Tin Thoughts (The Downfall Saga Book 2) Page 32

  He reached out and shook Caddaric’s hand.

  “Take care of your family, and I’ll see you again in a few months,” said Caddaric.

  “You can count on it.”

  “If you ever need to run away from your parents, I’m sure that I could find a spare room for you,” said Caddaric to Ravyn.

  He gave Ravyn a long hug.

  “Same to you.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “If you see Donovan before you leave, tell him goodbye from us, and ask him if he talked to the Seers.”

  “Will do.”

  He handed the trunk over to Kort, who cradled it on top of his shoulder.

  Caddaric watched as they walked through the gate, hand in hand, and disappeared from sight down the narrow path.

  He let out a sigh, and turned around to head back to his room.

  He had decided to take an extra day to relax before heading home. Here, he was just Caddaric and had control over his life. At home, he was Prince Caddaric Kelvin, and he would be spending his entire summer doing whatever his mother asked him to do.

  He had a bounce in his step as he walked back to his room. If was rare that he had a day entirely to himself, and he was planning on wasting it in the best way possible.

  Several minutes later, he had a tune running through his head, as he opened the door and stepped into his room.

  The tune stopped abruptly.

  Thanasis sat in the chair by his desk.

  “Ah, Caddaric, I’ve been looking for you.”

  “Thanasis, I was wondering when I’d see you again.”

  Caddaric turned to look at the open door and saw a large man step across the threshold behind him.

  “We have things to talk about,” said Thanasis. “Let’s go somewhere more ... comfortable.”

  “I’m quite happy right here, thank you very much.”

  “That wasn’t a request.”

  A large hand clamped onto his shoulder, and he felt something sharp press against his ribs.

  “Come. We have much catching up to do.”

  Thanasis stood up and walked through the door. The hand on his shoulder turned him around, and they followed Thanasis out of the Complex. They took a series of turns as the followed the tunnels, steadily travelling downwards.

  Thanasis abruptly stopped beside a nondescript section of tunnel and reached out a hand. The section of wall swung away from them, and he disappeared into the room behind it. With an encouraging shove, Caddaric was led into the room behind him.

  The common room looked as it had during his previous visit. The leather chairs were all empty and the fire had died out, but he could still detect the smell of lavender in the air. He thought about asking Thanasis about the smell, but knew it wouldn’t be appropriate for the conversation that they were about to have.

  Thanasis sat down in a large leather chair and motioned to an empty chair facing him.

  The hand released Caddaric’s shoulder, and he walked over to sit in the chair. He glanced back at the door and saw that it had been shut. The large man stood in front of it, with his hands clasped in front of him, eyes staring straight ahead.

  “Would you care for a drink?”

  “No, thank you.”

  “You may want to reconsider. I suspect that we’ll be talking at great length, or perhaps it will be a very short conversation.”

  Caddaric shook his head.

  “I will skip over the usual pleasantries.” Thanasis slowly rubbed his hands together before continuing. “We take our members’ safety very seriously. As I’m sure that you guessed, both Finian and Brighid were Millers.”

  Caddaric gave him a slight nod, but didn’t say anything.

  “They were left in your care when you took your little trip up north. Now they are missing, and no one seems to know what happened to them.”

  “I suppose that this will reflect poorly on my application to become a Miller?”

  Thanasis let out a polite laugh. “I can assure you that you will never become one of us.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that, but I appreciate that you took the time out of your busy schedule to tell me in person.”

  Caddaric stood up and walked over to the door. The man guarding it didn’t budge.

  “All I want to know is what happened to my people. Once I’m satisfied with your answer, you’ll be free to go.”

  Caddaric looked back and saw that Thanasis was still lounging in the chair, perfectly at ease.

  “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t know what happened to them.”

  “The least you can do is to tell me what you know.”

  Caddaric took a moment to think about his reply. A lie would be the easiest way to placate Thanasis, and there was only one other person still at Haven who could refute whatever he told him, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

  “They separated from us. The rest of us swam across a bay while they took the longer route around it, and we never saw them again after that. We entered a cavern and followed a tunnel leading out of it, until the team from Kern collapsed it on us. Ravyn, Kort, and I were trapped in a side tunnel, while Donovan was cut off from us by the collapse. I assume that he turned around and retraced his steps out of the tunnel. I didn’t see Donovan again until after we had climbed up to the plateau where the manticores had their nest. He was stung by one of them and has refused to tell us anything about what had happened to him ever since. If anyone might have seen Brighid or Finian, it would have been him.”

  “Very well. My sources told me something similar.” He looked over at the man by the door, who inclined his head towards the side door.

  Thanasis snapped his fingers and the door leading to the Hall of Portraits opened. Two men ushered Donovan into the room, each of them had a firm grip on one of his arms. One had shoulder length black hair, while the other was completely bald, but they both had a similar muscular build. The skin under Donovan’s left eye was dark and starting to swell. Both of the men holding him had bloody lips.

  The man from by the door wrapped one large arm around Caddaric’s chest, and pressed a knife against his throat with the other.

