Chapter 184: Getting Boned

  Antonia Segreto rexed and enjoyed my disfort at her knowledge of my ins. I looked to Castile for help, but she had an impassive expression and was not likely to aid me. Antonia finally spoke, breaking the tense silence, “He doesn’t look like much. I think he might prove more of a liability for our pns.”

  “Don’t scare the boy. He might do something you will regret, Antonia.” Konstantin said, irritated and walking casually away from the window.

  Antonia smiled with some mirth, “If he is so dangerous, Konstantin, then why did I just learn he was an other worlder an ho?” That statement was somewhat reassuring that Konstantin had kept my secret. But how long Konstantin had known I was an other worlder was another question for aime.

  Konstantin stated in a rexed tone, “I was only tasked with keeping Castile alive. She is alive, and I have given you much more in my service.” He gestured respectfully at the quiet Castile.

  Antonia pursed her lips in distaste. “I would have preferred to learn of the ruins of Atntium sooner.” She focused on Konstantin and then on me, “It makes me wonder what else you might be withholding.” She turo me, “Fine. He might be useful. What do you have in mind for him?”

  Konstantin leaned on a table that squeaked slightly as it shifted on the floor, “He hahe sedary Archives.”

  Antonia hissed, annoyed, “Revealing our pns in the open.”

  High Mage Zyna interrupted, “This room is secure. I installed the array myself st time I served as the cellor of the War College and used this suite.” Her peing gaze studied me. “I agree. I think he do it. elius was looking for someone capable. I think this other worlder is a good choice.” She smiled reassuringly at me.

  Antonia’s eyes were appraising me again, “You would bet all our lives on an unknowy.” Antonia shifted unfortably in her seat to look at me better.

  “He has killed a manticore and wyverns on his own and survived deep in the Shimmering Labyrinth. The boy is more than what he seems.” Konstantin addressed Antonia in seriousness and praise. I must be dreaming if Konstantin raising me openly.

  I felt the o say something as they were discussing my fate like I was not here. “I prefer not to be called a boy. I am 26.”

  Antonia waved, dismissing my words with her hand like I did not factor into her decision. “We will only get one ce to peone in the Archives.” She tinued. “I am not sure this one is our best bet.”

  Castile stepped forward, “No, he is. It will fulfill one of the ditio for my aide.”

  Antonia seemed to be weighing her options. She clicked her tongue, “Fine. If he missteps, then we cut our losses.” I was not sure, but I think she just said they would kill me if I didn’t py along.

  Konstantin cpped the table in appareement, “I will go tell elius. The css of Hounds should be assembled in a few months.”

  “In the meantime, he serve as my bodyguard at the Mage College to shield him from the First Citizens,” Zyna said, giving me a wink and an encing smile. Why did that smile make chills run through me?

  I looked at those assembled, and they seemed to think that I was going to do whatever they wanted. I was getting frustrated being in the dark as everything was being hi. I needed some bargaining power and trol. “What is this task with the Archives?” I asked firmly.

  Antonia sighed and itted ting me in, “The Archives are where they store blood samples of the Empire’s mages.”

  I looked at Castile as she told me something slightly different. “I thought there were two archives?”

  Antonia nodded, sighed, and started expining as she would to a child, “There are. One of the Archive vaults is in the Imperial Pace. The other is known only to the Emperor and guarded by ae group of the Hounds uhe and of turion Sergius.”

  “So, you wao infiltrate the Hounds and steal the blood samples of Castile?” I asked skeptically. I doubted I would st long in front of a Truthseeker wheioned about my role in this spiracy.

  Antonia ughed, “No, not just Castile. I have a list, but it is much too early for that. We have agents in the Pace who will hahe Archives there at the same time.”

  I recalled the versation I had with Castile regarding the Blood Archives, “Why would I care to risk my life? I thought the sed Archives only had blood samples from mages. It has nothing to do with me.”

  High Mage Zyna produced the dreamscape amulet and walked it over to me, “Yes. Mages and every First Citizen. There are more things going ohan you o be made aware of at the moment.” She pced the amulet in my hand, closed my fingers around it, returning it to me. “In doing this task, you will be earning your own freedom, other worlder. Your blood sample will be purged from the Imperial Archives, and you will be released from service.”

