Mark of the Fool
Chapter 572: The Countryside after a Year

Guards long trained in protecting those entrusted to them readied their weapons as interlopers abruptly appeared in the courtyard.

The sentries’ duty was clear; patrol the rampart day and night, inspect the villa and be prepared for attacks from ground and air. This morning, as a matter of routine, they had once again combed the surroundings as the sun crested the horizon. These were men and women drawn from the finest of their kingdom’s army, forged by the sort of training and experience that would make even a veteran warrior envious, and granted arms and armour of the finest castle forged steel, inlaid with golden scrollwork.

Their helms were plumed with feathers of terror birds—dyed red—and lioness pelts cloaked their forms.

These were soldiers feared by warriors and monsters both, their discipline rivalled that found in the highest of crafted golems. But today, they were in unfamiliar surroundings, plucked from their homeland by magic, and dropped in this strange land while still charged with a single duty: guarding what was most precious to them and their people against unknown monsters, and unseen dangers.

Their task would have stretched the nerves of even a local contingent of high level guards, but in these new surroundings, the tension was doubled. They tensed, poised to unleash a storm of arrows on the newcomers without a word of warning.

The intruders certainly looked like they’d come for war.

It was a group of seven:a tall powerfully built man materialised first, immediately followed by two more men, a tall darkhaired woman with a sinister cast, and another muscular black haired woman wearing two blades at her waist. She had a hand resting on one of three heads of a vicious-looking hound the size of a pony. Looming above them all, a war-golem of white stone with a savage grin carved into its face, stood, and at its side…

…a child?

The guards paused, not unleashing their arrows yet, taking measure of the group, knowing that few war parties would ever bring a young girl on a raid.

Suddenly, a sentry cried out an apology in Tekish. “Forgive us my prince!” And the palace guards of Tekezash realised the fatal error they had almost made, for—in the midst of these ‘interlopers’—stood the figure of the second prince of their realm.

Prince Khalik Behr-Medr, held up his hands as though his palms would shield against their steel-tipped arrows.

As one, the guards bowed at the waist, their hands clasped together before them with fingers interlocked around their longbows. The pose made them look as though they were praying to a deity, or begging for the mercy of their lord, then in unison, they cried out a salute:

“This humble servant greets His Royal Highness, Raptor of Tekezash, Lord of the Sapphire Sea!” every sentry shouted in Tekish, their voices booming over the Generasi countryside.

“As you were, honourable warriors!” Prince Khalik called back. “As you were!”

“Yes, your Royal Highness!” the guards spoke as one, rising to their full heights—clicking their heels together. Most returned to patrolling, some still throwing quick glances at the prince’s companions.

Two moved toward the front stairs.

“We will escort you, your Highness.”

“Do not,” Prince Khalik said, his eyes following a trio of soldiers on the wall who whispered to each other before jogging toward a side entrance to the villa.

“...as you command, Royal Highness!” the two guards abruptly halted, their faces a mask, though their eyes quickly flicked to his companions before they turned and marched back to their posts.

Prince Khalik sighed, shaking his head and turning to his friends with an apologetic look. “Forgive my servants. They are loyal, eager and zealous when it comes to protecting my family, but unfortunately, that can also result in complicated matters like nearly skewering my friends with arrows on such a beautiful morning.”

Alex released a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding, discovering the others had been doing the same.

Thundar’s shoulders slumped. “My man, I thought I was about to be turned into leather. Can you imagine that? My as—” He caught himself, looking down at Selina. “—my butt survives Cretalikon, Kaz-Mowang and the wrath of like ten thousand demons only to get skewered by your guards? What a rough way to die.”

“Yes, that would be rather unfortunate,” Isolde said, the colour slowly returning to her face. “Though I suppose it is oneway to remove the cobwebs on a groggy morning.”

“I’d take a cup of hot coffee over that,” Alex said grimly.

“Or a quick morning run,” Theresa added.

“I’d just want to go back to bed,” Selina said nervously.

“A wise…decision,” Claygon said, his voice similar to that of the bard who’d performed at Selina’s birthday party. “Arrow skewering…can make one go back to sleep…likely forever.”

He let out another stilted, uncanny laugh, and Brutus whimpered.

“Aahhhh, this morning is starting off even worse than I’d imagined, and that is something of a challenge,” Khalik grumbled nodding toward the villa. “Come, let us go and try not to be killed on the way to the front doors. No doubt my mother and father already know we are here, if those guards running to the side door were any clue.”

With a glance at the sky—where Najyah was circling and spiralling through the air, her high pitched call reaching him—the prince directed them to follow him toward the polished stone villa looming ahead, rising three stories in the air. The red tile roof looked new, like it had been replaced recently, and formal gardens—surrounding a wide gazebo of marble bricks and whitewashed wood—were immaculate.

While the estate wasn’t quite as big as Patrizia DePaolo’s, it was in impeccable condition, looking even more pristine than the fine residence owned by Isolde’s cousin. Of course, there was a reason for such an extra level of care.

“Is all of this actually for rent?” Selina asked, marvelling at the villa’s columns towering over its porch; they were sculpted in the shapes of dryads, unicorns and griffins. “People really don’t live here all the time?”

“They do not,” Isolde explained. “There are wizards and members of the Generasi aristocracy who keep property in the countryside while living in the city proper. Some use their country homes as getaways and hunting lodges, but the most enterprising keep them well-maintained and available for short-term rental. Of course, such accommodations are only available to the most wealthy who visit Generasi, such as archwizards, merchant princes—”

“—or royalty,” Prince Khalik added, a somewhat apologetic tone in his voice.