  “I told you to send three men to fetch him. You have to learn to follow my instructions, Rault,” said Thanasis. “Jan, you knew better, as well.”

  “We did,” said Rault. “Coral needed healing.”

  Donovan had a faint smile on his face when he heard that.

  “The three of you couldn’t handle a simple task like this, and look, you hurt our honored guest. We will have words once I’m done with our guests.”

  Thanasis looked Donovan up and down before continuing.

  “Donovan, right? I’d ask you to have a seat, but I have a feeling that you wouldn’t reciprocate my hospitality.”

  “I’d reciprocated it, alright,” said Donovan. “Your boys accosted me, and I would be more than happy to return the favor on your face.”

  “How quaint. There is no reason for us to be enemies.”

  “If they let go of my arms, I’ll give you several.”

  “All that I want to know is what happened to Brighid and Finian.”

  “Never heard of them.”

  “It doesn’t have to be like that.” Thanasis looked at Rault. “Did you bring it back with you?”

  “No, sir. We didn’t find it in his room.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Thanasis crossed his arms across his chest.

  Jan punched Donovan in the stomach.

  He doubled over, but they held him up by the arms so he didn’t fall. Donovan turned to the man who had punched him.

  “That one was free. The next one will cost you.”

  He looked back towards Thanasis.

  “I’d like to arrange a meeting with Ezhno. How did you two meet?”

  “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

  “It doesn’t have to be like that,” said Donovan in a mocking tone.

  The second punch to the
gut was harder than the first. The men let go of Donovan’s arms and he slumped to the floor on his hands and knees. Donovan struggled to regain his breath. He grabbed Rault’s pant leg, and used it to climb back to his feet.

  Without warning, Donovan raised his right leg and brought it down hard, at an angle, towards Jan’s knee. The knee buckled at an odd angle as it gave off a cracking sound that echoed around the room.

  Without letting his foot touch the ground, Donovan pivoted and kneed Rault in the groin. Donovan grabbed the back of Rault’s head with his hands, before repeatedly ramming his knee into Rault’s temple.

  Rault crumpled into a heap on the floor.

  “I told you that the next one would cost you.”

  Donovan turned, and shattered Jan’s jaw with a kick while he was laying on the ground, clutching his broken knee.

  “Why don’t you settle down,” said Thanasis, rising from his chair. “I’m sure that we can talk this through.”

  “I’m a fair man,” said Donovan. “I’ll give you one more chance to tell me about Ezhno, before I escalate this.”

  “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t know what you are talking about.”

  “Wrong answer.”

  Donovan advanced towards Thanasis, who held up his right hand.

  A stream of what looked like lightning shot out of Thanasis’ hand. It gave off a piercing white light, and left the same acrid smell in the air as after a lightning strike. The stream hit Donovan in the chest and he fell to the floor, convulsing wildly. Caddaric thought that he could see smoke rising off of Donovan where he was struck. Thanasis didn’t let up, and started to chuckle.

  Caddaric tried to rush to Donovan’s aid, but he felt the knife at his throat start to cut into his skin.

  “Stop it! He’s no use to you dead!” yelled Caddaric.

  As he watched, Donovan staggered unsteadily to his feet, his muscles were still twitching but he seemed to have regained some control over them.

  The stream of lightning disappeared and Donovan fell back to his knees.

  “That was a warning,” said Thanasis. “Displease me again, and I won’t be so ... accommodating.”

  “I’ll accommodate your nose with my fist.”

  “Don’t be stupid, Donovan,” said Caddaric. “Getting yourself killed is in no one’s best interest.”

  Donovan massaged his temples, before getting back to his feet. He looked over at Caddaric. “Stay out of this. We’re going to finish this man to man.”

  Donovan turned back towards Thanasis, just in time for a ball of flame to catch him on the right side of his face.

  Caddaric recoiled from the intense heat, but the strong arm holding him wouldn’t budge. He wished that he didn’t have to listen to the sound of sizzling flesh and smell the stench of burning hair.

  Donovan turned towards Caddaric, who wanted nothing more than to double over and vomit.

  Despite the gruesome visage, Caddaric swore that Donovan was actually smiling.

  “Now, are you going to be a good boy and do what I say, or do I need to punish you some more?” taunted Thanasis.

  “We talking, or are we fighting?”

  Donovan launched himself at Thanasis.

  Thanasis created a wall of flames between them, but Donovan sailed through the fire, and connected with an overhand right to Thanasis’ temple.

  The flames disappeared and Thanasis staggered backwards.

  Donovan didn’t let up. He threw a hook which shattered Thanasis’ nose, sending a spurt of blood into the air. A body shot doubled him over and a knee to the ribs knocked Thanasis to the ground.

  “Please. Don’t hurt me,” begged Thanasis.

  “Who is Ezhno?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Wrong answer.”

  “Hey!” shouted the man holding Caddaric. “One more move and I slit his throat.”

  Donovan turned towards his, a grin plainly evident on the unburnt half of his face.

  “Be my guest.”

  Donovan circled around them towards the door, never taking his eyes off the man holding Caddaric.

  Caddaric tried to twist out of the man’s grip, but the knife dug deeper into his throat.

