Fire Prince

  Chapter Fifteen – Men who must be killed

  “Do you want to know why I was planning on coming to Pelagos?”

  “Yes,” answered Fake.

  Andin leaned in, “Let’s take a walk.”

  The two walked in silence from the Academy to a strip of private sand. Fake uncorked his bota “Do you want me to hide us?”

  Andin shook his head, “As long as we’re not heard we’re fine.” For the first time since Andin had met the illusionist Fake had the same serious look Andin wore. “I came here to kill someone,” said Andin.

  “Who?”

  “Marth Prestle.”

  “Why?”

  “He had a dream.”

  “That’s it?” Fake couldn’t understand how a dream could be a death sentence.

  “It was a message.”

  “What was the message?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Who was it from?”

  With weight Andin answered his friend, “Odium.”

  Fake knew this name; it struck a chord in the corners of his mind. The broken memories from the old world offered little clue. “Blind hatred,” he said expressing the feeling the memories gave him.

  “The original, the corruptor, the beast who broke the world,” said Andin ominously.

  “He sent a message through a dream?” asked Fake.

  “Yes, and Prestle wasn’t the first.”

  “Who else?”

  “One other that I know of, a Nobleman in the Plane of Light.”

  “You killed him?”

  “Yes.”

  Fake looked confused, “How could you know their dreams?”

  Andin paused for a moment. It was no longer simply a matter of trusting Fake. Saying more would irrevocably intertwine their fates. Fake saw his friend’s mental struggle, “It’s okay if you need time, what did you need help with?”

  “Marth Prestle is already dead; someone killed him and his family already. I don’t know why, maybe for the same reasons as me. It happened recently, the archives won’t have any records of it yet. I need you to find out whatever you can about it – secretly.”

  Fake nodded, “I can do that; I need something from you too.”

  “What is it?”

  “Teach me how to fight.”

  Andin smirked, “Gladly.”

  Fake had already uncorked his bota anticipating the attack. He leapt over the wall of stone Andin was creating behind him. “Good – ready at a moment’s notice,” complimented the prince.

  “Your hands gave you away,” shouted Fake. Andin moved forward to pursue his sparring partner. Fake’s sand swirled towards Andin and engulfed him in a tube of mirrors.

  Andin paused before overriding his instincts. He stepped through the mirrors to continue the chase. Fake recalled the black sand and created illusions of himself. Andin wasn’t sure which one was really his friend. His solution was to attack all of them. He knelt and drove his hands into the sand. Pillars of sandstone erupted from the beach smashing into the mirages.

  The Fakes managed to dodge the first wave but the ferocity of the second attack was inescapable. The pillars passed harmlessly through all of Andin’s targets. “Damn,” Andin had barely finished cursing when a small cloud of black sand smashed into his head. Andin was knocked on his back. Fake stood over his friend looking smug. “That’s a new trick,” said Andin. Fake helped him up.

  “If I keep the sand tightly packed I can hit you with it,” said Fake.

  “Well we’re certainly off to a good start of me teaching you,” said Andin dryly. They headed back towards the academy. The sun had almost finished setting by the time they reached the main corridor.

  “Observatory?” asked Fake.

  “Again?”

  “I like it,” replied Fake.

  “Sure but I think we should wait an hour.”

  They parted ways and Andin returned to his classroom. The dreamy textbook girl was sitting at a desk reading. She didn’t hear Andin come in and jumped when he spoke. “You don’t have a desk in your dormitory?” asked Andin.

  Frazzled, she responded, “Oh professor, sorry, usually they allow us into empty classrooms to study, I’ll leave if you want.”

  “No, that’s fine, just clean it when you’re done please,” said Andin pointing at the percolator. The girl nodded just a bit excessively. Andin grabbed the papers on his desk and left the room. He headed to his room feeling anxious; he couldn’t stop thinking of Marth Prestle.

  Andin entered his dormitory expecting to find Fake there. It was empty. He flipped open his chronometer. The fire prince grabbed a book to pass the time. An hour later the door cracked open. “Hey are you ready? It’s dark enough now,” said an eager Fake.

  Walking down the hallway Andin eyed Fake with friendly suspicion, “Where did you go?”

  Fake squinted, exaggerating Andin’s face, “Where did you get the giant chair?”

  “I told you there was only one,” answered Andin.

