46. Keelan

Chapter forty-six

Keelan

T he Sheriff had appropriated the manse of a petty noble to use as his center of operations; but rather than take us inside the residence, Wilfred led us next door where six heavily armed men surrounded a long tent. High Chancellor Thorn rose from a chair at the far end as we entered. He ignored us, greeting the Sheriff with a perfunctory bow.

"Chancellor, the King is allowing these men to inspect the Melucian seal we recovered. When His Majesty arrives, would you please do the honor?"

Wilfred indicated for Atikus and me to sit in the remaining chairs.

Alfred arrived moments later, as Chancellor Thorn retrieved a small silver box from a footlocker in the corner and set it on a folding table by Atikus. Once the King was seated, Thorn placed his palm on the lid. Magic flared from his palm, the box clicked , and the lid opened .

Thorn stepped back.

Atikus leaned over and stared at the polished seal nestled in a velvet pillow. He held his palm a few inches above the seal, careful not to touch it, and his own magic flowed toward the seal. Several tense moments passed before he sat back and turned to me with wide eyes.

"That is our seal. It belongs to Guildmaster Burner. There were several layers of magical protection placed on it by the Arch Mage himself, but I can't sense any of them now. It's as though they've been removed . . . or hidden. I can't tell."

"What did those protections do?" Sheriff Wilfred asked.

Atikus seemed to struggle with how to answer, and I silently willed him not to give away too much to our soon-to-be enemy. "I am not familiar with all the protections the Arch Mage may have placed on this item, but I know one was designed to alter the seal's imprint if anyone other than Guildmaster Burner used it. The person wouldn't know anything was amiss, but anyone in the upper levels of government would recognize the mark as a fraud. I believe your King is aware of this protection from his own correspondence with the Guildmaster."

Alfred nodded. "Yes, I am familiar with that particular Enchantment. Anything else?"

"As for protections? I do not know what else Velius might have added." Atikus scrutinized the seal again. "I can't find anything odd, at least nothing magically unusual, but I do find it strange that the seal, made of soft gold, shows no damage, not even scratches. If taken on a difficult journey, then dropped onto the road, it would surely show damage, don't you think?"

"Not necessarily." Chancellor Thorn spoke before Wilfred could answer. "If the item possessed wards, it may have been protected from damage. An entry-level Mage could cast that spell."

Atikus nodded slowly.

I cleared my throat, drawing every eye.

"High Sheriff, when was this found?"

Wilfred frowned. "I believe our Constables found it during a search of the area the day following the kidnapping."

"Not on the same day?" I asked.

"No."

"Have either of you seen this seal before? Prior to it being found?"

Wilfred shook his head.

Thorn hesitated, then nodded. "Yes, I believe so."

"When was that?" I asked.

Thorn's eyes drifted. "I believe five—no, six years ago. Your Guildmaster visited Fontaine to attend a state dinner. Arch Mage Quin and I spent most of that time together, but I recall seeing Master Burner throughout the week."

"And he had his seal with him?" Atikus asked, his voice carrying more than a hint of incredulity .

Thorn shrugged. "Perhaps he planned to seal trade agreements. I do not know why he carried it on his person."

"Anything else?" the King asked, his patience clearly thinning.

"No. I believe that's all we're going to learn here," I said.

Wilfred had our ever-present shadow escort us back to the inn, where I immediately flopped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. Atikus closed the door behind him and sat.

"I could feel something wasn't quite right but couldn't tell if Thorn was lying or is just creepy," I said. "He didn't directly lie about anything, but he just feels off somehow. I don't know. That whole thing may have been a waste of time."

"Not necessarily."

I bolted upright. "Out with it. I know that look."

"Don't get too excited. It's nothing earth-shattering." Atikus's eyes sparkled despite his statement. "There was a trace of magic on the seal, something I'm sure wasn't cast by the Arch Mage."

"Really? Who cast it? What was it for?"

Atikus chuckled at my sudden enthusiasm. "Easy there. I know who didn't cast the magic, but I never said I knew who did or what the casting was supposed to do. We would need an Enchanter to untangle that mystery, if it's even possible. I could only sense a faint hint, like reading faded ink."

"That's not very helpful." I deflated, flopping back.

"I taught you better than that. It's not a breakthrough, but information is always helpful. Someone tampered with the seal . . . or tried to. We now know that for certain."

"Right. Well, I'm going to do what I told Prince Tagalong to do and get some rest. Tonight's going to be interesting." I closed my eyes and was asleep before Atikus could respond.