The Burning Flowers

Chapter III

After a rather extensive tour of Castle Aquesen, Lord Malloway took them to their quarters on the fourth level, where four rooms were delegated to them, with one for Nigreos and Ryokumo, one for Abi and Album, one for Nakoma, and one for Ilirianna herself. They were very fancy lodgings, with a large sitting room as well as a connected bedroom that had far more room than was really needed. Informing them that the banquet would be on the third floor dining hall in two hours, Lord Malloway and his sons departed to give them time to relax and unwind after the long trip, but relaxing would have to be postponed, for the second the lord had left, Iliriianna and Nakoma ordered Abi to come to the princess’s quarters for a conversation, and when the nature mage walked into the room, the guilty and apprehensive look on her face told Ilirianna that she knew exactly what they wanted from her. The sitting room consisted of a four-person blue couch facing two velvet armchairs, which Nakoma and Ilirianna both took as they beckoned for Abi to sit down.

“So I’m assuming you know what we want to discuss?” Nakoma snapped irritably, his crimson eyes narrowed in barely-contained anger.

“Um, yeah, I do,” Abi admitted with an anxious smile. “B-but, I promise, it wasn’t on purpose and I have a very important reason!”

“You do, do you?” Nakoma scoffed. “And tell us, Abigail, what reason could be so important that you would draw your magic in the presence of Lord Malloway after we have explicitly told you just how risky and dangerous of a situation we are in? Huh? Do you have an answer for that?”

“I do, Master Taurus.”

And even though Ilirianna could tell that Abi was on edge and regretful, the confidence in her voice as she faced the Master of Fire was intriguing to her. At first, she had been stunned that Abi, of all people, would do such a thing, for that simply wasn’t the impression of her that the princess had first gotten. But as the young woman spoke, she couldn’t help but believe that Abi did, in fact, have a valid reason for what she did, and so Ilirianna motioned for Nakoma to remain silent while she took the lead of the conversation.

“Then please, explain,” Ilirianna said. “What happened back there?”

Abi didn’t hesitate, immediately going into detail about something she called her “sixth sense”, a subconscious feeling that warned her of anybody that could be a danger to her life, while also assuring her of the trustworthiness of certain individuals. Ilirianna listened with an open mind, knowing that there were plenty of people who falsely believed they had some secret or special power. Yet at the same time, there were those that developed certain abilities that deviated from the norm, and she had even personally met someone with such an ability. The Master of Wind, Koroha Rihtta, could see through even the most powerful of distortions, an ability that ran in her family bloodline, so she couldn’t completely discount what Abi was saying.

And this girl doesn't seem like the type to lie to me. At the very least, she believes she has this power.

“Now with that said,” Abi finished, her features turning confident and full of resolve, “I do not trust Mallicent Malloway in the slightest. He is dangerous, My Princess.”

Ilirianna cocked an eyebrow. “Mallicent? Just Mallicent?”

“Yes, just Mallicent,” Abi repeated. “Lord Malloway was neutral and Aeyir was trustworthy, but my reaction to Mallicent was so powerful that I drew my magic reflexively. I swear I did not mean to do such a thing, but I was startled and I couldn’t help it. It won’t happen again, I promise, but…please be cautious around that boy. I know you can more than handle yourself, Princess, but still. He’s a threat, and I believe his potential involvement in the combustions should be considered.”

Ilirianna and Nakoma exchanged glances, and she could see the skepticism in the man’s eyes, but the princess found that she believed what Abigail was saying. Ilirianna always trusted her gut, so as preposterous as Abi’s claims were, she just didn’t get the feeling that she was making anything up.

“Who else knows about this sense?” she inquired, eager to know as much as she could about Abi’s situation.

“Just my team,” Abi answered, “as well as Fayela Rio and Jessi Yuahl back at the Academy. Given how strange it sounds and the fact that I’ve always been alone, it’s just not something that I’ve ever been comfortable sharing with people. Even Master Grunly doesn’t know about it, and I only just told Nigreos and Ryokumo earlier when they, too, asked why I drew my magic.”

Twisting her lips in thought, Ilirianna leaned back in the chair and folded her arms across her chest. “Interesting. If you’re telling the truth, and I think you may be, then this sense of yours could be crucial in helping us with this investigation. Who else in the castle have you used your sense on?”

Abi shook her head. “Just the Malloways, so far, but my teammates have urged me to use it on as many people as I can in order to grasp just how many around us are potentially dangerous. That being said, if the two of you don’t want me to do so, then I won’t, but I agree with them that I could potentially help sniff out whatever’s happening in this city.”

