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  "Makes sense, stops any further bloodshed since I wish to keep my hands clean where possible."

  "Something's still bothering you, though. Would I be right in saying that?"

  "Yes, but it's nothing I can prove," Sebastian huffed, waving his hand to dismiss the conversation. "Where would we find Amnur, in his room?"

  "It's a good place to start, there are a few other locations I can think of if not," Iomor replied, not overly convinced by the King's sudden desire to change the topic.

  "Shall we?"

  Iomor gestured for Sebastian to lead, which he did so. The two slowly walked towards the mage's room, with not a single word passing between them. As they reached the door, they exchanged a brief glance, before Sebastian knocked on the door. There was no immediate reaction, so the King tossed a second glance at Iomor.

  "Give it a minute, he may have been sleeping or something."

  The door began to shift slightly, emitting a scraping sound as the room's occupant struggled to open it. Slowly, the gap widened and Amnur became visible to the two waiting demons. In the past few days, he had recovered enough to move, although with a lot of pain. He had decided to retire to his room to stop Dumon getting in trouble for anything, trouble that had appeared to catch up with him. Another decision Amnur had taken was to start wearing the clothes he had arrived in originally, keeping the robes of the Court Mage folded on his desk.

  "Can I help you, Sire?" Amnur respectfully spoke, although he felt that such a thing was already too late. Now that Sebastian was confronted with the situation, he felt at a loss for words. He could see the mage was nervous, his nerves feeding him a mixture of compassion and anger.

  "The decision's been made to exile you," Iomor interrupted, speaking for the troubled King. "You are no longer welcome in these lands."

  Amnur sighed. It wasn't an execution order, but in his health, it may as well have been. He gazed at Sebastian, but the demon's eyes were closed. His companion however allowed for a smug smile to slip through before retaining his composure.

  "I've not informed anyone yet, so I offer you the grace to leave before such details become known," Sebastian added, the formal tone turning his stomach.

  "Thank you, your majesty," Amnur replied, pausing for a moment to debate grabbing any possessions. His books would likely perish along with him, they could at least benefit another mage that occupied his role. Coming to the conclusion he had nothing worth taking, he kept his head low and gently pushed past, proceeding down the corridor and towards the main entrance. The pace as he went was slow and considered, trying not to aggravate his wounds. A few demons regarded him as he passed, although none stopped him. Once he reached the outside, he set off towards the north-west, unsure where to go now.

  "You did the right thing, Sire," Iomor reassured him as they remained standing outside the mage's door, watching him disappear.

  "I hope so."

  ***

  Sebastian retired to his chambers are bidding Iomor farewell, for now, being greeted by a cheerful Ciel who had been left in a safe pen with some toys. He settled down next to his son and joined in with his play, picking up a toy and making animal noises as he weaved his hand towards Ciel. The demon continued to play with his eager son for some time, revelling in the child’s happiness after the day he had. As he sat, he felt tears roll down his face; the absence in the room was becoming very notable to him as he played with Ciel. Rin had been missing for over a week now, and Sebastian was starting to realise that she wasn’t coming back, leaving him to raise their son alone. That fact combined with his new responsibilities posed a dilemma, how would he find the time to spend with Ciel that he needed? He would have to try and find a suitable balance between the two so he could rear his son up to be a decent individual and steer him away from turning out like Nathaniel did. One boon that would prove useful to him was the fact Kaiser’s partner was due to give birth to their first child soon, which would provide Ciel with a playmate. It would also provide him with an individual to look after Ciel when he was busy, although he didn’t like to burden Kaiser any more than needed.

  Sebastian felt his clothes being tugged and peered down, seeing his son trying to get his attention. The child tried to comfort his father, embracing his chest and holding on tight.

  “Aww, thank you,” Sebastian said, embracing his son in a warm embrace. He tenderly stroked the child’s hair, enjoying the close bond they shared.

