Born Behind the Veil-Chapter 2

(This is a dual perspective novel so instead of following Razi this chapter jumps to the "villain" Theodoric.)

 Chapter 2           The Unexpected Rescuer:

Theodoric

                Theodoric paced back and forth in the cave he had dwelled in for the past four thousand four hundred and seventy-three days, over twelve years of living in a barren wasteland of nothing but volcanoes, ash, and lava beds. He kept track by carving tally marks into the obsidian walls. He had been put in permeant prison isolation after his failed attempt to kill king Nicholai; there must have been a mole amongst his followers.

But now he had had more than enough time to produce a plan to end the Montague dynasty. He, as the rightful heir, would soon become The High Crown of Caelumia. As soon as he was released from this treacherous prison he would eliminate the entire Montague royal family. That was the only way to get the tyrants out of power and start fresh with a new reign.

His father was also a wizard and dreamed of becoming king when he led the resistance during the Harvest Uprising. He had been forced to flee after his defeat, but Theodoric would continue his plan and fulfill his legacy.

He leaned against the cave walls, like black glass, cold to the touch. He staggered out with trembling strides into the slightly less shadowy world outside his cave. The smell of distant smoke filled his lungs, as always. He continued towards the border of his part of the Island of Exile. It had an invisible force field surrounding his section of the island guarded by massive volcanic dragons. There was no way of escape on his own. It takes time, Theodoric thought. His uncle would come for him eventually. It would take time to search all of the Islands of Exile, but eventually Uncle Aeron would find him. Uncle Aeron would be in his old age now, precisely sixty-five years of age… Maybe he wouldn’t. He took a deep breath in, harvesting power off his negative thoughts. He continued walking towards the border. He came there every day for at least sixty minutes waiting for one of his followers to release him. There were many that were still loyal to the true King.

When Theodoric was roughly thirty yards away he saw one of the volcanic dragons ambling towards him. It was about twelve feet long with a large tail great for attacking. It had crimson eyes and scales as black as the obsidian ground. Dividing each scale was a rim the color of fire. It snorted and small puffs of dark smoke were released out of its nostrils.

 As it neared he could feel each of its steps shaking the earth. He tried to ignore it, but the dragon stared into his soul. Theodoric would not turn back. What if his uncle came to aid him in his escape? Then the dragon reared back and stood on two legs, its wing completely spread open. Its wings slowly morphed into human arms and hands, it’s large hind legs into those of a person, its eyes turned a softer shade of crimson, his sharp yellow fangs turned into slightly larger than normal human teeth, until it was fully a person. The boy wore a sly grin on his face and opened his arms as if waiting to embrace him. It took Theodoric a moment to recognize him, but when he did he felt more disappointed than excited.

“Uncle!” The boy cried.

“Little Jest?” Theodoric asked in a fake joyful tone.

“Bet you didn’t expect to see me.” Jest remarked.

“I sure did not. Where’s Uncle Aeron?”

“Oh…” Jest hesitated. He lowered his head. “Sorry Uncle, he passed away two years ago.”

“Ha!” Theodoric burst out a laugh. “Won’t even get to see me become king!” Tears threatened to spill out of Jest’s eyes, so Theodoric put on a masked expression. “I’m sorry. But all will be better now. I have a plan. Let’s get out of here!”

“Alright.” Jest replied. He looked at least fourteen but whined as if he were eight, which annoyed Theodoric greatly.

He wrapped an arm around Jest. “I have been waiting for you to arrive for twelve long years.” He lied right through his teeth, which were forced into a smile.

“I know!” Jest exclaimed all too proudly. “Now I am here.”

“Took you long enough.” Muttered Theodoric.

“Hide under my wing.” Instructed Jest. He slowly morphed back into a volcanic dragon.

They walked through the border with Theodoric ducked under Jest’s left wing. A huddle of about six other dragons watched them. Some were curled up resting, and a few were perched on rocks staring intently. None of them flinched as Jest walked by and they didn’t seem to notice that Theodoric was with them.