Well, this certainly changes our approach, Ilirianna thought with an internal smile. Knowing who we can and cannot trust is going to be ridiculously useful, but at the same time, we aren’t authorized to act on any knowledge we gain unless our lives are at risk. If Abi’s correct and Mallicent Malloway is secretly involved in the combustions then what can we actually do about it?

“Master Taurus,” Ilirianna began, glancing sidelong at Nakoma. “What is your opinion on this matter?”

Nakoma frowned as he contemplated her question. “Well, to be blunt, Princess, I’m not sure I believe what she’s telling us. I mean no offense, Abigail, but can you really blame me for being skeptical? The number of people I’ve met who claim to have some special power is large enough that I rarely take anything at face value, especially when it’s as convenient as this is.”

Ilirianna could see Abi turn a little red. “Yes, that’s fair, Master.”

“Of course, I won’t completely discount what you’ve told us,” Nakoma quickly added. “I will keep an eye on young Mallicent, but at the same time, he is a mere boy of sixteen, hardly a threat to any of us even if he is involved somehow. And by all means, use this supposed sense of yours as you see fit. That’s my opinion.”

“Thank you, Master Taurus,” Ilirianna replied, then turned back to face Abigail. “I agree with him that you should use your ability at your own discretion. If you say you have a sixth sense, I will believe you until you’re proven wrong.”

As a stark shift from when Nakoma spoke, Abi’s features lit up a bit at the fact that Ilirianna expressed her faith in her. “Er, thank you, My Princess.”

“Of course.” Ilirianna’s features then turned stern as there was one issue she did need to address in regards to the matter. “Now, as long as you do not draw your magic like that again, there shouldn’t be any other problems between us. Is that understood?”

“Yes, of course. I’ll be more prepared next time,” Abi assured her.

“Good. In that case, after the banquet tonight, I want you to report to me if your sense alerts you to any danger whatsoever. I want as thorough of an understanding as I can in relation to who in this castle can be trusted, and who we should focus our investigations into.” Ilirianna then grinned. “And I will also be ordering you and your team to focus your attention on Mallicent. The four of you are far closer in age and status to him as opposed to Master Taurus and I, so you will probably have an easier time of it. Can you do that?”

Once again, Abi seemed surprised by the princess’s confidence in her, but she still responded as firmly as she could. “Yes, we can do that. I’ll let the others know.”

“Perfect, then you’re excused.”

However, the second Ilirianna dismissed Abigail, there was a knock at the door, and the three mages turned to stare at it. Ilirianna hadn’t been expecting anybody to visit so soon after her arrival, so she was a tad confused, but nevertheless, she got to her feet and walked over to answer the door. Upon opening it, she was greeted by the sight of a rather large, broad-shouldered man dressed in the blue and black armor of the Aquesen guard, as well as a long navy blue cape falling down to his shins and a sword sheathed at his hip. He appeared to be somewhere in his forties, with a full brown beard and a buzzed scalp, as well as a mature and assertive demeanor in his green eyes.

“Good afternoon,” Ilirianna greeted. “Can I help you, Sir?”

The man smiled pleasantly, appearing almost fatherly, as he stepped back and bowed. “Good afternoon to you as well, Princess Ilirianna. My name is Rotana Vesh, and I’m the captain of the castle guard. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Instantly, Ilirianna was on her toes, for the castle guard were the ones allegedly responsible for declaring Oharn Gaya’s death a suicide. In addition, Dreek Willow, the man who was reported to have exploded with fire magic, was Vice-Captain of the guard, which meant that this man, Rotana Vesh, was the only one who outranked him. If anybody gave the order to conceal the true circumstances behind Gaya’s death, there was a high likelihood of it being him.

Which means I have to be on his good side.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Captain Vesh. Please, come in.”

Beckoning for him to enter, Ilirianna stepped aside as Vesh strode into the room, and upon seeing Abigail and Nakoma, he quickly bowed once more.

“Ah, and I take it you are Master Nakoma Taurus, yes?” he inquired, upon which Nakoma put on a pleasant smile of his own and nodded.

“I am,” Nakoma confirmed, and though there was no outward indication of mistrust, having known the man as long as she had, Ilirianna could instinctively tell that he was just as alert in the Captain’s presence as Ilirianna was.

“And you?” Vesh asked, turning now to Abi. “Who might you be, Miss?”

