Chapter 23
Parr attacked his studies with a new vigor, spurred on by Leonard’s contemptuous words. He spent his days and evenings poring over his books, and his grades improved in a matter of days. He raised his hand in class almost as often as Lenore, though he still avoided her. Knowing what he thought he did about the king and David, he didn’t trust himself to keep his mouth shut.
On the fifth day after his conversation with Leonard, however, something happened that disturbed him far more than Aiden’s peculiar behavior or Leonard’s cryptic words.
Parr was on his way to the library, which was at the other end of the academy grounds from his dorm, when he realized someone was following him. Or rather, two someones: men who were dressed like teachers, but lacked the grace and elegance of the mages who led their classrooms with an iron fist.
One of them had ill-fitting spectacles, and his robe hung a little too loose on his bony body, while the other man was larger, with muscles that bulged out of his sleeves. They kept a reasonable distance from him, and they hardly seemed to be trying to hide themselves. Parr’s heart began to pound, and he wiped his sweaty palms unconsciously on his clothes as he began to pick through books on the shelves. The two men stood about ten yards away, staring at other books but hardly seeming to see them. They kept glancing in his direction.
Lenore sat across from him with a thump, startling him. “We need to talk,” she said with her arms folded.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he said absently, peeking over his shoulder at the men.
“This has to stop! Whatever you’re up to with Leonard, you’re being ridiculous. If Hauser has something over you, then let’s talk about it.”
“What?” Parr jumped guiltily, nearly dropping his books. “Hauser didn’t…he doesn’t…”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the men put down the books they were holding and turn in his direction.
Parr stood up abruptly. “I don’t want to talk to you, Lenore. When are you going to understand that?” he snapped.
He tried to ignore the shocked expression on her face, but it struck him to the heart. Nonetheless, he turned away from her. He had to lead them somewhere else; somewhere she wouldn’t get involved.
He quickened his steps as he heard their boots behind him. The sound told him they weren’t the soft felt shoes the professors wore. These men were soldiers, or warriors of some kind. Maybe even spies. Fear prickled his skin like spiders, and he clutched the single book in his hand tighter as he headed outside. He needed to find a classroom. At least if one of the professors were to help him, he might be able to get away.
Their steps were getting closer and faster, and he glanced fearfully over his shoulder. At the same moment, something grabbed onto his ankle. He stumbled, and they were on him, grasping his arms. The bony man spoke softly in his ear. “Relax,” he said. “I’m a verdant mage. If you move, you’ll be skewered with vines. Trust me, you don’t want that.”
“Wh-what do you want?” Parr stammered.
“Just to talk. Come with us, and don’t make a fuss. We’d hate for any of your little classmates to get hurt.”
Lenore watched Parr leave the library hastily, and she saw the two men follow him. Her eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips. They didn’t look friendly.
Her mind raced. Should she get a teacher? But if those men wanted to hurt Parr, there was a good chance they would do so before anyone could help him. Without another second of hesitation, she raced after them, her light steps making virtually no noise against the grass of the academy grounds.
She saw when they grabbed Parr, and her heart raced. The academy students weren’t allowed to carry opals with them. Even as a princess, Lenore didn’t wear any jewelry. However, she’d picked up a book with a jeweled cover from the table on her way out of the library. Now, she just had to hope that the jewels weren’t fakes. She grit her teeth. Should she try now, in front of all of the students? What if they got hurt? She had to think about the crossfire.
As Lenore tried to think of something to do, she realized they were taking Parr to the food cellar. She could only follow them there and hope she’d have an opportunity to get him away safely. Now that she was closer, she also saw that the bony man had glowing green eyes, which meant he was a verdant mage. He might be much stronger than her.
The men reached the cellar. Pulling the door open, they tossed Parr inside. He fell backwards onto some sacks and scrabbled away from them with a terrified expression on his face. “What do you want from me?” he cried.
Lenore rushed forward, but too late as the door shut behind them. She cursed, then put her hand on the book, closing her eyes. There were four different types of opals. They were tiny, and she wasn’t sure how much use she could get out of them, but she knew she was more powerful than most people could imagine. She could do this.
Inside the cellar, Parr grunted in pain as the big man stomped on his chest, driving him further into the pile of sacks. “Don’t try to fight it. We won’t kill you, although I guarantee you won’t enjoy this.”
“Leave me alone!” Parr struggled, but he couldn’t free himself as the other man stepped forward, his green eyes glowing menacingly.
“You should leave the academy,” he said. “It would be safer for you. After today, you won’t be able to show your face anyway.”
“Wh-what are you going to do?”
Before the men could reply, the ground underneath them began to shake. Then fires burst out in the sacks. Parr yelled in alarm. The men staggered back with shocked expressions.
