation was clearly out of the hands of negotiations and in the hands of the Black Hand. He wishes he could use them for other clandestine occasions, but the Black Hand made it clear that it must be a majority vote amongst all of the council, and he doubts they will allow him that power.