(Adventure Adrian and the Kings) The Herald Quest

Chapter Eleven

ELEVEN

 

The banquet hall was amazing. The vast, grand and old-fashioned room had a blue and white chequered floor with several tables at least twenty seats long. Each was laid with endless clay pots and never-ending trays of delicious food.

Every Sunday was banquet night. It was an event where the Nobleman, or should I say teaching staff, would host an evening to brief students about the week ahead. Both campuses were in attendance…including the Knight School, who of course had a separate table from the Heralds because they thought they were superior to the messengers in some way.

I still hadn’t managed to make any friends as such but I did spend the entire meal trying to mingle and eavesdrop on a number of conversations. There was one certain piece of news however that seemed to be the hot topic.

“Did you hear?” one of the students yelled excitedly above the chatter to the other pupils across the table. I listened intently. “Apparently some young Duke has come forward claiming to be the rightful King!”

“No way!” another pupil gasped. “Do you really think this time the legend might be right?”

“I heard he’s from a rich and powerful family that lives in the west,” another added. “So it must be true.”

“But why would they be looking for a new King?” I butted in stupidly. “I thought Moargart was already the King.”

All eyes shot my way. The stares were filled with so much disgust that I would have done anything for a diversion. Luckily the sound of the Professor’s fork clanging against his goblet echoed across the hall and slowly brought the noisy gathering to a near silence. At the end of the room was the head table. In a long line sat the six noblemen with the Professor as head noble in the middle.

“Good evening Heraldry College,” Izanbar greeted as everyone turned to face him with a respectful round of applause. “I begin tonight’s meeting with a piece of good news…it’s been exactly six months today since we last heard of an attack from the heretics!”

The whole college erupted with a cheer and excited clapping. I meanwhile secretly flicked through the pages my book to the H section to look up the unfamiliar word…what was a heretic anyway?

A Guide to the Living World                  Page 159

 

Heretic (Hair-a-tic)

 

A follower of Moargart and a loyal warrior in his evil army. This monster is created when a human or other living creature falls under the will of the Shadow (see page 263) and is transformed into a hollow and soulless monster.

Heretics will serve the Dark King to their death and will hunt down the blood of good souls. Heretics poison their victims, infecting them with the Shadow, which in turn changes them into heretics too. 

“With no recent reports of any heretic attacks…this is proof that word of Heraldry’s army is spreading all the way back to the Shadowlands,” the Professor insisted with a proud confidence. “It seems we have the Dark King on the run!”

The hall exploded into more cheers. I wasn’t too sure what all the fuss was about. After all…I hadn’t seen real evidence of this Shadow or an evil army that was apparently ready to destroy anything in its path. But it seemed important to the students all around me so I joined in with the cheering and clapped along with them anyway. It was a chance to try and fit in at least.