  Chapter 19: Sebastian’s Ire

  Sebastian woke the next day to the news that Dumon wanted a word with him, a stern one based on the tone of the healer’s voice. He was handed a small bowl of food for Ciel and given time to get properly dressed, before coming face to face with Dumon. With a sigh, he first focused on getting the child cleaned up and ready, placing him inside the safe pen with the bowl of food once he was done. Then, he threw off his clothing and put on a smart set of clothing, although it didn’t hide his dishevelled appearance. He ran his hands through his hair to try and neaten it. Now that he was done, he took a deep breath and offered Ciel a brief farewell, stepping out of his private chamber and into the ruling chamber. Sebastian settled down on the throne and allowed himself to relax back, giving himself a calm persona.

  “Enter,” he announced to the silent room, watching as the doors pulled open to allow the healer to come.

  “Enter, really? It’s me, Sebastian,” Dumon scolded the King, although Sebastian was unsure if it was in jest or a serious complaint.

  “Formalities,” Sebastian chuckled, but the elderly demon’s expression was unwavering.

  “I heard this morning that Amnur was exiled, what’s all that about?”

  “Amnur’s crimes meant that he had to be made an example of; those that actively helped Nathaniel need to be punished accordingly.”

  “You know damn well that Amnur was a victim of your father, not some evil mage that actively murdered innocents.”

  Sebastian took a deep breath, both surprised and irritated by Dumon’s bluster. He wished to voice his suspicions about Amnur, but as King, his personal opinion had to be kept separate from known information.

  “Do you have any solid proof of that?” the King queried, causing Dumon to pause for a moment in anger to consider his answer.

  “What do you want, decomposed corpses? Short of Amnur’s direct testimony, there is no ethical evidence,” Dumon spat; the answer irked Sebastian, who gripped the chair tightly.

  “And how do I know he’s not lying to my face?”

  “For a start, he’s a terrible liar, but he actively informed me of his missions and their consequences.”

  The King’s eyes went wide, before narrowing at Dumon.

  “What was his last mission?”

  “That’s the only one he couldn’t inform me about; Nathaniel was literally right behind him,” Dumon admitted.

  “So you don’t know?”

  “I know what he was willing to tell me.”

  “In other words, no.”

  “Not entirely,” the healer sighed, seeing that he was getting nowhere with Sebastian. Silence hung in the air as the King debated on the information, his expression becoming cold. What Dumon had failed to explain was the date this had happened on, that fact alone could’ve changed Sebastian’s opinion if he knew Amnur was incapacitated at the time. Telling him the reasons why would land Amnur in trouble though, due to the attempted regicide.

  “Leave,” Sebastian stated, catching Dumon off guard. He went to protest, but Sebastian’s icy stare cut him off. “Get. Out.”

  “Sebastian,” Dumon replied, seeing Sebastian push himself off the throne.

  “Now!”

  Dumon decided it was unwise to continue and promptly left, leaving the younger demon fuming in the ruling chamber. Sebastian stood taking deep breaths, now sorely regretting his compassion that let Amnur live. He went to barge out of the chamber to hunt the mage down, but the thought of leaving Ciel alone stayed his actions. The demon turned around and returned to his p
rivate room, sitting down next to his son and hugging him tightly.

  “We’ll get closure someday, I promise you that,” he whispered to the child, slowly rocking while he held him in his arms.

  ***

  Dumon marched back to the healing chamber and for the first time, allowed himself to breathe. He felt his interruption had made matters worse, although he didn’t know the reasons why. Sebastian evidently held something against him, something Amnur had not managed to pick up on. The other problem he felt that the new King had was his desire to blame someone. Nathaniel was dead, with the exact circumstances being unknown to him. Now he no longer had his father to blame, Dumon felt his ire had moved on to the easiest target; Amnur. Unfortunately for Amnur, unless he had managed to escape to the South, that ire would follow him forever.

  “I hope you’re safe Amnur, there’s nothing I can do for you now without tipping Sebastian off to your location,” Dumon sighed, querying what to do now. There was one last thing he could do, although it felt like condemning Amnur to a life of solitude. He found his communication orb and hoped that Kyrith would pick up, longing to feel the warmth that indicated the demon was on the other end.

