Bookworld Online: Marsh Man

Bokuboy

“Proctor Simmons.” The director said and a side door opened to admit another man.

It was the man who had tried to rob Victoria and I last night.

“Please tell me again what happened last night.”

The man clamped his mouth shut and shook his head.

“Proctor Simmons.” The director turned to look at the man. “It's all right. We're here to clear the air and reveal the crimes that Mr. Drake has perpetrated on your person.”

I looked at the man and gave him the same tooth bearing grin that I had the night before. “I suppose just because you can tell lies from truth that it doesn't stop you from omitting parts of what happened.”

The man opened his mouth briefly and then closed it, probably because he had been so easily called out for his deception. He didn't refute my statement, either.

“Go ahead and tell us what happened, sir.” Roland urged. “You're safe here. He can't hurt you with us present.”

I let out a chuckle and the three men looked at me. “I can just drag all three of you off the academy grounds and kill you.”

“Ha! You admit that you threatened him!” The director said in triumph. “He told me what you said and I wasn't doubtful; but, I needed confirmation from a second source.”

“Did you question the guard that saw it all?” I asked, knowing he wouldn't have bothered. “You could have saved me the trouble of coming all the way over here to your office if all you wanted was someone to repeat what I said.”

The director waved my comment away. “I don't need an easily bribed worker to lie to me.”

“Since everyone can lie to you and you can't tell, that statement doesn't surprise me.” I said. “Would you like to hear the actual story now?”

“I have the actual story.” The director said and smiled. “I've already contacted the proper authorities at the castle and they are sending someone here to arrest you.”

“Ha!” I said and pointed at Proctor Simmons. “Thank you for all your family's wealth and for breaking your magic sworn oath.”

“N-n-no! I didn't!” The man exclaimed. “He's not a friend, a hired thug, or anything like that! He's my boss!”

“You didn't listen to the wording of the oath at all, did you? If anyone comes after me or my friends, you would forfeit everything and then wither and die as your magic dissolves.” I said and the man shuddered. “I thought you were a bit too quick to agree. I didn't realize it was because you were too stupid and thought you could get around it with semantics.”

The man stared at me for several moments before he let out a groan. He clutched at his heart and dropped to his knees.

“I might be from a marsh; but, even I know a magical binding oath is not something to take lightly, especially when your life depends on it.” I said, mainly referring to my magic knife.

“S-s-stop... stop it.” The man pleaded.

I pointed at the director. “He has to stop it.”

“Wh-what? Me? Why?” The director asked, surprised. His eyes went to the man beside his desk that was getting paler.

“You're calling people to come and get me.” I said with a shrug. “That breaks the magic oath he swore to make up for attacking Mage King and for trying to rob the botany course of its recently acquired treasure.”

“N-no... I... just wanted...” The man panted and hunched over slightly. “It hurts!”

“You wanted to claim the discovery for yourself, even though you knew Mage King has told everyone she was going to get it. She even had a failed attempt last year and that bugged you, didn't it?” I asked and shook my head. “Instead of being happy with what you have, your greed for stolen fame has brought you to this point.”

The office door opened and the secretary stood there with two large uniformed men.

“Director, the men from the castle are here.” The secretary said.

“It was a false alarm! Nothing happened!” The director exclaimed and stood up. “I rescind my request to have this student removed from the premises and punished according to the law.”

The two large men exchanged looks and then looked back at the director. The kneeling man let out an anguished cry and crumpled to the floor.

“H-he-lp.” The man barely said.

“What's wrong with him?” The secretary asked as she rushed into the office and knelt beside the prone form of Proctor Simmons.

“He broke a magical oath.” I said and stood.

“Yours?” She asked and I felt a wave of something come off of her. It wasn't magic. She radiated killing intent.

“No, he bound himself to his word and then broke it.” I said and walked over to the two men. “I'm not stupid enough to bind myself magically to someone I know is going to betray his word.” I held my hands out to them and one of them clamped shackles on my wrists.

“No! Don't take him!” The director exclaimed. “Release him this instant!”

The two large men in uniform exchanged looks again.

“Just ignore him. He doesn't understand that he can't give you orders. He also doesn't want to admit that he killed his employee over trying to get rid of me.” I said and walked between the two men and left the office.