Once they got to the edge of the island Jest whispered in a low grumble, “Jump.”

Theodoric always thought of himself as brave, but he did not trust anyone, let alone Jest. Probably figuring this Jest thrust him off the island with his all too powerful wing. Theodoric covered his mouth to avoid screaming falling off the island. But soon a griffin caught him.

 At first he thought it was one to take him back or hide him on another Island of Exile, but when Theodoric leaned forward he could see it’s crimson eyes and knew it was just Jest in a different form.

He did not say anything, but he was secretly impressed with his improvement using his magical abilities. This worried Theodoric. He might have to “lose” Jest if it came down to it, but that’s not what disturbed him. He was concerned that Jest might become too full of himself and decide to take him out and become king himself. Of course, Theodoric was still prideful enough, even after being defeated and imprisoned, to whole heartedly believe that he could defeat Jest. But the thought still put him on edge, well, more than normal.

“Where do we go?” Jest asked.

Good, Theodoric thought. He needs me. “Vear East. My father started construction on a fortress there long ago. My wish was to complete it, but I never had the chance.”

“Well, now you do, Uncle.” Jest chirped.

“Yes. Yes.” Theodoric purred.

                “Where is this fortress anyway?” Jest questioned. “There is only The Heights and beyond that is the Caeli Kingdom, but I won’t be able to travel that far without landing.”

                “It is The Heights.” Theodoric explained. “My father planned to build an entire castle into the side of the mountains. Uncle Aeron must have kept that little detail from you.” He had a plan.

                “That’s not a little detail! That’s so cool.” Exclaimed Jest.

“Well, I must have been his favorite.” Theodoric antagonized. “He must have used much of your time searching for me.” He was trying to vex Jest on so he could feed of his energy.

                “He would be proud of me now.” Jest moaned.

                Perfect. Theodoric took a deep breath in through his mouth and inhaled his negativity. “Ahhh.” He had regained energy and felt like he did in his youth during his attempt to commit regicide.

                Theodoric guessed thirty minutes had passed during the flight when he could finally see The Heights well enough to make out an elaborate entrance carved into one of the mountains. Theodoric’s jaw dropped in awe. The last time he had seen the entrance it was plain with just a simple door but now it exactly resembled his father vision. It had six columns in the front and a beautiful double barn door. On the second floor the pillars continued but they were just decoration for the three towers that extended upwards. They had windows and turned into triangles at the top. People were bustling around inside doing various activities: sweeping, carving intricate designs into the columns, discussing something while looking at a scroll. Theodoric couldn’t believe his eyes.

                They landed on the spacious floor in front of the entrance. All of the many people stopped what they were doing and stood up. Some made a line, others held hands. Theodoric dismounted and Jest returned to his human form, which was much less graceful than the griffin one. He stood beside a rough looking man with a shaggy beard and a stained shirt. The man patted him hard on the back. They all bowed low in respect and Theodoric had to suppress the smile that threatened to form on his face. Men, women, children, they all were loyal to Theodoric. Not one person was left out; a young lady was helping an elderly woman rise to her feet so she could participate, mothers held their infants and clasped their kids’ hands in their own.

 Once the crowd had straightened one man stepped up so he was a foot in front of the others. He held up his fist in passion saying, “Long live King Theodoric. Our one true king!”

The others joined in and soon everyone was chanting things like “Long live King Theodoric!” and “All hail Theodoric!” and even “Death to king Rowen!” He had a whole mob of people loyal to him and completely under his control. He longed to harness power off the negative energy king Rowen would radiate once he heard of this. He wanted to send him a letter right now explaining every detail, but that would ruin his master plan.

Once the mob settled back down he was able to marvel in the splendor of the castle. It looked just like the blueprint his father made. He remembered Uncle Aeron taking him there and showing him the design that would eventually be conducted to him. If only Uncle Aeron and his father could see it now.