  ***

  There was a delay before Kyrith noticed the orb glowing, but the demon swiftly went to receive Dumon once he picked up. He listened to the healer recount what Sebastian had done and scowled, disagreeing with his actions.

  “Is there anything I can do?” Kyrith asked, tensing his free hand in anger.

  “Yes, but it’s nothing that I enjoy suggesting,” Dumon admitted, taking a deep breath. “Put your faith in Amnur to survive; I don’t know where he would go or where he could actually safely go, but trying to pursue him could get him killed by Sebastian, as well as us.”

  Kyrith sighed; he wished to dispute Dumon but his words rung true, trying to establish contact could prove dangerous for Amnur. He thought of one bit of information that could prove fruitful, but without being able to inform the mage, it came to little use aside from potentially comforting them.

  “There is one thing; recently, the western settlements suffered at the hands of angels, something which I largely believe to be my fault,” Kyrith lamented, but he was not done, “due to Nathaniel’s lack of action over it, they’ve denounced the throne in the East. Considering Amnur’s status, they may be willing to welcome him there, but I have no idea if that’s where Amnur was considering trying.”

  “I wouldn’t blame the angels’ actions on your plea; I trust Uriel’s intentions were true if his soldiers decided to shirk orders and sate their bloodlust.”

  “Thanks, my conscience is still unsettled though.”

  “I just hope Uriel decides to use this opportunity to sort the angel’s society out and saying that, I hope Sebastian does nothing stupid that forces the angels to war.”

  “You and me both, I’ve seen enough death in my short time,” Kyrith replied, getting momentarily distracted by Shae who gestured him to ask if he was alright.

  “I doubt you wish to hear my story, then,” Dumon chuckled, before sighing. “I’ll let you get back to your day and well, life, hopefully."

  "Do keep in touch, I'd like to hear from you over more preferable issues."

  "I will; farewell, for now, Kyrith."

  Kyrith felt the link go cold and returned the orb to its housing, letting out a sigh. Shae sat down next to him and offered him a glass of water, which he readily accepted. He sipped the cool liquid, pausing to glance at his sister.

  "I take it everything we heard is true, then," Shae queried.

  "Unfortunately," Kyrith admitted, placing the half empty glass on the table.

  "Damn, I wanted to apologise for him, I left him in a mess."

  "I'll keep an ear out for information regarding Amnur's fate, you could perhaps slip him a letter even if directly visiting him would be too dangerous," he replied, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

  "It'll be nice to have you back full time also, being in the barracks used me make me worry about you,” Shae smiled, causing Kyrith to smile also.

  “It is good to be home, less irritation and less random fights.”

  Chapter 20: The Western Swamplands

  Amnur had staggered towards the west, managing to cross the land bridge that connected the two isles without being spotted. He had seen the shrouding trees of the swampland and went to investigate, hoping they could provide shelter for him. One thing Nathaniel had mentioned was that the demons had settlements in the west, whether they would be amiable to him or not, he was unsure. Over the last few days, he had made headway into the swamp, but his attempts at surviving were proving unsuccessful. So far, he had failed to catch any animals or fish to cook, and he didn’t know the plants to risk eating any of them. Even the water off-put him; the pools he found were covered in a green slime, with insects buzzing around and landing on his skin. His health was rapidly declining with no food or water, and his wounds were starting to ache, taking a toll on his consciousness.

  Through a stroke of luck, he had managed to find a pond with few exits that contained fish. He perched on the edge and poised his hands ready to snatch a plump fish that was resting near the surface feeding, well within reach of his position. Taking a deep breath, Amnur dashed forward and snatched up the fish, feeling its slimy body writhe in his fingers. He held tight to the flailing fish with one hand and moved the other up its body, delivering a magical blast to kill it. Its body went limp, and Amnur breathed a sigh of relief, letting out an excited cheer. The mage grabbed it and hurried over to a pile of wood he had collected previously, placing the fish on top of a precariously built platform to cook it. His glee suddenly faded when he realised he had no blade to carve up the fish, so he gazed at his own sharpened fingers. They weren’t the sharpest tool, but the fish’s flesh didn’t feel the toughest.