  Antonia arently the one in charge of this plot and stood, “You are io the game, other worlder. How long have you been on Desia?” Desia was the name of this p.

  I shifted uneasily, sidering my answer, but Castile spoke for me, “He arrived shortly before joining the legion. His spatial spell form is impressive. He heal himself some and create a weak air shield.” Was Castile downpying my abilities in front of Antonia, or was I less special than I thought? Castile added after Antonia nodded, impressed. “He has a tiher pool and terrible aether shaping skills. He will never cast a true spell.” I was going to object to having my aether pool called tiny—adequate would have been a better word—but remained silent.

  Antonia sidered, “Still three extremely useful utility spell forms. He will do well in the Hounds. Who else did you arrive with other worlder?”

  I hesitated but decided oruth, “I arrived alone. I fell asleep in a barn and woke in another barn on your p.”

  “Is it true there is no magic where you are from?” Zyna asked curiously. The first question anyone had asked regardih.

  Antonia furrowed her brow, “You satiate your curiosity ter with him, Zyna.” She addressed me, “Where did you arrive? I have never heard of an other worlder appearing alone.”

  “There are others?” I asked hopefully, thinking maybe there were people from Earth.

  “Others. You are the first human I am aware of iwo hundred years. But the world is bigger thaelhian Empire, other worlder. The st appearan the Empire’s borders was seventeen elves some thirty years ago on the western coast. They arrived together naked on the shores. They were subdued and imprisoned in the cells uhe Pace. To my knowledge, none live today.” Antonia waited for me to ask a question, but I inferred that the elves had been harvested for their essence by the Emperor.

  Seeing a ce at some information, I inquired, “Are there more other worlders than just humans and elves?”

  Zyna answered my question with patience. “Yes. I think each ra Desia es from a different p in the os.”

  Antonia interrupted Zyna as they peted on who was more knowledgeable, “There has been no recorded halfling arrival, or that of a number of the beastkin races as well, but our records are limited with our poor diplomatic retions with the other nations.”

  Antonia rose and walked to the door resolutely. “I ot stay, no matter how fasating this versation would be. I will send the Bocher for Castile and the other worlder.” Zyna wi the mention of the Bocher, and Antonia left the room with a purpose iep.

  With her departure, the tension evaporated from the room. Zyna spoke first: “She is juggling the fate of the Empire in her hands. She thinks she save the Empire, but in the end, she may destroy it.”

  I asked a question of Zyna, “What is the Bocher?”

  Zyna winced again at the name. “He is a master runescriber. He inscribe spell forms on a person’s bones, giving them perma spell forms.” I could see why she had winced if she had been given such a treatment.

  “What runes?” Castile asked nervously.

  “Simple truth runes. No matter what you speak, it will ring as true to a Truthseeker. Even their rune spheres will not detect the runes inside your body. Everything you say will register as true uheir spell forms,” Zyna expined. It is how we have operated ued for so long.

  Castile seemed shocked. “How many of you are there?”

  Zyna shook her head. “You will only be made aware of those you o be me made aware of. Antonia pulls the strings and is the only one who is aware of everyone involved.” My eyes wide the trust they were imparting to me. I may be putting myself in more danger by agreeing to participate.

  A soft knock at the door had us pause, and the red-haired Zyna rose and opehe door. A short man in a mask stood in the hallway and sed the room. The mask looked to be made from boh a poorly proportioned face drawn on it. “Two?” He rasped in a monotone.

  Zyna nodded, “Just two. I have some Endless Dark tipede toxin I use to incapacitate them while you work.”

  “If they want to watch, that is fine. I have a supply of oblivion pills as well.” His dry monotone voice came through the mask as indifferent. Did I really want to wateo open my arms to get to the bone and then chisel a spell form ohe short answer was not really.

  I looked to Castile to see what she would do. She was rolling up her sleeves, and I guessed I couldn’t be the wimp. I volunteered, “I will go first and just the toxin.” The Bocher bck irises eyes behind the mask appraised me, but he eventually indicated a chair at the dining room table for me to sit in.

  I moved to a chair at a dusty table, and he produced a vice to lock my arm in p the table while he worked. I couldn’t believe I was doing this, but if it gave me the ability to avoid the Truthseekers, it would be worth it. My right arm was immobilized, and Zyna pced a rge jar of green liquid oable.

