19 The Ritual

"Did you see him kill those wolves?" Laura quietly asked Ryan as they walked out of their alchemy class.

"Yeah, so?" Ryan asked.

He had seen it all, Professor Kal walking towards them, the wolves being impaled by the earthen spikes, the blood that followed. He didn't think he would ever be able to unsee it. He was excited to start his apprenticeship under Professor Kal before, but now all he could think about was becoming just as strong as he was. Although getting used to blood was another thing, every time he thought about how much blood there was, he got a little sick to his stomach.

"And you didn't find it strange?" She added on to her original question.

"Strange how?" Ryan said, not understanding her line of questioning.

"He didn't chant his spell, all magic requires a chant." Laura said, feeling like she was onto something.

"Are you sure? I mean, he could have chanted the spell, maybe we just didn't hear him." Ryan said, not seeing her point.

"And who ever said all magic required a chant, maybe once you become strong enough you don't need one?" Benjamin added from behind them.

"W..well maybe that's true, but Professor Ozerroff says all spells, no matter the level, requires the mage to recite the chant. I'm just repeating what he told us." Laura said, no longer so confident in what she was taught.

"I don't know." Ryan said, shrugging his shoulders.

"I guess we can just ask him about it tomorrow."

The other two agreed with that sentiment, deciding to satiate their curiosity the next time they had alchemy. They walked together a few minutes longer, talking mostly about their experience in the woods. It was almost lunch time, so they decided to go to the cafeteria together as well. Ryan was rather excited, he had always liked Laura and this was the longest that they had ever talked.

Ben knew of Ryan's crush on the girl, so he distanced himself slightly from the two of them, letting his friend take center stage. He didn't mind, he wasn't the jealous type. He had someone else that he liked anyway, so there was no reason to get in the way of his friend.

The cafeteria, or dinning hall, was a large room with extra long tables set up. Wooden chairs were on either side of the tables, thirty to each side. The whole room had ten of these tables, so six-hundred students could eat at the same time, though that rarely happened. There were no set hours that the kitchen operated, running twenty-four hours a day. This allowed those that had unusual schedules to be able to eat as well, without having to worry about missing a certain time.

Being lunch time, there was a small line waiting at the kitchen doors. The process ran smoothly though, the average wait time was only three minutes. Picking out their meals, the trio found a secluded spot at a table and sat down to eat. Ben had a heaping plate of roast beef, vegetables, and a few sweet rolls. Laura had a much lighter meal, opting for some smoked fish with salad on the side. Ryan didn't want to stuff his face in front of the girl he liked, so he followed her lead with fish and some rice.

The food was always top notch at the academy, it had to be since they served mostly the children of nobles, being prepared by experienced chefs. Which was why Ryan thought it was strange that his fish tasted slightly off. He asked Laura if her's was the same since she also got the same type of fish, but said her's tasted fine. He didn't think too much about it, maybe it was just him? He decided to just finish the rice, eating around the funny tasting fish, and crossed his fingers that he wouldn't get sick.

…..

A carriage covered in precious metals, with the royal seal on the sides, was barreling down the cobblestone roads, heading towards the castle. An entire division of knights flanked the carriage, so close together that one could hardly see what they were guarding. Ever since the King learned of his son's illness he had been on edge. It wasn't just because he loved his son dearly, but also because he was next in line for the throne.

Becoming ill wasn't an uncommon occurrence, but becoming so ill that it could not be cured by an army of healers, that was a red flag. He suspected that someone was trying to drive a wedge between them and the country of Morgania, their closest neighbor, by causing the First Prince to fall ill while in the care of Morgania. He wasn't so ignorant to fall for such a ruse, he could see what was happening, the only thing he didn't know was who was the culprit.

King Amine was lost in thought, tapping his finger on the cushioned seat. He had been inspecting the fortifications dotted around his country, ensuring the men stationed there weren't becoming lax due to the extending period of peace. It was supposed to take six months to complete the inspections, but was interrupted halfway through due to his son falling ill. He didn't care, he can always resume when he son is cured. He had faith in his Court Mage, Reginald had never failed him before, he doubted he would start now.

