Orson and Celeste stood in the courtyard after the Queen’s Guard dismissed the city watchmen ordering them to vacate while the Queen inspected the eastern portion of the palace. While the City Guard grumbled about it, they did follow Orson’s command in the name of Queen herself.
Orson had stationed men alongside the wall to where he and the Queen were to be, to warn them should the Magus return. Orson himself, stood outside of the doorway to where the Queen was to protect her if need be. He prayed for his Queen’s success in what was a very risky endeavor. He was not worried about Celeste getting into the room, both the King and Queen had a master key to all rooms in the palace. It was being caught by the Magus and what he might do to Celeste that concerned him.
“Are you kidding me?” Celeste awestruck, entered further into the sitting area; instead of the regular palace effects the room was furnished and attired in antiques from the First Kingdom, from the time of wonders. Things from that time were more finely crafted than any artisan alive today could hope to accomplish.
Celeste’s first order of business was to rifle through the Magus’s desk where on top sat parchments, maps, and books all strewn about. Celeste’s delicate fingers picked up one of the parchments to find it written in some strange language she had never seen. While it was interesting, she had little to no hope of knowing what it said within the time she had. She flipped through a few pages of the books she could read. All of them pointed to the Great Marsh. Why, someone would want to go to a swamp was beyond her. The maps themselves carried inked markings which plotted a course of travel to the Marsh. “Hmm,” As much as she wanted to scrounge for more, she needed to move faster since there was yet another room to check.
“My Queen,” Orson moved out of the way for Celeste to leave the room.
“I’m going into his private bed chamber.” Celeste went up a few steps to the next chamber door. She slid her master key into the keyhole, and with an unceremonious clink of metal from the lock, the door creaked open.
“Be careful my Queen,” Orson watched the guard ahead of him for any signal that may be forthcoming if anyone approached.
Celeste, with careful steps made her way inside the room. Her mouth was agape at seeing his private chambers. The bed-chamber shared the same extravagance as his sitting room. It was not merely opulent, but more items from the First Kingdom adorned this room too. One oddity that both rooms shared was the long crystal stone rods. “Where in the heavens, by the God of All did he get this?”
Orson ducked his head into the room, making sure Celeste was safe and then returned to keeping an eye out for the Magus’s return.
Celeste noticed a large object draped in a heavy velvet covering, with a snap of her wrist she pulled it off to find a full body length mirror encased in a golden frame. The embellishments and construction behind it hinted that its origin dated back to the first kingdom. Running her finger across its surface, it was by far the best mirror, she had ever laid eyes on, and it was worth a small fortune. While striking, the reflective glass was an oddity as if her own reflection ran deeper the more she stared into it. Her delicate fingers glided across the glass and to her surprise, it shimmered while creating a rippling effect. Startled, her hand recoiled back in disbelief as the tall shape of the Magus appeared. “Lord Magus?”
It had been months since Malark began his daily vigil of each afternoon dismissing the slave and waiting for someone other than Ru’ark to activate the Dami Uiten. At last, with the queen before him, his patience had paid off.
Sensing her hesitation, he approached their conversation with care. “Greetings, Great Queen, I am not Ru’ark but he is my brother.”
“Your brother?” She was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she was talking through a mirror.
Malark nodded, then smiled. “My Queen, you have no idea how much joy it brings me to finally be speaking with you, but, you must heed my words, you cannot trust my brother Ru’ark.”
Celeste’s initial shock changed to anger. “Yes, I’ve always had a feeling something was off about your Magus, especially of late.”
“What, My Queen has been amiss or strange with my brother of late?” Malark feigned his concern.
Celeste’s deep frown framed her worry. “Well, he has taken a slave pet named Nelina whom he trains to fight. Women in Danthamore are not considered fit for such activities.”
“My Queen, I cannot apologize enough for my brother’s behavior, is there anything else you can tell me?” So far, she was providing him with nothing.
“He’s planning some trip to the swamp, the Great Marsh, there’s a map of it.” She folded her arms. “He’s also removed my Royal Guards and put in City Guards into the eastern part of my palace.”
He bobbed his head in a light bow. “It was I, who was supposed to have been your Ambassador, My Queen. However, my brother who escaped past the Waste, left the rest of us trapped. His treachery starts from when he first entered your lands. If it were I who was there with you, you would not have to suffer these indignities.”
“What am I supposed to do?” Coming in here and talking to this other mirror Magus needed to provide her with some proof to go to Agnar with.
“My Queen, we have to go, the Magus returns.” Orson’s head popped in through the doorway.
Filled with anger Malark sighed. “It seems our time grows short My Queen, and you will not escape my brother’s notice for having entered his chamber. But, if you return the Dami Uiten to how you found it, he will not know that we have spoken.”
Celeste paused for a moment. “You mean the mirror?”
“Yes, my Queen the mirror,” his honeyed words flowed out. “We will not have the opportunity to speak again until my Brother leaves on his journey with his pet, until then you must not let him know we have spoken.”
Urgency permeated Orson’s voice when he came all the way into the chamber to get Celeste. “My Queen, we must go, we cannot linger any longer without the Magus finding us here.”
Satisfied with the new Magus, she smiled. “When we speak again, perhaps you can reveal how we will deal with your brother.”
“Yes, dear Queen, stay safe and when we speak again, I will have solutions for you.” Without another sound, his image faded from the mirror.
Celeste hurried and threw the thick velvet draping back over the mirror and scurried out the chamber. Orson, giving the room a final look over closed the door behind them.