  Cringing, he pushed his fingers into the flesh under the fish’s head and kept the pressure on until he felt his fingers slip, with one creating a small hole. The smell of raw fish hit his nose, and he had to fight the urge to gag while he worked on splitting the animal open. After a while, he had managed to create a crude rip and scraped out the viscera, closing his eyes until everything had gone. When he opened his eyes, he was greeted with something that was now more edible and a hand covered in gore. Most importantly, he had a meal.

  He placed the fish back on the rack and turned his attention to the pile of sticks below. With a click of his fingers, he lit the edge of the pile on fire and watched as it slowly spread up, until he had a relatively decent fire. Despite it being a warm day in the swamps, Amnur enjoyed the warmth of the fire on his cold, hungry body. The ground was damp enough to keep the fire from spreading out of control, but he could easily stop that if it happened anyway.

  Amnur sat with the fish cooking for around about an hour, periodically turning it over to ensure both sides were cooked. Once the outside was seared, and the flesh felt dry, he lifted the fish off the rack and brought it up to his face. He bit deep into the fish’s flesh and ripped off a chunk, chewing on the meat. A foul taste hit his tongue, and he forcefully swallowed his meal, taking a deep breath afterwards. Amnur tried wiping his tongue on his damp clothing to remove the taste, but it was to no avail. The demon turned the fish over and tried to take a bite out of another area, just in case the section he ate was somehow off. To his dismay, he was greeted by the same flavour. He was, however, desperate for food, so he mustered his courage and swallowed the meat.

  The act left him gasping, so he rapidly discarded the fish and laid down against a nearby tree. Amnur spent the next hour fighting the urge to throw up, desperate for a cool, clean drink to wash the taste off his tongue.

  Unknown to him, his bumbling effort to locate a suitable meal had been spotted. A demon sat in a nearby tree, watching the desperate demon with some interest. Amnur’s features were notable enough for the stranger to know that it was Amnur they were observing, so they maintained their distance. They decided to retreat, fo
r now, to seek the advice of the others living in the swamps as to what they should do with the intruder.

  The next few days began to push Amnur to exhaustion; he had managed to source a meagre drink from a passing rain shower, but his soaked clothes had taken a toll on his wounds. After his experience with the fish, he had opted to avoid trying them again but any other animals he found easily escaped him. With his body aching, he settled down on a fallen log and began taking a serious of short, sharp breaths. Amnur kept his head slumped forward, finding keeping himself upright a chore. As he sat there, he thought he felt something touch his shoulder, but in his exhausted state, Amnur was unsure if he just imagined it. The demon opened his eyes and turned his head, only to be greeted with the dull, silver sheen of a blade.

  He gazed at the blade, unable to see its owner. Given the size of the weapon, he knew its owner to be a demon and figured that Sebastian’s decision to exile him had reached the ears of the locals.

  “Just get on with it,” Amnur let out a resigned sigh, believing no amount of words would change his company’s mind. He awaited the sting of the blade as it connected with his neck, but nothing came. After a while, the blade gently slid away from his neck, and it left Amnur surprised and confused. The log suddenly rattled as an enormous old blood demon settled down on the other end, although his size meant he was sat right next to Amnur. He fiddled with a pouch and pulled out a sack, opening it up and emptying the contents into his hand. The hand was then offered to Amnur, and the demon examined what he was being given, his eyes widening when he saw it; food.

  Amnur was pained to accept it, but the demon insisted. Warily, he grabbed the pieces of dried meat and started to eat them, trying to pace himself past his ravenous hunger. The meat brought a welcome taste to his mouth; the savoury taste of the seasoning delighting his taste buds. His companion watched on as he tucked into the meal, silently grabbing a leather waterskin with his spare hand and added it to his offerings. Amnur finished up the meat and saw the offering of a drink and accepted it, enjoying the taste of the clean liquid as it slid down his throat. The drink wasn’t cooled, but that fact no longer bothered him.