“Oh, um, I’m Abigail,” she stuttered, sparing subtle glances at Ilirianna as if seeking advice on how she should speak to man. “J-just Abigail.”

Vesh’s brow furrowed in confusion as he stared down at Abi. “No family name? Then—?”

“Abi is a member of my royal team,” Ilirianna cut in before Vesh could say anything further. “So despite not having a surname, she is a trusted ally of mine. Now…” Both wanting to get to the point of his visit, as well as turn the topic away from Abi, Ilirianna folded her hands behind her back and addressed the Captain. “How can we help you, Sir?”

“Ah yes.” Clearing his throat, the confusion upon meeting Abi vanished from his face, being quickly replaced by his earlier charming expression. “I know you are all exhausted so I don’t want to keep you long. I merely wanted to introduce myself since I am in charge of the security here. If you have any problems or concerns, please do not hesitate to approach me. I would be happy to be of service to you, as well as to your team.”

“Problems?” Ilirianna quickly jumped at the opportunity to subtly press Vesh for information. “What problems would there be? Is the castle unsafe?”

“Oh no, you are perfectly safe,” he assured her. “But as I’m sure you know, Hiriech has a bit of a crime problem these days, and it is not all that uncommon for individuals like that to be quite aggressive regardless of who you are. There have been violent incidents recently, and I wanted to assure you that I have it under control. You will be well taken care of, My Princess.”

Ah, so that’s what they’re going with, she thought with an internal scoff. They’re probably afraid the Citadel got wind of what happened to Willow and Gaya, so he’s trying to blame that on the homeless. Nice try, Lord Malloway, but I’m not stupid.

“Well, I thank you for that assurance, Captain Vesh,” she responded, ensuring that the man couldn’t sense her complete lack of belief in his claims. “And we all look forward to our time here in the city and the castle.”

“I’m glad,” he said. “Hiriech is a wonderful place, so please do enjoy your stay. And on that note, I shall leave you be. I’ll see you tonight at the banquet.”

Bidding them goodbye, Vesh departed the room almost as quickly as he had arrived, and though she gleaned very little from the conversation, she was still more than pleased that he had stopped by, for it gave her an opportunity to gain what could be crucial information.

“Abi,” she began, turning back to stare at the young nature mage with a smug expression. “What’s your opinion of Captain Vesh?”

Abigail glanced up at her with a painfully disturbed look before slowly shaking her head.

“As bad as Mallicent, if not slightly worse.”

***

Ryokumo Caeli spent much of the day pondering the implications of Abigail’s sixth sense in the hopes of coming up with a way to approach the information she had supplied them. Not only had Mallicent Malloway violently triggered her sense, but she had also informed them that the captain of the castle guard, Rotana Vesh, had also set her off, and Ryokumo couldn’t help but wonder just what they had walked themselves into. The fact that both Lord Malloway’s son and the captain of his guard bothered Abi meant that the conspiracy regarding the combustions may be worse than he had initially believed. After having been debriefed on the nature of their trip to Hiriech, Ryokumo had been under the impression that the guard was merely trying to cover the murders up so as to not allow the other Great Cities to learn that such a thing happened right under their nose, but now, he was beginning to believe that denizens of Aquesen may, in fact, be the ones behind the murders.

But the question would come down to why? What do Mallicent Malloway and Rotana Vesh stand to gain by causing random people in the countryside, as well as the Vice-Captain, to spontaneously explode? My best guess would be that Dreek Willow found out what they were up to and tried to expose it, so they killed him and Oharn Gaya to cover their tracks. That makes the most sense to me, but…

There wasn’t any proof.

As much as he trusted Abigail’s word, her word meant nothing against the words of people like Mallicent and Vesh, so it would be imperative that they find some way to prove that they were up to something. If they could do that, they could report it both to Nyx Rana and to the Citadel, and allow steps to be taken from there.

So then we have our goal. Attain proof of Mallicent and Vesh’s involvement before Aeyir’s birthday celebration in five days. That’s what we need to focus on.

Ryokumo internally grinned to himself, then glanced across the table and to his right at Mallicent himself, whose head was down as he silently ate his food. After taking a few hours to relax, Ilirianna and Nakoma collected the members of the royal team and led them down to the third floor dining hall where the welcome banquet was being held. It was as lavish as the rest of Aquesen, with a massive rectangular table that could probably seat around thirty people in the center, as well as an elaborate crystal chandelier suspended from the high ceiling. On the far right of the room, there was a band of about nine members playing a variety of string instruments, and the melodic and beautiful music that they played was calming and quite enjoyable.

