Affairs of State (Date 1/10/25)

Edgar waved until the group was out of sight - then continued waving for a slow count of ten just to be sure the Prince wasn’t still watching him with his magic - before he finally closed the door and let himself exhale a long sigh, as he sagged against the wood for support. It had been an incredible week! Well, every week had been incredible since he had become a wizard’s apprentice and moved into a haunted tower, but this week in particular had some insane highlights. So much fallout out from a few nobles getting killed... It proved they were more important than the people of the streets. Edgar had lost three of his gang a few years back when a cough had swept through the alleys. No one else seemed to notice, but the General gets killed and the town goes into hiding. Doors locks… Windows shuttered… It would actually be a perfect time to run those streets, but that wasn’t his life anymore.

Today he was supposed to decipher the mysteries of a rune-covered scabbard liberated from the upstairs laboratory. Probably the most boring item of the lot. It didn’t even have a sword in it! He really wanted to open the mysterious tome, but Euwyn had said, no. He knew his master didn’t trust him, but that was okay, he really didn’t trust himself, and if copying runes from sheath-to-paper was what was required of him to have a roof over his head, it was a much smaller price than he was used to paying. Now granted it was a roof he shared with ghosts and angels, and now the dead body of the former Marshal, a man who could turn into a wall climbing monster and whose body now rested, preserved in the Prince’s study. That door was magically sealed. There was no way for his restless spirit to break free, shatter the wards and come after him… Edgar decided to work in his room.

As he took out his stylus, working hard not to avoid thoughts of ghosts and monsters, Edgar’s thoughts instead wandered to the Prince, off fighting goblin wizards it would seem. Justice had come back to town, disrupting the funerals with talk of goblin spell-caster with frogs for shoulders over-running his fort. He was immediately named the new general. At the same council meeting Uncle Yuri was named Grand Diplomat and Brother Martin took over Lexington’s role as Marshal. It was all crazy, and whispers on the street were of war with elves. At the funeral the King had wavered between tearful sorrow and enraged declarations that those responsible - Shena Starym in particular - would pay. Strange thing was that Edgar was pretty sure the fort was overrun with powerful fey creatures. Ilyana had said so. Could there be two forts? Certainly not! Why would you possibly need two forts? Most likely, justice had killed the fey, the goblins had chased off Justice and now the Prince and Marty would kill the goblins. So confusing… Edgar prayed to Strom that he wouldn’t have to deal with such things when he became a mage.

Magister! That’s what they’d name him. It was inevitable. The Prince was going to become King someday and who was left who could read spells? Him! It was ridiculous. He was no wizard. He had just transcribed the same rune for the fourth time in a row. Concentrate, Edgar!

But his thoughts wouldn’t stay put. There was Relania’s face, stuck in disbelief and sorrow as Euwyn told her of Lex’s death at his own hand. There was no way they were ever going to straighten that out. Not anyway Edgar could see, but maybe that’s why the Prince had Lex’s body downstairs… It was too bad though, he had liked Relania. She had been nice to him, even though she did cheat on Euwyn. But did Lex have to die? Seemed harsh… Oh! But he had killed the General. He was an elven spy. Now everybody hated elves. He hoped Ilyana wouldn’t have to leave. Giada was gone. Wasn’t she Lex’s girlfriend? So confusing.

Edgar fell back on the bed to rest his thoughts and try to refocus on his work. Lingering cobwebs from the morning creeped in and sleep started to pull him under until he heard the familiar buzzing and shot straight up. No! Ghosts were the last thing he needed right now. He had runes to copy!