“Wait!” The director said loudly as the two men followed me. “Waaaaiiiiiit!”

We ignored him and left the building. There was a very ornate carriage with the royal crest on it waiting for us just outside the front door and the coachman opened the carriage door for me.

“Thank you.” I said to the man and stepped inside to sit on the seat facing backwards.

The two men entered and sat across from me. One watched me and one watched out the window. The carriage pulled away and we were soon out of the academy gate and on the road to the castle.

“How did you know we were going to ask you to sit that way?” The man watching me asked.

“It's more difficult to move quickly or do anything while sitting backwards and fighting against the movement of the carriage.” I said. “Plus, your partner can't see oncoming threats if he's looking behind the carriage and not looking forward.”

Both men smiled and nodded slightly. They remained silent after that for the entire ride to the castle.

We pulled up to the large gatehouse and the door was opened, then a man came in and checked everything, even me. He didn't take anything, though. He wrote everything down that he found, including the numbers and colors of the potions in my bandoleer and my magical knife and my stub knife.

“I suppose it's too much to ask what the potions do.” The man said to me and I nodded. “I thought so.” He said and looked at the two men. “He's very fast, so if he goes for the bandoleer or the knife sheath, stop him.”

I raised my eyebrows at him and he gave me a smile.

“Yes, I mean kill you.” The man said and stepped out. “Go ahead!”

The door was shut and the carriage went through the double metal gates and through another double metal gate. I couldn't see the castle like it was supposed to be seen, since I was sitting backwards and in the middle of the seat, which was nowhere near the windows. It was a big carriage. I did see and hear people working, talking, and walking around. It was almost like a little town inside the castle walls.

The carriage came to a stop and the door opened again. Both of the uniformed men stepped out first, which was the first mistake that I had seen them make. I waited until I stepped out before I spoke.

“I could have killed the both of you there.” I said and both men gave me surprised looks. “You both had your backs to me and neither of you were watching me as you got out first.”

The two men exchanged looks.

“You're lucky I'm not the criminal the director told you I was.” I said and walked forward. “Which way am I going?”

One of them sped up and walked in front of me.

“Another mistake?” I asked with a sigh. “I could have my knife deep in your spine before you could breathe and the man behind me wouldn't have a clue anything was wrong until you dropped to the ground, crippled.”

Both men jerked a little as if I had slapped them and kept walking.

I stopped cataloguing their mistakes that seemed to be piling up, now that we were back in what I assumed was their normal environment. No extra guards for backup, lots of places for me to duck into and escape, lots of potential hostages I could take to get them to let me go, weapons easily accessible on a dozen people we passed, and a slew of others things.

It's almost like they've never handled a prisoner before. I thought as we entered a side door of a building that was beside the castle. We were greeted by two other men in the same uniform and I saw a plaque on the wall that proclaimed them as The First King's Men.

We went through the building and went up some stairs, which seemed to take us higher than the roof of the building, then I realized we weren't in that building anymore. I didn't feel any magic, so it was just a trick of the eye as we easily transitioned from the outer building and into the castle. We walked down a long hallway and past many doors, then we stopped at one and the man in front of me knocked heavily.

“Come.” A deep baritone voice commanded and the man in front opened the door. We stepped inside the large room and there was a gasp and then a growl.

“YOU!” A familiar voice yelled.

I turned my head to look over at the side of the room and saw the woman that was sitting between a taller woman and a much younger woman. “Good afternoon, First Princess Ellen Rivers.” I said and gave her a formal bow. Even with my hands shackled together in front of me, I managed to pull it off.

“What's HE doing here?!?” Ellen exclaimed at the well dressed burly man that sat at the front of the room in a normal chair, with a maid on either side of it.

“We have matters to discuss.” The King Richard William Rivers said in his baritone voice.

“Well, I'M not going to stay here for that!” Ellen spat and stood up. She wobbled slightly, because her missing arm unbalanced her.

“Daughter.” The woman beside her said in a stern voice and caught her hand. “We wouldn't have been called for an audience if it wasn't important.”