At the head of the table sat Lord Friez Malloway, with his two sons sitting on his right, and his wife Yoral on his left. The woman was a very quiet person and when she introduced herself, her voice was soft and delicate, a far cry from the boisterousness of her husband. She wore a beautiful blue silk dress with fancy jewels adorning her neck and her black hair pulled in a braid that fell to her mid-back. Ever since greeting them, Yoral hadn’t said a word and instead allowed Lord Malloway to take control of the conversation. Occasionally, Aeyir would chime in, but Mallicent never spoke either, even when they arrived. In addition, Ryokumo didn’t fail to notice Rotana Vesh standing beside the double-doors of the hall, silently watching them as they enjoyed their meal, which consisted of freshwater fish garnished with seasonings so fancy that Ryokumo hadn’t even heard of most of them, as well as a side of different vegetables.

As was expected, Ilirianna, Nakoma, and Nigreos did most of the talking with Lord Malloway, while Album and Abi sat quietly and listened politely. Normally, Ryokumo might have tried to chime in and leave an impression on the Lord of Hiriech, but given the circumstances, he was more than pleased simply observing Mallicent. Thus far, aside from a rather poor attitude when they first arrived at the castle, the boy had done nothing that implied he might be scheming something, but that didn’t mean Abi’s sense was mistaken.

Overall, it was a rather uneventful dinner in regards to the investigation, but Ryokumo knew that learning anything in such a public place was unlikely, so he couldn’t say he was surprised.

But no matter, if he won’t do anything suspicious out in the open, I’ll simply have to try my luck in private.

At first, he had considered casting a distortion spell and stalking Mallicent around the castle until he caught him doing something questionable, but he quickly abandoned that idea, for if anybody caught him then it would be disastrous for the Citadel. Risks were not to be taken without the explicit permission of Ilirianna or Nakoma, and since he knew they wouldn’t condone such a plan, he decided he would have to be a bit more casual in his approach.

And so, when dinner ended and they were excused to return to their quarters for the night, Ryokumo split off from the other members of his team under the guise of taking a walk so he could admire the castle, then followed after the Malloway brothers, who had departed in the opposite direction from the rest of them. Once again, the desire to just hang back and eavesdrop on their conversation came to mind, but he abandoned it once again for two reasons. The first one was the same reason he didn’t use distortion, for even subtle eavesdropping could appear moderately suspicious, but the other reason was that the brothers weren’t even talking to begin with. Aeyir and Mallicent simply walked in silence, and there was an undeniable tension in the air as Ryokumo picked up his pace and called out to them.

“My lords! Do you have a moment?”

Smiling like he always did in an attempt to seem approachable, Ryokumo greeted them with a cheerful tone as Aeyir and Mallicent stopped and glanced back at him, the oldest brother with a pleasant grin of his own while the younger merely scowled.

“Ah, Mr. Caeli, was it?” Aeyir inquired politely. “How can we help you?”

Ryokumo shrugged and came to a stop when he finally closed the distance between them. “Oh, well, if neither of you are busy, I was just interested in having a little chat and getting to know each other. We are roughly the same age, of course, and since your father mentioned that you both plan to attend the Academy of Erika when you’re old enough, I thought I might be able to offer some advice. Especially to you, Lord Aeyir, as you’ll be attending just next year.”

At the banquet, Lord Malloway had told them with obvious pride that his sons would be attending the Academy once they were both of age, and Ryokumo immediately latched onto that information, knowing that it could very well be the ideal conversation starter that would allow him to approach them.

“Ah, thank you very much,” Aeyir replied with a laugh. “I would love to speak with you, for I’ve been thinking recently that I wouldn’t mind having some extra help to prepare myself. I’ve heard the Academy can be quite a daunting experience, so if you don’t mind, I would be very grateful for some advice. I have plenty of free time right now.” The young lord then glanced down at his still silent brother and gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder. “And, Mal, I know you could also do with a bit of advice from a more practiced mage.”

Despite the rather genuine concern from his brother, Mallicent merely scoffed and shrugged off Aeyir’s hand. “Thank you for the offer, Caeli, but I’ve got things to do right now. Maybe another time.”

“Things to do? Like what?”

As much as it might be rude to pry into Mallicent’s business, Ryokumo couldn’t help but quickly jump at an opportunity to potentially learn some of what the boy did in his free time. Of course, if Mallicent really was doing something dangerous and illegal, he didn’t expect him to just admit that fact to a stranger, so he was unsurprised when he narrowed his eyes and sneered at him.