Jest had disappeared somewhere and soon a man who functioned as if he had some sort of authority came to Theodoric. “You are needed in the Council Chamber.” He said.

 The man was wearing slightly nicer clothes than most of the others. He was well shaved and his hair was in braids that reached the end of his ear lobe. One of the braids towards the bottom that lay against his neck was a brown reddish color. His boots were thick and sturdy, and his belt held a sword as well as the custom rope and grappling hook for flying and falling off the islands. The sword was sharp and silver with a blue streak down the center of the blade. The hilt was also silver and had a blue gem near where it met the blade and towards the end. The middle of the hilt where you hold was wrapped in rough blue cloth. The rest of his clothes were basic and ordinary. Just plain gray breeches and shirt.

Theodoric didn’t say a word but nodded respectfully and the man escorted him through the castle. Lamps hung on the walls to provide light in the dark space. The walls were the dark gray-brown color of the mountain, the same as the outside. It had many halls with a multitude of doors that he assumed led to rooms. He couldn’t perfectly recall the map his father made because he hadn’t seen it in over fourteen years. It had a large throne room, many bedchambers, a great room that served as a formal dining room, and a kitchen, but he had no idea where they were located.

“Apologies, Your High Crown.” The man said. “My name is Dyaus.”

“How long have you lived here?” Theodoric asked.

“About eight years. Construction started just after your capture.” Dyaus said.

“And why am I summoned to the Council Chamber?” He didn’t mean to sound disrespectful, but it may have come off that way.

“You are being called to discuss plans and strategies regarding what we are going to do about king Rowen and how we should deal with the information of your escape. As well as a general plan and welcoming back that I am sure will result in a feast in the Great Dining Hall.”

“Ahh.” Theodoric was intrigued. He was ready to share what he knew about the guards on The Islands of Exile and his well thought out plan to conquer Caelumia. “Can you share any actions they have done so far?”

“All that and more you will learn soon. But if you have an order I can give it to a wizard to put into action.” He said with a not-so-discrete roll of his eyes.

“Actually, I have been thinking about cursing the Never-Ending Waterway for a century now…”

“Perfect. What type of curse exactly?”

“The Death-Mark.” Theodoric said with a sly grin.

“I know a dark wizard for that. I’ll inform him directly.”

They turned left and Dyaus opened a heavy stone door so I could enter. Inside was a long rectangular table with two seats on each end and five on each side: twelve in all. The room was the most well-lit of them all and since it was in the middle of the castle it had no windows and was one of the most secure spaces.

On the end farthest from Theodoric was a tall man, at least six feet when standing, wearing a brown bomber jacket and a wrist watch. He was maybe forty years old and had a hint of grey in his brown hair along with his muted gray green tips. He stood with his arms spread welcomingly to greet him.

“Welcome home, Theodoric.” The tall man said. “I am Roshan the Marshal and Tactical Advisor of our troop.”

He stepped in and Dyaus followed, closing the heavy door behind him with a bang that rattled the table.

“Please, sit.” Roshan said. He gestured to the seat at the head of the table across from him.

Theodoric sat down. He could tell that this put Dyaus on edge. He sized Theodoric up and stood off to the side.

To the left of Theodoric was a rather young-looking man. He looked to be in his early twenties and had sweat stains in the armpit area of his loose-fitting long sleeve shirt.

 On the right of Theodoric was a woman who looked maybe thirty-two. She was very fit and lean but muscular. She had short hair that barely touched her shoulders with the front pieces that frames her face were white and stood out against her black hair. She wore a simple green dress that ended right above her knee, despite her otherwise militaristic look. “We would like to discuss the matter of the current king Rowen and would appreciate your opinion on the matter but first we find it only right to treat you to your first great meal in twelve years.” She said. “And I am Celeste, by the way.” Theodoric found her voice to be as annoying as a dying chicken.

