Friends with the King of the Underworld | Book 1

Chapter Twenty-Three

It was an uneventful walk, which Kymra stated, was what she wanted.

"Don't worry about having a guard," she winked. "You have me."

I relaxed and laughed as she led me. She walked with me through the dark and stunning hallways then up the circular stairs to a tower.

"Which do you prefer?" I asked, trying to make conversation. "You said you would train and do magic."

She smiled as she opened a large wooden door at the top of the stairs. "Nothing beats the sword singing in your hand during battle."

The room we entered was large. Different colored bottles lined the shelves along the walls along the room. There was a large table in the middle of the room with different herbs and mortars.

Someone was working on something in the fireplace. Watching the pot bubbled over the open fire. I watched everything around me, following the iron stairs in front of me with my eyes to the top. The roof was open to the twilight sky - the stars finally coming into view. The massive brass telescope glinted in the torchlight, making the light bounce on the gold.

"Wow."

A man began to speak on the other side of the room. "Yes, it's quite ancient. Nothing else like it."

The man was older, couldn't be more than fifty, which surprised me given that any of the new fae I was meeting seemed to be in their twenties or thirties. His dark hair was pulled back away from his face, showing his strong jaw and dark eyes.

"I'm the Magister, how do you do?"

"H-Hello."

He approached me closely like he had to get a good look at me. It reminded me of the times we visited my grandparents in their home - no sense of personal space. I started to back away but he got closer still, examining me over.

"My, you really are the Lady of Elendil, aren't you?"

I watched Kymra laugh behind her hand, "Magister, yes, we went over this."

As he turned away, I looked at Kymra and mouthed, "Is he all right?"

Kymra shrugged like she didn't know but she seemed to be used to this kind of behavior from him.

His voice echoed through the room as he moved through it, picking up a bottle, then putting it back, then picking up another one like he was looking for something. "It's been centuries since that title was last used! Warren must have wanted to protect you, I imagine. He probably anticipated your arrival here, make sure that no one touched you, I think."

My head was spinning, I followed him through the small room. "Sir, are you saying that Damien's father thought I'd be here?"

He continued to look through the vials in front of him. "Why else would he give you the highest title beside the Alteazor himself?"

I couldn't dwell too much on it since he started screaming around the room. "Damn it, Kymra! Where did I put the blasted-"

Kymra sounded bored. "It's on the table, Magister."

The more I interacted with him, the more I realized he was probably the wise old grandfather figure in the castle and less cool and collected like everyone else I'd met.

He appeared again, popping up from the other side of the table, picking up a large magnifying glass. "Come here, dear."

I stepped forward as he placed the glass in front of his face. "Now, tilt your head back."

I followed his instructions as he mumbled something softly to himself. He turned back to the table, picking up a mortar and placing ingredients in it. Eventually, he created a paste in the mortar.