  Fake’s new jacket melted off his shoulders. The black sand formed into chair after chair lining the hallway. “Liar,” accused Fake.

  “No more bota?” asked Andin.

  “People kept eyeing it; I don’t think it is common practice to carry liquid with you here, unless its alcohol,” answered Fake. A student fell trying to avoid the maze of faux chairs.

  The chairs dissolved back into the shape of Fake’s new jacket. “He’ll be fine,” said Andin to a worried looking Fake who watched the student run off embarrassed. The pair reached the end of the main corridor. They climbed the staircase up to the observatory. Andin smelled tea brewing.

  The dome had been opened and a woman was looking through the telescope taking notes. “Hello,” said Fake.

  “The observatory is closed to students until next week,” said the woman still glued to the eyepiece.

  “We’re not students,” said Andin.

  She looked up. “Oh you are the prince from Beldur,” she said unwrinkling her dress. She extended her hand, “I am Professor Percaphia Blanca; I teach astronomy.”

  Andin shook her hand, “Andin son of Bellos of Beldur.”

  She shook Fake’s hand next.

  “Fake of Fake’s Canvas,” said the illusionist playing along.

  “Most call me Perc; what brings you two to the observatory?” she asked.

  “Looking through the telescope is fascinating,” answered Fake excitedly.

  “Well, I’m just about done with my measurements so if you’ll allow me to finish I’ll give you the full galactic tour in a moment,” replied Perc.

  Andin waited patiently while Fake hovered over the professor. Between each of her carefully annotated measurements Fake would inject a question about what she was doing. After a few minutes of this Perc snapped, “Please, if you’ll just give me a few minutes of peace I’ll be happy to answer your questions after I’m finished.”

  Fake scurried off towards Andin who had conjured up a small bird of flame. The bird fluttered then spiraled towards the ground crashing in a puff of smoke. In retaliation Fake made a tiny visage of Andin being devoured by a monster.

  Perc finished her work and called Fake and Andin over. “We were looking at the Matrons last time,” said Fake.

  “Lovely, there is a nebula just next door,” said Perc. The astronomy professor had calmed down from Fake’s earlier pandering. She expertly turned the handles which slowly angled the telescope towards the pair of stars.

  “There – just below them is the Sleeping Bride nebula,” said Perc waving at Fake to look through the eyepiece.

  “Oh it does look like someone sleeping, gorgeous,” noted Fake.

  Andin looked next through the lens and for a moment he felt sadness for her, “Why do they call her the bride?”

  Perc answered and adjusted the telescope to the next starry scene, “They say she sleeps to escape from the grief of a lost husband.” Perc gave the elevation wheel one last crisp quarter turn, “Here take a look.”
/>
  In the infinite distance Fake saw the small shape of a ringed planet, “It’s beautiful.”

  The three carried on like this for hours with Percaphia as their guide. She was an eager teacher and interest in astronomy beyond ship navigation was slim. She relished in sharing her passion with anyone who would listen. It wasn’t until two past midnight did Andin think to check his time piece.

  “Well I have class in the morning so if you two don’t mind I’m going to get a bit of rest,” Andin excused himself and left the observatory. He walked down the wide vacant hallway accompanied only by his tapping footsteps.

  Three hours of sleep would be plenty; he planned to wake early in the morning and exercise. The sun and the fire prince often rose as a pair. Fake’s bed was still empty. Andin sipped his coffee and shrugged it off, he knew Fake now well enough to know his friend was a bit of a wanderer.

  The dawn’s air still held on to the evening chill. Andin ran along the coastline. He hauled two large spheres of magma alongside. After a half mile the strain was unbearable and he let the spheres crash into the sand. He repeated this task until utterly spent.

  The sun had cleared the horizon and Andin sat in the wash letting the ocean cool him. He thought about Fake, the prince was baffled by the enigma of his dear friend. The morning classes went by quickly. In the afternoon Andin inspected the laboratory assigned to the portal research. It was large and empty. Andin made a short procurement list for the laboratories manager. He knew most of the research was going to be brutish trial-and-error at first; a sophisticated lab wasn’t needed yet.

  The week passed by without incident. Andin taught, trained, and studied. Fake disappeared, researched, and caused mischief. Perc continued her tour of the stars with the boys. Pria met with Dean Harper to prepare her weekly report on their activities.