Massive roots smashed through the door and wrapped around Parr, dragging him outside and tossing him several yards away from the cellar.
His brain still reeled when Lenore grabbed his hand, dragging him to his feet and yelling, “Run!”
He ran with her, panting, “What did you do? I thought there weren’t any gems at the academy!”
“The library books-Parr, look out!”
Vines burst out of the ground behind them. Parr grabbed Lenore, wrapped himself around her, and threw them both flat. But it wasn’t enough to stop the vines from piercing his body as he cried out in anguish.
“Parr!” Lenore frantically pushed him away. He looked up at her with a confused expression.
“Lenore…” he looked down at the blood streaming from half a dozen wounds.
Lenore threw herself in front of him and faced the men, putting her arms out in a vain attempt to shield him as she cried, “You’ll have to go through me, you monsters!” Her whole body trembled, but the two men hesitated. Watching students ran for teachers, and it was clear their covert mission was a failure. A cloud of darkness from a blinding opal surrounded the two, and they were gone before Lenore could speak again.
She turned to Parr, tearing cloth from her dress to press against the wounds. He said hesitantly, “I think…they’re not too deep. I’m…okay.”
Tears trickled from her eyes against her will and she took a shaky breath. “I thought they’d killed you.”
“I don’t think they wanted to kill me. Just scare me away.” Now that it was all over, Parr’s body trembled uncontrollably. He tried in vain to calm himself. Several teachers rushed to them, with Leonard Droy limping behind them, his face twisted with worry.
Droy said, “What happened?”
“Some crazy men attacked Parr,” Lenore snapped. “One of them was a mage. Do you have any idea why that might happen, Sir Droy?”
Droy bit his lip. He turned his face away with an expression that resembled shame.
“We must take him to the medical room,” one of the other teachers said. “The wounds aren’t as severe as they could be, but he’s bleeding a lot.”
“Take him,” Droy said. “Miss Lenore, you and I must speak. Now.” The others watched in confusion as he limped away, and Lenore hastened to catch up.
“Sir Droy, I swear, if you had anything to do with what they did to Parr-” Lenore wasn’t sure how she was going to finish that sentence, but she knew she was very angry.
He turned to her with a grim expression. “In a sense I did, but believe me, it was against my wishes and advice.”
“I don’t understand.”
“What do you think of your brother the king, Miss Lenore?”
Confused, she said, “Well…he’s my brother. He can be ruthless, but…are you saying he did this?”
“He has reason to see your friend as his enemy. Things are going to escalate very quickly from this point, Miss Lenore, unless you can somehow convince him. I once thought such an action would be disastrous, but there may be no other option.”
“What am I supposed to convince him of?” Despair rose in her chest and filled her mind. Illian had already banished one sister. Why would he ever listen to her? “How on earth can I talk to him when I don’t even know what’s going on? Sir Droy, you have to tell me the truth. What were you and Parr talking about the other day? I eavesdropped on part of it, but there was something about Illian that he said too quietly for me to hear.”
Droy frowned and shook his head. “I’d scold you for listening in, but I suppose there’s no point. Miss Lenore, your brother…” he listened carefully to ensure they were alone and lowered his voice to a whisper. “Your brother and I killed the brother of your friend Trista. We killed David Amana.”
Lenore reeled, her face white. “What? But I thought…he died in the war!”
“David Amana was tired of fighting. He couldn’t stand all the death. He couldn’t handle how it was affecting the common people. So, he gave in. He thought if your brother were to be eliminated, the war would end.” Droy shook his head. “I’ll never forget that day, Miss Lenore. It lives in my dreams. But all I can tell you is that we had no choice, and that Illian regrets what happened as much as I do.”
She struggled to understand his words. “My brother…why on earth would he let Trista near him? Why would he let her fall in love with him?! It’s too cruel!”
“He never intended for that to happen. Things are more complicated than you realize, and your brother doesn’t have many people he can trust. I hope you will stand by him. It’s very dangerous to do anything else.”
“So that’s why Parr’s been avoiding me.” Lenore suddenly understood the weight of the secret he’d been carrying. She glared at Droy. “What happens now? Do you expect me to keep your little secret and never tell Trista the truth? I know how much she cares for him!”
“You have to tell him to leave Parr alone. His reason for trying to scare Parr off was probably to keep him from talking to you; now that you know, there’s no reason for him to go after Parr.”
“You could tell him that,” Lenore countered.
Droy sighed and shook his head. “He doesn’t trust me or listen to me, Miss Lenore. It’s up to you now. I really hope you can convince him and save your friend. Otherwise, things may become considerably more dangerous for all of us.”
Loyalty Fallen Hub 