(Adventure Adrian and the Kings) The Herald Quest

Chapter Fifteen

FIFTEEN

Crowds from the nearby towns and villages had been surrounding the College walls for hours. And although the welcome party had died down a little, some of the more obsessed fans were still trying to catch a glimpse of the Duke. This teenage nobleman was fast becoming a local celebrity and since the Professor’s announcement that he might possibly be the new King, Heraldry College had been on full security alert.

The Lyons twins stood focused in the watchtowers and numerous Heralds spread themselves around the College grounds, all on guard and ready for any problems. The morning had gone smoothly so far and all the College had to do now was wait for Father Valliant to make his way across the Kingdom and meet them.

Izanbar waited patiently for the Duke in the Staffroom. The Professor wandered over to a large painting on the far wall and stared at the image. The canvas was painted beautifully, a scene of the Noblelands in the days before Moargart’s reign. He pulled at the right hand side of the frame and it swung outwards on its hinges. Hidden behind the grand picture was a large metal safe.

The Professor bent forward, twizzled the numbered dial on the front three times and then the lock clicked open. He slowly prised open the sturdy iron door and there on a red velvet pillow laid an ancient crown. It had belonged to the Great King Aradus before his death and had been passed down through the generations of Kings that had gone before. The crown had been snatched from Moargart’s grip and given to the College for safekeeping.

The Professor held the golden, circular band in his grip and sighed with worry. The search for the lost King had been tiresome and endless. But as long as the crown remained protected within the College walls and out of Moargart’s reach then his true, unbeatable strength would never be realised.

Yet if the Dark King got his hands on the crown then there would be almost nothing to stop him from total domination of the Kingdom. Just then there was a sharp knock at the door and so Izanbar quickly placed the crown back onto its pillow and slammed the safe firmly shut. He hurriedly spun the dial, replaced the picture frame and headed to meet his guest. 

“Duke!” the Professor cried and shook hands with the noble before preparing to give him a mid morning guided tour around the College grounds. “You’ve settled in well this morning I hope.”

“Brilliantly.”

“And I trust your stay with us so far has been to your liking.”

“Thank you Professor,” the young noble replied with a grateful nod, exiting the Staffroom and beginning to wander down the hallway. “Everything has been wonderful.”

“And the Heralds have helped you to find everything to make your time with us comfortable?”

“You’ve trained them well,” the guest praised. “They are superb students and a credit to the Kingdom.”

“Excellent.”

“I must ask Professor,” the Duke continued. “There is an entire corridor down the hall there that seems to be closed off to students. I couldn’t help but wonder…”

“Ah yes…” Izanbar interrupted. “In the past we used to train young Heralds here at Heraldry who showed a particular interest and talent in the magical arts.”

“Sounds wonderful,” the Duke replied.

 “But some time ago now, we had an incident with one particular student that made us rethink the situation,” Izanbar replied with a grimace. “After that, we had no choice but to stop teaching Sorcery altogether.”

”That is a shame.”

Izanbar studied the Duke closely. He was just a teenager boy yet he knew that the noble was from a powerful family. The Duke had all the makings of the lost Prince that the College were so desperately searching for. The Professor knew all too well that his age matched perfectly because his guest would have been only a child at the time of the Prince’s disappearance. The royal was well spoken and clearly educated too.