  The Etcher took the jar, and I noticed the skin on his hand was translut gray, and deep blue vei beh them. I started to get a bad feeling and thought of ging my mind. He rubbed a thick green mucus on the forearm, and it immediately took effect, abs into the skin. The toxin not only affected my arm but my entire body. I tried to fight the effects, but I slowly slumped in the chair as I lost trol of my body. “That was a rge dose,” Zyna ented as the Etcher strapped my body ao remain upright. He didn’t respond to Zyna’s ent. I realized the man had not used gloves—so he was immuo the toxin.

  The Etcher sat to do his work on my right arm. He stabbed deeply and pulled his dagger along the flesh, opening my forearm arm up. I jerked reflexively with each cut as he worked to expose the bone. He paused, slightly surprised I moved. He looked back at Zyna who was out of my sight line, “He has a strong stitution.” He thered some mreen mucus until he was satisfied I was immobilized. My eyes were half closed, but I could still see him work.

  He ed a six-inch se of bone and produced a rge runic stylus. He began making intricate runic marks on the boh a practiced hand. Leaving a thin trail of silvery metal embedded in the bohe smell of cooking flesh reached my nose. I may have jumped into this a little quickly. What guarantees did I have that they were doing what they said they were doing? Maybe this was a sve branding.

  It was hard to resist my instincts to el my aether to heal myself. He worked rapidly, but doing the first arm took over an hour. During the procedure, he paused to administer mreen toxin when my muscles twitched. When he finished, he folded the flesh and muscle back dooured a healing potion into the wound. The wound closed rapidly, and a thin but rapidly fading scar soon remained. I could feel the pattern of the spell form itg uhe flesh, but maybe that was just because I k was there.

  The sed arm proceeded much as the first, and the masked man spoke in a ft tone while w on the sed arm. “This spell form utilizes the natural flow of aether in your body. It ters the spell form of a Truthseeker. They will perceive everything you say as being truthful. Be careful how you speak. Do not get caught by saying something when your interrogators know it to be false,” his dry voice rasped.

  He fihe sed arm and closed the wound with the rest of the healing potion. Relieved, I released my hold on my instincts to heal myself. There was not much healing to be done as he had used a powerful potioill, it was like scratg an itch. I was still immobile and found my healing spell could not affect the etgs on my bone, and the fgs tio itch.

  The man was setting up Castile and ented in his ft tone, “It is perma and now part of you. It will always itch, but you will learn to ig with time. If your bone shatters and is healed, it will be reformed. The only way to remove it is to extract the entire bone. You he inscriptions on both arms for the effect to work, so don’t lose an arm.” His delivery was ft, but I was fairly certain he was making a joke.

  I had some trol over my mouth and slurred, “I will do my best.” My quip came out gibberish as my tongue didn’t work properly yet.

  My fiwitched as the toxin started to fade, and I slowly regained movement. Castile was starting her owment, and the bocher seemed to have more difficulty with the smaller avaible surface, having to the spell forms around the bowisting her arm unnaturally to work. Zyna undid the straps holding my body to the chair.

  By the time he finished with Castile, I had regained my movement and found I had drooled extensively on the front of my armor. My eyes had teared siderably from the crusty salt on my face. Even though I had felt nothing, my body had reacted during the surgery, my tear ducts w overtime and my salivary gnds reag to the smell of burni. Castile was experieng the same as her eyes dribbled tears, and her mouth foamed slightly and dribbled down her , mixing with her tears.

  The Etcher stood after Castile was healed, “It is finished. Lie to me.” He instructed us.

  “You have an incredible bedside manner,” I stated. A tingly feeling, like electric sparks, danced under my arms. Apparently, an added be of the work was that I was aware of someone using a truth spell form on me.

  “Truth,” He stated, not enting on my joke. He turo Castile, who was still rec. He waited till she could speak.

  “I ehat,” she spat out in twisted words as she tried to gain trol over her tongue.

  “Truth,” the Etcher stated, packed up his tools without further ent. He exited the room, leaving Castile, Zyna, and myself alone.

  ? Chted 2024, 2025 by AlwaysRollsAOne

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