“Indeed, or royalty,” Isolde confirmed.

“That’s really cool, having two homes.” Selina craned her neck as they passed a fountain shooting jets of water high in the air.

“Seems wasteful if you ask me,” Theresa grunted. “To leave an entire villa empty for most of the year until someone comes along to use it as an inn…something about that makes my head spin.”

“I’d probably be spinning too…if I wasn’t so insanely jealous right now,” Thundar said, his hooves clopping along flagstones on the veranda. The air cooled as they entered the shade. “Not gonna lie, if I had like five houses? I’d do something like this in a heartbeat.”

“Well that’s one way to drive up the price of villas in Generasi,” Alex said, chuckling to himself.

It was strange having a conversation like this. Very strange.

A year ago, when they’d first come out here to visit Patrizia DePaolo’s villa, such ideas would have seemed as fantastical as imagining the sun turning blue. It was stunning. Things were so different back then, if he really thought about it. For one, their trip to Isolde’s cousin's estate had been a long—and somewhat pricey—journey from campus by sky-gondola.

The ride, while scenic and relaxing—except from poor Brutus’ point of view, since he’d spent much of his time trying not to look down—had taken a good bit of time.

But, this morning, coming out to the countryside was as quick and easy as having everyone gather at Alex’s apartment in the insula, where he’d cast Planar Doorway in a long chain from campus, to the countryside. Between him and the aeld staff—he’d infused Planar Doorway into its core—they’d only needed a few brief pauses along the way to allow him and the staff to recover their mana.

Then, they’d teleported again, making the rest of the trip in another quick chain of jumps.

Travel time had dropped by an order of magnitude, and travelling from place to place would get even faster when he mastered more teleportation spells, and the Traveller’s power. Of course, there was that one awkward hitch when they were nearly killed by Khalik’s guards when they’d suddenly appeared in the courtyard, but he hadn’t expected they would get there so early.

And if Alex had wanted to use it, he had a new method to transport them out of there…one he was just exploring.

‘It’s ironic,’ he thought as they approached the double doors ahead of them. ‘Last year, as pretty as it was out here, was also as dangerous as it was out here. Most folk out here and in the city were worrying about the mana vampire, and—even after we killed it—the Ravener’s clawed monsters were still lurking about out here.’

Alex tried to put himself back in the headspace he was in at the time, remembering coming out to the countryside with the threat of monsters lurking in the shadows, and behind every tree. Back then, most of his friends were in first year, and almost all the fighting they were doing was in the Barrens of Kravernus under Baelin’s protection, supervision, and guidance.

He’d remembered the fear that lived in the back of his mind then…but now?

Now here they were, standing before a set of doors that Khalik’s parents likely waited behind. They were either ready to enter third year, or their fourth year of university. Some of them could cast fourth-tier spells, while the rest of the cabal could cast third-tier.

Theresa had grown as a warrior, she was devastating against opponents, at times, she was even beating veteran Watchers of Roal when they faced her in pairs. Claygon had evolved; he now wielded a war-spear pried from the dead claws of a greater demon.

Together, they’d all fought in the hells, and were readier than ever for anything the world could throw at them.

‘Ironic,’ Alex thought as Khalik neared the door. ‘Last year we needed a safe way to navigate the countryside and didn’t have access to one. Now, there’s very few monsters living out here that we wouldn’t be able to handle…but yet, we can easily get around with teleportation, and the countryside's so much safer. Maybe ironic isn’t the right word, maybe I should say it’s just plain crazy how much life has changed for us. …and now we’re about to meet a real king and queen like it’s just another day.’

Prince Khalik smoothed his clothes, looking at his friends. “How do I look?”

“Fine, as you have the last fourteen times you asked that question,” Isolde said. “You must be more secure in yourself.”

“Alright, then. Well, let us—”

“One minute, how do I look?” Isolde said, smoothing her hair and calf-length silk dress. From her satchel she took out a mirror, quickly checking her teeth. “You are fine, Khalik, we are the ones who will be meeting visiting royalty for the first time. How do we look? Are there any aspects of decorum that we should be aware of? Is there—”

“Isolde, please, just be yourself, address my mother or father as ‘Your Majesty’, do not insult them, and speak with respect. If you do not trust a joke you are about to make, then do not make it. You will be fine.” He smiled. “There is a reason I brought you all with me today.”

“Your mother and father won’t cut off our heads if we make them mad, will they?” Selina asked.

“Of course not!” Khalik looked mortified. “They are not bloodthirsty warlords, young one. They raised me with kindness, and they will treat my friends with the same kindness as well. I guarantee that is the way they treated my friends in Tekezash.”

“Your friends who are probably nobles,” Alex pointed out. “And not an untrustworthy, alchemist, commoner and his war-golem—”

“—a big, hulking minotaur—” Thundar added.

“—a random hunter from a backwater town,” Theresa jumped in.

“—and me,” Selina finished.

“Listen, listen, my parents will not judge you,” Khalik said. “You are my closest friends here, and I don’t have such poor judgement to form bonds with untrustworthy brigands. You will not embarrass yourselves or me, and my parents—if they trust my judgement in choosing peers as they always have—will not mistreat you.”

“And is that why you didn’t bring Sinope and Grimloch?” Thundar’s voice dropped to a whisper.

“As I said, Sinope will have her own meeting with them on another day after I have told them what is between us. As for Grimloch?” An uncomfortable look crossed his face. “Well, better my parents have warning first. Now, enough talk, if we stand out here any longer, I will begin to set roots in the earth.”

With that, he turned and raised his hand toward the door knocker.

The sturdy doors flew open before he could use it.

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