“Yes.” Roshan agreed. “We could some talking over a feat but further discuss strategies later. Before we proceed onto The Great Dining Hall we should all introduce ourselves. Yes?”

“I am Deneb.” Stated the man with the sweat stains, he wrung his hand in his lap anxiously.

“And I am Aelos.” Grunted a stout man with a red beard and bushy eyebrows that was sitting next to Deneb. He had indigo flickers in his red hair that contrasted poorly. Theodoric inhaled, feeding off the energy of Deneb and Aelos.

“My birth name is Tarak, but they call me Blitz because I am a fast runner.” Explained a lanky and thin man that sat next to Aelos. Theodoric preferred the name Tarak.

An elderly woman with wrinkles and short gray hair styled like a man’s sat next to Celeste. She stared at Theodoric but didn’t say a word. Then she started doing some expressive motions and signs with her hands.

Celeste translated. “My name is Aethra. I fought in the Harvest Uprising and was loyal to your father. I plan to serve you until my life ends.”

Theodoric nodded. “Alright.”

“She’s deaf.” Deneb whispered in his ear.

“Ahh.” Theodoric acknowledged.

“My name is Caeleb.” Said a nerdy looking man sitting next to Aethra. “I am the Strategic Officer.” He checked his watch and adjusted the collar of his shirt. “Seems time to feast!”

Everyone stood and spoke in hushed voices to each other. Aelos just grunted and rubbed his gut. They all followed Dyaus out of the Council Chamber and back through the hall Theodoric had come from.

 The palace was huge and took at least five minutes to reach the Great Dining Hall. It had fifteen of the same type of tables that were in the Council Chamber. They settled in the same seating arrangement as they had before. Dyaus was red in the face and exited into a door a few yards away, which Theodoric assumed was the kitchen. He came out a few moments later and sat at the table nearest to the rest of the party.

It had only been a few minutes before many waiters and servants wearing aprons bustled out of the room. They were carrying platters of food that made Theodoric’s mouth water: Dragon ribs, cockatrice legs, a saehrimnir with an apple in its mouth, thick slices of what he guessed to be Calydonian Boar meat, bark bread, cloudicots, and fairy ring mushrooms. They were all set beautifully on the table, and everyone dug in without a word. Theodoric scooped large slices dragon ribs onto his plate. He thought about the volcanic dragons that guarded him during his time on the Island of Exile and instead of making him feel disgusted it actually increased his appetite. He thought of their smug faces and took a big bite. Delicious. Next, they brought in fancy glass cups and bottles of wine and tiny flasks of Dragon’s Tears.

                As a female cook walked by Deneb flagged her down. “Do you have any frozen violet-lemon water?” Deneb asked her.

She tried to suppress the smile growing on her face. She nodded and hurried off back into the kitchen along with all the other bustling servants and cooks.

                Everyone who was still there, except Roshan and Theodoric himself, laughed and smacked the table. “Leave him alone, he’s just a stripling.” Roshan said with a wave of his hand.

                “Oh, to be a sprout!” Chuckled Aelos, before he choked on a bite of cockatrice. Tarak wacked him hard on his back and out flew a chunk of meat. It hit Aethra square in the nose. The group went silent. She made a face like she had sucked on a lime and wiped at her face aggressively with her napkin. She angrily signed something with her hands, and everyone laughed louder, except for Celeste, who signed something and did encouraging gestures.

                “What did she say?” Deneb asked.

                “You don’t want to know.” Celeste said with a shake of her head.

                Theodoric took a deep breath, savoring the power of Aethra’s fierce energy. Dyaus watched him intently. When Theodoric looked his way, he avoided his glance and trudged off. Theodoric tried to get some of his energy too, but he couldn’t. That had never happened before, and it concerned him greatly. He wondered if people knew what his ability was. Would they hold it against him?