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The Stone of Truth - Part 9

Laetia stopped laughing when she saw Laser hitting his head into a tree.

"Sir, you'll damage your.."

The door flung open and a man appeared, lowering his head to pass through the doorframe. A small boy stood peeking from behind him, cat-like.

Laser stopped the self-punishing and walked to the hut, a bit out of balance.

"Hello. I don't know if you remember me, my name is.."

"Laser Scorpian. And you are a spy from the Realm of Sand. You are welcome here. And you, my lady?"

Laetia took a hesitant step forward.

"I am Laetia Locas, servant at House Hialdan."

"Welcome, Laetia. Please step inside. We don't have much in the way of entertainment here and little Rythall can get very bored sometimes. We both welcome company."

Laetia blinked at the man's affability, then walked slowly inside. The hut was small and dark and smelled of old wood. The wizard led them to a table which stretched along the longest wall under three tiny gray windows.

"Rythall my boy, please bring us a jar of cider."

Laetia settled herself as comfortably as she could between Laser and Zargoth and started to trace the contour of a crack in the table.

"I must apologize for the untidyness. Our place is sorely in need of a woman touch. Look, the boy has put all the roots we just gathered directly on the floor."

"The roots you just gathered? In the forest? While.. walking in a circle?"

"Yes."

Laser hit himself once more, then laughed.

"What brings you here, Laetia and Laser?" The old wizard had a friendly glint in his eye.

"I have this scroll," Laser began.

"Oh, a scroll..? Let me see." Zargoth took the scroll gently.

Laser coughed. "You shouldn't read it in front of.." He gestured towards Laetia in an obvious way. She gave Laser an angry look. What did he take her for?

The boy, Rythall, poured them cider in small decorated cups.

The wizard smiled and walked to a window across the hut. His brows furrowed deeper as he read. When he finished, he looked at Laser.

"Where do you have this scroll?"

"A dying soldier of the Horseman. He didn't know he was dying, at that point." Laser grinned.

"Will you entrust me with keeping it?"

"Why, I.." Laser drank a few sips of cider. "I don't.."

"You live a dangerous life. It would be a pity to lose this to the enemy."

"O.. kay. Keep it. But you have to guard.."

"I will take good care. Now, my girl, you didn't tell me why you are here." Zargoth folded the scroll and placed it inside his coat.

"I came.. at the bidding of my masters."

"Your masters? Both of them?"

"Yes.."

Zargoth sat down at the table and leaned towards her.

"Well, what did they say?"

"Lady Hialdan said to tell you the Lord knows about you, to take the babies away from there, where the Lord cannot reach them."

"I will, dear girl. As soon as they are born. And the Lord?"

"He told me to tell him where you are hiding."

"Hey, isn't this supposed to be a secret?? What kind of servant are you?" Laser was almost shouting.

"Silence, young man. Listen and you will understand." He turned to Laetia again. "How does Lord Hialdan know of me?"

"Through.." Laetia felt beads of sweat dripping inside her shirt. She wanted to shut her mouth, but the words poured out by themselves. "Through black magic."

"Black magic? On whom?"

"On.. someone named Kilgar.. The dead man Kilgar."

"Woah. How can you get all this out of her?"

"Young man, it surprises me that you have no knowledge of the peculiar habits of House Hialdan."

"Wh.. what habits?"

Both Laetia and Laser drew their breaths.

"The servants are injected with a truth seed as early as infancy. They cannot help but tell the truth to their lords."

Laetia gasped. Was that true? Could this be true? Her Lord.. her loyalty was only kept by a seed in her body? It couldn't.

"Okay.." Laser was quiet for a few seconds. "But you aren't her lord."

"I am a wizard and, if I may say it myself, a powerful one. She sees me as a lord."

They were talking about her as if she wasn't there! Laetia felt herself blush with bitter embarrassment. They both looked at her as if she was an interesting butterfly.

"Where is the seed, then?"

She recoiled in horror. It wasn't true. It wasn't. No seed.

"In the nape of her neck. Look."

Laser touched the nape of Laetia's neck. She felt the seed clearly, a bump in the surface of her skin.

"But.. No! No.. It's not true!!" She spilled the cider, jumped up and ran out of the hut. Away from their eyes and their lies.

She fell down at the bottom of a tree, crying. She didn't hear anything, she just felt a hand on her shoulder. Whose hand was that? She didn't care.

A truth seed..

She sees me as a lord.

They mocked her. They didn't know! They didn't understand anything. They didn't know.. Her Lord. She was loyal. It wasn't the seed. She was loyal to him. She was his. She was his!

"Take the seed out!"

"Laetia?"

The hand was Laser's.

"Take the damned seed out of me! I am loyal! I will show you I am loyal!"

"Laetia, calm down."

"Take the seed out! Take it out! The seed! Take it out!"

"Here, my girl. Drink this." Zargoth was whispering, and Laetia stopped wailing to hear him.

She drank, then broke into sobs.

"Help me get her inside the hut, young man."

As they passed the door, she looked straight into the eyes of the little boy. He was silent and composed, but his eyes were moist with.. pity. Maybe.

Pitied by a boy. She closed her hands over her eyes in despair.

continue to part 10 >>

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