Reluctantly, Leonotis descended the wooden stairs and stepped outside. Only one man remained in the courtyard, a dark presence emanating from him like the shadow of a storm. Without preamble, he produced a dagger from his coat—a blade black as midnight, etched with runes that pulsed faintly with an eerie, otherworldly light.
"I don't have an attribute stone," the man said, his voice cold and deliberate, "but if he truly is a child of darkness, he will activate the knife."
The dagger was pressed into Leonotis's palm. He stared at it intently, willing some flicker of power to rise within him, but the blade remained inert, its runes unlit.
"There you have it. The boy has no dark ase," Chinakah said, surprised but feigning confidence. She had personally seen Leonotis wield black arts for almost two years, ever since he turned ten. She didn't understand how all his black ase was gone but she didn't let the thought show on her face.
"Hmm, his lineage should have resulted in a black magic affinity. His mother claimed she tested him two years ago and he had high black ase energy," the man said, his gaze unwavering.
"Maybe it was just wishful thinking," Chinakah suggested. The man stared at her blankly.
Then, the other man came from around the corner. Hovering beside him, surrounded by swirling black energy, was a large piece of ice. Frozen within was a woman. She had long black hair, dark brown skin, and wore a black dress. In her hands was a staff with an animal skull at its top. Leonotis recognized the woman as his mother. Chinakah had shown him pictures, hoping to trigger his memory, but nothing stirred in him. They had held a small funeral, but to Leonotis, his mother felt little more than a stranger to him. He hadn't known that Chinakah had been keeping her corpse on ice. Leonotis didn't know how he should feel about this new revelation.
Chinakah's eyes widened in anger. "I said to bring her out when I gave the signal!"
The other man ignored her. "When will the frost spell need renewing?"
"The spell will hold for about two days before you'd need to reinforce it," Chinakah said, her voice strained.
"We can make it back to the kingdom in three days if we push them," he replied. The asebearer opened the back door of the carriage and floated the frozen woman inside. Both men started to climb into the carriage.
"Wait, what about the boy? I assume you aren't taking him with you?" Chinakah asked, her voice rising.
The asebearer looked at her. "We can't take on any dead weight. Besides, Sir Njiru has no use for a boy without black ase." Leonotis felt a surge of relief. He didn't want to go with them anyway.
"The king will expect your immediate presence to report on what happened here," the dark asebearer said to Chinakah. "Get in. We'll also need you to ensure the body stays frozen."
"I gave my report six months ago to my superior," Chinakah said, her jaw tight.
"Yeah, well, the new king likes his reports in person," the smaller man said.
"You have Sadia's notes on the creature and her body. You report that to the king, and if he really needs me, send word, and I'll come," Chinakah countered.
"No, we report to Sir Njiru. Like I said, the new King likes his reports in person. Especially since you let such a valuable creature escape," the dark asebearer said, his voice hardening.
The air crackled with tension. Leonotis glanced from Chinakah to the men. His tree-branch sword was inside the house. He had a feeling he might need it. If only Gethii were here, he thought.
"Bradan, we were told not to kill anyone on this mission," the smaller man, Hinley, said to the larger one, who was removing his cloak.
"That depends on her, Hinley," Bradan said, his eyes fixed on Chinakah. "There's nothing we can do if we act in self-defense."
"Listen, woman, you swore an oath to the king to obey—" Hinley began, but Chinakah cut him off.
"I swore that oath to the old king, not this one. I have given my report. Now leave," Chinakah said, standing her ground.
Leonotis tensed, ready for whatever might happen.
"Alright, enough, Bradan," Hinley said, turning to get into the carriage. "We can find another water asebearer to freeze the body on the way."
"Fine," Bradan said, picking up his cloak, his expression dark.
Chinakah and Leonotis watched as the carriage flew away. Chinakah sighed in relief when it was out of sight. The sigh from Chinakah seemed to carry away the last vestiges of the dark asebearers' oppressive presence, leaving a heavy stillness in the courtyard. Leonotis stared at the empty sky where the carriage had vanished, the afternoon sun suddenly feeling less warm, the familiar sounds of Idara now muted by the chilling revelations of the day. The world was far more complex and dangerous than he had ever imagined.