Seeds of Virtue, Dark Descent, Book I

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  Graeak watched Druzeel go. When he was out of the room, he leaned back in his chair and took a couple of deep breaths. At that moment, he truly felt old. He felt his age and the soreness creeping into this body.

  He hated deceiving his most valuable apprentice, but the urgency at which he needed him to act, everyone to act, required as little questions as possible. Now he just had to hope that he could get Brask to go along with making Druzeel think he was actually in charge. A few extra precious stones should get Brask to play along.

  Truly, Druzeel had the potential to lead this quest and Graeak had faith that he would perform as expected, but he needed someone with real experience. He needed warriors that could do what must be done. He needed men that could disregard laws and morals when necessary. He hated turning to the Knights for he knew about many of their illegal activities, but he had no other choice. Time was of the essence. He had to get the orb back, at any cost.

  How had the thief known where to go? Graeak had asked himself repeatedly since he saw the empty pedestal. The man had known exactly where to go, how to dispel the illusionary wall, and where he had hidden the orb. No one, not a single soul that Graeak could remember, knew where the orb had been hidden. What loose end had he, or Hellric for that matter, left untied? Perhaps when his friend had brought it from the earth, the workers he had employed had finally wagged their tongue to the wrong person. Whatever the reason, he had to get it back.

  Graeak did not tell Druzeel about the orb and never planned to. The less his apprentice knew about the actual reasons for the mission, the better. Let him think the quest was to capture the thief, to return the staff. That, and Graeak’s urging, would be enough. He debated about even telling Brask about the orb, but he had to tell someone and Brask’s ineptitude with magic made him the perfect candidate for it made him less corruptible, if such a thing was possible for a man like that.

  Graeak took another deep breath and looked to where the budding wizard had disappeared. He hoped that his young apprentice was up to the challenge and could handle the barbs that Brask would surely try. And he hoped that Druzeel, the boy he had come to see as his son, could resist the horrors and harsh reality that the outside world may throw at him.

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