Ch 33: The Woes of Errant

How could this have happened? How could he have let any of this happen?

Errant was a man who prided himself on his knowledge, on his wisdom, and on his ability to solve any problem that came before him. But this... he had failed at every turn to stop the worst thing he could imagine from happening.

He had failed his King, he had failed his kingdom, but more important than anything, he had failed in his oaths of magic to protect those under his care, all because he had been too stubborn and too blind to understand that the threat before him wasn't one he could just throw the writs of magic at to make it go away.

Astasha could drive Errant to the end of his wits, but that was part of why he found her so valuable, so endearing. She questioned everything, saw answers in things none would even begin to look at, but everything that had happened since the Prince had returned had driven him far beyond his wit's end.

She had broken so many magical laws and oaths, and it was his job to uphold them. It had taken her outburst about Helia to bring him to his senses, to make him understand that perhaps everything wasn't as black and white as he had believed. But he had come to this too late. And now, the young fire witch who had been entrusted into his care was laying at the brink of death before him, along with the heir to the throne whom he had sworn to protect.

Errant stood in the healing ward, his eyes on the young couple who laid side by side, unconscious. It had been over a day and a night since the Captain of the Prince's guard had come rushing down the hall toward his study, yelling about the demon and Astasha. He would have thought it a trick but Astasha's voice had rung faintly in his ears only moments before and he was already on his way to her room, his worst fears now confirmed; the demon was free.

The High Sorcerer had cursed himself when they had found her room empty, no sign of Bryn, his barrier spell carefully lifted in a single section. Captain Talib had brought the Prince's Guard to meet him but whoever had taken Astasha had erased all trace of where they had gone. There was only one place he could think of that they may have been should they still be on the grounds, and he prayed to the Gods and the Goddess that he was right.

His prayers had been answered, but by the time they reached the clearing the damage had been done. He had tried to take down the demon, but it escaped him.

He, Helia, and Zephyr had done all they could to heal Astasha and Calder, but without an earth sorcerer or a water witch, there were limits to what they could do.

And then there was the matter of Bryn and Cordelia.

How had he not sensed the young woman's true intent? The energy he had felt coming off of her before she disappeared with the demon had been clear; she wasn't a victim, she was the accomplice, the one he had been warned about. Astasha had been correct after all, it was someone right under his nose. But again, he had been so wrapped up in his ideals, had been so distracted by Astasha and her love affair with the Prince, that it had driven the water witch into the arms of a demon, and had cost his young earth sorcerer his life.

He may never know if Bryn had been a part of the plot or simply an innocent casualty of the horror that had unfolded. It didn’t matter either way though, he was dead and there was nothing he could do to change that.

Errant sighed and ran his hand over his face. He felt old, and drained, more drained than he could ever remember having felt before.

"Errant," a feminine hand touched his shoulder but he didn't need to look to know who was behind him.

He truly had loved Helia once. If he felt deep into his heart, he was sure that love would still be there somewhere. But that was a lifetime ago, and now, he had to focus on righting the wrongs of his present mistakes.

“The council is sending its best earth sorcerer, he should be here by dawn tomorrow."

The High Sorcerer simply nodded. The Magic Council would want to speak with him. He wouldn't try to deny his faults or alter perceptions. He would allow them to read him and hope that they would know that all he did he truly believed was for the best. He would take whatever punishment they handed down to him. For now, though, he needed to do everything he could to bring the young lovers back from death's door.

"What of a water witch?" he asked.

Helia stepped next to him, her eyes drifting to the battered and beaten man and woman on the cots before them.

"There was a young woman I had met on my travels, in Greneth, naught two days journey from here. She had just come into her powers and they held great promise. I sent for her. With luck, she will arrive soon after the earth sorcerer."

The two stood in silence. If it hadn't been for all the bandages and bruises, Astasha and Calder could have simply been sleeping. Errant had placed them both into a dreamless rest, hoping it would ease their pain.

The damage the demon had done was insurmountable. The fact that Astasha was still alive when they had gotten to her was a true testament to her strength and life force. The things it had done to her… Helia had actually wept while tending her wounds.

The Prince, however, hadn't seemed to have taken much damage aside from the wounds to his chest and stomach. That was until Errant had used his magic to search further. It was lucky Calder's spine was still intact with how many other bones were broken. It was the bleeding on the inside that had worried the High Sorcerer the most, though.

Now, there was nothing more they could do but keep close watch over them for fever or worse.

Helia turned to look at him. She had concern on her face. "Errant, you need rest. You haven't slept and you're no good to them drained and exhausted."

He didn't take his eyes off them. "I need to be here. The time for me to get here should anything change could cost them their lives."

Helia sighed. "I will call for Zephyr and he and I will stay until you have at least grounded yourself and pulled energy. You can't help them if you have nothing left in you to use."

He knew she was right. But more than that, he needed to see the King.

Errant had sent Zephyr along with several guards to protect his majesty the moment he had heard Astasha's call. Once they had returned to the castle, Josnen had rushed to the healing ward against Errant’s bidding and refused to leave his son's side until he was forced to by duty; They had to prepare. The demon was sure to return, and they were defenseless at the moment.

