Secret magic users

"What?" Leon turned to Conner inside the infirmary.

"Dark Magic, deep rooted inside him," Conner reported.

Leon's gaze shifted to Matthew's limp form. His face darkened.

"How deep?" He asked, not knowing how to deal with this.

"Very deep," Conner stated, his eyes filled with confusion. "How did this happen?"

No one in Vlamunda dared wield dark magic. It was banned years ago. Where did such force suddenly come from?

Conner stared at Leon pressingly, waiting for his reply.

"It's the princess of Vagary. She is a dark magic wielder. How and why, I do not know but I'm aware this is going to be big trouble for my kingdom." Leon told the old man as he strode towards where Matthew lay.

"A woman who wields dark magic..." Conner narrowed his eyes. It had been ages since he met an enemy who wielded dark magic. "That is strange..."

"What can we do to help Matthew?" Was the next thing Leon asked.

He could care less about Princess Dasha at the moment.

Conner, although still struggling to digest this information replied the king, "I-I do not know, Your Highness. This is beyond my comprehension. If there's dark magic within him, then I suggest we find a dark magic user to pull him from this hollow."

"You have any?" Leon asked straightforwardly. Matthew's life was slipping away.

"Not that I know of," he answered sadly. "I can reduce the pace at which it spreads but I can't cure what I cannot yield," he said with honesty.

Leon understood that. His face etched with distaste.

"Are you certain you know no one who can wield dark magic? I believe there are people lurking in the shadows of the kingdom performing this forbidden magic but being cautious." Leon said with certainty.

He had witnessed firsthand dark magic aid him in the battle last night. He could surely tell that someone out there must be using it in secrecy.

On second thought, Conner reasoned out on the matter. That was a possibility as since Leon's grandfather died, the matter of dark magic had been thrown in a corner. Even King Lucas had barely enforced it. It was very possible that someone was practicing it in secret.

Looking at the king, he saw desperation that he contained and tried to hide with his masculinity.

"I can do a locating ritual for such but I don't think there will be time for that," he said.

Such a locator ritual could only cover a few miles for someone like him whose magic was pure. He doubted Matthew would live that long.

"Or?" Leon asked, taking note of how he appeared to want to say something else.

Conner's expression was grim but weary, "O-or Kilgharrah..." He trailed in his words and Leon who had been pacing around the room paused to stare at him, his face churned in irritation.

"The Dragoness?" 

Conner nodded before elaborating, "Kilgharrah has strong force of dark magic. We can unbind her and harness her power to heal Matthew, then the problem is solved-"

"You can't be serious," He glared at the old man before him.

"I only suggested, Your Highness." Conner lowered his gaze when he saw the gleam of annoyance on the King's face. "Advisor Matthew's life hangs in the balance. We must consider every option."

"Do you realize what sort of option you brought forth?" He asked, bewildered.

"You want an ancient creature as wise and cunning as that dragoness to roam the earth ever again? After what my forefathers went through to keep her caged in there?"

"I do not intend to release her completely, just reduce the binding spells," Conner explained, "I know its a risk but I've studied the ancient lore, Your Highness. With careful rituals and containment, we can harness Kilgharrah's power without unleashing her full fury-"

"No," It was no subject to be discussed. Leon was never going to mess with anything concerning that dragon.

.

.

The grand infirmary lay quiet for some minutes with a calm Conner who stood in one position while he watched the king pace helplessly around the room, sparing brief glances at Matthew's body that had now turned blue and clammy.

His wound from the earlier cut only growing worse.

Leon used his hands to clean the bids of sweat that formed on his forehead.

He locked his eyes on Matthew's pale face again. His friend, his confidant, his brother and guiding light... The thought of losing him was unbearable.

"What if Kilgharrah's magic consumes him?" He reasoned out, his voice laced with dread.

An ancient dragoness like Kilgharrah could outsmart them. She was a dangerous force. "What if it does the opposite of what we aim?"

Leon waited a while for Conner's answer but it seemed the man had also not really thought about it.

"It is a possibility but like I mentioned earlier, with the right rituals, we can..." he closed his mouth when Leon shook his head.

"Find the secret magic user and keep Matthew alive whichever way you can." Leon decided, his voice firm. "I'll not risk my people's life further on a monster's dark magic." He concluded.

He was yet to deal with Dasha. Kilgharrah may never be stopped if she managed to exit that prison and he would not tread on such thin line.

Conner nodded, "I'll dispatch my trusted brothers to the different districts to perform the locator's rituals."

If he could at least get some of his fellows, they could separate to get the rituals done and target the magic user, Conner reasoned.

Just like that, he went on his way, prepared to bring whatever remedies he could get to slow down the dark magic.

As the priest departed, Leon's gaze lingered on Matthew. His friend's shallow breaths reminded him of the ticking tock.

If they didn't find the sorcerer, it would be horrific tragedy.

.

Alice stood outside the infirmary the whole time, waiting for her brother and the priest to be done.

"My lady..." The same maids from earlier called her again. Dark circles formed under her eyes like a sleep-deprived person.

After they had been sent out, they waited for their miss. Alice, nonetheless was genuinely not interested in whatever they were saying.

Her gaze were fixed on the closed infirmary doors.

"Please, My Lady, can you come to your room? His Highness will make sure Advisor Matthew is fine," Naomi tried to reassure her while Roshni agreed with a head nod.

"Yes, please. Eat something. You've eaten nothing since His Highness returned from battle."

The two servants continued to plead with the princess until they were fed up from her not listening to their pleas and decided to let her be before going to foresee other things.

When almost an hour passed and Leon and Conner still didn't come out, Alice decided to leave the vicinity and return later.

She rose from the pillar's edge where she had curled herself.

It was already evening as the sun had come down.

Sauntering towards the alley close to the palace gates, she followed the garden situated around a waterfall to take a brief moment way from her worries.

Climbing towards the pavement around the waterfall, she sat on moss-covered boulder, her legs dangling above the crystal clear pool.

The waterfall's gentle roar enveloped her, a soothing balm for her turbulent emotions.

There were so many things clamouring her mind at the moment, the weightiest being Matthew's condition.

Never had she once believed she really loved Matthew this much until she saw his critical condition this morning while he was brought down from the carriage.

It was an awful sight that twisted her insides.

Now that things were complicated, with Albert being among her problems, she slowly realized it.

She was in love with Matthew and she doubted she would ever be willing to marry someone else, even if it was based on the alliance made to save her kingdom.