  Caddaric never saw the kick coming, but Donovan must have been waiting for the man to become distracted, before throwing a kick to his head, the follow through caught Caddaric’s head with his shin.

  When the pressure eased against his throat, Caddaric grabbed the man’s arm with both of his, and pulled it down and away from his throat.

  The man dropped the knife, and shoved Caddaric towards Donovan.

  “I was just doing what I was told. I don’t want to get hurt any more than you do.”

  “That’s where you are wrong,” said Donovan. “I’ve been itching for a fight for days.”

  Chapter 36

  Donovan gently set his lute case on top of his bed. He checked to make sure that the clasps were still secured, before heading over to the wooden dresser to pack up his clothes.

  Today would be his last day at Haven, ever. He’d had one final opportunity to earn his stay that morning and had failed miserably.

  Ravyn had mentioned to him that the Seers didn’t have any academic requirements to join them. You only had to pass a special test to be admitted. He’d spent several hours tracking down Professor Awena, who was in charge of admittance into the program, and asked that she test him before he left.

  He could still picture the look of horror on her face when she opened her door to see him. He was missing several large patches of hair, and half of his face was horribly burnt. She’d screamed and slammed the door shut in his face. He had to knock and plead for several minutes before she had opened the door to talk to him.

  She had agreed to give him the test if he promised to leave when they were done. She pulled out a hazy glass orb sitting in an elaborate gold stand from a cabinet in her office, and set it on the desk in front of him. He spent several minutes gazing into the orb and describing what he saw. All that he saw was something dark in the center of the orb, shrouded by mist. Apparently that was not the right answer, and after five minutes of gazing, she declared that he wasn’t suitable as a Seer and ushered him out of her office.

  It had taken him longer to get her to open the door and talk to him than the test itself had taken.

  Now, here he was in his room, packing up his belongings before leaving Haven for good. He had no idea where he was going to go, or what he was going to do. He planned on spending a few days in Rourke until he decided on something. All that he wanted to do was find his parents, but he had no idea where to start looking for them. Surely by now his father had left the island, and could be travelling anywhere in the world.

  He balled up several shirts and stuffed them into the bottom of his pack.

  Someone knocked on his door.

  “Go away!”

  The knock repeated.

  “No one’s here!”

  The knock sounded for the third time.

  He threw his pack down onto the floor, and crossed the room in two strides. He flung open the door only to see Osmont standing there.

  “I thought that I’d find you here.”

  “What do you want?”

  “May I come in?”

  When Donovan didn’t answer, he let himself into the room and sat down on the bed beside the lute case.

  “How are you feeling? Any lingering pain from the venom?”

  “I’m fine,” he said through clenched teeth.

  “You don’t look fine. Your face is all red. Rather, half of your face is red and the other half appears to have been burnt quite severely. Are you sure that you don’t have a fever?”

  “If you’re trying to make me mad, then you’re succeeding.”

  “That’s merely a bonus. Actually I stopped by to give you something back.”

  Osmont removed the white dagger from his belt and handed it to Donovan.

  “I thought it wasn’t safe to
handle unidentified artifacts.”

  “It isn’t, but I couldn’t keep it here to study, knowing that you’re leaving and won’t be coming back. It’s your property, and I’m not going to take it from you.”

  “Thank you, and I’m sorry,” said Donovan, slowly. “You’ve done so much for me and I know that there is no way that I can repay you.”

  “Actually, I’m glad that you came into my life. It’s usually extremely boring around here, and you’ve managed to keep things exciting these past years.”

  “Not by choice.”

  “It rarely is.”

  “I wish that there was another way, but the Headmaster was quite clear when he told me that I couldn’t come back to study here next year.”

  Donovan turned away from Osmont, and picked up his pack from the floor. He absently started stuffing more of his clothes into it.

  “There might be,” said Osmont, hesitantly.

  “Might be what?”

  “A way for you to come back, but I have to warn you that the Headmaster will be furious that I even mentioned it to you.”

  “Any chance, however remote, is better than having no chance to come back, but I don’t want you getting into trouble because of me.”

  “Do you think that all of the trouble is reserved for you? Besides, what’s the worst that he could do? Fire me, so I’m no longer chained inside this prison. Come on, let’s go talk to the Headmaster, but be prepared to duck if he gets angry.

  ***

  Donovan sat against the stone wall outside of the classroom. He could hear raised voices inside, but couldn’t make out what they were saying.

  He and Osmont had went to talk to the Headmaster yesterday, but he’d refused the request before Osmont had even finished making it. Osmont had been forced to pick up Haven’s codex off of one of the shelves in Marrok’s office, and quote the exact provision in it before Marrok had acquiesced. He gave them a room number and a time to show up the next day before throwing them out of his office.

  Donovan had shown up early the next day and waited as everybody arrived. Professor Cleary had told him to wait outside, and they had spent the past thirty minutes yelling at each other inside the room, while Donovan tried to calm his thumping heart. He had no idea what would happen next. Even Osmont didn’t know what would happen. So here he sat, waiting for his final opportunity to be accepted back at Haven the next year.