The carriage rumbled over the drawbridge, going much too fast. Pedestrians had to hurry out of the way, nearly being run over by the golden comet. Pulling up to the Royal Palace, the carriage didn't even stop before King Amine jumped out and hurried inside. A waiting steward took him to his son's sickbed, having to run in order to keep the King from berating him.

He rushed into the room, and found his wife sitting in the bed with his son's head in her lap. She was reading him one of his favorite stories from when he was a child, stroking her fingers over his now bald head. Checking over his son's conditions, he was shocked to see how bad he looked, he was hoping to see him up and about after being treated by Reginald, this was not what he was expecting to see.

"Has Reginald not treated him yet? Where is he?" The King asked, trying to keep his voice down.

Queen Amine gently closed the book, looking at her husband with kind eyes and a small smile on her face, she spoke. "It's a curse."

"A curse? What do you mean a curse?" He asked, not believing her words.

"Someone has put a curse on Alex, but don't worry, now that you're here we can do the ceremony to remove it." She said, her voice cracking as crystalline tears started to swell in her eyes.

"Alright." The King said, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

"What do we need to do?"

"W..well" She started, not knowing how to tell her husband.

"What is it?"

Hector Amine had been married to Elizabeth for the past forty years, it was an arranged marriage. They at first didn't even care much for each other, she thought that he was rude and overbearing, he thought that she was much too soft and naive about the world. As the years went on, they grew to love each other, he loved her so much that instead of following his father's footsteps and having a large harem of women, he vowed to only be with her.

This unwittingly solved many problems before they had a chance to fester. Unlike him, who had to engage in bloody conflicts with his siblings to secure the throne, there were no others for Alexander to fight, making succession a nonissue. This also allowed the two of them to work together in strengthening the country as a whole. With no fights over succession, the nobles only had one choice in who to support. No infighting allowed Amine to grow in power, everyone was in the same party, making cooperation that much easier. That's not to say that there were none with higher aspirations, but with no claims to the throne, or bastard children for them to support, they were unable to affect anything in the country.

"I must take his place." She said after taking a deep breath and steadying herself.

"Take his place? What do you mean?" He asked, his face full of confusion.

"The only way to save his life is to have someone take on the curse for him. I'm the only one that can." She finished saying, placing her hand on his.

"You can't be serious, there must be another way. Go get me Mage Reginald immediately!" The King said, his grief turning into anger as he shouted at the maid waiting by the door.

"Dear, there is no other way, this is how it must be." She said, trying to comfort her husband.

"I forbid it! There is another way, there has to be. I will not allow him or you to die!" He shouted, standing up from the bed and turning towards the door. He wasn't going to wait for the maid to bring back Reginald, he was going to go find him himself.

She didn't try to stop him, there was no point. Her husband could be a very stubborn man, setting his sights on something then stopping at nothing to attain it. It was one of the reasons she hated him when they first married, but turned out to be one of his most redeeming qualities as well. He was going to have to learn for himself that this was the way it had to be, he was going to lose someone he loved dearly and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

…..

In a dark, damp room, deep underground, a man was carving shallow trenches into the dirt floor. He was following a diagram from an old, evil looking book that was in his hand. It was bound in human flesh, the words written in human blood. Sketches of horrific looking creatures were scribed onto the pages, the corresponding summoning rituals along with them.

Everything that he had been planning for the last few years was about to come together. All he needed now was for his guest to arrive, then he could complete the ritual. He wanted nothing more than to see his family suffer at his hands. All the years of torment, all the beatings, the humiliation, would be paid back in full. They said they were doing it for his own good, but he knew better, they were just riding on his successes, that's all they cared about.

Feeling the anger swell up inside him, he took a few deep breaths to calm himself. It was almost time, he wouldn't have to wait much longer. He finished the summoning circle, geometric shapes and runes covered the floor. Sitting down on his chair, he crossed his arms and waited.