Page 57 of Immortal Origins
After a moment, the questions that had been burning in the back of her mind all evening finally forced their way to her lips. “Why are there so many draconians here? And who are the robed men?”
Artie’s back straightened as though he’d been waiting for her to ask but dreaded answering. He took a deep breath. “They’re called The Order of the Brotherly Divine. But the people in town just call them The Brotherhood.”
“Who are they?” Felius asked as he drank from a goblet of rich wine.
Artie seemed to mull over his question. “They’re an organization that targets Unclassifieds. They believe it’s their duty to purge the empire of them. Their deacon is stationed here with a large force of disciples that have been causing a lot of pain since their arrival.”
“Damn bastards is what they are,” Marybeth spat as she bounced the baby back to sleep that had woken in her arms.
“When did they show up?” Ambrose asked, unable to calm the rage that sizzled beneath her skin.They’re targeting innocent people.“Where is your Magistrate?”
“A few months ago,” Artie replied as he stared into the fire, “They arrived and completely took over, our Magistrate was paid handsomely and hasn’t come out of his home since. Neither has the rest of the noble family, they stay holed up in their small castle and haven’t spoken to the public. Somehow, The Brotherhood has a way to track all the Unclassifieds in the area. It’s their belief that the gods abandoned us because our populationgrew too large for Magick and it’s had to spread out over so many beings that it’s slowly dying and the only way to stop it is to eradicate everyone without a calling. They think if they accomplish this, the gods will forgive us and return, and Magick will thrive in everyone once again.”
“That’s absurd,” Danthan cried out as though this news struck deep inside him. As a Governor in training, maybe it did. “No one knows why the gods abandoned us or why someone has the amount of Mana they do. That’s not their fault.”
“Yes, well, they believe it.” A muscle in Artie’s jaw ticked. “Enough to murder hundreds. Their disciples wander around town, taking the names of any Unclassified. At first, people didn’t want to turn in their friends and neighbors, so The Brotherhood started executing anyone who protected them, saying that even the loss of some mages was worth the greater good.”
“Why haven’t you told the king? The palace? Anyone?” Ambrose seethed.
“We did.” Marybeth patted the baby’s back. “That’s when the draconians showed up. In numbers like we’ve never seen. We thought they came to help us, that King Tallis heard our pleas, but when they arrived, all they did was help The Brotherhood.”
“What?” Ambrose jumped out of her chair, head whipping around to face Akadian. “Did you know?”
He didn’t look at her. “No.”
“I don’t understand, these are citizens.” Eurus shook his head. “They can’t be treated that way, they’re not servants.”
Ambrose did her best to ignore his comment. Citizens or servants, they werepeople.
“As far as we can tell, the king doesn’t care.” Artie shifted in his seat uncomfortably as he glanced at Akadian who had his eyes turned down. “He sent the draconians to us not to help, but to assist The Brotherhood. Once they arrived, no one dared to defy the deacon again.”
Tears glistened in the corners of Marybeth’s eyes. “We’ve lost so many people.”
“How can the king sanction this?” Danthan scowled.
“We’ve been asking ourselves the same thing,” Marybeth hissed. “There’snothing we can do. Thankfully our eldest are Elementals but our youngest haven’t shown any aptitude yet. Though they still have time.”
Ambrose couldn’t stop herself from turning on Akadian. “How could younot know?”
He ignored the accusation in her tone. “I didn’t know.”
“You’re the crown prince.” She couldn’t see past the red that clouded her vision as her blood boiled in her veins. An entire town, and maybe more were being terrorized and hedidn’t know?
“My role is different from my brother’s. The kingdom is his charge to rule, not mine. I don’t know anything going on in the kingdom that isn’t under my authority to know. The king doesn’t consult me unless my particular skill set is required.” Akadian lifted his head and looked her in the eye. “I didn’t know.”
“You’re useless,” Ambrose hissed.
“Watch your mouth,” Marybeth scolded her. “He’s still the prince.”
“Not mine.” Ambrose glared at him defiantly.
“Yes. He is,” Marybeth chided. “Whether you like it or not. Just like we deal with our situation, like it or not. There’s nothing to be done if the crown and gods won’t stop it, it’s their will, even if it’s not their acts.” She looked from Ambrose to Akadian. “If he says he didn’t know, he didn’t know. Either way, it’s the king’s decision, and he clearly made it. There’s nothing to be done.”
Like hell there isn’t.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you in your home.” Ambrose seethed, but she was still a guest. “It’s just not right.”
“Right or wrong doesn’t matter, there’s just what is. With that mark on your neck you should understand that better than any of us,” Marybeth said softer. “It is what it is.”
