Nethermost Realm: Prisoner of Arlunn

Chapter 42

Please note: I am updating this draft of The Prisoner of Arlunn. The most important change is that the main character's name has been changed from Philip to Rian.

42

Dimly, Rian became aware of movement above him. He lay on his back. He managed to open his eyes wide enough to see Arryk towering over him. He wanted to react, fight back but his senses were confused and slow. He couldn't fathom the situation.

"Risni shama," said Arryk, touching his forehead.

Soon Rian sunk back into a deep sleep from which he had trouble waking. Whatever dreams he had, if any, were fleeting and vague. Always, he struggled against something, and in the distance, he could hear the paravescea pulsing in that odd, off-balance way.

Whenever he tried to wake, something pulled him back to sleep.

Finally, as his mind began to grow restless again, suddenly he woke, as though he'd been let go.

Still, Arryk stood over him. Or had he gone away and come back later? "Rian?" he heard Arryk say.

As he woke, he felt a sudden panic—the duel. Arryk had confounded him and nearly killed him with fire bolts. He struggled to sit up, finding that he was laying on his bed in the cell. But his reactions were slow and the moment he sat up he felt dizzy.

"Take it easy," said Arryk. Braejeunné stood behind him. Past her, Rian could see Barris. Then a fear struck Rian—his brother had been unconscious and dying. Barris had been with him.

"Tell me," said Rian. "Do you have news?"

"Yes," said Barris, coming forward. "Your brother is better. He's regained consciousness. The healers can't see that there's any lasting damage, though it's still possible. They've sent him back to the Tower to rest."

Still groggy, Rian rested his forehead in his hand, trying to get his brain working again.

"Look," said Barris, moving a little closer. "I am so sorry. I had no idea how dangerous it would be for Kyran. I should have thought of it."

"Not your fault," said Rian. "But, if Kyran passed the tests, shouldn't the Arlunni set him free? This means he's my second in the Challenge, right?"

"Technically, yes," said Barris. "He's your second."

"Technically?" asked Rian.

"That's the question," said Arryk. "And the debate is raging all over the Seven Worlds of Cathal. No one's ever tried to admit a magic-spawn into the games before."

"You don't think the Arlunni will allow it?" asked Rian.

"I don't think you understand how the system truly works," said Arryk. "The Arlunni imprisoned your brother. They aren't answerable to the Kingdom of Cathal. They are an independent, self-appointed race of Guardians. They protect the Continuum, which includes the Kingdom of Cathal as well as many other worlds and kingdoms, from ... beings such as your brother. They keep things from the dark regions from getting into our Universe."

"So, even if the Kingdom of Cathal decides that having a magic-spawn in the games is okay, the Arlunni don't have to release him. He's under their jurisdiction," explained Barris.

"But, Kyran passed the Test of the Ages. Doesn't that prove that he isn't inherently evil?"

"Yes," said Arryk, "But you don't have to be inherently evil to commit an evil deed. When Kyran was Molan's magic-spawn, he helped murder people. Those were evil deeds."

"That's not fair! Kyran wasn't himself," argued Rian. "Molan took his mind over when he bonded with Kyran. So, Kyran didn't know what he was doing," argued Rian.

"Immaterial," countered Arryk. "Your brother is dangerous. And it's the Arlunni's sworn duty to either contain or destroy him. They will never willingly let him go."

"Kyran's not dangerous!"

"He is dangerous! Any mage of average skill could walk up to your brother and bond with him, making him their magic-spawn. He's like a blank book," said Arryk. "They would gain access to any of Molan's spells, his arcane knowledge of magic, and any stored memories lurking in Kyran's mind. If the Arlunni set him free, you'd have to guard him every moment of every day.

"Can you imagine if he joined the games and Shaz got him alone for just a few moments?" continued Arryk. "He could turn Kyran into his willing servant and use him to win the Challenge! And that's why your brother will never be allowed to join the game. It's dangerous for him and it's dangerous for us!"

"He's right," said Barris. "And I don't think people will accept it. The idea of a magic-spawn terrifies most people."

"Yes," laughed Arryk. "Congratulations on becoming the kind of mage that people all over Cathal have nightmares about—the one with a magic-spawn."

"But I'm not going to use him as a magic-spawn," said Rian.

"No one's going to believe that," said Arryk.

Rian gave a frustrated sigh. But there was another question bothering Rian—that of his own freedom. "And even though my brother was dying ... you wouldn't let me go see him." He aimed this accusation at Arryk. "If he had died, I would never have seen him again!"

"Any of us could die at any time," said Arryk. "And not see our families again. This is the Challenge!"

Rian glared at him and said nothing.

"Get some rest," said Arryk, signaling that the conversation was over.

During the conversation, Rian had been noticing some differences in the cell. The walls were different. The door was now made of metal. Arryk hadn't dispelled it, he had opened it like a regular door.

Now, as the others moved off to do whatever it was that they did around the fortress, Arryk shut the door behind him, locking it with a key. There was fruit, bread and nuts on the table in bowls and a pitcher of water.

They didn't trust him anymore. Whether that was due to the duel Rian had last night with Arryk, in which he came close to winning, or the fact that he now had a magic-spawn as a second—wasn't clear.

More than ever, Rian was a prisoner.

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