Ellen closed her mouth on her response and her teeth ground together. “Fine.” She growled and sat back down. Her sister caught her before she toppled over and put an arm around her to hold her. “Thanks, Rose.” She said in a much softer voice.

After a few moments of silence, the king spoke. “Mr. Drake, it seems that you've gotten into more trouble.”

“No more than usual, your highness.” I said with my head slightly bowed.

The king smiled. “I know. I have people at the academy that have been watching you.”

“Not very well.” I said and he gave me a surprised look. “I couldn't feel anyone looking intently.”

The king looked at the two men that had escorted me and they shrugged. “I'll have to take your word for that.”

“You'll be one of the few people in authority that do.” I responded.

“Is that a shot at me, you bastard?!?” Ellen said loudly and tried to stand again. Her mother and sister were smart and kept her seated.

“Ellen, if you keep interrupting, this is going to take forever.” Rose said in a very pleasant and slightly annoyed voice.

Ellen gave her a glare, then it disappeared at the look on her little sister's face. She sighed and Rose smiled happily at her.

“Thank you, Rose.” The king said and looked at me. “I am aware of what transpired last night.”

“All of it or just the dead proctor's story?” I asked.

“D-d-dead?” Ellen's mother gasped.

“His broken magical oath to me should have killed him by now.” I said. “I wonder what his family's fortune is worth?”

The king sighed. “I suppose I am responsible for this breach.”

“No, the Director of the Academy is. He contacted the castle to report the false crime without getting the whole story.” I said. “He's been desperate to get rid of me since I challenged him to a duel during my first day at the academy.”

The king nodded slightly. “That would be something he would try, the stupid fool.”

“Father, why is he a fool?” Rose asked.

“It's quite simple.” The king said as he gazed lovingly at his precious little girl, who looked to be about sixteen. “Even if they removed Mr. Drake from the academy grounds and had him arrested, or thrown in prison, he's still going to graduate in three years according to the deal Grand Mage Henrietta set up.”

“The grand mage...” Rose looked at me with wide eyes. “You're arranged to marry his daughter, aren't you? He won't let a non-mage join the family, so he's making you one!”

I nodded to her and she beamed a smile at me. She looked very happy to have figured it out so quickly.

“I can get rid of all of your problems.” The king said as his attention returned to me. “No more unfair treatment by the staff and teachers of the academy. No more bullying or framing for crimes. No more living in a separate dorm.”

“I like my separate dorm.” I said and then thought of something. “What about the food?” I asked and he looked confused. “I was issued a Bronze card. I ate there three times before I decided to get my own food and eat it in my dorm.”

The mother gasped, Rose looked pale, and Ellen chuckled. She was quickly stifled by her mother.

The king on the other hand, looked livid. “How dare they.” He said and sat up straight. “I can overlook some things, as a normal hazing of new students. Things are supposed to be somewhat difficult for new students and it's a character test to see how they persevere.” He shook his head. “To deny a student the basic food requirements and then force them to eat from the dregs of the other students? That is unforgivable.”

We all watched as the king stood up. He was a big man and very muscular. He walked across the room to me and put a hand on my shoulder.

“Mr. Drake... David.” The king said, sympathy in his voice. “Even if you don't accept what I am proposing, you won't have to suffer eating like that again.”

“I'm not suffering it now. My cook is doing a fantastic job.” I said.

The king sighed. “Then what can I give you to convince you to agree?”

“I don't understand.” I said. “Agree to what?”

“I'll get rid of all the problems and trouble you're having at the academy, including this new thing, in exchange for doing me a favor.”

I was sure he was pulling my leg, as Gary used to say. There was no way that the king of the whole kingdom needed me to do a favor for him. “You already have my movement enchantment through the Henrietta Family and my weight enchantment through the... I actually don't know their family name.”

The king chuckled. “It's the Pondus family and they've been making a fortune with their shipping business, now that they have a functioning weight enchantment.”

“Those two enchantments let the mages guild make the kracken tube ammunition, which was my contribution to the kingdom, so I don't know what kind of favor you could want from me now.”

“It's not that kind of favor, even if it will actually help the kingdom just as much as your weapon did.” The king said and turned me to face his wife and two daughters. “I want you to give my daughter her arm back.”