The Southern Mage- Sookai

Swiss Army Knife

It was late at night. An oil lamp glowed on the table of Beomgyu's dressing tent. Yeonjun joined him on the chair across. "We just finished packing sir. The troops are resupplying as we speak. We're set to go back to the North in the morning."

In his frustration, Beomgyu stood up to reread every servant contract that they found during the last raid. Maybe standing would give him a better angle to see something he missed. Without bothering to look up, he stated "I'm not going. My father knows this. I'm staying until I find him again."

"For how long?"

"Until I do."

"I'm staying with you then."

"Father would kill you."

"First of all, your father loves me. Secondly, Taehyun is more than qualified to lead the troops in my absence."

Beomgyu scoffed. "He's more of a one man operation don't you think?"

"Do you doubt his abilities?"

"As a leader? Yes. I promoted you for a reason."

"Taehyun is only your special council."

"Not the troop's special council."

Yeonjun put his palm down in the middle of the documents so the Prince was forced to look up at him. "What's wrong?"

"He should be in here! I've combed through these documents for hours now and I can't find him!" Just as he said that, he saw a contract that caught his eye. He picked it up and read the name aloud. "Julia Huening. Mother and son. Huening... Huening."

The family tree had "Huening" as one of the four families. The date of the contract was signed nearly 20 years ago placing them going into servitude shortly after the purge. It fit but who was the son? He kept skimming the contract. In the middle was the son's age. He was claimed to be six. "He's younger than me by a year."

"He's 21 now?"

"It appears so." The end of the contract had Julia's signature. On a whim, he flipped it over. Three sloppy letters were scribbled on the back. K. A. I. "Kai. His name is Kai Huening."

"Kai? You found him? You actually found him?"

"It appears so. Gather my mages. Tell them that whoever finds Kai will be granted their freedom. If I find him first, they all die. That should give them some motivation."

Yeonjun nodded with a satisfactory grin. "You want to switch me and Taehyun don't you?"

"Precisely. Someone needs to watch the mage's families so they don't try anything they're not supposed to. Plus, Kai won't listen to a royal. I bet he'll listen to a servant."

If you were to simplify Taehyun Kang's job to one word then "servant" technically would be appropriate. However, he did not wash clothes or wait on someone like one would imagine a servant to do. He was more of a one man army. An all rounder who could do a little bit of everything.

The King had him primarily involved with negotiations in his council, which he didn't mind, but he equally relished being in the field. In those rare times he was in the field, he was doing tasks meant to be kept top secret or tasks they didn't want to use army resources for. This task was a bit of both.

Knowing Taehyun, it was going to take a while to pack his belongings and gather his supplies so Beomgyu decided to ride to the Southern castle at first light. Some of the old staff was kept alive under his father's direction. He wanted to interrogate them. He knew they wouldn't know Kai was a mage, he just wanted to learn more about him.

Hours later, Yeonjun was stunned to see the Prince still reading at the table. He grabbed a plate of food then sat it on top of the book Beomgyu was reading. "Eat. What were you reading this time?"

Beomgyu didn't realize how hungry he was until he smelled the venison under his nose. "I wasn't reading. I was studying the maps of the south. The old ones and the newest ones. I'm trying to narrow down where Kai could be."

"Any luck?"

"I'll have better luck when Taehyun gets here. With a cloaking spell, he could literally be anywhere."

"Surely you narrowed down a few areas."

Beomgyu downed the rest of his food then handed his plate off to a servant. An old map of the South was laid out for Yeonjun to see. "I found him here." He pointed to the woods they most recently burned down. "He has to be staying around here if he used to come with his family."

"And you know that how?"

"I mentioned it and he didn't react."

Yeonjun had long learned to go with the Prince's assumptions since they were usually right. It's one of the many reasons he was chosen as the heir and not his older brother. "He couldn't have been living in the woods. Beyond that is ice on one side and a valley in the other. Both largely untouched except by the ocean ports."

"When Taehyun arrives, he'll have an indication of where to start. His knowledge of mages exceeds mine."

"His knowledge on everything exceeds most everyone."

"Precisely why I need him on this mission. Nothing against you. I just needed someone who is prepared for negotiations rather than battle."

"You don't need to explain yourself. You're the heir. Plus, you're right. I'd jump at the challenge of battling an original."

Beomgyu folded the maps then grabbed another book on spells. Flatly, he mentioned "my father told me he would accept Kai as a partner."

"The King? King Choi?"

"One in the same."

Yeonjun grabbed two glasses and a bottle of wine. He poured a cup for both of them. "The same man who almost melted your crown when you told him you couldn't marry the Princess because-"

Beomgyu sipped the glass then opened the book. "That's him. He actually came here to tell me that too."

"He abandoned his throne to tell you that?"

"Wouldn't believe it if I told myself this story either."

Yeonjun downed his glass then poured himself another one. "Could you imagine? King Beomgyu and King Kai?"

Beomgyu thought back to that gorgeous stranger amidst the smoke. He was like a drop of color in a black and white world. "I need to find him first. I can't think about the rest now."

"I'll drink to that. I can't remember the last time I had fun."

"All of those escorts were just wasted coin then I assume."

"Considering the last one tried to kill me? Yes."

"But you killed her and also killed the man who recommended her."

Yeonjun downed another glass in his delight. "And got my money back. Don't forget that part when you tell that tale of me."

"This is odd. It just occurred to me that I won't see you for a bit. Tell Taehyun to hurry his ass up when you get there."

"I figure you're not coming back until you have him?"

"I have to find him Yeonjun. He's everything that I've been looking for and my father actually approves."

Yeonjun gently slapped the Prince's shoulder. "I hope you do find him. I'm ready for this war to be over."

Beomgyu finished his glass after the knight left. He sincerely hoped Taehyun, his trusted advisor, would arrive soon. Together, they could start the search. In the meantime, reading didn't seem like a bad option.