“That’s not your business, now is it?” he snapped. “By all means, give my brother all the advice you wish, but I am not interested.”

Without leaving any room for argument, Mallicent spun on his heel and stalked off down the hall without so much as a glance back at them, and though it was Mallicent that Ryokumo had wanted to speak to, he was still content with having a conversation with Aeyir. The older brother would still be able to give him information that he wouldn't be able to gain otherwise, and to Ryokumo’s delight, Aeyir began to do just that without the wind mage even having to say anything.

“I apologize for his poor attitude,” Aeyir said with a sad smile. “My little brother hasn’t always been so rude, but recently he’s been going through a rough patch. I’m not quite sure what’s bothering him, but please don’t take it personally, Caeli. Mal is a very respectable and loving person, and I would hate for you and your team to have the wrong impression of who he is at heart.”

Intrigued by the young man’s words, Ryokumo casually glanced back at him and took the opportunity to subtly push the subject. “Is he okay? Has anything happened? I’ve heard that large amounts of stress can cause even the sweetest of souls to get snippy.”

Even if Aeyir didn’t know the exact reason, he might at least still have some idea that could give Ryokumo a lead.

“I wondered that, too, but if he’s been stressed, it’s a mystery to me what might have caused it.” He sighed, a conflicted expression crossing his features, and Ryokumo could tell with certainty that Aeyir was far more worried for his brother than he was letting on. “He’s just become so withdrawn these days, and he spends almost all of his time either locked up in his room or down in the lab. In fact, today was the first time in months that he’s joined the family for a meal, and only because Father had to force him into it.”

Ryokumo nodded, internally frowning at something Aeyir had said. “You mentioned a lab? What do you mean?”

“Hmm? Oh, yes of course.” He chuckled, as if realizing that he had been somewhat vague. “Down in the castle basement, we have a few laboratories dedicated to various forms of both magical and non-magical research, though they pale in comparison to those that operate out of Stellareid or the Citadel. Ever since he was small, Mal would always go down there and speak with the scientists. He was so fascinated by their projects, and he spent so much time studying research and science that if Father allowed it, he’d probably pursue becoming a researcher rather than mage.”

Ryokumo cocked an eyebrow. “Your father won’t allow it?”

“No, he won’t.” Aeyir grimaced in the first sign of frustration that Ryokumo had seen from him. “He’s quite insistent that we both become mages, mainly because he wants sons who can fight and defend themselves. He’s had Captain Vesh training us in combat since we were tiny, and while Mal is very talented, he just doesn't have the drive that Father wants from him.”

Ryokumo nodded, filing away every single piece of information that he could. He had hoped to learn at least a little from Aeyir, but he was practically giving away their entire life story, and in that moment, the wind mage properly understood why Abi’s sense registered him as pure.

This boy is very trusting, that much is obvious, Ryokumo noted. Even without a magical sense, I can tell that he’s a good person, and given how quickly he’s confessed all of this, I can only imagine that he hasn’t felt comfortable expressing these concerns to his parents. He’s afraid for his brother, but he’s bottling it up, and I’ve just given him the perfect outlet to release it all.

And as cold as it might have been, Ryokumo internally smiled with glee at the fact that coercing what he needed out of Aeyir Malloway would be ridiculously simple. So long as he provided a shoulder to lean on, he could squeeze out every drop of intel that the young man had.

“Interesting,” Ryokumo commented. “So I take it he’s working with the scientists even now?”

Aeyir nodded. “Yes, actually. There’s been this project that Mal was recruited to help with, but it’s apparently rather confidential, so even I don’t know what they’re studying. All I know is that this rather high-end researcher from Stellareid was brought in by Father to lead the project. It’s kept Mal quite busy, so he uses it as an excuse to stay shut in.”

“Ah, curious.”

A project, he says? One that Mallicent is working on and one that is so secretive that even the heir to this castle doesn’t know the details? Perfect! Truly, Aeyir, tonight you have become my best friend!

Internally deciding to bring this information back to the others, Ryokumo knew that pressing any further would be too risky, and he didn’t want this ideal source of intel to get suspicious of him. Therefore, he took the conversation away from Mallicent and returned to his initial offer of advice for the Academy of Erika. Aeyir was very receptive and excited to speak to a student of the school who had already gone through orientation, and Ryokumo did, in fact, give him some genuine advice as payment for the information. But even then, he was still able to confirm one very important detail over the course of their talk.

As Nigreos had said, Mallicent Malloway was, in fact, of the fire affinity.