Taraquin

Chapter 18

Garrin and Asher dismount their horses and guide them onto the ship that will ferry them across the strait in Coral Bay. They force their horses to lay and then tie their reigns to one of the masts of the ship. They sit to relax during their short trip across the straight.

"Once we get to your castle, what's the plan from there?" questions Asher.

"I was told that Lord Ademar is on his way with the Royal Guardsmen. They will escort you to Brinon. I'm not sure when he'll arrive, but we'll keep you safe until he gets here," explains Garrin.

"I have no doubt that you could keep me safe. It would be hard not to feel safe being in the same house as the boy who killed an entire rebel militia. What's his name?" asks Asher.

"Zane," replies Garrin.

"So what's his story? I only heard a little bit of what happened," inquires Asher.

"He was on his way through Willow Grove with villagers from Gelwyn. They were headed to Feagan to sell their crops when the rebels attacked. He was badly wounded during the fight, but used his powers to save himself. Apparently, he didn't even know that he had powers. I went to Willow Grove a few days after it happened and it's pretty much gone now," explains Garrin.

"What do you mean?" asks Asher.

"His powers must be pretty powerful because the whole forest is completely gone. The only thing left are stumps and a giant circle burnt into the earth around the area. Then there's one other strange thing. He actually healed himself. The healers tried to heal him, but for some reason his body rejected it and then he started healing himself," explains Garrin.

"That is strange! It's also strange that he would even have multiple powers without having an ancestral connection. He would have to be at least a third generation sorcerer to have more than one power. Maybe he's a bastard child of someone," observes Asher.

"That would make sense, but it still doesn't explain how he's able to heal himself. If he were the bastard of someone, it would have to be someone pretty powerful like Ademar. Come to think of it, Ademar is the one who said Zane is very important and needs to be kept safe. I bet Ademar had a bastard and has been keeping him a secret for all these years." Declares Garrin.

"Bastard or not, I'm just glad the rebels didn't recruit him first. He might come in pretty handy in the days to come." Adds Asher.

"Definitely. Ademar wants him to start training as soon as he is fully healed." Responds Garrin.

"Good. Make sure he and Dekker are introduced at the annual masquerade ball, that way Dekker can keep an eye on him at the Academy of Sorcery. Drake and Caine can be a little rough on new nobility."

"I figured were weren't going to have the ball in light of recent events."

"No. I definitely want everything to continue as normal. If the ball is cancelled, everyone will know that something is up." Explains Asher.