Introduction
Welcome back to Maledicturs Terra. This is a Chain Story between myself and @lex-zaiya, meaning that we each write the parts alternatively.
If you have not read Maledictus Terra Book 1: Mortis Custos yet, it starts HERE at Part 1 and ends at Part 101 HERE. At the end of the Part 101 post you will find links to all 101 Parts!
Maledictus Terra Book 2: Sanguifex started HERE with Part 1 and ends at Part 111 HERE
The previous part by @lex-zaiya can be found [HERE](Part 49).
Sorry this is a bit late... busy days.
Part 50
The truth was and always would be that he loved his King.
Magister Illian straightened the cuffs of his bejewelled greatcoat. He did not feel neat and tidy as the station Magister of Chezon demanded. More than that, he was fastidious. He was not a noble-born and had risen to his position because of his skill at trade and negotiation.
It turned out that he could manage a business, several at once in fact and the then-Prince Djonn had taken an interest in Illian.
Years later after his coronation, the young King had asked with Illian to become Magister. Together they had led the capital city of Chezon to great heights. With Illian as Magister, King Djonn could focus on gaining the respect of the troops as well as exert his influence on the rest of the Kingdom.
The relationship was one of deep-seated loyalty and trust.
Yet now it was as though his Prince... his King was walled off from him. Their synergy that had always been so strong and well tuned had soured and mired and it was not something that either Djonn or the Magister had done.
He straightened his greatcoat again. He did not feel at ease. I supposed that this was a fidget that he needed to ensure he not repeat. He had not needed to negotiate like this in a long time and his ability to bluff and hide his own intentions seemed to have deteriorated because of his position of power in the Kingdom.
"In short, there is something wrong." Illian had been saying. "King Djonn is acting strangely. I know the King. I know him well. As though he were my..."
"Lover?" The voice in the shadows said.
It was a shock that brought Illian up short. He had never considered it. He loved his King. He admired him and wanted to care for him. Perhaps.
The voice in the shadows laughed and then strolled into the light. A pale skinned woman, muscular and bare armed. "You are too easy too read these days Illian. When you had been on the streets, you had been more savvy."
The Magister shook hi head. "That might be true. I have been thinking about my position possibly being the cause of some of my skills slipping. I don't usually need to act so carefully. So? Can you help me or not?"
"Oh relax! Don't be mad." The woman said lazily and walked around the Magister. He had to turn to keep her in sight. Not that he felt unsafe around her. She was like a sister he had had many years before on the streets. Only, where he had risen in society, she had stayed in the marketplace.
There was not need to be a petty thief in the Kingdom of Gamore. It was too prosperous for anyone to go hungry. Power and position however as well as the trade of illegal or controlled goods, that was the flavor of the underbelly of this Kingdom.
King Djonn and the Magister knew of it and while they used the City Guard and the Army to put controls in place, they always made sure that the Kingdom profited out of these dealings.
"Are you going to finally admit your infatuation? Or don't tell me... do you and the King... you know... in the palace?" The woman grinned.
Illian frowned. "I don't know what you are talking about. My loyalty to the King is absolute. With my help he became a better ruler. We are a team, like you and I were in the old times, only we lead a nation."
She waved her had, indicating that she would drop it. She would not press further. In Illian's heart there was an ache when he realized that she was right. He loved the King a bit more than the average person. He had feelings for the man.
He had not considered it before.
This was not something that the nobility of Gamore would tolerate and he did not even think that Djonn felt this way about him. But his love for the King meant that he would do his best to find out what was wrong with his best friend.
"I know a mage that you can use to figure out if there is something untoward affecting the King. Especially if it is magical in nature. Of nearly any kind." She pointed a finger in the air. "You will have to find a reason to get the woman close to the King, as close as possible for her to do her thing."
Illian frowned. "This is pretty much what I wanted, a magical agent. But I also suspect that this new Cult is dangerous and my include people with special gifts. How do I know they are not in league with those people?"
"The mage is an islander. An Adept of the Temples of Kai."
Illian whistled his appreciation. The reputation of the Temples were legendary. "How did you come upon such a person?"
The woman flexed her large pale arms, they were muscular like a man's. "Let's just say that she owes me a favour! Sometimes brawn has a way of saving those with other talents. It is a skill onto its own."
"Well then. Bring the Mage to me in the morning and I will get him inside the palace."
Back to @lex-zaiya
Thank you for reading!
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