"Very well. Send for Zephyr."

Helia smiled softly. That smile used to be his world. Now, it brought little comfort.

Once the air sorcerer had arrived, Errant took off toward the War Room. The King had been sending correspondence to their allies to warn them of the danger that was lurking, as well as meeting with his generals and advisors in preparation of an attack. There was no hiding what was happening now. The threat was real.

He could feel the chaos from the room before he entered it, but the noise came to an immediate halt as the doors opened before him.

"Errant! What's wrong? Is Calder--"

"He is the same your highness."

The King looked a mess, and more so, felt it. His emotions were torn in more directions than Errant could make sense of. He had no children of his own, but the fear and anguish over what could happen to Astasha were enough for him to understand; Josnen was terrified of losing his only son.

He took in the room. Every counselor, advisor, and high-ranking military officer were there. But he needed to speak to the King alone.

"If I may, your majesty, I need a word in private."

The King nodded and turned to his audience. "Not a soul is to make any decisions until I return. The biggest piece of the puzzle falls with Errant and I will speak to him before moving on anything."

There were murmurs and nods, but no one dared to protest.

Josnen led the way to a small anti-chamber with a desk and a few chairs.

Closing the door behind them, he slumped into the seat behind the desk, motioning for Errant to take one of the others.

"How did it come to this Errant?"

He knew the King wanted answers but there were none he could give.

"What has happened has happened my lord. All we can do now is plan and prepare."

"And how do we do that when we have no idea what happened in the clearing or what the damn thing wants? It left no demands, made no threats before it disappeared.”

Errant knew this wasn't going to go over well, but he had thought it over and calculated the pros and cons. Until Astasha and Calder woke up, there was no other way to know what the demon had said or if it had given any hint as to its scheme. He was sure now after seeing the damage done to the Prince that it hadn't needed to retreat. It could have easily taken the entire Prince's Guard and given Errant a run for his money. So why escape?

There was only one way they could find out if it had let any of its plan slip, and Josnen wasn't going to like it.

"Before you reject my proposal, your highness, please hear me out." Errant took a deep breath as the King's eyebrows raised. "I need to perform another authentication ritual."

"Absolutely not Errant! You have invaded my son's privacy and memories enough as it is, all for the sake of keeping this from happening! And what good did that do? The damn demon escaped, my son is near death, and everything was for nothing!"

Errant tried to force a calming energy into the room but he was too depleted. Closing his eyes, he bowed his head. "Please, your highness, I know I have failed you, I know that I have failed in my only purpose, to protect you, your son, and this kingdom. Because of this, as soon as the Council has found a suitable replacement, I shall be resigning my position and surrendering my powers."

He had come to this decision the moment he had seen and felt the damage done to Astasha and the Prince by the demon. He was not worthy of his post or the gift inside him. It was therefore only right that he forfeit both. "Before that happens, however, let me do this one last thing to perhaps leave my name not entirely sullied. I can alter the ritual to only see what took place in the clearing, nothing more."

Errant opened his eyes and looked up at the man across from him. "Please, Josnen, as my friend, allow me this final act to help you."

The King was studying him, as if trying to read him. Though he had no powers, he had spent decades mastering the ability to do so through body language and infliction and Errant hoped these skills would help him to see his true intent.

Josnen simply shook his head and laughed.

"Errant, you old fool."

The High Sorcerer was caught off guard.

“Your majesty?”

“My friend, you put so much on yourself that you seem to have forgotten that you are in fact, human. And therefore, you are prone to mistakes, just as the rest of us. As such, I shall not be accepting your resignation. In fact, it seems awfully selfish of you to play the martyr and rob me of your far more frequent successes.”

Errant didn’t quite know how to feel or respond. In all the years he had known the King, he had never known him to falter in his humanity or humility, and now, it was being put on him to uphold the same standard. Josnen was, by all accounts, a great ruler and a true friend.

"If it is your wish that I remain as your High Sorcerer, I shall not go against you.”

"It is."

“Then so it shall be.” They nodded to each other, a simple understanding and agreement passing between them. Errant felt some of the stress he had been carrying lift from his shoulders. However, there was still a bigger issue at hand. “If you truly desire that we do not perform another authentication ritual, we must find another option.”

“You are an intelligent man Errant, you must be able to think of another way.”

The High Sorcerer furrowed his brow. It was a dangerous and risky route, one that he had hoped to avoid, but if it had to be done, he would find a way to do it. “There is one other, though I must warn you of the hazards involved.”

The King leaned back, putting his fingers together. “At this point everything will come with a risk. What do you have in mind?”

Errant sighed and met Josnen’s eye. “We must find a way to wake Astasha and Calder. However, if done incorrectly, the pain and trauma could possibly kill them.”

There was silence for a moment as the King considered the High Sorcerer’s words. “Well then, you best make sure it is done correctly. I wouldn’t want to regret my decision to not accept your resignation.”


**Author’s Note:** *I’m back! Sorry for the lack of updates this past week. We had a house full of visitors and I was quite busy playing host. Another update will be out later today as an apology to everyone who was left wondering the fate of our love birds after the last chapter. I hope you all had a great weekend and are having a wonderful week so far! Love and light!*